All the stories have Tsunade, which is canon. Or I read a couple where Jiraiya or Itachi got the hat, even Fugaku Uchiha got the hat. The rest usually have Kakashi as the fifth, I decided to change it up.


The Third Hokage was tired. He'd already retired once, the only reason he took up the hat again when Minato died was because there was nobody else to fill the void, and the Civilian Council was taking full advantage of it. He hadn't intended to hang onto it for so long, though. He'd intended to keep it for maybe a year while they cleaned up and rebuilt, then he would find somebody to take it from him.

Again.

Almost thirteen years later, and he was still wearing the hat.

He started going through the possible candidates again, really wanting to get back to his retirement.

Let's see... Kakashi was a possibility, he was one of his most powerful Jonin, a good team leader, a veteran of the last war and well respected among the Shinobi while feared among their enemies. He had his share of issues, though, that made Hiruzen hesitate to put the Shinobi who'd almost burnt out not too long ago in charge. He was still a possibility, though.

Tsunade. She was a powerful Kuniochi, intelligent, a proven leader during the war. As a Sannin, she was just as feared and respected as Kakashi. She'd long since abandoned the village, though, and with her debilitating fear of blood, she would need extensive therapy before he could ever consider putting her in charge. She might need extensive therapy just to be able to step through the village gates again. And she'd already abandoned them once, there was no knowing if she would again if he ever got her back. Plus... he feared the village might go bankrupt within the year with her gambling problem.

Jiraiya... another possibility. He was powerful, feared and respected. Well... respected by the Shinobi and hated or reviled by most Kuniochi. His peeping tom tendencies were well known, after all. He was also needed to maintain his information network, which he couldn't do from behind a desk. Part of the reason his network was so feared was because he was always out there, constantly meeting with people and helping them, gaining their loyalty. And the man would never bother doing the paperwork, either. He never did his paperwork, not even before he left.

Asuma as well, but he'd sworn never to take the hat after experiencing first hand how little time the Hokage had for his family. He hadn't started his family yet, but he'd been dating Kurenai for a while now, so Hiruzen hoped he could expect more grandchildren soon.

Gai was... he was powerful and a good leader. Unfortunately not enough people seemed to take him seriously, and his 'Flames of Youth' might be too traumatizing for most. And while he was a Shinobi and he took the profession seriously, including the darker side of their lives, he wasn't sure that Gai would have the stomach for some of the things he had to handle, especially in the ANBU and T&I department. They would have the most powerful Taijutsu users in the Elemental Nations, though, with him in charge.

Kurenai... She was skilled, but... Yakumo Kurama. Enough said.

He... couldn't think of anybody else. Itachi had been his chosen successor until the Uchiha Massacre, but... obviously he wasn't available for the position anymore.

Danzo wasn't even a consideration. He didn't have the Will of Fire or respect for the people under him. He would turn all the Shinobi into emotionless killing drones if he could, if not plunge them into the Fourth Shinobi war within moments of being inaugurated. He'd already drawn up documents and left them with the Daimyo ensuring that Danzo never take the hat, no matter what.

"Lord Hokage, I have the entry exams for the new class." Iruka knocked and poked his head in.

"Thank you, Iruka. Any bright stars this year?" He asked, motioning for the Chunin to come in.

"Well, your grandson and his friends certainly did better then expected, even with Konohamaru's private tutoring. I think Naruto really made an impression on them." Iruka grinned, knowing for a fact that Naruto taught them sometimes when he was available. "And Hanabi Hyuuga looks promising as well, I just have to get that stick out of her..." He cut himself off by clearing his throat. The Hokage knew what he meant though, young Hinata was a breath of fresh air from the arrogant Hyuuga clan.

"Very well. Thank you, Iruka. Good luck this year." The aged Hokage dismissed him and started going through the reports with interest. Then he paused. Huh.

One of the things looked for in a Hokage candidate was how well they could teach others, pass on their knowledge.

