- In Marvel: I Start by Marrying Scarlett Witch [Complete]
- MWM Chapter 291
“It’s true, we can’t afford a conflict. I’ll send someone to investigate this matter in secret.”
Faced with the advisors’ suggestions, the Third Hokage nodded in agreement.
He didn’t want to spark any conflicts with other villages either; after all, the recent attack on Konoha by the Sand Village, in alliance with Orochimaru, was enough of a reason to start a war between Konoha and the Sand.
Although the two advisors, Homura and Koharu, had conspired with Danzo against him, when it came to matters of principle like this, they still stood united.
The Third Hokage understood why Homura and Koharu had aligned themselves with Danzo, forcing him to step down as Hokage. It was primarily because he had held the position for too long, reducing the influence of the advisors over time.
However, there was one thing he was certain of: despite their alliance with Danzo, the two advisors would never support him becoming the next Hokage.
Danzo, as the representative of the hawks, would likely lead Konoha into another war, and neither advisor wanted that.
“I think this issue might be better left for the new Hokage to decide,” Danzo interjected with a cold snort.
The Third Hokage, unperturbed, smiled lightly and replied, “Choosing the new Hokage won’t be decided so easily, and Tsunade, one of the candidates, hasn’t returned to the village yet. For now, let this old man, who’s about to retire, handle it.”
“Agreed,” said Homura and Koharu in unison, nodding.
Seeing this, Danzo remained silent.
Watching the interaction, Leo now had a clearer understanding of Konoha’s current political situation.
Why had he revealed to the Konoha higher-ups the potential connection between the Hidden Rain Village and the Akatsuki?
His goal was to have Konoha send ninja to secretly investigate the Hidden Rain Village, drawing Nagato’s attention.
The Rain Village was perpetually shrouded in rain, so if any ninja from outside tried to infiltrate, Nagato would detect them immediately.
The next move would depend on Nagato’s decision.
Leo was curious to see whether, upon learning of Konoha’s suspicions, Nagato would remain silent or summon all Akatsuki members to attack Konoha.
He hoped for the latter.
That would play nicely into his plans.
With everything explained, Leo had no further business. He left the Hokage’s office with Asuma and the others, heading to the hospital to visit Kakashi, who had been gravely injured by Itachi’s Tsukuyomi.
Kakashi had sustained mental damage, and there wasn’t much the medical ninjas at Konoha’s hospital could do for him. He would simply have to rest until his mind recovered on its own.
At the hospital, Leo also saw Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, who had rushed over to check on Kakashi after hearing of his injury.
Through Naruto, he learned that Jiraiya would be taking him out for training in three days, which also involved finding Tsunade to bring her back as the next Hokage.
At this moment, the Third Hokage’s preferred candidate to succeed him was Jiraiya. As one of the Legendary Sannin and the Fourth Hokage’s teacher, Jiraiya had earned great merit for Konoha.
Homura and Koharu were also in favor of Jiraiya taking the Hokage position.
However, Jiraiya didn’t want to become Hokage. If he had, he could have taken the role years ago during the selection of the Fourth Hokage, but he had ceded it to his disciple, Minato.
Now, the second-best candidate was Tsunade, another of the Legendary Sannin, princess of the Senju Clan, and granddaughter of the First Hokage.
But Leo knew that Jiraiya would most likely return empty-handed from this mission.
In the original timeline, Tsunade only agreed to become Hokage after the death of the Third Hokage and an encounter with Orochimaru. It was only through Naruto, who reminded her of her brother, that she found the motivation to return.
But now, the Third Hokage was still alive, and Orochimaru hadn’t lost the use of his arms, so there was no reason for him to attack Tsunade. Additionally, Leo had already helped Tsunade settle her gambling debts during a previous encounter, giving her the means to continue her betting habits in various casinos.
“If Jiraiya and Tsunade both refuse to become Hokage, surely we can’t let Danzo take the position. Maybe it’s time to consider myself as the Fourth Disciple,” Leo mused as he left the hospital, walking back to his residence.
He was determined to claim the position of the Fifth Hokage.
Becoming Hokage would grant him access to all of Konoha’s jutsu, and with Konoha as a stepping stone, he could begin his conquest of the other ninja villages, eventually establishing a unified regime and unlocking all the value this world had to offer.
…
That evening, in the Sarutobi clan’s courtyard near the Hokage Tower.
Leo took out the Mangekyo Sharingan he had obtained from Uchiha Itachi.
Tonight, he planned to transplant the Mangekyo Sharingan into his own eye.
*Splat!*
A few drops of blood splattered as Leo smoothly removed his left eye.
Due to his body’s extraordinary healing abilities, the empty socket quickly began regenerating a new eye, but he stopped the process in time.
Placing Itachi’s Mangekyo Sharingan into the empty socket, he controlled his chakra to connect with the eye, and soon the Mangekyo Sharingan fused with his optic nerves, completing the transplant.
Normally, the Mangekyo Sharingan, with its powerful eye techniques, placed a heavy burden on its user.
For most Uchiha, their chakra reserves were primarily dedicated to sustaining the Sharingan, leaving them with limited chakra for other purposes.
For non-Uchiha like Kakashi, who had transplanted Obito’s Sharingan, the burden was even greater. Most of Kakashi’s chakra was consumed by the Sharingan, which often left him with too little chakra for other techniques.
However, this drawback was almost negligible for Leo.
His physical constitution was far superior, and his chakra reserves were immense. Even a Mangekyo Sharingan posed little strain on him.
The only concern was that overusing the eye could lead to blindness since it wasn’t the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.
If he were an Uchiha who had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan himself, his regenerative abilities would prevent blindness, even if it wasn’t the Eternal version.
Just like how Obito’s Mangekyo Sharingan didn’t cause blindness because his body had been augmented with Hashirama’s cells.
But since Itachi’s Mangekyo Sharingan wasn’t originally his, Leo’s healing abilities wouldn’t be effective.
Still, this was a minor issue. Once Itachi reawakened his left eye’s Mangekyo, or when Sasuke awakened his, the problem could be resolved.
With the transplant successfully completed and the chakra connection established, Leo willed it, and his left eye immediately transformed into the Three Tomoe Sharingan. With another thought, it morphed into the Mangekyo Sharingan.
“After some adjustment, I should be able to try using Tsukuyomi and Susanoo,” he thought.
…