Chapter 280 : Candidate for the Fourth Hokage
Konoha, Hokage Office.
Outside the window, dusk was settling, the sun hidden behind the horizon, and the light in the room rapidly dimmed, making even the writing on the scroll blurry.
The last few strands of tobacco in the pipe burned, their faint, weak red glow flickering like a breath, struggling for a long time before finally being swallowed by the tide-like darkness.
Hiruzen Sarutobi closed his eyes and sighed deeply, his once straight back gradually hunching over.
After a while longer, he loosened his fingers from the scroll he had been clutching tightly, reluctantly accepting reality.
"Alas... it's really impossible to fight old age...!"
Just an hour and a half earlier, Jiraiya had come to the Hokage Office alone, his expression calm as he asked Hiruzen to dismiss everyone, saying he had private matters to discuss between master and disciple.
Once only the two of them remained in the office, Jiraiya slowly pulled out a sub-scroll filled with evidence and candidly revealed everything that the major Ninja Clans and Tsunade had jointly investigated during this period.
Only then did Hiruzen Sarutobi realize that the strategic error, which was enough to ruin his reputation in his later years, was already common knowledge among the higher-ups.
Jiraiya had not come to tip off his mentor or to cooperate from within to resolve the crisis.
On the contrary, allowing Jiraiya to reveal this matter first was the ultimatum issued to him by those in the know among the higher-ups.
If he was willing to retreat gracefully, voluntarily resign as the Sandaime, and select a suitable Fourth Hokage candidate, then the entire story of the "Mount Kikyo Battle" and the various losses Konoha suffered in the three peace treaties would all be written off.
Everyone would tacitly keep these secrets to themselves, allowing him a relatively dignified exit.
But if he stubbornly refused to let go and insisted on resisting, then this evidence would be sufficient to convene a general Ninja assembly and publicly impeach him for severe dereliction of duty.
However, if things escalated to that point, it would be a loss of face for everyone, and the entire Ninja World would laugh at Konoha, a situation truly akin to harming a thousand enemies while sacrificing eight hundred of one's own.
Since Hiruzen Sarutobi would lose the Hokage position no matter what, it was better to choose the former and preserve his good name for a successful retirement.
--But... he was still a little unwilling.
Hiruzen Sarutobi held the already extinguished pipe in his mouth, the ambition in his eyes, surpassing that of the first two Hokage, had not yet faded, still flickering in the dim office.
Just a few days ago, he was satisfied with having ended the Third Great Ninja War early, reducing the sacrifices of Konoha Ninja, but today he immediately fell from heaven to hell, on the verge of losing his Hokage status.
Even though he understood this was currently the most stable choice, he couldn't achieve a state of inner calm...
"What!? Hiruzen, you said you're abdicating!?"
The next day, Mitokado Homura heard the news and was so shocked he forgot to control his voice.
If Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't already ordered the Anbu to withdraw, who knows how many people would have had to be silenced by now.
Koharu Utatane also couldn't hide her surprise and quickly asked, "Why is this, Hiruzen!? You just won the Third Great Ninja War; now is a good time to lead Konoha forward, isn't it?"
"Take a look," Hiruzen Sarutobi pushed the sub-scroll in front of the two Advisors.
The more they read, the uglier their expressions became, and after only reading half, they understood why he had made such a choice.
"Even so..." Mitokado Homura asked hesitantly, "Hiruzen, are you really content to step down like this?"
Pursing his pipe, Hiruzen Sarutobi gave an noncommittal answer to his old friend's question: "At this point, it's too late to talk about such things. Let's think about the candidates instead."
Koharu Utatane snorted, "Those young people who haven't even grown all their hair, what do they know about governing the Village? How can I feel at ease leaving Konoha in their hands?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi also had a headache about this.
Konoha seemed to have abundant talent, but there were very few Ninja who were qualified to run, had good character, and actually wanted to become the Fourth Hokage.
Jiraiya had extraordinary strength, but he wasn't interested in the Hokage position, having been obsessed for years with wandering the world in search of the elusive "Child of Prophecy";
Tsunade, on the other hand, had suffered from hemophobia in her early years, greatly reducing her strength, and spent her days indulging in gambling, unable to extricate herself. Now that she was cured, she was entangled with the Uchiha, and her personality was rebellious and unmanageable;
Orochimaru was even more outrageous, preferring to take crooked paths and conduct Human Experimentation; electing him Hokage would only lead Konoha astray;
Uchiha Fugaku, needless to say, as the head of the Uchiha Clan, his identity was his original sin, and besides, he hadn't made a decisive contribution in the war;
Hatake Sakumo's merits and experience were sufficient, but he was still severely injured and unconscious. Even if he were to wake up now, his combat power would likely be less than one in a hundred, making him unable to bear such a heavy responsibility...
After much thought, only one suitable candidate remained.
Konoha's elite Jonin, a hero of the Third Great Ninja War, the yellow flash—Minato Namikaze.
In terms of identity, he was Hiruzen Sarutobi's grand-disciple, Jiraiya's direct disciple, the future husband of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and the most direct descendant of the Hokage lineage;
In terms of combat power, his Flying Thunder God technique, inherited from the Second Hokage, was unrivaled in the Ninja World; he had no opponents, and no one dared to challenge him head-on;
In terms of popularity, his commoner background was enough to earn him the support of most ordinary Ninja, and he could also balance the conflicts of interest among the major Ninja Clans...
His only drawback was his youth; he was only in his early twenties, still an inexperienced young man.
"Eh, being young is good," Mitokado Homura narrowed his cloudy eyes and earnestly mumbled, "Young people have drive, but they lack experience in handling affairs and still need us to help them strategize well..."
"Hmm..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded imperceptibly, his brows furrowed, unsure of what he was thinking...
The news that Konoha was about to elect the Fourth Hokage shocked Ninja and civilians alike.
Why would the Sandaime suddenly abdicate?
Those unaware of the inside story were perplexed, while the few clear-minded higher-ups remained silent, not even revealing a hint to their own successors.
Who would have thought Hiruzen Sarutobi would be so sensible, willing to hand over power peacefully and step down?
They naturally wouldn't harp on certain issues anymore.
As for the Fourth Hokage candidates, they were simply those few; as long as the Sandaime didn't continue to rule, everyone could accept whoever was chosen.
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