Itachi... a perfect Hokage candidate?

[insid3rkill3r]

Ive been thinking about this for quite time, perhaps, there is even an other thread about this already but i didnt find it, if u do, mind as well foward me to it.

Anyways, the title says it all.

If Itachi had not chose the harsh path he walked, do you think he would have been chosen as next Hokage candidate given his genius and skills?

Could have itachi been the 1st Uchiha Hokage?


Id say yes, withouht a doubt.

[Centrelink]

I would say his actions defiantly put him up for the position.

But I think he would have died before it was his turn to take the position.

[niblack89]

Itachi probably wouldn't have been the 5th hokage, Minato would have kept the title until Naruto was old enough because no matter what future it is Naruto would be hokage. Besides the title of hokage doesn't seem to be the type for Itachi.

Would he have made a good hokage hell yeah He could have defeated anyone who stood against the village and he grew up in war and was a ambu leader so commanding people is second Nature also he would put his life to protect his village even destroying his family.

[insid3rkill3r]

Minato died, so the 3rd took the title back,,, Itachi could have been made Hokage right there or when the 3rd died..

I dont see why it not his type, he had perhaps everything that it required if not more,,, he became anbu captain, why not Hokage, he was the epitome of self sacrifice, and being the Hokage has a good chance to require that kind of thing.

If he became/wanted to be Anbu captain, being a leader didnt seem to be too troublesome for him.

[Eddy01741]

Perfect? No.

A very good candidate for 5th hokage? Yes.

Look at what we have for 5th hokage candidates:

-Orochimaru left the village pissed off that the village was against his efforts for immortality
-Jiraiya would be awesome if he wasn't lazy, he knows he's lazy so he knows he's a shitty candidate
-Tsunade is a good candidate, not lazy, willing to protect the village, provides more in terms of survivability for the village than outright fighting prowess, but good nonetheless
-Kakashi, the best fighter Konoha had at the time save for Jiraiya, decent candidate

So yes, it would be Itachi vs Tsunade for hokage, tough call overall. Tsunade can protect the lives of the entire village but Itachi is a more capable fighter.


However, Itachi is also kind of a loner. He made huge sacrifices for the village, but that doesn't make him an incredible leader. He was an anbu team leader (not captain, team leader), but that's different than leading as a hokage. For me, Itachi doesn't strike me as a hokage type. He strikes me as a cold-blooded assassin who can get the job done in terms of fighting. Doesn't strike me as an inspiring leader.

[Hojinmaru]

Minato died, so the 3rd took the title back,,, Itachi could have been made Hokage right there or when the 3rd died..

I dont see why it not his type, he had perhaps everything that it required if not more,,, he became anbu captain, why not Hokage, he was the epitome of self sacrifice, and being the Hokage has a good chance to require that kind of thing.

If he became/wanted to be Anbu captain, being a leader didnt seem to be too troublesome for him.

The village elders and possibly the Fire Lord did not want to have an Uchiha as Hokage, they wanted it to remain in the hands of the Senju. At least that's how it looks to me. With all the mistrust they had with them, do you really think they would give the strongest Uchiha the leadership role over the village?

[Prince Sasuke]

Itachi loves his village,and powerful, so yes.

[Delbi]

He certainly would have made a good Hokage due to his loyalty to his village above almost everything, and that fact that he's one of the top 3 or 4 strongest ninja to ever come out of Konoha.

His abilities to lead as an ANBU Captain at a young age show us he was a good leader. And even though cold for most of the series, the man did have a softer compastionate side.

But..there are questions about his mental condition after the massacure that need answering. Madara makes it a point tha this mental condition was bad because of what he did, so theres no telling if that would have affected him as a leader.

[e-dog]

Just like you, I've also thought a lot about this matter the past few months.
Would the Itachi have been a good Kage?

Short answer: YES! He would have been an awesome Hokage, if not for his cursed situation.

Long answer:
Most definitely since he had the capacities, but perfect? No. Far from it.
He was already tainted by the Uchiha's hatred and mistrust. There would have been
too many outside factors (Like the Uchiha's, Elders etc.) which would have prevented Itachi-kun from operating at full capacity as Hokage- those influences would have simply held him back too much.


IT--

[hibar90]

He would have been the perfect candidate after 4th died. He has everything required to be a hokage, and I personally believe out of all the candidate he's the best. Being a hokage is not always about love and protect the village, they also have paper works, meetings etc. Jiraiya and Kakashi isn't suitable for this. Tsunade was also reluctant, and we saw her slack off sometimes. Itachi is the more serious and dedicated type. However, the recent incident has marked him traitor, that's why he was never get the offer.

