Chapter 189 : Fully Qualified To Be A Qualified Hokage
After reading the report, Tsunade said, "Well done."
Temari smiled and asked, "For this year’s Chūnin Exams in Konoha, I wonder if that guy plans to take it?"
She looked over at Naruto as she spoke.
Only then did Tsunade remember that Naruto was still a Genin. She let out a slightly exasperated sigh. "If you can, then go ahead and participate."
In reality, Naruto’s strength was already at the level of a Jōnin, but he had never officially passed the Chūnin Exams.
All the other shinobi of his generation had already been promoted to Chūnin.
Only he and Sasuke remained Genin.
While Naruto was chatting with Shikamaru, Tsunade brought up the topic. Naruto thought for a moment—he was still a Genin?
"The Chūnin Exams? Of course I want to take them!"
He still didn’t realize that of the original Konoha Twelve, everyone except him and Sasuke had already become Chūnin.
He simply hadn’t noticed yet. In his mind, they were all still Genin like him.
After finishing up their conversation in the Hokage’s office, Sakura and Naruto left with Shikamaru and Temari.
Standing by the window, Jiraiya looked out and said in a calm tone, "The Akatsuki has resumed hunting Jinchūriki across the shinobi world... but we still haven’t figured out their ultimate goal."
Jiraiya had always been wary of the Akatsuki. This was an organization composed of multiple Kage-level rogue shinobi.
What troubled him most was not just their strength, but the fact that their motives were still unclear. And now, they were actively collecting strategic weapons like the Tailed Beasts.
To both Naruto and Konoha, the Akatsuki posed a massive threat.
Tsunade frowned and walked to the window as well, folding her arms across her chest as she stared outside. "They’re all missing-nin... working as mercenaries for hire across the villages. What could they possibly be after? It can’t be peace, can it?"
After all, even Hashirama Senju once tried to gather all the Tailed Beasts. He managed to capture every one of them except the One-Tail.
Back then, the Tailed Beasts were still unbound and wild, which made them easier to catch—though, of course, it also depended on who was doing the capturing.
For someone like Hashirama Senju, it had been effortless.
But for others, it was a nearly impossible task.
Tsunade remembered clearly that the Akatsuki once claimed to be working toward world peace.
But how could collecting all the Tailed Beasts possibly lead to peace?
Jiraiya thought for a moment and said, "Maybe it has something to do with all the jutsu they were gathering during the past three years. Remember how they stopped capturing Tailed Beasts for a while and focused on collecting techniques, especially sealing jutsu?"
Tsunade didn’t have a complete understanding of that, but even she felt it had to be connected somehow.
After a long pause, Jiraiya finally said, "Still... it’s dangerous for Naruto to be traveling with me now. Maybe it’s better if he stays in Konoha for a while. His current strength should be enough to handle a few things here."
"And in three years’ time, Orochimaru will probably start making his move to reel Sasuke back in."
"Whether Sasuke can escape Orochimaru’s grasp... that’s something we’ll have to see."
"Either way, Naruto won’t give up on him."
As she listened, Tsunade turned to look at Riku.
Now that Riku was back in the village, it was unlikely the Akatsuki would try to launch a direct attack on Konoha.
"In the future, I’ll have Riku keep an eye on Naruto."
These days, Tsunade no longer worried about Riku’s safety—because, frankly, she didn’t believe there was anyone in the shinobi world who could defeat him.
Jiraiya laughed and said, "That’s exactly why I brought Naruto back—so that Riku could look after him."
"Konoha can’t afford to lose the Nine Tails."
When it came down to it, Jiraiya was always thinking about the village. For both him and Tsunade, the survival of Konoha was paramount.
After finishing their discussion in the Hokage’s office, the group made their way to Training Field Three.
By the time they arrived, Sakura and Naruto still hadn’t shown up.
Kakashi, however, was already there—leaning against a tree, deeply engrossed in one of Jiraiya’s novels.
Tsunade couldn’t help but be exasperated. "Why do people enjoy reading that kind of stuff?"
Jiraiya looked a bit embarrassed. While he personally thought his writing was excellent, he couldn’t exactly deny her critique.
Riku sat casually on a tree branch, gazing at the western sky as the sun began to set. Finally, Sakura and Naruto arrived.
This time, Kakashi would be testing both of them.
It was a true ninja-level battle.
Unlike Riku, who fought on a different level entirely, standard shinobi didn’t immediately jump into using ninjutsu. First, they evaluated their opponent—trying other means before resorting to jutsu. Ninjutsu was a last resort.
A ninja’s core abilities revolved around ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu.
Elite Jōnin were usually proficient in all three.
Although Guy was best known for his physical prowess, his skill in ninjutsu and genjutsu resistance wasn’t lacking either.
That’s why he was able to reach the Jōnin rank.
Lee, on the other hand, couldn’t use ninjutsu or genjutsu at all.
But both Guy and Lee had strong chakra reserves, largely due to their intense physical conditioning. Chakra could be increased through training, after all.
Their talent in ninjutsu just wasn’t high.
Guy was okay—just not especially skilled in it.
But Lee had zero aptitude. If Guy hadn’t recognized his potential back at the Academy, Lee probably wouldn’t have even graduated.
At that time, Kakashi had also kept a close eye on Lee’s progress.
So despite what people might say, both Guy and Kakashi actually cared deeply about the younger generation at the Academy.
After all, those kids were Konoha’s future.
Kakashi began to change long ago—when he left Root and joined the Third Hokage’s direct ANBU unit.
The reason Guy wasn’t rated as highly as Kakashi by others was simple: Kakashi didn’t just excel in taijutsu. He was also a master of ninjutsu and genjutsu, making him the epitome of a well-rounded Jōnin.
Kakashi was a textbook shinobi—smart, adaptable, and incredibly skilled across all disciplines.
His name was known far beyond Konoha. In the eyes of both allies and enemies, Kakashi was elite.
Anyone stronger than Kakashi was either already at Kage-level—or very close to it.
And despite what people thought, Kakashi’s chakra reserves weren’t actually low. Among Jōnin, excluding the Jinchūriki, his chakra level was quite high.
The only problem was that his body wasn’t well-suited for prolonged use of the Sharingan.
Whenever he used it, especially the Mangekyō Sharingan, the strain on his body was immense. He would often be bedridden for days afterward.
Even full-blooded Uchiha struggled with overuse of the Mangekyō. Prolonged use not only damaged the eyes but also took a heavy toll on the body.
So for an outsider like Kakashi to wield the Sharingan as he did—it was a testament to just how gifted he was. Most non-Uchiha couldn’t even handle the standard Sharingan without suffering side effects.
That was one of the many reasons Riku believed Kakashi would make a perfect successor to Tsunade.
In just a few more years, Kakashi would fully reach Kage-level strength. He had the qualifications, the experience, the age, and the reputation. In every aspect, he was well-suited to become the next Hokage.
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