Iruka Umino was a highly respected Chunin, the younger generation of Chunin and Genin all respected him as their teacher, and the rest of the Shinobi forces knew and liked him from when he worked the Mission Desk. Most of the clan leaders knew him as well, since he taught their children. He'd gone into the Academy following a disastrous B-rank, after which he'd more or less stayed in the village with only the minimum required amount of missions taken outside to maintain his active duty status. He seemed to have recovered from that mission nicely.

He wasn't that powerful, but the Hokage firmly believed that to be a result of not taking his training further rather then lack of talent. (Iruka was the only one that could find and catch Naruto after a prank, after all. Not even his ANBU could accomplish that. He was highly respected amongst his most elite for that alone.)

And he wasn't known outside the village, which was again due to him being an Academy instructor instead of taking missions and making a name for himself. Perhaps that was a good thing, though. It would make him underestimated, which was a powerful tool in any ninja's arsenal. The Hokage would simply have to get Iruka up to speed skill-wise. Otherwise he had the diplomacy skills needed, he had the political skill, he dealt with it everyday in dealing with the clans whose children he taught. How many times a day did he have to stop fights between his students and keep them from killing each other?

He'd never experienced war, he'd been too young during the last one, so if another one did break out he wouldn't quite know what to do, but with men like Kakashi and Shikaku around, he would be fine there. And how often did he turn to Iruka for advice rather then his actual Advisors?

Yes... All Iruka needed was to start training again and achieve Jonin status, the Hokage could start grooming him now for everything else he would need, which wouldn't be much in all honesty. If he advanced enough in his training, they could make the official announcement at the Chunin Exam finals. He was sure he could make the Fire Daimyo see things his way, not that he needed the man's approval, but it would help to keep relations between them and the Capital calm.

Yes. The more he thought about it, the better this idea became.


"Er- hello?" Iruka said, hesitant, when he entered the training ground he'd been ordered to appear at. He hadn't known what to expect, but it certainly hadn't been a small crowd of Jonin and Special Jonin to be waiting for him. What concerned him the most was that all of them were experts of their various combat specialties.

"Chunin Iruka Umino, you are hereby ordered to resume training and reach A to S-rank Jonin status within the next several months to a year." Gai said seriously, everybody here had been informed of the Hokage's desire to make the teacher his successor. "Every day after the Academy lets out, you will be here. With us." And when he was supposed to be at the Mission Desk, he would instead be with the Hokage, learning the ins and outs of the job that he didn't already know.

Iruka blinked. "I don't understand. I'm just an Academy teacher." He protested, eyeing them warily.

"As of yesterday, you are far more then just an Academy teacher." Kakashi smirked at Naruto's favorite teacher.

"Iruka Umino, as of three hours ago, you are officially the fifth Hokage." Asuma said, stepping forward. "Congratulations." That was when the Hokage had spoken with the Daimyo and got his agreement.

"Hokage?" Iruka said blankly, staring slack-jawed. Surely he'd heard wrong. He was just a Chunin!

"Yup!" Kakashi said cheerfully. "And we are the ones tasked with ensuring you have the physical skills to defend this village if needed." The Hokage was supposed to be the most powerful for a reason, after all. In the event of an invasion or something, the Hokage was the last line of defense for the entire village.

"During the weekends and while the Academy is on break, you will be with us." Ibiki revealed as he and Inoichi stepped forward. "For advanced T&I resistance training." On the off chance he was captured (before or after officially taking the hat) he needed to be able to keep the village secrets.

Iruka shuddered, starting to process this information. He'd had some of that training when he first reached Chunin, so he knew some of what to expect already. But 'advanced' training?

"Me? Hokage?" He asked again in disbelief.

"Yes, you, sensei." A few said, amused.

"For security purposes, it's not going to be broadcasted, but we aren't going to really be hiding it, either." It would be difficult to do considering the rather harsh training regime they'd concocted.