[Xiraiya]

I honestly think this would have been the decision to avoid all destruction, put Itachi up for Hokage, he was level headed and would put the village before his clan, with guidance from Sarutobi and the Elders I think the Village would have been much more well off.

I do not think the Uchiha would rebel against the village if one of their own was Hokage.

He would have been too young when 4th Died, but at the time of the Massacre he would have been fine.

[En Yang Ji]

I honestly think this would have been the decision to avoid all destruction, put Itachi up for Hokage, he was level headed and would put the village before his clan, with guidance from Sarutobi and the Elders I think the Village would have been much more well off.

I do not think the Uchiha would rebel against the village if one of their own was Hokage.

He would have been too young when 4th Died, but at the time of the Massacre he would have been fine.

That's the best idea I've heard. I wonder why none of the konoha officials thought of that. That would saved them so much trouble.

[e-dog]

That's the best idea I've heard. I wonder why none of the konoha officials thought of that. That would saved them so much trouble.

Itachi was probably not trusted by some people. Maybe the feudal lord?
Or he was just not ready to be Hokage... Remember, he was just 13 and wouldn't have had the MS if he didn't kill Shisui.
Besides... Killing off the Uchiha would be removing an imminent threat permanently.

IT--

[Raimaru]

Seriously? No, not in a slightest bit.
Itachi may perfectly fit Orochimaru's role model of a "ninja". But at the same time, he has not what it takes to lead on the outside. It would have been a better idea to give him control over ANBU root instead. Don't you agree with me that this is way more fitting?

We could discuss Itachi's leadership ability as a whole, but before that, this "on the outside/on the inside" issue weights much more in my point of view. Itachi's more cut out to be a shadow. :p

Besides all of that, it would turn out to be impossible in any case.
Although our most annoying member of the Uchiha (Sasuke) shows serious lack of common sense, I don't think this can be accounted to every member of the clan. The Uchiha sure had serious reason to plan a rebellion.
Danzou and the Elders of Konoha, even though they may not appear like that (but without a doubt) are heavily influenced on Nidaime's teachings. (I think this also partly led to the fact that the genocide was actually ordered. Not because of things Nidaime said, but his basic mindset as a Senju.)
The seat of Hokage would never be given to Uchiha, even not in Itachi's case. Danzou and the Elders would have taken care of that. They would never fully trust an Uchiha. Even worse if they were proven right.

[hibar90]

Itachi as a character can always goes good or bad. It would make a lot more sense if he stays bad, but Kishi decided to make him good. Otherwise, It would have been a perfect solution to make itachi hokage to solve the Uchiha issue. To make certain party happy, you need to have their representative in a seat of power.

edit: I forgot about the discrimination against uchiha since Nidaime time. So, maybe that's the reason why he was not nominated. Another reason also maybe he was still only 11, and unlike Suna they have legendary sannins and sarutobi who are still fit to be hokage.

[En Yang Ji]

Itachi was probably not trusted by some people. Maybe the feudal lord?
Or he was just not ready to be Hokage... Remember, he was just 13 and wouldn't have had the MS if he didn't kill Shisui.
Besides... Killing off the Uchiha would be removing an imminent threat permanently.

IT--

- Good point. I still think it would of been the best decision they could make though. Although Itachi might of been young, it would of avoided a lot of bloodshed and Konoha would of kept their strongest clan.

- They could of made Itachi a special hokage. Itachi could of been hokage with the 3rd still having most of the control. Itachi could of been under his tutelage and waiting for the time he was mature enough to lead.

- IMO Itachi was almost ready to lead as hokage. He was able to take the broad view and make the most difficult decision for the sake of the village. He makes peace his priority, but he can make decisions that require force.

[madagent]

Itachi would certainly be a Hokage that understands self sacrifice for the greater good of the village. A very powerful ninja with great principles.

Now we look at what prevented his candidacy.
His own clan members accusing him of murdering his best friend Sisui to unlock the MS, although a fabricated rouge by Danzou to get Sisui's sharigan shows that the elders decided that Itachi would play the role of a martyr for Konoha. It was decided that his role in saving the village would be to erase strife within Konoha vice protecting the village from outside threats.

