TL Note: Bonus chapter? Yes.
Who is Utatane Koharu?
She is an old woman who has survived three great wars in the shinobi world. Though her personal strength might not be impressive, when it comes to scheming, only Chiyo of Sunagakure could compete with her.
Seeing Asuma waver, Koharu knew that her plan was bound to succeed.
As long as Asuma harbored ambitions toward the Hokage position, he would subconsciously overlook any flaws in her words.
That is human nature.
"You could say that the Hokage position should have been yours. However, due to unfavorable timing, Tsunade had to take charge of the situation."
Asuma was no child. Though Koharu's words tempted him, he understood the vast difference in ability between himself and Tsunade.
Besides, Tsunade had already been appointed as the Fifth Hokage. Could she really be removed from her position?
"Originally, with Tsunade's arrival, you had no chance."
"I just didn't expect that Tsunade would disregard her master-disciple bonds and secretly suppress the Sarutobi clan." Here, Koharu paused, giving Asuma time to process the information while planting seeds of doubt in his mind.
"If that were all, we could endure it. After all, the change of Hokage is tied to Konoha's safety—we can't afford to treat this matter lightly."
Asuma nodded in agreement.
Even if there were power struggles, the village had to be considered above all else.
Without Konoha, they were nothing.
"Yesterday, we received intelligence that the Daimyō is dissatisfied with Tsunade serving as the Fifth Hokage and plans to reduce Konoha's military budget as a form of punishment."
Asuma was stunned.
"Impossible! Tsunade-sama is one of the legendary Sannin. Why would the Daimyō doubt her?"
Koharu smiled. If not for their manipulation behind the scenes, Tsunade would have smoothly taken the Hokage seat without issue.
But now that Tsunade wielded complete authority and showed no respect for them, they had no choice but to retaliate.
They had the power to push Tsunade up, and they also had the power to bring her down.
"Don't forget, Hiruzen was killed by Orochimaru."
"Perhaps, in the Daimyō's eyes, the deep bond between the Sannin makes it plausible that Tsunade was secretly advising Orochimaru. Since suspicions have not been cleared, it's only natural for the Daimyō to harbor doubts."
Asuma frowned. He felt something was off but couldn't put his finger on it.
To be honest, he did desire the Hokage position.
A true man should never be without power.
After his father passed away, people had indeed tried persuading him to become the Fifth Hokage.
But Asuma knew that with his current strength, he was still lacking.
Had this been a minor shinobi village, his abilities would have been more than enough to serve as its leader. But this was Konoha, the strongest of the Five Great Shinobi Villages. Even if Tsunade stepped down, the Hokage position wouldn't fall to him so easily.
"So Homura and I discussed it and decided to create a backup plan, making you a candidate for the future."
Asuma voiced his doubt.
"My strength is far inferior to Tsunade-sama, and I'm not even a match for Kakashi. In such a situation, even if I became Hokage, I wouldn't be able to command respect."
A shinobi village is, at its core, a military force. To gain control, one must have sufficient strength.
Otherwise, it would be nothing more than a pipe dream.
'Asuma is taking the bait!'
Koharu was pleased with how things were progressing. If Asuma were uninterested, he wouldn't have made such a statement.
"The Third Hokage's summoning beast, Enma, possesses considerable strength. If you can inherit it, aside from Tsunade and Jiraiya, no one in Konoha would be your match."
(Kakashi: What about my Kamui? My Raikiri? Where did this old hag put my Purple Lightning?!)
(Maito Gai: Kakashi, my friend! This technique was prepared just for you! Eight Gates: Gate of Death, Open!)
"Enma's summoning scroll is in my possession, so that's not an issue. But just that alone might not be enough." Asuma shook his head, staring at Koharu with intense focus, as if he were about to confess his love to her.
Faced with such a passionate gaze, Koharu remained unfazed.
Back in the day, she had been one of Konoha's most beautiful women, with countless suitors. This level of attention was nothing new.
"Since you still feel it's insufficient, I can tell you about another source of power. Whether you dare to pursue it is up to you. After all, gaining power without taking any risks is impossible."
"Where?" Asuma was excited.
Power! Strength!
Only now did he truly grasp its importance.
Just think—Uchiha Itachi alone had easily suppressed Kakashi, Kurenai, and himself. The thought made Asuma's stomach churn.
Many times, he had wondered why he wasn't born into the Uchiha clan. If he had Sharingan, he could just glare at his enemies and they'd drop dead.
That kind of power was ridiculously cool.
"Hoshigakure, a small village. At its peak, it had many jōnin, but for some unknown reason, it later fell into decline. According to Danzo's investigations, it was because the village's treasure, the 'Star', was stolen. Your mission would be to locate Hoshigakure and train in its secret technique—the Mysterious Peacock Method."
"If you succeed, your power will increase dramatically."
"Of course, there are significant risks involved. I hope you consider carefully. One misstep, and you could lose your life. As Hiruzen's old classmate, I truly don't want to see you die young."
"At the same time, I also don't want to see Konoha dragged into ruin by Tsunade."
"I hope you think it over. Even if you choose not to go, staying in Konoha as a jonin is not a bad option. But in that case, I hope you voluntarily step back from leading the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, to reduce Tsunade's reasons for targeting you."
The older, the wiser.
Koharu knew she couldn't make the decision for Asuma. All she needed to do was guide him.
People believe what they see, even if it's an illusion.
Koharu only had to steer Asuma slightly, and the plan would be set in motion.
Today was indeed a beautiful, sunny day.
Asuma sat in his room, watching Koharu leave, his eyes filled with uncertainty.
Some said he took a position as a bodyguard for the Daimyō out of rebellion. But only he knew that this path had been arranged by his father.
When the Third Hokage reclaimed his position, it was all to pave the way for Asuma.
To be a successful Hokage, one needed the Daimyō's support. Asuma's service as a bodyguard was an investment—when the time came for him to take the mantle, the Daimyō would repay the favor.
This was a game played by cunning old men. Outsiders only saw his supposed rebellion but failed to recognize the carefully laid plans behind the scenes.
Even his wife had been arranged for him.
When he thought about how someone as beautiful as Kurenai had remained single all these years, the implications were terrifying.
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