"Are we being isolated?"
When they heard Sarutobi Hiruzen's thoughts, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado were both stunned.
They never expected that, as high-ranking officials of Konoha and among the small group of people who held the highest power in the entire ninja world, they would end up being isolated.
But upon careful consideration, Sarutobi Hiruzen's words were indeed correct.
The three great clans of the Hokage faction—Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka—had already clearly declared their neutrality.
The Uchiha and Aburame clans had completely sided with Danzo.
The remaining smaller clans were also wavering.
Among Konoha's major clans, only the Hyūga main family expressed their willingness to continue supporting the Third Hokage.
Even among Sarutobi Hiruzen's disciples, two of the legendary Sannin had expressed their desire to stay out of the matter.
Minato Namikaze, who represented the civilian ninjas, also showed no intention of supporting his teacher's master.
It could be said that the only ones who firmly stood up to support Sarutobi Hiruzen were the three old men and their respective families behind them.
"These clans are all ungrateful! We gave them so much power and benefits in the past, and now they betray us!"
Finally realizing the situation, Homura Mitokado couldn't help but curse.
Koharu Utatane was slightly better.
Although she sided with Hiruzen, she hadn't completely torn apart her relationship with Danzo like Homura Mitokado had.
For her, it would be the best outcome if Sarutobi Hiruzen could continue to serve as Hokage.
If not, given her long-standing friendship with Danzo, she wouldn't be in too much trouble.
"Hiruzen, what do you plan to do?"
Koharu Utatane looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen, wanting to know his thoughts.
The latter didn't answer immediately but slowly stood up and looked out the window at the distant Hokage Rock.
"When exactly did it happen..."
He murmured to himself.
Homura Mitokado narrowed his eyes, puzzled.
"What do you mean, 'when'?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed, his voice filled with deep weariness.
"When exactly did we become so unpopular?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the Hokage's office fell into complete silence.
After a long while, Sarutobi Hiruzen finally let out a deep sigh.
"I've made up my mind. I will step down from the position of Hokage."
These words fell like a thunderclap in the silent room.
Homura Mitokado was the first to jump up in opposition.
"You must think carefully, Hiruzen."
He urged anxiously, "If Danzo takes over, given his personality, the entire ninja world will be plunged into chaos!"
More importantly, Danzo had never been fond of him. If Danzo became Hokage, he would likely be completely sidelined.
Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced at him, unsure if he had seen through his selfish thoughts.
"Who said that if I step down, Danzo must become Hokage?"
He sat back down in the Hokage's seat.
"Before things completely fall apart, perhaps we can negotiate a deal with Danzo."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze turned sharp once more.
"We can give him more power, but we absolutely cannot let this warmonger take the Hokage's seat!"
Preventing Danzo from becoming Hokage was Sarutobi Hiruzen's bottom line.
Because he knew his old friend all too well.
Becoming Hokage had almost become an obsession for Danzo.
Once Danzo truly sat on the Hokage's throne, he would be eager to prove himself.
And as a Hokage, the best way to prove oneself was—
War!
An unprecedented war, larger than the previous three Great Ninja Wars!
Only by leading Konoha to conquer all other villages could Danzo prove that he was a stronger Hokage than his predecessors.
More importantly, as Hokage, Danzo's power would expand to its limits.
At that point, he could wage war whenever he wanted and conduct whatever experiments he desired.
He might even target the daimyo and the nobility.
Such an outcome was clearly unacceptable to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
What Konoha needed now was to recuperate, not to engage in large-scale conflicts.
Therefore, before stepping down, he had to impose strict limitations on Danzo.
Additionally, by taking responsibility himself, he could also alleviate the dissatisfaction of the nobility and the impact of the Buried Alive incident.
This would help bring Konoha back on track.
After understanding Sarutobi Hiruzen's thoughts, Koharu Utatane immediately nodded.
"In that case, Hiruzen, who do you think is suitable to succeed as Hokage?"
Although they hadn't yet secured Danzo's agreement, the candidate needed to be decided first.
At this question, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt a wave of frustration.
"I originally intended to have Jiraiya succeed me, but that kid is too irresponsible. He'd rather go searching for some 'Child of Prophecy' than take on the role of Hokage."
