"Orochimaru, our era has arrived."
Danzo had waited for this day for far too long.
Ever since Senju Tobirama appointed Hiruzen Sarutobi as the next Hokage, Danzo had regretted it.
The position of Hokage that should have belonged to him had been stolen by Hiruzen Sarutobi for so many years.
And Hiruzen Sarutobi had simply lived too long.
The Third Raikage, the Third Kazekage, and the Third Mizukage were all already dead, yet this Third Hokage was still alive and well. From the look of him, he could still live for many more years.
He had occupied the Hokage seat all this time.
"Under public opinion like this, if Hiruzen refuses to step down, even more people will believe that he is clinging to the power of the Hokage position."
"Only by stepping down can he preserve his reputation. Only then can he prove that he is not someone obsessed with power."
But Hiruzen Sarutobi had a completely different view.
"Isn't their goal to force me to step down?"
"If I step down, I will be walking straight into their trap. I will be letting them achieve their purpose."
"Therefore, I cannot step down."
"Once I retire, the only person currently suitable to inherit the Hokage position is Orochimaru. But Orochimaru cannot lead Konoha onto the correct path."
"He will only lead Konoha down the wrong road."
"For the sake of the village, even if my personal reputation becomes worse, I do not care."
"This is my ninja way!"
In the end, Hiruzen Sarutobi still issued an announcement.
He strongly refuted Uchiha Yashiro's words.
He condemned Sunagakure for interviewing Uchiha Yashiro.
After that, he emphasized one point in particular.
"Konoha is filled with talent. There is more than one person capable of succeeding the Hokage position. Whoever I choose as my successor will naturally be decided after deep consideration."
"Minato is Jiraiya's disciple, and Jiraiya is my disciple."
"If I truly coveted power, why would I train them?"
"I only wish to hand the position of Hokage to the person most suited for it."
"Uchiha Yashiro is nothing more than a rogue ninja. He is a traitor by nature. How can the words of a traitor be trusted?"
"I am very disappointed in Sunagakure for conducting an interview with Uchiha Yashiro."
"This is not conduct befitting one of the great shinobi villages."
"One cannot do anything and everything just to attract attention. My Konoha Weekly would never do something like this. We follow facts. That is the responsibility a great shinobi village should have."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's announcement had no small effect within Konoha.
It stabilized public opinion inside the village.
After all, decades of prestige were not false.
Many people took the initiative to speak for Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Even without Minato, there is still Lord Orochimaru. If Hokage-sama truly coveted power, killing only Minato Namikaze would be meaningless unless he killed Orochimaru too."
"But Orochimaru is still alive and well."
However, in Iwagakure, Kumogakure, Kirigakure, and Sunagakure, people did not agree with Hiruzen Sarutobi's announcement nearly as much.
Uchiha Yashiro's words had caused fierce discussion in those places.
Onoki revealed a subtle expression.
"That Uchiha Yashiro really hates Hiruzen Sarutobi to the bone. But it is understandable. With the Uchiha clan in its current state, it would be stranger if they did not hate Konoha."
"Rasa really isn't afraid of offending Konoha."
"As expected of a young man. He has courage. With this, Konoha will definitely bear a grudge against him. That is a good thing for Iwagakure."
"But this Ninja Major Event Weekly… its influence truly is enormous."
"At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi is probably furious."
Most of the people in Kirigakure wore expressions of schadenfreude.
The previous rumors about Yagura had dragged Kirigakure into enormous trouble.
On one side was Yagura.
On the other side were the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
No matter which side they chose, it seemed wrong.
Back then, Kirigakure had nearly split into two factions.
Only after Yagura's death had that dispute finally ended.
From that perspective, Yagura's death seemed to have been a good thing for Kirigakure.
And now, the same thing had fallen onto Konoha.
Onto Konoha, which Kirigakure saw as having betrayed them.
"Unfortunately, Minato Namikaze was too young. His qualifications were too shallow, and he had too few die-hard supporters. Otherwise, someone would definitely be questioning Hiruzen Sarutobi right now and seeking justice for Minato Namikaze."
"Just like the Uchiha back then."
"Speaking of which, the doubts Uchiha Yashiro raised do make some sense."
"Even though the Uchiha Sailing Group is now an enemy of Kirigakure, if what they say makes sense, we can still admit it."
"Why was Minato Namikaze the one who sealed the Nine-Tails instead of Hiruzen Sarutobi?"
"Hiruzen Sarutobi is already old. He didn't have many years left anyway. If he died, it would not have been much of a loss, right?"
"Minato Namikaze was still young. He still had several decades ahead of him."
"Back then, Senju Tobirama sacrificed himself. Why didn't Hiruzen Sarutobi sacrifice himself?"
Uchiha Shisui was also confused by this point.
Moreover, Uchiha Shisui knew very well that there was no one in the Uchiha clan capable of controlling the Nine-Tails.
It was not that they did not want to.
They simply did not have the ability.
If it was not the Uchiha, then who was it?
Who would frame the Uchiha?
Uchiha Shisui could not figure it out.
"Lord Minato is dead. What should I do next?"
Confusion appeared in Uchiha Shisui's eyes.
Before this, Uchiha Shisui had wanted to borrow Minato Namikaze's strength to obtain resources, status, and liberation for the Uchiha.
But now, Minato Namikaze was gone.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi… I have expressed my intentions many times, but he has always shut me out."
"Even when Senior Gen pleaded like that back then, Hiruzen Sarutobi still refused."
"As Hokage, he does not care about us Uchiha at all."
"Then who else can I rely on?"
"Other than Lord Minato, the person most likely to inherit the Hokage position is Orochimaru."
"Should I go find Orochimaru?"
That thought surfaced in Uchiha Shisui's mind, but he hesitated.
Orochimaru.
One of the Sannin.
A famous figure of Konoha.
One of the candidates to inherit the Hokage position.
But for some reason, whenever Uchiha Shisui saw Orochimaru, he always felt faintly uncomfortable.
It was not just once or twice.
"But this is probably my only choice."
Elsewhere.
Uchiha Obito had never expected things to develop like this.
"No one suspected me at all. But that makes sense. In their eyes, I am already dead."
"Minato-sensei was decisive enough. He used the Dead Demon Consuming Seal and sealed the Nine-Tails."
"But my goal was still achieved."
"Minato-sensei, Kushina-sensei… don't worry. Once I complete my plan, once I create a perfect world for Rin, I will give both of you a perfect ending too."
"No need to thank me."
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