Naruto: Monthly Refreshing Stand Abillity

Ishiki Kujo had a sudden realization—he might've gone a little too hard on the speech.

Was the Third Hokage seriously thinking of grooming him to be the Fifth?

That thought brought a twinge of unease… but the more he thought about it, the more he realized—it might not be a bad idea.

Orochimaru wanted him to become Hokage.

Shisui wanted him to become Hokage.

The only potential holdout was the Uchiha clan—after all, their original plan was to push Uchiha Shisui into power.

Still, the alternative had already been offered: if Ishiki ended up becoming Hokage, the Uchiha would be compensated. A few favors, positions, and reassurances should smooth that over.

But that was why, before any formal alliance was forged, Ishiki needed to talk to them face to face.

His meeting with Fugaku Uchiha couldn't be far off now.

After a short time at home, Ishiki next appeared in his second home: Konoha Hospital.

To him, walking through those halls felt as natural as returning to his own room. From doctors to nurses, even the patients themselves—everyone was familiar with Ishiki.

In terms of popularity, he was in a league of his own.

The assistant director had already arranged his postwar workload, and Ishiki didn't mind at all. His Shadow Clones could handle the daily medical tasks easily. And not only did the job earn him ryo, it also counted toward his mission log and rank evaluations.

Far more efficient than going on standard team missions.

Inuzuka Zawa's squad was due to receive a new member soon—not because Ishiki was quitting, but because he had outgrown the team's scale.

The Third Hokage had already submitted Ishiki's name for the Jōnin Examination.

It would take place in two months. Once passed, he'd be officially ranked as a Tokubetsu Jōnin, giving him the right to lead missions on his own. Until then, staying at the hospital was arguably the best use of his talents.

His medical skills might not be the best in the hospital, but he was definitely in the top tier.

Especially when paired with Ripple Therapy, his results with rare and chronic conditions bordered on miraculous.

He liked this kind of steady, point-to-point life.

It was during this calm that Uchiha Shisui approached Ishiki with an invitation: Uchiha Fugaku wished to host a small gathering at his home in three days' time. Ishiki and Orochimaru were both invited.

This kind of gesture carried weight—it signaled that the Uchiha were leaning toward supporting Orochimaru's faction.

But in today's Konoha, that wasn't particularly scandalous.

Everyone knew that the brightest young ninja in the village were all close to Orochimaru in some way.

Ishiki gladly accepted.

Over the next two days, he visited the Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka clans. His reason was simple: gratitude. Their team, led by Nara Shikaku, had supported him during the border war.

This wasn't the first time he'd shown appreciation—he'd already visited them when he last returned to the village, especially after delivering a letter from Shikaku to his family.

On the third night, after getting himself cleaned up and dressed, Ishiki made his way to the Uchiha District.

This wasn't his first time here.

The last visit had been under Tsunade's guidance, when he'd met Uchiha Sho, whose Sharingan ability he had taken.

This time, he didn't see Sho.

But upon entering Fugaku's residence, he spotted Itachi, carrying a sleepy little Sasuke on his back.

"Father's been waiting for you," Itachi said politely.

"Got it," Ishiki smiled back.

He didn't have many opinions on Itachi yet. The boy wasn't yet the disturbed prodigy of legend.

And with Danzo out of the picture, and with Ishiki and Orochimaru in a friendly alliance with the Uchiha, he doubted there would ever be a "Uchiha Massacre."

If properly guided, Itachi could become one of the village's greatest assets.

As for his mental issues, well… Ishiki figured his medical expertise could probably handle that too—if this was the real Itachi, and not the one who got manipulated into slaughtering his entire clan for some twisted idea of "peace."

Ishiki couldn't sympathize with that version. No way.

If Shisui were watching from the Pure Land, he'd probably have cursed Itachi out himself.

After all, Shisui's dream had always been about peace between Uchiha and village—about integration and prosperity, not isolation and annihilation.

Ishiki never could understand what Hashirama and Madara were thinking.

Before the founding of Konoha, their two clans had a thousand-year legacy. Constant conflict, yes—but also constant growth, expansion, fame. They were the twin titans of the shinobi world.

And yet, after the village was born, the Senju faded into the civilian population, and the Uchiha were nearly wiped out within a few decades.

Once the most powerful bloodlines in the world—reduced to relics.

If the dead of those clans could see what became of their legacy, they'd be clawing out of their coffins to strangle Hashirama and Madara for their stupidity.

"Ishiki, glad you made it," Shisui greeted him with a smile, already inside.

Ishiki returned the smile, shaking off those swirling thoughts.

Uchiha Fugaku, alongside his wife Uchiha Mikoto, personally came to greet him at the entrance.

The only invitee yet to arrive was Orochimaru.

No one complained about his delay—they all knew how busy he was. His attendance alone was already a big show of respect for Fugaku.

Itachi sat quietly to the side with little Sasuke, while Shisui made sure the two boys were comfortable.

Orochimaru eventually arrived, bringing Anko Mitarashi with him.

Throughout the dinner, no one mentioned anything about Hokage elections or politics.

At around 9 p.m., Ishiki and Orochimaru took their leave.

Shisui left last.

When Fugaku saw everyone off, his face no longer carried the shadows of doubt—it was clear and resolved.

He could admit it now: he'd been too narrow-minded before.

Just like Ishiki had said—the Uchiha couldn't just guard their own little patch of land. Doing so only isolated them further, inviting suspicion from within the village and ambition from without.

"Rain… and Mist…" Fugaku muttered as he closed the door.

He now had a vision for the future.