Space to Breathe - [ Sakura Haruno ]

CHAPTER 13

Jiraiya sighed as Tsunade shook her head at him. Their mission had failed, but it wasn't all bad. Tsunade had agreed to return home, but refused the Hokage office entirely. She wasn't qualified anymore, she reasoned. Too old, too out of touch with shinobi life, too broken.

Jiraiya wanted to argue, wanted to make her take the hat, but he couldn't. They were some of the same excuses he'd used a number of times when Hiruzen had tried to pass the hat on to him. They were the same in that way.

So, returning home to smiles of triumph felt like he had betrayed the village, but he knew it was likely for the best. Tsunade knew herself better than anyone else at this point. If she believed herself unworthy, then she probably was.

Jiraiya knew he was, too, and so he entered the meeting of clan heads and the advisors with a small frown and a shake of his head.

"Tsunade has refused the position," he announced, not waiting for the question to be asked at all, "although she has agreed to return as the hospital's lead medic."

Murmuring broke out then, between the clan heads. If not a sannin, then there were few people eligible enough.

Some clans heads out forth nominations, either for themselves or respected jonin from their clans, but all were shut down quickly by the elders. Very few shinobi could become a Kage, and Konoha had a deficiency at this point.

"I see only two eligible for the position," Koharu, the female advisor spoke clearly, "I would like for Nara Shikaku and Hyuga Hiashi to step forwards."

Both did, although Hiashi with significantly more grace, and stood before the two elders.

"Nara Shikaku has served as Jonin Commander for many years, being the right hand to both the third and fourth Hokage," she continued, "whilst Hyuga Hiashi is the head of Konoha's largest clan, and a well respected shinobi in his own right."

Both nod when their names are mentioned, but neither seem thrilled at the prospect of the job. Neither make a move to refuse however.

"I invite any other members gathered today to give their thoughts on these candidates," she finished, and multiple clan heads move to rise.

The Yamanaka and Akimichi, both Shikaku's teammates, moved to support him, mentioning his intellect and experience as Jonin Commander. The Aburame move to support the Hyuga. The Inuzuka head refrains from taking a side.

Many smaller clan heads speak also, and eventually a man by the name of Hatake Botan speaks.

"The Nara clan may be smaller, and before the recent invasion Shikaku's strength was not widely known," he began, "but during the commotion of battle, I and many others of the village witnessed his prowess in combat."

"He does not rival the Professor, or the Yellow Flash, and certainly not the God of Shinobi, but many in the village have begun to refer to him by his own moniker," the man explains, "I believe the Shadow Tactician of Konoha would make a fantastic fifth Hokage."

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Nara Shikaku's eyes shot open upon hearing the explosion. He had been at his desk as usual, working, although his mind had been more occupied with how his son was doing in his chunin exams.

Without a single hand seal, he shunshined outside, watching carefully as Konoha nin, his comrades, combatted a mix of both Suna nin and Oto nin.

"Status report," he barked at the closest shinobi, a chunin who just took down a shinobi from Sunagakure.

"Yes, sir," the twenty something year old spoke professionally, "from what I can tell, Otogakure and Sunagakure are launching a joint invasion of Konoha. The Hokage was attacked by Orochimaru of the sannin disguised as the fourth Kazekage during the tournament of the Chunin exams. He is stuck within a barrier, and none of the ANBU have managed to get through."