CHAPTER 154: CHAPTER 154: THE FIFTH HOKAGE

Chapter 154: The Fifth Hokage

The morning sun peeked over the horizon, casting long shadows across Konoha. The air had turned crisp with the slow approach of winter, but the chill meant nothing to Ryosuke. On the training grounds, his upper body was bare, his skin slick with sweat that glistened like dew under the pale sunlight.

He moved through his routine with mechanical precision—push-ups, squats, sprints—but there was no strain in his limbs, no fire in his muscles. Not even a hint of fatigue.

His current training had become meaningless.

Once upon a time, a thousand squats could push him to his limits. Now, even ten thousand failed to stir any progress. After undergoing his third transformation, his body had reached a realm where simple effort no longer bore fruit. The limiter he had unlocked granted him power, but with it came the cruel truth—true advancement required more than just persistence.

The path forward wasn’t just steep—it was unknown.

He stood near the edge of what others had paved, but beyond that... nothing. A jagged cliff into darkness. A road to heaven with no more stones to step on.

Without worthy adversaries, he couldn’t temper himself. Without fresh challenges, his strength would stagnate. It was the primary reason he’d hesitated to act against Black Zetsu. Early action might eliminate threats, but at what cost? Growth demanded pressure. Without it, even gods would plateau.

With a sigh, Ryosuke paused his training.

The sunlight was warm against his skin. Sweat rolled down his body in crystal streams, but inside, he felt... untouched. No soreness. No progress. Not even mental clarity. Just emptiness.

"It’s confirmed. Time to give it up."

Grabbing a towel, he wiped his hair and shoulders as he walked off the training field. It had been nearly a year since his third transformation. If traditional training no longer yielded results, then it was time to shift focus. There were other avenues to grow stronger—he would pursue them instead.

From now on, physical training would take a backseat. His priority would be studying techniques.

Back at home, the house was already awake. Hinata and Hanabi had finished their morning exercises, and the family sat together around the breakfast table. As usual, the meal passed quietly and efficiently.

But today... something was different.

After breakfast, Hinata and Hanabi didn’t head to school, and Hyuga Hiashi didn’t begin his duties as clan head. Instead, the family dressed formally, then stepped outside together—a rare event. They greeted fellow clansmen, exchanged respectful nods, and exited the compound together, blending into the flow of villagers.

Today was no ordinary day.

Most of Konoha’s institutions had closed their doors, much like they had during Hiruzen Sarutobi’s funeral. But unlike that solemn occasion, today was a celebration.

The Fifth Hokage would be officially inaugurated.

The daimyo of the Land of Fire had come in person, accompanied by nobles and foreign envoys from allied nations. The village buzzed with energy and anticipation.

At the heart of the commotion, amidst the laughter and chatter, walked a man with a familiar wild hairstyle and a grin plastered across his face—Jiraiya. His demeanor was relaxed, even playful, but there was a stiffness in his gait as he followed closely behind the two Hokage advisors: Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura.

It had been nearly a month since Ryosuke last saw him.

After Ryosuke suggested that Naruto might open up more if approached through stories about his parents, Jiraiya had taken the advice seriously—and quietly disappeared for a time.

Now, he was back.

Standing on the ceremonial platform, Jiraiya donned the iconic Hokage cloak and hat with the help of Koharu and Homura. The crowd quieted as the letter of appointment was handed to him by the daimyo.

Jiraiya stepped forward, cleared his throat, and began.

"From this day forward, I will serve as the Fifth Hokage of Konoha Village, but—"

Clap! Clap!

Before he could finish his sentence, Koharu and Homura clapped briskly and announced, "Alright, that concludes the succession ceremony!"

Wait—what?

The crowd blinked, stunned. Jiraiya himself stood frozen, mid-speech, lips slightly parted.

Was that... it?

Whispers rippled through the onlookers. Even Jiraiya, standing on the high platform, looked like he wanted to cry out, "Can’t I at least finish my speech?!"

Only the daimyo and the other nobles seemed unfazed. They chuckled quietly behind painted fans, clearly in on the joke.

Jiraiya, resigned, scratched the back of his head and backed away from the podium.

Just like that, the succession ceremony ended—swiftly and unceremoniously.

As the villagers began to disperse, Ryosuke returned with the Hyuga group. Hinata and Hanabi both looked dazed, still processing what had just happened.

After a pause, Hinata leaned closer and whispered, "So... did the advisors just cut him off? Was that on purpose?"

Ryosuke chuckled.

"Of course not. You just don’t understand what kind of person Jiraiya is."

He looked ahead, eyes glinting with amusement.

"When you get to know our new Hokage better, you’ll realize exactly why they stopped him mid-sentence. If they’d let him keep talking, he might’ve turned the ceremony into a public reading of Icha Icha Tactics."

Hinata blinked.

Even Hanabi looked confused.

But beside them, Hyuga Hiashi, who had remained silent throughout the procession, suddenly froze. His expression darkened with suspicion, then lit with realization.

He cleared his throat and turned to Ryosuke with narrowed eyes.

"You... should consider moving out before you come of age."

Ryosuke: "...Huh?"

The look in Hiashi’s eyes was dangerous. It wasn’t anger. It was the expression of a man realizing something about his daughter’s "fiancé" that he didn’t quite like.

Ryosuke felt his image cracking in real time.

Meanwhile, Hinata tilted her head in confusion.

"Isn’t it normal to wait until adulthood before moving out?" she asked. "Why would Father tell Ryosuke to move out now and come back after becoming an adult?"

She genuinely looked puzzled.

"Besides... it’s not like that’s our tradition. We’ve always lived together in the main house."

