"How do you all see it?"
The moment Orochimaru uttered these words, the atmosphere at the gates of Konohagakure instantly froze.
Wearing a faint smile, Orochimaru swept his gaze across the clan heads, elders, and jōnin of civilian origin whose eyes flickered and chests rose and fell with tension.
"Orochimaru!"
Just as silence took hold of the crowd, Jiraiya's veins bulged on his forehead. He roared in fury, voice strained with rage: "Do you even hear yourself? The old man was just killed by the enemy, and now you want us to surrender?!"
"That's right. This war—our village and each of our clans have lost too many. How can we just let it go like that?"
Uchiha Fugaku stepped forward, clearly stating his position.
His scarlet eyes, now bearing three tomoe in each Sharingan, locked coldly onto Orochimaru.
At the same time, behind Fugaku, the surviving Uchiha shinobi—led by Uchiha Tekka—stood with faces full of fury.
"Hehehehehe~"
But Orochimaru—who was he?
How could a scene like this possibly intimidate him?
On the contrary, seeing the expressions on even more faces, he replied with a cold, detached tone: "So what you're saying… is that you wish to fight to the bitter end? You'd rather send these people, and all those still alive, to reunite with the dead in the Pure Land?"
"This—"
Jiraiya opened his mouth to speak but found himself at a loss for words.
Fugaku and the others visibly paled.
Around them, the remaining jōnin could no longer hide their inner hesitation and turmoil.
Were they afraid of death?
Not particularly—they were, after all, ninja used to walking the line between life and death.
But did they want to die?
Of course not—and they wanted even less to see their clansmen and families die.
"Jiraiya, you, I, and everyone here needs to understand one thing."
Seeing this shift, Orochimaru smiled as he pressed further, striking directly at their wavering hearts: "This time, our enemy isn't just another hidden village from the shinobi world. It's a force from another world entirely—one that has already conquered multiple worlds. A cross-dimensional power of massive scale."
"That means that we, coming from just one world, are at an absolute disadvantage in terms of both manpower and resources."
"If we had a clear advantage in top-tier combat strength, maybe we'd have a fighting chance."
"But everyone has seen it. Even the First and Second Hokage, brought back from the Pure Land, could barely match one of the enemy army's general candidates. And even then, the outcome was uncertain."
"So if we have no hope of winning, no realistic chance of even holding our own… then why not cut our losses now—while we still have some strength left—and sit down at the table to negotiate?"
By the time Orochimaru finished speaking,
Jiraiya, Fugaku, and the others—whose hearts had been burning with resistance—found their anger being doused like flames splashed with cold water.
Because they knew everything Orochimaru said was true. Or rather… it was correct.
"And another thing—right now, the enemy has only sent a single person. Have any of you considered what will happen when they begin a full-scale invasion?"
As soon as those words fell, every Konoha shinobi within earshot showed expressions of shock and dread.
"Jiraiya, do you want everyone in Konoha to die?"
"Fugaku, and all the clan heads and elders—do you want your entire families to be wiped out?"
Those words from Orochimaru became the final straw that broke the camel's back.
With a bitter expression, Jiraiya slowly shook his head.
"You're right. We should be thinking about everyone in the village."
In that moment, he finally began to understand why Mount Myōboku had cut off contact with him.
Most likely, that Great Toad Sage had already seen the future—the one where the Shinobi World was conquered by the World Government.
So, rather than risk provoking them, the sages had chosen to retreat into seclusion.
Still, Jiraiya couldn't help feeling a bit resentful—why hadn't the Great Toad Sage warned him ahead of time?
But thinking about it more… with his personality, even if he had been warned in advance, would he really have just surrendered without a fight?
Someone like him wouldn't listen to words alone.
Only after experiencing things firsthand would he calm down.
In that sense…
The Great Toad Sage understood him better than he understood himself.
"Hehehehehe~"
Orochimaru was visibly pleased to see the others finally facing reality.
He promptly used Earth Release to raise a simple stone platform beneath his feet, lifting himself roughly five meters into the air.
From that vantage, he could overlook the entire crowd, and everyone below could look up and see him clearly.
"People of Konoha!"
"Our village now stands at a critical juncture—caught between life and death!"