"I'm not strong enough... what about you, Kakashi? O-or-" Iruka tried to protest. Sure, this had been a dream of his, years ago- back when his parents were still alive, back before that B-rank gone horribly wrong.

"That is why you are going to train." Kakashi said firmly. "I don't want the hat, anyway." He shook his head. He had too many issues that he still had to work through before he could be an effective village leader. He needed to focus all his attention on his Genin right now, anyway. Along with the order to assist with the training of the next Hokage, he'd also been ordered to step up his teams training, the Hokage felt that they (Naruto) were not being challenged enough. He had to admit he had been slacking on that, they should have learned tree-walking far before the mission to Wave, for that matter they should have already known water-walking.

Asuma sighed at seeing the look on the Chunin's face. "Iruka. Dad is old. He's tired. He retired fifteen years ago for a reason. He'd only expected to hang onto the hat for a year after the Fourth died, but in the last thirteen years, he couldn't think of anybody he felt comfortable passing the hat to, especially not with all the political turmoil. He's decided that you would be a good Hokage, we just need to get your physical skills up to par and you need to learn how to truly deal with the Council. Otherwise you have all the skills needed." Every single Jonin here agreed with the Hokage's points on why Iruka would make a good Hokage.

"Just think, you can be the one to pass the hat off to Naruto when you're ready to retire." Kakashi said, amused.

Iruka looked around at the assembled crowd again. "Is he sure about this? This isn't some awful prank, is it?" He asked warily.

"Yeah, dad's sure." Asuma said, almost gently, knowing that this must be a huge shock to the man.

Iruka swallowed, looking around. "Alright. When do we start?" He asked, warming up to the idea.

Gai, Kakashi, and Asuma grinned, almost evilly, and Iruka gulped. "Right now." The three of them said, and immediately forced him into a punishing run while the rest of them vanished into the trees or back to their offices, their part in the meeting done for the day. Those in the trees would wait until the three Jonin-sensei were done running him into the ground, in the meantime they would observe and take notes on what the man needed to work on the most.

Hiruzen watched it all through his crystal ball and grinned, satisfied. They would get him up to scratch, and he could go back to his peaceful retirement.


"Hiruzen!" The Hokage sighed in annoyance and looked up to glare at the interloper who'd just burst into his office as if they belonged here. "Hiruzen! What is this about you finally choosing a successor?" Homura demanded, stomping towards his desk.

"I would have thought you would be pleased to finally step aside for the younger generation." Hiruzen said mildly. They had retired when he did, every Hokage chose their own advisors, after all. Judging by how little Iruka liked these two, he somehow doubted that he would keep them at his side. Not that that would affect their status as Village Elder's.

"Of course I am." Homura said. "But an Academy Chunin?" He practically spat.

Hiruzen's annoyance grew. "Need I remind you who I am?" He asked icily. "You had best watch your tone." He warned, not in the mood for the usual irreverence from his old teammates.

Homura physically drew back as if struck. "I... apologize." He said reluctantly. "I am merely concerned that somebody so young and inexperienced is getting the hat. He's not even a Jonin, let alone a powerful one."

"Which is why he is training." Hiruzen said shortly. "He has all the necessary skill and knowledge otherwise." He dismissed his worries, knowing he'd made a good choice.

"But-"

"This decision is not up for discussion." Hiruzen cut him off. "I've decided on Iruka Umino as the Fifth Hokage, and the Fire Daimyo has already given his approval. The official announcement will be made at the Chunin Exam Finals, until then, don't go spreading it around." He glared.

He pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes, but bowed in acknowledgement. "Yes, Lord Hokage." He murmured, and left.

"You know, he does have a point. And he's not the only one who is going to question this choice." Kakashi said simply, ghosting in through the open window. Hiruzen had long since given up on getting his Shinobi to use the door, especially his Elite.

