At the edge of the forest, after listening to Jiraiya's series of stories.
The Third Hokage gritted his teeth and nodded heavily.
"I never imagined that what he said wasn't just embellishment or a joke!"
I thought he was just a powerful figure who was quietly rising in this era and didn't intend to reveal his identity.
And it turned out he really meant what he said; there were verifiable records of a name from a thousand years ago...!!!
This famous name and identity really made the three generations feel a bit like they were stuck in Bengbu.
The world of Naruto is, after all, a world set in Japan, and for Japan, the position of Daimyo is simply too sacred.
Although most ninja villages only treat their respective daimyo as a chamber pot for withdrawing money, using it when they need to urinate and then throwing it away when they're done.
But no matter what, they still deeply respect the title of Daimyo.
So...
The third generation was a bit confused.
Am I planning to hand over a daimyo to the position of Hokage?
And Gawain actually agreed???
How could anyone agree to that? Nominally, isn't this just transferring a high-ranking official to the position of mayor?
Etc!
Suddenly, Hiruzen became excited.
He suddenly realized something!
As a daimyo from a thousand years ago, the current Land of Fire would never recognize Gawain.
After Gawain became Hokage, his ambitions could never stop at the ninja village.
Therefore, if he were to appoint Gawain as the Fifth Hokage, Konoha Village might, under Gawain's leadership, achieve the goal of overthrowing the powerful and controlling the Land of Land of Fire's government!
At the same time, doing so is also a way of respecting one's ancestors.
Gawain, on the other hand, possessed both the name and the tools to control the Land of Fire.
In that case...
"Ha ha!!!"
Hiruzen three loud laughs, then clapped his hands hard.
"I understand, Jiraiya. Don't worry!"
He patted Jiraiya on the shoulder.
Seeing his teacher raise his thin, aged hand, Jiraiya sadly bent down and let his teacher place his hand on his shoulder.
As he lightly patted him twice, Hiruzen continued.
"Before this, the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku had not left any prophecy about the return of the ancestor Gawain to the Shinobi World."
Clearly, Gawain's ancestor's power had surpassed the limits that the Great Toad Sage could foresee, making him a powerful being capable of transcending fate.
He was even the most legitimate monarch of my Land of Fire in the past, an ancient daimyo known as the Dragon King, who had almost unified the world!
With such an ancestor, I have decided... to pass the Hokage position to him in the future!
Jiraiya, you were originally... or rather, you were always my best choice, but now... I've made my decision.
You have been too deeply bound by the language of the Child of Destiny, and now it is clear that an ancestor who can transcend destiny is more suitable than your destined disciple of the Child of Destiny.
Of course, in hindsight, the Great Toad Sage's prophecy was correct.
Your disciple, Minato Namikaze, truly deserves the title of the chosen one.
Not only is he exceptionally talented in ninjutsu, but more importantly, his son is actually the reincarnation of Ashura in this generation!
Without the confirmation from Gawain, I would never have imagined that Naruto was actually the reincarnation of Hashirama, just like Ashura, and that Naruto's strength was destined to reach the same level as Hashirama.
And you.
Don't forget, Jiraiya, before that, on the day Naruto graduated from the Ninja Academy.
You wrote to me, intending to return to the village and take Naruto as your disciple.
In other words, you actually are the teacher of the Chosen One, and it seems that every one of your disciples is a part of the Chosen One!
But compared to being chosen by fate, I prefer to place my hopes on fate itself.
Since I already have my ancestor, the grandfather of destiny, before me, why should I choose the Sun Tzu of destiny?
Moreover, we are powerless to resist Gawain, so we might as well go with the flow.
As for the most important reason..."
At this point, Hiruzen let out a long sigh.
Across from him, Jiraiya guessed what was going on, and silently lowered his head.
At the same time, Hiruzen continued.
"As for the most important reason, I am old, Jiraiya."
I... can't wait any longer.
You should know my ideal, Jiraiya. I don't want to die in bed. I should die on the battlefield like the other Hokage, even if it's by being ambushed.
But now, I am old, and my strength is probably no longer as great as yours."
"How could that be? Haha!"
Like a child being pressured to get married, Jiraiya rubbed his hair and chuckled.
"Last time we sparred, I even went into Sage Mode, but I still couldn't beat you, teacher."
