Would Itachi be the fifth if .....

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Ken Kaneki

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This topic is greatly over-done and the majority that actual bothered to read the manga know he would have been a good Hokage.

As far as some points that were addressed previously and some competitors...

-Kakashi would not be made Hokage over Itachi. In terms of wisdom- he does not beat the latter there. Nor does he beat him in pure skill. Kakashi excelled, but he wasn't as much of a prodigy- proven by the feats each had when they were younger and the author's own admission in terms of what he wrote pertaining to them. Kakashi would also be considerable weaker, due to never having an inkling of a chance of acquiring sharingan.

-Obito. The problem with Obito is that due to being an outcast for his lack of abilities and looked down upon by both people insideoutside his clan- he wouldn't be for them. This Uchiha never cared for his brethren, nor was he close to them. He also lacks leadership skills and would not be strong enough to leader, due to Madara never teaching him for 2 years in some run-down, abandoned cave. It isn't only about making an Uchiha Hokage. It's about giving them more political power. It would make more sense to make the heir, Itachi, who cared for both his clan and the people Hokage... than it would be for an Uchiha who is not elite (and therefore not an accurate representation) who could care less about the Uchiha a leader in the village. If Obito took over, he'd just follow what his colleagues tell him and not do what was best for the clan. He was closer to Minato and the like than he was any Uchiha... this isn't a good sign.

As for power in this scenario...

Kakashi 100% will never get sharingan.

Obito never gets MS 100%, since his only comrades are Rin and Kakashi- the chance of them dying is minimal.

Itachi only gets MS if either a close family member (Fugaku/Mikoto/Sasuke) or Shisui die- but this is minimal too (though slightly more likely since he has more people close to him than Obito does).

3 tomoe Itachi> 3 tomoe Obito> sharinganless Kakashi.

The best part here is that Itachi never goes blind but remains the most elite in his clan. Ironically, never acquiring MS is better in this scenario. He's also the least likely to die, considering he's the strongest both in this trio and in his own clan.

As far as the Hokage position itself...

It doesn't matter nor does it mean anything.

Initially when we see the series, as an audience we think it's a big deal. Years later as the series progresses, it's revealed that it's mainly just a paperwork position and looks like they need a figurehead to please masses. (No offense to anyone who thinks it's cool.)

-No Hokage prior Kakashi/Naruto was 100% clean in their political policies.
So much for being for your "family".

-You don't have to be Hokage to fight for the village to protect it.
Naruto had to defend the village against Pein. Tsunade couldn't manage it.

-The most notable aspect of being Hokage and why most initially want it is for glory reasons. To get their face on a mountain.
I think one would rather actually do something notable in the shinobi world than be a figurehead.

-Hokages are not the sole decision makers if they choose to be. Meaning, that they can have assistants decide for them or at least "guide" them.
Case in point for Hashirama (slightly) via Tobirama.
Case in point with Hiruzen via Danzo.
Case in point with Naruto via Shikamaru.

Most people that took the Hokage position were not qualified on their own.

Point is, it's smarter to just be a shinobi and do your part than it is to sit down and sip tea as Hokage. A ninja could play their cards right in NV and be better than any Kage in terms of influence.

In terms of personality?

The argument that "so-and-so" is the type to be behind the scenes and follow orders makes no sense. Why? Because that's what every single person who became Hokage did (minus Hashirama/Tobirama since they helped set up the village at the early point) before getting the position.

At least Itachi has more leadership experience, since he was the Anbu captain for a while. He'd even acquire more, since he'd take over an entire clan someday. Obito has literally none and would never get any, while Kakashi's was only from his team- ordering around Rin and Obito while having a complex about it.

Would Itachi want the position in the first place?

Given his personality- no.

He doesn't go for glory, funny enough glory went for him.

When he'd be informed that he was chosen to be Hokage in this scenario- his reaction would likely be like Kakashi's was in canon. He wouldn't really desire the position, only take it if no one else would.

Conclusion- would Itachi have been the fifth Hokage?

