Konoha's Political Direction (Please Follow)

Konoha.

Bright sunlight shone over the village, and everywhere radiated an air of youthful peace. Konoha seemed to be thriving, as though it had entered an age of peace.

Inside the Hokage's office building, the Third Hokage watched Konoha's current atmosphere through a crystal ball. With a pipe clamped between his lips, puffing out curling smoke, he wore an exhausted expression of relief.

"Hiruzen, you've worked hard lately."

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura were also seated in the office, drinking hot tea. Homura's words drew a quiet sigh from the Third Hokage.

"You two... Sigh. Although Orochimaru has strayed somewhat onto the wrong path, things shouldn't have come to this."

As his teacher, he had actually had to seize all of his disciple's accomplishments to glorify himself, and even make a move to bury his disciple's talents. For a moment, he felt deeply melancholy.

Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi's self-reproachful expression, Utatane Koharu calmly took a sip of hot tea and said evenly, "Hiruzen, Orochimaru joined Danzo's Root. Root is a hidden organization operating in the shadows, just like Ryoma Aburame. You don't need to blame yourself. This was Orochimaru's own choice."

Orochimaru had joined Root after failing to become the Fourth Hokage.

Mitokado Homura also saw Hiruzen Sarutobi's melancholy and hesitation. He let out a quiet sigh as well and shook his head. "Hiruzen, you can't hesitate at a time like this. Orochimaru is too dangerous, and he has grown too close to the Hyuga and Uchiha Clans. If Orochimaru becomes Hokage, Konoha may face another period of turmoil."

From a political standpoint, the factions and clans under the Third Hokage's banner had become firmly entrenched over the years. If Orochimaru took office, the first people to suffer would be their group, whose interests had long been tied together.

There was only so much of the Hokage pie to go around. By now, it had already been divided up almost entirely among the higher-ups and the Ino-Shika-Cho clans. If Orochimaru had been alone, that would have been one thing, but he had his own clique under him. Wouldn't they come to take a share of that pie?

Moreover, Hiruzen Sarutobi himself believed that Orochimaru had already gone astray. If he became the Fifth Hokage, Konoha's political struggles would require a reshuffling of power. The price would be that Konoha, which had only just begun to stabilize, would once again fall into turmoil.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked deeply at his two old friends. Everyone had their own selfish desires, but the problems Konoha faced openly were also grave.

"Perhaps you're right. Orochimaru is not Minato, after all."

In the end, Hiruzen Sarutobi chose silence and compromise. Or rather, from the very beginning, he had chosen to stand aside and watch countless people push all this forward, including the Sarutobi Clan behind him.

Minato Namikaze's greatest advantage in becoming the Fourth Hokage was that he had no faction of his own. After taking office, he would need to cultivate his own political allies, and wasn't the existing Hokage Faction perfect for that?

The old generation would withdraw, and the new generation would form new connections. How ideal. But Orochimaru had his own faction and clique. That made things different.

After slowly exhaling a cloud of thick smoke, Hiruzen Sarutobi lowered his Hokage Hat slightly. Looking at the two of them, he said in a deep voice, "This matter ends here. Konoha's stability takes precedence over everything."

Was the Third Hokage wrong? From his political standpoint, he was not. Konoha could not withstand further turmoil. Compared to that, the relatively stable situation they had now was the best possible outcome.

After all, Konoha had just endured the devastating Third Shinobi War. The war had forced Konoha to send even its students onto the battlefield, which showed just how badly it had been crippled. No sooner had the Third Shinobi War ended than the Nine-Tails' Rampage claimed countless elite shinobi, along with the Fourth Hokage, who had only been in office for a year.

It was simply disaster upon disaster. Konoha was now truly weakened and in desperate need of time to recover.

If Orochimaru were chosen to take office, Konoha's power structure would be reshuffled afterward. Political struggles would rage throughout Konoha, while Orochimaru himself was a man obsessed with ninjutsu who had even begun to stray down the wrong path.

Konoha was currently in a weakened state, and Hiruzen Sarutobi absolutely did not wish to see it fall into turmoil again.

"Hiruzen, don't worry. The village only needs three to five years to recover." The two of them naturally understood Hiruzen Sarutobi's unspoken meaning. This could also be considered guilt, perhaps. Orochimaru was his disciple, and Mitokado Homura nodded gravely.

This was a political struggle. Once Orochimaru had acquired a group of his own loyal followers, who were not descendants of the original Hokage Faction, differences had emerged. Especially after the Hyuga and Uchiha had thrown their support behind Orochimaru—those were two Great Clans of immense importance.

Thus, Orochimaru's greatest obstacle in becoming Hokage was having to face every clan of the original Hokage Faction. They had already divided the pie of interests among themselves and would never allow anyone to snatch it from their hands and divide it all over again.

"Hiruzen, in another three to five years, Shin'nosuke will be able to stand on his own."

At Utatane Koharu's words, Mitokado Homura immediately smiled. But upon hearing them, Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly lowered his head, a complicated look appearing in his eyes.

Everyone had selfish desires!

Shin'nosuke Sarutobi, the Third Hokage's son, was also the former Anbu Captain and now a commander stationed at the Front Line. In terms of strength, he might still be somewhat lacking compared to the older generation of Kage-level shinobi and could not compare with the Sannin, but he was undoubtedly among the strongest of the younger generation.

There was even less need to mention his status. The Sarutobi Clan represented the interests of their entire Hokage Faction.

This was not merely the selfish desire of Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura; it was a decision made by the entire Hokage Faction. If Shin'nosuke Sarutobi became Hokage, the first thing he would certainly not do was harm everyone's current interests. Konoha would remain as it was.

Konoha would still be Konoha. It would merely have a younger man at its helm.

After hearing those words, the silent Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi tacitly agreed. Perhaps, in his heart, Konoha's stability was more important than anything else. Back then, for the village's stability, he could recommend Minato Namikaze. Now, he was tacitly allowing his own son to become Hokage.

From a political standpoint, if Shin'nosuke Sarutobi became the Fifth Hokage, Konoha would remain their stable Konoha. The interests of the major clans would remain unchanged, so naturally there would be no turmoil.

From a personal standpoint, his own son becoming Hokage would make them a father-and-son pair of Hokage. As a father, he was naturally gratified.

"Hiruzen, keep a close eye on the Uchiha. As the Front Line stabilizes, I'm afraid the Uchiha may stir up trouble."

At last, the conversation turned to the issue currently giving Konoha the greatest headache. Upon hearing it, Hiruzen Sarutobi furrowed his brow in deep thought.

"The Anbu has already begun monitoring the Uchiha. At the same time, we are preparing to make contact with the Uchiha's younger generation. The Uchiha need shinobi who can inherit the Will of Fire."

As he said this, Hiruzen Sarutobi was filled with resolve. Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura immediately smiled and nodded. "We'll follow your lead in all things, Hiruzen."

It had to be said that Hiruzen Sarutobi's methods were indeed shrewd. The Uchiha would certainly be monitored, while at the same time, they would begin drawing in several younger Uchiha.

The plan from the very beginning had been to place his own people within the Uchiha. He wanted to know whether the Nine-Tails had any connection to the Uchiha, and he needed to remain constantly aware of the Uchiha's movements. After all, the ability to control the Nine-Tails at its peak was already a blade hanging over Konoha's head.

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