During that sparring session, I couldn't even last ten moves against you. How could you be so old? Haha~."
"But the last time we sparred was sixteen years ago, before Minato Namikaze even died!"
Sixteen years have passed now, and look at me, I can barely straighten my back anymore."
At this point, a hint of reminiscence appeared in Hiruzen's eyes; those days were truly unforgettable.
Although the past wasn't always all good, like sixteen years ago, during the Third Shinobi World War.
At that time, he did not want to collect war reparations from the Land of Earth, but the villagers scolded him so much that he resigned.
Although it was one of the few humiliations in his life, Hiruzen didn't think he had done anything wrong.
After all, the purpose of Iwagakure Village's existence was to keep the nearby Kumogakure in check. In the Third Shinobi World War, Ōnoki suffered enormous losses. Kumogakure Village traded the Third Raikage for tens of thousands of Iwagakure Village ninja!
In this situation, suppressing Iwagakure Village could very well cause Iwagakure Village's national strength to decline to a level even lower than that of Kirigakure and Sunagakure.
By then, Iwagakure Village will no longer have the strength to counterbalance Kumogakure Village!
It's important to understand that, compared to Konoha, Kumogakure far more hatred for Ōnoki, and the wars between the two villages were far more frequent.
If the Iwagakure cannot continue to put pressure on the Kumogakure, then Konoha will have to bear more political pressure from the Kumogakure Village.
The Kumogakure Village has always been the most proactive and ambitious village. They are more assertive, more ambitious, and more united internally, constantly striving to surpass Konoha and become the number one ninja village in the Shinobi World.
Compared to the war reparations that Konoha already has, the significance of Kumogakure in maintaining a balance of power with Iwagakure Village is far greater.
Therefore, even if Hiruzen has to resign, he must give Iwagakure Village a chance to slowly recover!
Otherwise, if the Iwagakure and become impoverished...
The one who gets to eat this meat will definitely not be Konoha, but rather the many Iwagakure Village are closer to Kumogakure.
Those muscle-bound bastards are Konoha's biggest problem!
And the so-called war reparations...
Konoha fought and won three Third Shinobi World War. Over the decades, Konoha has been raking in reparations, and the Konoha government is not particularly short of money.
Compared to reparations, Hiruzen believed that Konoha's biggest problem remained the Konoha ninja clans' continued attempts to grow stronger.
Those ever-growing ninja clans are the real money-devouring beasts that feed on Konoha's resources.
Therefore, Hiruzen does not regret any of his past actions, and it would be absurd if the Kage of a village could be understood by just anyone.
Isn't that kind of shadow also a very superficial piece of evidence?
While Hiruzen was deep in thought, Jiraiya silently rubbed his head beside him.
I'm so sorry, teacher, but I'm really not a good choice for Hokage.
Orochimaru and Tsunade are both better than him, while he is just a loser.
I am absolutely unworthy of your expectations...
That's right. Jiraiya was actually an insecure person, which can be seen in many ways. For example, he never dared to tell Tsunade he loved her or make Tsunade a promise.
Looking at his disciple who, as always, desperately refused the Hokage position, Hiruzen sighed softly.
"I used to be just like you, Jiraiya."
When I was young, I always felt that I was living in the shadow of my father Sarutobi Sasuke, and that my achievements in life, including my strength at my peak, were far inferior to those of my father Sarutobi Sasuke.
My father was a powerful figure capable of leading the Hashirama to confront Hashirama and Madara Uchiha head-on during the Sengoku period.
Even if he couldn't defeat Hashirama and Madara Uchiha, he could at least fight them for a long time.
As for me, I'm afraid I won't last three moves before I'm subdued by the two of them.
In terms of wisdom, I have never been as Danzo as Danzo. At that time, the Shimura was a powerful clan that was qualified to compete with the Sarutobi Clan, and Danzo was a far more intelligent and excellent ninja than I was.
Before I became Hokage, did I ever believe I was the most suitable person for the position?
But later, alas...
Jiraiya, you still have the right to refuse my expectations of you.
And if I were to die on the battlefield, and before I died I were to declare that you must succeed me as Hokage...
Perhaps only in this way can you shoulder everything like a real man, instead of constantly retreating like a prodigal son.