With a tone full of innocence, Hinata tilted her head slightly. Though her personality had matured under the influence of Yamanaka Ino and Haruno Sakura, there was still a lingering softness in her gaze—a naivety untouched by certain realities.

Clearly, she’d never read adult books like Make-Out Paradise.

Seeing her puzzled expression, Ryosuke coughed awkwardly and quickly diverted the conversation.

"Let’s talk about Jiraiya-senpai, Father?"

"...Yes," Hiashi responded, quickly catching Ryosuke’s hint. "Ryosuke, what do you think of Jiraiya becoming Hokage?"

"I think..." Ryosuke said casually, wiping his hand on a nearby cloth, "he’s just a transitional figure. And his term probably won’t last long."

Hinata blinked. "Why do you say that?"

Ryosuke sipped his tea and continued, "During his time, I doubt there’ll be any major reforms or policies. Konoha will likely stay the same—peaceful on the surface, stagnant underneath. Though... I do think he’ll clean up the mess left behind by Danzo."

He paused, tapping his finger against the rim of his teacup.

"More than anything, I think Jiraiya-senpai will focus on cultivating the next generation—on finding someone worthy to take over. Once he finds that person, he’ll probably step down willingly. His heart has always been free, never one for chains."

Hiashi nodded thoughtfully.

Indeed, the position of Fifth Hokage had ultimately fallen to Jiraiya, not because he sought it, but because there were simply no better candidates. Under the pressure of the two advisors—Koharu and Homura—he’d reluctantly taken the seat, unable to avoid the burden. And despite his carefree nature, Jiraiya did love the village deeply.

Still, Ryosuke felt certain that Jiraiya wouldn’t cling to power.

To him, the succession of the Fifth Hokage was just another small event—important, yes, but emotionally uneventful. It was merely one of many major shifts Konoha had experienced this year: the death of the Third Hokage, the public revelation that Naruto was the son of Minato Namikaze, and other ripples caused by deeper forces.

Many of these events, though seemingly unrelated to Ryosuke, had his shadow behind them.

If not for him... Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzo might still be alive today.

—

"Are you nervous?"

The air was colder than before, but the Hyuga compound was unusually lively.

In front of the clan’s ancestral hall, where incense smoke drifted toward the sky in memory of fallen heroes, the year’s clan meeting was about to begin. This year, however, would be unlike any other.

Ryosuke and Hinata stood quietly in the corner, waiting. The gathering crowd was loud, but there was tension beneath the cheer.

This year, Hyuga Hiashi had chosen to let Hinata host the clan meeting—her first major step toward becoming the future clan leader. It would be a gradual transfer of power, done step by step. But even so, Hinata’s hands trembled slightly as she reached out and gripped Ryosuke’s palm.

Her fingers, soft and pale, clenched tightly like a bundle of snow-white cotton.

"I keep feeling like... the things you and Father worry about are going to happen," she whispered. "And this is my first time hosting..."

Ryosuke smiled and squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"Something probably will happen," he said. "I just don’t know if it’ll be this year or next. Either way, you’re not alone. Father and I are behind you. And we’ve already made preparations together, right?"

A lot had changed in a short time.

In just a year, the centuries-old Hyuga structure had shifted drastically. The "Caged Bird" seal, once used to control the branch family, now only retained its final security function—sealing the Byakugan upon death. It no longer suppressed the living.

For the first time, the branch family could breathe.

Without chains binding their will, the branch members began to show vitality. They trained harder, pursued knowledge, and aimed higher. Before, they held back because their efforts didn’t belong to them. Even if they improved, all benefits funneled back to the main family.

Now, their future was their own.

But with freedom came unrest.

Some began pushing boundaries, no longer content to obey. They didn’t just rebel in secret—they questioned openly. They remembered the oppression of the past and now had the power to act on those memories.

And so—

"I object to Hinata hosting!"

The voice cut through the crowd just as Hinata approached the incense burner. She had just accepted the ceremonial incense from her father, Hyuga Hiashi, when the shout echoed across the courtyard.

Another voice followed.

"I also object! How can someone so young and unqualified lead our clan?"

"She hasn’t even mastered the basic forms of the Gentle Fist! How can she stand as the future head of the Hyuga?"

"Our clan leader should be a genius, a prodigy who earns respect through strength!"

The chorus of voices grew louder as figures stepped forward from the crowd. Ryosuke immediately recognized several of them—experienced shinobi from the branch family, including one jōnin and several chūnin. He had seen their eyes in the shadows of clan meetings before—sharp, bitter, and calculating.

Before Hiashi could respond, the gruff clan elder Ichio burst out.

"Enough! Do you realize where you are?!"

But the challengers didn’t back down.

"We mean no disrespect, Clan Elder Ichio," one of the shinobi said coolly, meeting his glare without fear. "We’re only speaking the truth."

He turned toward the crowd, his voice firm and steady.

"It was the clan leader and Lady Hinata who once declared that the future head should be the most capable. So let’s speak plainly. Compared to ordinary children her age, Lady Hinata’s progress is commendable."

"But for someone meant to lead the entire Hyuga clan? She’s lacking."

"She’s almost ten years old and still hasn’t fully mastered the Gentle Fist. On the other hand, our branch family’s Neji—he has long mastered the technique and even developed his own variant: Rotation."

There was a heavy silence.

The name "Neji" hung in the air like a blade.

Many among the crowd exchanged glances. Even if the system no longer formally distinguished between main and branch families... the truth was harder to erase. The terms still carried weight, like old scars under fresh skin.

But if a branch family shinobi could truly become clan leader... then what would that mean for the Hyuga?

Would the main family keep their word and step aside?

And if they did—would the branch family truly be equal?

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