Chōjūrō (Naruto)
So, my second pull is a template.
Not bad especially when the character in question is genuinely useful.
Let's check the description, "Future Mizukage in training."
Looks like this version of Chōjūrō is from before he officially became Mizukage.
That's still good.
At this stage, he's already an elite jōnin, strong enough to serve as a Mizukage's personal guard during the Five Kage Summit. That alone speaks volumes, not just about his individual strength, but also about the level of trust the village placed in him.
Honestly, though, I would've preferred a Mei Terumi template.
She's seriously underrated. Some people even claim she's weaker than her successor, which, from my perspective, is complete nonsense.
First of all, she possesses a kekkei genkai.
Not one but two.
That alone places her potential and combat value far above most shinobi.
Second, she is officially recognised as either the first or second female Kage, depending on how one interprets the timeline of Tsunade's appointment. Either way, her circumstances were vastly different from Tsunade's.
Mei came from the dangerous era, a generation where kekkei genkai users were actively hunted within their own village. And yet, she didn't just survive, she rose high enough to reach Kage level.
Sure, she may have received some backing after joining the opposition against Yagura, but that doesn't mean she was fully supported from the start. There are kunoichi in this world, but anyone being honest can tell there's a clear gender disparity among shinobi, especially when it comes to producing top-tier fighters.
Raising a shinobi costs money.
Weapons, explosive tags, jutsu training, medical treatments, everything requires resources. Naturally, villages prioritise candidates they believe will give the highest return.
Which makes Mei's rise even more impressive.
She didn't walk into the position with the council's blessing the way Tsunade did. She fought against the system itself and still emerged as Mizukage.
That said, I'm not looking down on Chōjūrō.
Not at all.
The fact that Chōjūrō eventually became Mizukage without a kekkei genkai or secret bloodline techniques makes him one of the clearest examples of how far pure skill, discipline, and perseverance can take a shinobi.
That said, there are exceptions I'd place above him.
Shinobi like Orochimaru and Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Even though they reached the Kage position through sheer mastery of jutsu rather than inherited bloodlines, I'd still rank them higher than Chōjūrō.
The title "God of Shinobi" may be exaggerated when it comes to Monkey but "The Professor" certainly isn't.
He truly earned that name.
Mastery over all five elemental releases, the ability to combine them freely, and access to the village's forbidden scroll meant he possessed more techniques than most shinobi could even comprehend. Skill-wise, he was absolutely monstrous in his prime.
"...."
This respect for my enemy, looks like template effects me more than I thought since I never praised hiruzen in all these years.
…Anyway.
Putting all that aside, it's honestly kind of funny when I think about it.
Here I am, fighting against Kirigakure shinobi, using the skills of their future Mizukage.
"Itsuki, the captain has called everyone."
I turned toward the voice.
A boy with thick eyebrows stood there, Might Guy.
One of the strongest shinobi of the future.
Right now, though, he was still just a chūnin… and my squadmate.
"Thanks for letting me know," I said, standing up. "Let's go."
I followed him toward the camp.
The moment we entered, my eyes were immediately drawn to the man at the centre of the gathering.
The captain.
Surrounded by the squad members stood Shinku Yūhi.
A standard jōnin by rank. The father of Kurenai Yūhi.
He wasn't the clan head but when it came to raw combat ability, he was the strongest fighter the Yūhi clan had to offer.
Well… if the rumours were true.
With the number of shinobi the Yūhi had already lost, it was getting difficult to even call them a clan anymore. They were closer to a family now, barely holding together.
And this situation wasn't unique to them.
There were many other small clans in Konoha whose roots had been almost completely torn out. Forget prosperity, just recovering would take more than a decade.
And even then…
They would never return to what they once were before the war.
Still… at least this was better than complete annihilation.
Many of the clans that had once joined Konoha had already been wiped out, some in the last war, others in this one. Their names erased, their techniques lost, remembered only in outdated records or half-forgotten stories.
Survival itself had become a privilege.
"Captain."
Shinku Yūhi nodded at me as I joined the others, standing at attention while he began issuing orders.
"There's been a disturbance on the enemy side. Our mission is to gather information on the situation while also searching for the missing Hatake Kakashi and Rin Nohara. We'll be moving out in ten minutes..."
I didn't hear the rest. My mind went blank.
Matte!!!
Rin… she'd either already been captured or was about to be turned into a jinchūriki. And Kakashi?
He was definitely searching for her.
There was no way Madara would let anyone interfering with his plan walk away alive.
…Fuck.
"Any questions?"
"Yes, Captain."
I raised my hand. The moment I did, several pairs of eyes turned toward me.
"Speak."
"Sir," I began calmly, forcing my racing thoughts into order. "I understand prioritising Hatake Kakashi. He's a prodigy, already a jōnin at ten. If the enemy didn't kill him immediately, they might keep him alive for interrogation or a prisoner exchange."
I paused.
"But I don't understand why Rin Nohara would still be alive. She's only a chūnin."
The tent grew quiet.
Everyone looked at Shinku.
They all knew it. Chūnin were usually killed on the spot.
He studied me for a few seconds before replying.
"She's a medical-nin."
Ah.
Right.
I just remembered and now it made sense.
Medical-nin were valuable assets. They were rarely killed outright. Instead, they were captured, forced to work, or used as high-value bargaining chips between villages.
"So, sir," I continued, "if we're forced to prioritise… who do we save first?"
The mission might have been phrased as a search, but everyone here knew the truth.
This was a rescue operation.
And I didn't want my teammates making a stupid decision later that got all of us killed.
Shinku didn't hesitate.
"Kakashi," he said flatly. "He holds critical information. We can't allow the enemy to get it."
Just as I expected.
It wasn't only about information.
It wasn't about saving a talent.
Wars produced prodigies all the time. How many of them actually survived, though, depended on nothing but luck and skill.
It was about the Hatake name.
About Sakumo Hatake's legacy.
There were many in the village who'd fought beside Sakumo. Who'd been saved by him. This was their way of repaying that debt.
After all…
They were already grooming Kakashi to become something greater.
A future Hokage.
And they would make sure he survived long enough for that future to exist.
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