The only mistake I made in my life was not dying on the battlefield like the first and second generation masters.
Even if I'm always the winner.
"I should have died long ago..."
At this point, Hiruzen let out a long sigh.
Then, he patted Jiraiya's arm.
"Let's not talk about that anymore, come with me to see our ancestor Gawain."
The Great Toad Sage has vanished; it is time for us to pay homage to our ancestors.
"I see!"
Jiraiya nodded heavily, then he and Hiruzen hurriedly ran towards Gawain's direction.
A moment later.
Whoosh!
The two of them stopped steadily in front of Gawain, and then knelt down on one knee.
"Gawain."
"Lord Ancestor."
The two spoke at the same time, and their words pulled Gawain out of his thoughts.
After gesturing for the two to rise, Gawain looked at Jiraiya, who had addressed him as "Ancestor," and smiled.
"Gamamaru, that's the biggest toad, I think I've told you quite a bit about it."
Now, Hiruzen, you should believe me, right? I really am the father of Hagoromo, the Sage of Sage of Six Paths.
Since you all know what's going on, there's no need to say more. Let's pick an auspicious Hiruzen, you'll hand over the Hokage position.
If the villagers knew that the next Hokage was an old ghost like me, they would probably be very worried.
Since that's the case, there's no need to explain in detail to them; just proceed with the Hokage rotation as normal.
I will continue my mission from a thousand years ago and bring about the unification of this Shinobi World that should have been achieved long ago.
Of course, although I come from ancient times, I also dislike the excessive tragedies and deaths that occur in the present world.
Therefore, I will use the Impure World Reincarnation technique to make the dead of the past fight for the future peace of the Shinobi World.
You juniors using the Impure World Reincarnation is indeed a desecration of your ancestors, but I am different.
I use the Impure World Reincarnation merely to allow those who never served me to once again pay homage to their ancestor!
See? There's no need to worry about the world being plunged into chaos, and unification doesn't necessarily have to be achieved with countless lives lost.
Perhaps you won't believe what I'm saying, but that's perfect. You two can lend a hand by my side, see for yourselves what I'll do in the future, and witness the changes I'll bring.
Come on, come back to the village with me.
Gawain didn't care what the two of them thought. After finishing his own words, he waved and led them back to the Hokage Tower with him.
When they arrived, Danzo was actually in the Hokage's office, arguing with Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado.
When Gawain saw Danzo, his mood immediately soured, while Danzo, upon seeing Gawain, was startled and dared not continue speaking.
Clearly, his sudden visit to the Hokage's office was related to the giant toad that had appeared outside the village and the fact that Gawain and Jiraiya had left the village together.
Seeing Danzo fall silent, Gawain frowned slightly.
"Since you're no longer the Hokage's assistant, what are you doing arguing in the Hokage's office? Do you even have the right?"
Get out of here. Don't make me lose patience. Considering you have indeed made some sacrifices for Konoha, go back to your Root and await orders.
Without a command, neither you nor the Root can take any action.
Go.
Gawain waved his hand impatiently, and Danzo was Danzo sent away.
Clearly, Danzo, having been scolded and sent away like that, would be furious with Root, but apart from Root members, his current temper was no longer of any use.
Filled with boundless anger and resentment, Danzo, after suppressing his rage, felt he could no longer endure it.
So he summoned his men and sent them a letter that revealed his boundless ambition.
This letter was Danzo to be given to Orochimaru by Danzo.
Originally, his secret cooperation with Orochimaru's operations was centered around Hiruzen.
But now, this core issue must change.
Whether it was a probe or an attack.
I must find a way to get rid of that damned ancestor in order to regain my right to sit on the Hokage throne!
As he thought about it, Danzo's anger surged again.
You deserve to die, Gawain, you deserve to die!!!
It was early morning that night.
Danzo sat up in bed, slapping his blanket with a vicious expression.
"You deserve to die!!!"
Meanwhile, in Orochimaru Otogakure.
Looking at Danzo's and Kabuto's letters, Orochimaru thoughtfully licked his lips.
"How interesting, huh? Gawain?"
He's being called an ancestor by his teacher, and he's about to hand over the Hokage position the moment he appears?
How long has it been since I've seen a teacher as decisive as this?
This is really something to look forward to...