Sarutobi Hiruzen said through gritted teeth.
It seemed he wished he could grab Jiraiya and give him a good thrashing.
Who in the world would refuse to become Hokage?
"Tsunade was also a good candidate, but unfortunately, she developed hemophobia."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's tone was filled with regret.
In terms of experience, prestige, and strength, Tsunade was more than qualified to become Hokage.
After all, she was the granddaughter of the First Hokage and his own disciple, making her a legitimate successor.
She would have received strong support from both the daimyo and the villagers.
The only issue was her hemophobia, which was difficult to deal with.
They couldn't have a Hokage who would never set foot on the battlefield or engage in combat, could they?
So, she had to be regretfully ruled out.
"Then... Orochimaru?"
Koharu Utatane tentatively suggested.
Among Sarutobi Hiruzen's three disciples, excluding Jiraiya and Tsunade, only Orochimaru was left as a viable candidate.
After all, he was the most similar to Sarutobi Hiruzen among the three.
Proficient in various types of ninjutsu, his strength and talent were top-notch.
Apart from his personality, he was practically a carbon copy of Sarutobi Hiruzen.
But the problem lay precisely in his personality.
Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head.
"Orochimaru's personality is too cold and dark. He's not suited to be the tree that stands in the sunlight."
"I can sense that he harbors a lot of darkness within him, and he's been too close to Danzo. That's not a good thing."
Compared to the position of Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt that Orochimaru was more suited to take over as the leader of the Root.
Unfortunately, Danzo would never give up that position.
Unless you made him Hokage.
But in that case, with Danzo as Hokage and Orochimaru as the leader of the Root...
Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't even imagine how terrifying Konoha would become.
They'd probably be dragging people into war every day!
That simply wouldn't do.
After hearing Sarutobi Hiruzen exclude all three of his disciples, Koharu Utatane frowned.
If you're not passing the Hokage position to your disciples, then to whom?
"Aside from them, who else in the village has the qualifications to succeed as Hokage?"
She asked in confusion.
Currently, the only outstanding figures in Konoha's middle generation were those three.
There was originally one more, but he died after the Second Great Ninja War.
That was the White Fang of Konoha, Hatake Sakumo, who was on par with the Sannin.
Aside from him, no one else could compare to those three.
"The successor to the Hokage position doesn't necessarily have to come from their generation."
Sarutobi Hiruzen gave a hint, clearly having someone in mind.
Hearing this, Koharu Utatane immediately thought of someone.
"Are you referring to Minato Namikaze?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded.
"Exactly. Minato is Jiraiya's disciple, making him a legitimate successor."
"He comes from a civilian background, so he can gain the support of the villagers."
"At the same time, he has achieved remarkable feats in recent wars and has good relationships with various major clans."
"Choosing him as the next Hokage would likely gain widespread acceptance."
Koharu Utatane hesitated. "But isn't Minato too young?"
There was no denying that Minato was excellent in every aspect.
But his age was indeed a concern.
According to their initial plan, the Hokage position should have been passed from Sarutobi Hiruzen to one of the Sannin.
Then, it would be passed to Minato. That would have been the most reasonable and stable approach.
"Koharu, what's wrong with being young?"
"When we took over the village, weren't we also young?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen said righteously, "It's precisely because he's young that he has more potential and a broader future."
"As for lacking experience, isn't that what we old folks are here for? We can guide him to become a qualified Hokage."
With just a few words, Sarutobi Hiruzen made the other two advisors' eyes light up.
That's right...
Choosing someone like Minato, who had fame and strength but no deep-rooted connections, to become Hokage was the most beneficial move for them.
When the Hokage lacked manpower, they old folks could step in and make use of their remaining influence, couldn't they?
However, Koharu Utatane had another concern.
"What about Orochimaru?"
Both Jiraiya and Tsunade had explicitly given up on the Hokage position.
But Orochimaru had not.
If Sarutobi Hiruzen quietly passed the position to Minato, Orochimaru would inevitably harbor resentment.
Sarutobi Hiruzen also felt a headache coming on, but he ultimately steeled himself and said, "I'll handle this matter properly. I believe Orochimaru will understand my good intentions."
Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado nodded.
"In that case, I'll have someone notify Danzo to come and discuss this."
_
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