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.

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.