He gave Kakashi a dark look before demanding the report for Iruka's training session that day. "He's coming along nicely. He didn't slack off on his training like many Academy instructors, so it is not as bad as I'd initially feared it would be." Kakashi shrugged. "That being said, Inoichi did bring up a good point, are you sure he is not too soft-hearted for this job?" He asked.

"I am sure. Iruka knows what this job entails, including some of the more gruesome details." Hiruzen said firmly. He'd come a long way from the soft-hearted, naïve Chunin he was on that failed B-rank so many years ago.

"Alright." Kakashi shrugged and jumped back out the window. He would trust his Hokage's judgment.


Iruka dragged himself back to his apartment with a sigh, that days training had been as brutal as ever. Every time it felt like it was getting easier, meaning he was getting stronger and therefore used to it, his trainers ramped it up. He swore they were trying to kill him, what was worse was that he had still had to deal with teaching his own students on top of it. Thankfully, his Chakra reserves had already increased to the point where he could create a couple of Shadow Clones, because there was more then one day where he knew he would not be able to survive a day of teaching on top of his training.

Fortunately, break was next week. Unfortunately, he had an appointment with T&I as soon as it arrived.

The next day, though, he was with the third Hokage instead of his torment- er, trainers. They were going over some current policies in place, and he'd already written up a new training program for the Academy, as well as more checks so that what happened to Naruto couldn't happen again, or so another Mizuki couldn't slip through. When the Hokage found out everything that wasn't currently in the curriculum, he'd not been happy. While the changes could wait until he was announced to be implemented, they were getting everything in place so that it was ready, especially getting the old, correct books reprinted so that the students weren't completely ignorant about their village's own history.

None of the younger generation had even heard of the Uzumaki except as a curse when talking about the demon-brat.

"Iruka-sensei!" He heard, and a smile came to his face. Speaking of...

"Hey, Naruto!" He greeted the boy standing outside his door. "How have you been?" He bumped the boys shoulder with his own and undid the traps around his apartment with a small burst of Chakra before letting them in.

"Good!" Naruto cheered, following him in. "I've seen you doing more training, is something going on?" He asked, curious.

"Does it have to be?" Iruka asked, eyebrows raised. "I can't just get back to my training?"

"Well, I guess... but you've been training hard." He wrinkled his nose at Iruka's sweaty and dirty figure.

Iruka looked down at himself and shrugged. "I've been ordered to train harder, is all." He shrugged.

"There are also rumors that the Old Man chose the next Hokage, but the new one isn't ready yet." Naruto continued.

Iruka smiled at his favorite student. "You want to go out and get some ramen?" He suggested, knowing it would distract the boy.

"Yes!" Naruto cheered, and barely waited long enough for Iruka to get cleaned up before dragging the tired Chunin back out the door. Iruka really wanted to sleep, but knew he needed to eat something first or he would regret going to bed on an empty stomach in the morning.

At least Teuchi's ramen was healthier then most.

And it had been a while since he spent time with his little brother/favorite student.


"Good." Kakashi said, pleased when he arrived to see all three of his Genin walking and doing Kata's on the water. Before, they would simply stand around on the bridge waiting for him, he'd put a stop to that when he stepped up their training. He himself felt like training them more, as well as the next Hokage was increasing his own skills. He'd also stopped arriving so late. (He still arrived late, he had a reputation to uphold, after all.)

"Sensei, is it true that the next Hokage has been chosen?" Sakura asked, having only heard about it that morning by Ino, who'd sounded shocked that she didn't already know. Apparently it was all the older Shinobi had been able to talk about for a while now.

Both Sasuke and Naruto gave her a strange look for only just now hearing about it.

"Yes, it is. He will be announced during the final test of the Chunin Exams." Kakashi said calmly. "Now, we have a mission today." He announced with a cheerful and exaggerated smile.

He kind of wanted a camera handy when the identity of the Fifth Hokage was finally announced.