[DEATHBOTT]

pros: smart (purely in terms of ninjutsu, see below), responsible, strong, selfless, patriotic

cons: his judgement was questionable eg he killed his mom and all the other non threatening uchiha (i mean what the fuck:blink) and his plans for keeping an eye on the akatsuki (did he even give anyone any good info on them? could have killed a biju makeing their plan immpossible etc) and sasuke's revenge (practically told him to kill naruto and then expected sasuke would get a warm welcome back to konoha after defeating him:notrust and what would have happened if oro had succeeded in takeing sasuke's body? the dumb ass left to much up to chance) were just incredibly stupid:facepalm. also he was deeply disturbed by the war.

and keep in mind if he had become hokage he wouldnt have ms and wouldnt be half as strong.

[AlB]

I think that a redemption of Itachi's good name is an absolute must. people of Konoha must know who saved them from annihilation.

Itachi absolutely must be crowned as Hokage post-mortem. he sacrifised even more than Minato.


did he even give anyone any good info on them?

it's a pure speculation but I think he might be the source Jirayia mentioned couple of times.


could have killed a biju makeing their plan immpossible etc)

did you notice that Itachi wasn't assigned any bijuu other than kyuubi? who had the best protection that veen Itachi couldn't overcome? (Sandaime, Jiraiya?) Madara calculated everything. as for mentoring sasuke he made a mistake, he lead sasuke the wrong way. and you know how it is: the greater the man, the greater his faults


I mean, does kishimoto need to spell out everything about everything? what good is a story if there's no room for the reader to use brains :)

[DARK]

Not really; I don't think the village would stoop so low as to wanting an Uchiha to run everything. Aside from the majority of the village's citizens believing that Itachi was responsible for killing his own clan, Konojha is full of Senju worshippers anyway.

[hibar90]

cons: his judgement was questionable eg he killed his mom and all the other non threatening uchiha (i mean what the fuck:blink) and his plans for keeping an eye on the akatsuki (did he even give anyone any good info on them? could have killed a biju makeing their plan immpossible etc) and sasuke's revenge (practically told him to kill naruto and then expected sasuke would get a warm welcome back to konoha after defeating him:notrust and what would have happened if oro had succeeded in takeing sasuke's body? the dumb ass left to much up to chance) were just incredibly stupid:facepalm. also he was deeply disturbed by the war.

Actually, the fact that he prioritizes his village ahead of his family should be pros IMHO. He's greatest mistake in life is to let sasuke lives. Itachi fight is different from sasuke, he doesn't use MS for the fun of it. At age of 11 where sasuke still learning at the academy he already join ANBU. If things didn't go the way it was, itachi could probably be hokage level at age 13 already IMHO.

[insid3rkill3r]

its not about ' would the village want an Uchiha as Hokage',,, its does he fit the role of Hokage???

The question is fair and simple.

I think its clear that Itachi seemd to be extremely mature for his age. He was the one lecturing his clan and he was younger than all of them.

I think his judgement was more than fine,,, i think Kishi made it clear that the annihalation of the Uchiha clan was impossible to avoid within those circomstances.

Because not only would have Anbu made its own move from Danzo's orders but Madara would have attacked as well. Itachi sacrificed himself to turn himself into the sole responsible for this event making everything easy for the village and Sasuke.

The databook made it clear :

He was also extremely intelligent, so he could take a broader view of the situation, and this eventually brought him to drench his hands in blood to the point of committing a most terrible sin, thus marking the end of the clan's history. He is undoubtedly a hero, yet he never achieved fame and renown. He was too gentle to be a shinobi, and it is indeed an irony that his gentleness was the reason why he had to live his life as a ninja.

There was no alternative, due to both the Uchiha's clan selfish desire of power, and due to the groundless distrust established by the elders.


Itachi accepting to wipe the clan prooves one thing, that he is able to put the village's interest over his own. He has what it takes to do what is needed for the greater good.

Itachi cleary was an old man in a young body, he was already in Orochimaru's league at 13, he had both spirit and power.

He leaded the anbu, which is the most elite squad of Konoha, and Danzo said it himself, Itachi has NEVER failed anything,, until Sasuke.


He has the intelligence, he has the will to sacrifice anything if needed, and he has more than enough skills to leader and to defend his village.

Everybody was envious of his outstanding genius, yet that talent actually proved to be a very cruel burden.... Because of his skills, he was chosen by both the village and his clan to work as a spy

He had it all.

My vote goes to him