"It is with great regret that I must inform you—my sensei, the Third Hokage, has fallen in battle!"
"But we still need a Hokage to negotiate with the World Government—to secure the best possible future for all of Konoha!"
"And so, here and now, I formally nominate myself as the Fourth Hokage!"
"All in favor—speak now. All opposed—speak as well!"
Orochimaru's raspy voice, marked by his distinct charisma, might not have sounded bold or spirited, but to the exhausted shinobi around him, it brought an odd sense of calm.
"I agree."
The Hyūga clan's elder was the first to speak.
"I agree."
This time, it was Nara Shikaku, the Nara clan head.
Mainly because, in his opinion, Orochimaru was the only suitable candidate for Konoha at the moment.
"I agree."
"I agree."
"I agree."
One jōnin after another voiced their support.
In the end, only the Uchiha clan remained silent, their eyes all turning toward their clan head, Uchiha Fugaku.
"I…"
Fugaku let out a long sigh and raised his hand.
"I agree."
"We don't agree!"
Just as his voice fell, a pair of voices—one male, one female—rang out in unison.
Everyone turned their heads sharply toward the inner gates of Konoha.
There stood Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, both glaring at Orochimaru atop the stone platform with grim expressions.
"The next Hokage's candidate—while the Third was still alive—was already discussed with the two of us, his advisors!"
Their eyes then swept across the crowd and locked onto a specific person.
"That candidate is Jiraiya!"
Jiraiya, who had been hanging his head, suddenly looked up in astonishment.
"Orochimaru, everything you said does make sense," Utatane Koharu said coolly.
"But you could assist Jiraiya in carrying them out."
"That's right. As for the Fourth Hokage—we should honor the Third Hokage's wishes," Mitokado Homura added in agreement.
Though deep down, both of them knew…
Orochimaru was actually the more capable choice for Hokage.
Orochimaru was simply too intelligent—too rational.
If he became Hokage, these two advisors would no longer have any real say in decisions.
By comparison, the loud and carefree Jiraiya would be much easier to manage.
Plus, knowing his personality, he probably wouldn't have the patience to sit in an office handling paperwork—he'd still have to rely on them for that.
"Hehehehehe~"
Standing atop the platform, Orochimaru chuckled nonchalantly.
"We are currently in a state of war. But aside from you two, has anyone else heard our sensei appoint Jiraiya as the next Hokage?"
"This—"
Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu exchanged glances. The former furrowed his brows and barked, "What do you mean? Are we two advisors not enough to validate this decision?!"
"Of course not."
Orochimaru shot back bluntly.
"You—!"
Fuming, Utatane Koharu raised a finger to point at him. "Are you saying you would go against your sensei's will?!"
"That's why I'm trying to confirm whether what you're claiming truly reflects our sensei's will."
"And even if he did say that—how do you prove it was said recently? If it was before Aramaki's invasion, then it wasn't wartime, and therefore doesn't count."
Unlike Jiraiya, Orochimaru was deeply familiar with Konoha's regulations.
"Whether or not I become the Fourth Hokage must be decided by a vote from all jōnin, and then formally recognized by the daimyō."
"You two may serve as administrative advisors, but in terms of voting power, your status is still counted as a single jōnin's vote each."
Having said that, Orochimaru once again looked over the gathered Konoha shinobi.
"So far, we have two opposing votes. May I ask those jōnin who just expressed support—could you please raise your hands again for everyone to see?"
Those below exchanged glances.
And in the next moment—
To the shock of Koharu and Homura, hand after hand rose up among the crowd.
"You… all of you!"
They were seething with anger, but utterly powerless.
Immediately after, they heard Orochimaru's smiling voice from above: "Thank you, everyone. Until formal recognition from the daimyō is obtained, I will serve as Acting Hokage."
As soon as the words left his mouth,
His gaze returned to the panting, furious Koharu and Homura.
"And now, in my capacity as Acting Hokage, I hereby relieve both of you from your posts as administrative advisors."
Off to the side, Jiraiya had remained silent the entire time.
Because the truth was—he had never wanted to be Hokage. And he also felt that Orochimaru was better suited for the role than he was.
---
I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> patreon.com/TitoVillar
---