One month after returning from the Mist Battlefield.
Kazashiro, with Kabuto by his left hand and Yamato by his right, and Itachi following behind, arrived at the dango shop together.
"Hey, Kazashiro, you've become a kindergarten principal?"
As soon as Kazashiro entered, he heard Asuma's teasing voice.
Looking in the direction the sound came from, Asuma was leaning against a doorpost, smiling at himself and the children following behind him.
"Well, sometimes we need to enjoy a quiet and peaceful life, don't we?"
Kazashiro smiled and led the group into the shop, "Quick, call him Asuma, and he'll treat you to something delicious."
Kabuto & Yamato & Itachi: "..."
This guy really treats them like children!
However, under Kazashiro's intimidating presence, the three still weakly spoke up, "Asuma."
"You bastard—"
Asuma rolled his eyes, but facing a junior, he could only obediently take out his money. "Order whatever you want."
"Asuma, I want to eat something delicious too~"
Seeing that Asuma actually took out his wallet, Kazashiro's eyes lit up, and he made a pretentious sound, wanting to get some freebies too.
"Go away, you're a grown man, get out of here or I'll beat you up."
Even so, Asuma turned to the landlady and called out, "Auntie, put Kazashiro and the others' debt on my tab."
"Asuma, you truly are my original teammate!"
Releasing the two little ones' hands, Kazashiro patted Asuma on the shoulder, very satisfied with his performance.
Asuma simply rolled his Byakugan at him.
Before long, with the proprietress's warm greeting, Kazashiro and the others all received their own dumplings.
Picking up the soy sauce-flavored dumpling in front of him, Kazashiro had grown accustomed to this strange taste after years of living in Konoha.
"How is the battlefield in Kirigakure?"
Asuma picked up the Anko, took a sip, and spoke in a muffled voice.
"It's better than the Kumogakure battlefield. Although the overall quality of the Mist Ninja is not low, they lack top-tier combat power."
After reviewing the performance of the Mist Ninja, Kazashiro gave a mediocre evaluation.
While the Bloody Mist Village did significantly improve the quality of ordinary Mist Ninja, it also eroded their spirit of teamwork.
At the same time, the persecution of Kekkei Genkai ninjas meant they were unable to field a sufficient number of high-level ninjas against the Uchiha Clan on the main battlefield.
"Your return from that side means the outcome of the Kumogakure Battlefield has been decided?"
Kazashiro, who doesn't like sweet drinks, ordered a cup of tea. Feeling that the tea was a bit too hot, he picked up the cup and put it down again, then began to inquire about the battle situation on Asuma's side.
"The Fourth Raikage has withdrawn his troops, but I heard they haven't agreed to a peace treaty. They're probably gathering strength for the next attack."
Asuma's face showed a hint of longing. "Minato's strength is indeed formidable. He fought against the Fourth Raikage multiple times without being at a disadvantage, and he even single-handedly wiped out a large force of Cloud Ninja, which forced the Raikage to retreat."
"The Yellow Flash isn't just for show."
Knowing how powerful Minato, Kazashiro wasn't surprised.
"And what about you, the one who calls yourself the White Death God?"
Asuma's tone was somewhat sarcastic.
"Don't say it, it's embarrassing."
Feeling a bit awkward being addressed by his own people's nickname, Kazashiro decided to change the subject. "It wasn't easy; this great battle has finally come to an end."
Kazashiro was very satisfied with the results so far. Obito hadn't lost half his body to the falling rocks, Rin was alive and well, and Kakashi was as reserved and brooding as ever, and he wasn't in a slump like in the original story.
Everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction.
"Yes, I heard that the teacher went out with my old man early this morning. I don't know where they went. I guess they went to discuss peace with the daimyo." Asuma nodded and picked up a string of dumplings from Kazashiro.
The Daimyo's Daimyo's Mansion in the Land of Fire.
The daimyo, wearing a strange headdress, waved his fan and expressed his regret over Hiruzen Sarutobi's resignation.
"What a pity, the Third Hokage was quite good..."
However, before he could finish speaking, he was stopped in his tracks by a look from Danzo was sitting in the second-to-last seat.
He would cover half of his face with a fan, and the daimyo always felt a chill whenever he faced Danzo.
"To get to the root of the problem, it was the Third Hokage ideas that led the village to that point. Now we need someone who can uphold the ninja code to lead Konoha forward."
After hearing Danzo's words, the daimyo mustered his courage and looked at him. "Is there anyone suitable?"
Everyone present turned their attention to Danzo.
"I recommend Hatake Sakumo."
Danzo said this.
"What does the Third Hokage think?" Upon hearing this name, the Daimyo showed no significant emotional reaction and instead asked Hiruzen Sarutobi was standing nearby.
The officials of the Daimyo's Mansion also began to whisper among themselves.
Several of them realized that Sakumo had brought shame upon the Daimyo's Mansion and were about to remind the Daimyo when their plans were interrupted by Hiruzen Sarutobi's next words.
"Hatake Sakumo is an excellent Jonin in the village and defeated the Sand Ninja in the Second Shinobi World War. He is indeed a suitable candidate for Hokage."
Seeing that Hiruzen Sarutobi also supported the other side, the officials of the Daimyo's Mansion's prefecture didn't want to make things awkward, so they all quieted down and waited for the Daimyo's decision.
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura were somewhat surprised, as they hadn't expected the two of them to think of the same thing this time.
The scene fell silent for a moment.
What do others think?
Seeing that the atmosphere was getting a bit awkward, the daimyo finally asked for the opinions of his own officials.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Seeing this, the daimyo nodded and agreed that Hatake Sakumo would succeed him as the Fourth Generation.
"I'm entrusting Konoha to you, Sakumo."
Sitting upright before the large characters of "Will of Fire," looking at Sakumo kneeling before him, Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke in a very gentle tone.
He informed Sakumo that the Daimyo had agreed, and Sakumo remained remarkably calm in the face of the Hokage Position: "I will certainly not let you and the Daimyo down."
"It's a real shame. I wanted to complete your succession ceremony in a more stable environment, but unfortunately, as you know, the area surrounding Konoha is still fraught with danger."
Facing the experienced Hatake Sakumo, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew he didn't need to say much; the other man had enough insight and judgment to handle the current situation.
Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi had predicted, Sakumo raised his head, his eyes filled with determination. "I will drive out all of Konoha's enemies and carry on the will of my predecessors to protect Konoha!"
"Yes, very good. I believe you can do it."
Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled and said, "Now that you've become Hokage, you need to have your own team. There happens to be a good candidate in the village, and I'd like to recommend him to you."