I don't think he'd ever be Hokage. He wouldn't want it and as a result some other shinobi that would have their head in the clouds would take it. However, is he qualified- yes more than enough. And if he accepted, he'd do a fine job, too. He'd also do it the right way and get things done for both his clan, the village, and the shinobi world. Not that he needed to be Hokage, since he did all of that to varying degrees as a shinobi in NV anyway. That's why he's known as the "True Hokage" in this series.
Well done. You have done a commendable job. You have addressed to all scenarios but one.

Say if Itachi wanted to be Hokage, would he be ? Minato would be young and competent. Even if I accept that he would be > Obito / Kakashi, he wouldn't be powerful enough. So would Minato prefer to wait for someone stronger and better or would he crown Itachi as Hokage?
 

Beatrix

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I don't think it actually matters what Itachi wants - he would accept his duty regardless of his personal desires. I thought that would have gone without saying considering his past.
To protect the village (and Sasuke) he would become Hokage, it would give him leverage against the likes of Danzo etc - a benefit, surely?

Minato would have liked to have seen his student achieve his dream, sure. But that doesn't mean it'll actually happen either. Nawaki wanted to be Hokage, so did Dan Kato, Danzo Shimura, Orochimaru, Kushina Uzumaki and countless others.
Dream or not, not everyone achieves it.

If we held true to sensei/student as a rule for becoming Hokage, then Orochimaru would have been Yodaime - not Minato. He was Hiruzen's student and favourite. On power he was a more powerful/acceptable Hokage, with more experience etc but Minato undoubtedly won despite that because he had the right mentality.

Obito... I can't imagine him being preferable (in any way) to Itachi when it comes to becoming Godaime Hokage.
 

Ken Kaneki

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My post asks, "Say if Itachi wanted to be Hokage, would he be ? Minato would be young and competent. Even if I accept that he would be > Obito / Kakashi, he wouldn't be powerful enough. So would Minato prefer to wait for someone stronger and better or would he crown Itachi as Hokage?"

So even if I were to go by the reasoning that you provided and believed that Itachi was the strongest option available, doesn't mean that Minato would have to choose. He may just bypass two generations and choose a Hokage from the third generation. You have to understand in this scenario, there won't be a gap to fill (as it was at Tsunade's and Kakshi's time). Minato is good enough to be the leader of 3-4 generations. So he also has the option not to choose from the first two generations , take his time, see if someone better emerges.
 

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Well done. You have done a commendable job. You have addressed to all scenarios but one.

Say if Itachi wanted to be Hokage, would he be ? Minato would be young and competent. Even if I accept that he would be > Obito / Kakashi, he wouldn't be powerful enough. So would Minato prefer to wait for someone stronger and better or would he crown Itachi as Hokage?
That's our Chie. ;) You should see the comment she wrote when she repped me. :happy: :leaf:
 
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Char Aznable

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Obito would've been made the 5th had not been lost in the Land of Stone and Minato not died prematurely. Minato likely would've chosen Obito for his successor. Just to cheese Danzo off by putting an Uchiha at the head of the village.
 

Beatrix

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I doubt it.

By the time Minato would be willing/ready to retire, Itachi would have been the prime candidate to succeed him. Obito is, lacking - the only point of his dream to be Hokage, the imagery that went with it and Minato's comments was to tie him to Naruto, to show how similar they were/are and to show "That could have been me" for both characters, the road not taken and all that.

Could Obito have made the hard choices? Would he have (like Hiruzen) left the darker side of shinobi life to his team mate; would Kakashi end up in Danzo's place?
...
It has a nice sense of balance, rinse and repeat with history (Hashirama/Madara, Hiruzen/Danzo, Naruto/Sasuke, Jiraiya/Orochimaru).

The Uchiha Clan would back Itachi.
The other clans like the Hyuga would too, I imagine. The prestige of being a child prodigy, of being a genius - and to be lauded by the likes of Hiruzen Sarutobi God of Shinobi what hold a lot of weight.
I don't see Obito's development going in such a way - without the intervention of Rin's death and Madara's teachings - for him to advance to Hokage-level.

Minato isn't retarded enough to snub the Uchiha clan, he would have done what he thought best - for the village - to keep the Uchiha from decending into the canon-sh*t storm.
 
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Ken Kaneki

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Itachi is dead and now its time for this thread to die. RIP
 
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