Hokage: Ryo’s Path

Ryo placed Korin on the ground as she peeked curiously at Minato.

Just how fast could a man be? Minato was the 1st one she ever witnessed who was even faster than Ryo.

“Korin, come to Ne-san!” Kushina had no boundaries in dealing with Korin, and she opened her arms wide for her.

During the time both spent in the Wind Country, the two got very familiar to each other. As soon as Korin heard Kushina’s call, she jumped into her arms.

Korin twisted around in Kushina’s arms, looking for a comfortable position, and her small front paws ended up on her chest.

Minato’s face changed, and he, already having a hunch that Korin is rather intelligent, said a low voice: “Ryo, what’s the gender of your cat?”

“Korin is a girl! Why did you suddenly ask me that question?” Ryo didn’t pay attention to Korin’s paw, and was oblivious to Minato’s concerns.

Ryo’s answer relieved Minato, and he just said calmly: “It’s just that your cat is so cute! So I wanted to know!”

“Cute? I think you’ve been deceived by her appearance, Ni-san!” Ryo said with a smile.

“Confused by her appearance? What do you mean?” Minato looked back at the cat, and felt that she looked very harmless! Therefore, he was puzzled by Ryo’s words.

While Minato was not a Sensor Ninja, he was very sensitive to Chakra compared to Ordinary Ninja.

That, along with his fighting experience, made his judgment of threat levels very accurate.

He could only sense weak Chakra fluctuations from Korin’s body, ones that shouldn’t pose a threat at all.

“Korin, show Minato Ni-san!” Ryo did not answer directly, and turned to Korin, who nodded and jumped from Kushina’s arms, running into the woods dozens of meters away.

“Begin!” As soon as Ryo said that, Korin began to regain her Chakra from within his seal.

In the blink of an eye, a small mountain sized beast appeared out of thin air.

Minato looked at the behemoth in awe: “Did… did that cat just turn into the suspected Biju that the Hyuga had detected?”

Ryo nodded saying: “Yes, he must have spotted Korin.”

Minato couldn’t even speak for a while, but being the man about to become Hokage soon, he was capable of easily holding back his emotions.

“Ryo, what is she? What’s going on?”

IT wasn’t until Ryo told Minato of what he had previously told Kushina that he finally understood.

“Ryo, is she still a Biju?” Minato pointed at Korin.

“She is a different life form, but her power and Chakra are that of a Biju.”

“So that’s the case. Well then, why did you keep it a secret? Why didn’t you tell the Hokage?” Minato went on to ask.

“You don’t know why, Ni san? Don’t you trust me and Ne san?” Ryo asked.

“Ryo, that’s actually really smart of you! Thank you!”

The conversation between Minato and Ryo was rather mystical to Kushina. She understood every single word they said, but nothing at all.

“Hey! What are you guys talking about?” She asked directly.

Minato smiled and said: “He talking about what will happen after I become the Hokage!”

Kushina had some doubts listening to him: “After becoming Hokage? You are strong enough to protect Konoha, and that enough!”

“It’s not that simple! Ne san, think about the three Hokages who were before Ni-san. The 1st and the 2nd had the Senju clan supporting them, while the 3rd has the Sarutobi clan as well. The 3 are born to big Ninja clans, that represent some the highest tier forces in Konoha.”

“Ninja clan? Are you saying that Minato being of civilian roots could hinder his status as Hokage?”

Kushina, while not too thoughtful, was not dumb. She quickly understood the matter.

“Yes! Each of the previous Hokages have their clan behind. The Senju clan was actually able to overpower the Uchiha!”  Ryo took a small break then continued: “While the Sarutobi clan are not as strong as the Uchiha, they actually have very strong ties to the many small and medium-sized clans around Konoha. Therefore, all three Hokage could rule and have weight to their word!”

“Minato has no clan support, so does that mean that his chances of success as Hokage are doomed?” Kushina went straight to the point.

Ryo nodded and said: “It should have been that way. But now things are different. Ni-san, how did you get the support of the Hyuga and the Uchiha?”

Minato did not hide his methods from the two: “The Hyuga were not satisfied with the growth of the Sarutobi clan, so they supported me over the Hokage’s disciple. I actually had the Uchiha’s support through a deal I made with Fugaku. I promised him that his clan would return to the center of the village after I become a Hokage.”

“So that’s the case! I’ve been wondering why you were so calm during the elections, and it turned out you already had support and never said anything, leaving me to worry!” Kushina was rather dissatisfied.

“Sorry, sorry! It was my bad!” Minato scratched his head and then apologized.

Instead of continuing to argue, Kushina continued to ask: “So why did you thank Ryo?”

“It’s because him telling me, not the Hokage, his biggest secret, means that the Ino-Shika-Cho are giving me their support. Am I right, Ryo?”

“Well, that’s the outcome of the discussions between the 3 clans.” Ryo nodded.

“Ryo, didn’t your clan always have good relationships with the Sarutobi clan? Why did things suddenly changed?” Kushina had some doubts.

“Well, with the 3rd in position, the Sarutobi clan had been developing too fast, turning the smaller clans into just extensions of their own. The Ino-Shika-Cho alliance is no inferior to the Sarutobi clan, so they’re taking the opportunity of Ni-san’s rising to draw a clean line to maintain the current balance in the village.” Ryo answered.

Minato was glad, as Ryo gave him more support that he needed.

Now, Minato has the Uchiha, the Hyuga, and the Ino-Shika-Cho alliance backing him up, along with most of the Ninjas of civilian origins in the village. Thus, he already had the support of most of the village.

“Minato Ni-san, I have forgotten to ask you, will Jiraya san show his support to you after you become Hokage?”

“I’ve asked Sensei, but he did not give me a positive answer. He said that he will just support Konoha!” Minato said with a smile.

Ryo also laughed: “That’s just like Jiraya san!”

After the conversation, Ryo let Korin return to her cat form, and then lifted his Genjutsu off of Kenichi.

As he woke up, he stared at the surroundings, still stunned. When he saw Minato and Kushina still searching, he just thought he got distracted, and immediately continued his search for the Biju he saw before!