Fifth Hokage, Who Else Could It Be?

When Danzo hurried to the Hokage's Office, he saw not only his old companion Hiruzen, but two other old companions as well.

One was an elderly woman with her hair in a bun, narrowed eyes, and a stern expression.

The other wore glasses, with hair that bristled like a hedgehog. His raised white scarf partially concealed his sharp sideburns.

He wore the same stern expression.

These were two gray-haired elders who, like him, stood among Konoha's upper ranks—the Council Elders who assisted the Hokage in administrative affairs, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu.

Seeing the two of them put Danzo in an even worse mood. Although he had long realized they would certainly come to interfere, realizing it and accepting it were two different things.

And just as he expected, Utatane Koharu immediately began to criticize him. "Danzo, you have been a great disappointment."

"Koharu is right. You have not been paying attention to the duties you should be handling lately, have you, Danzo?" Mitokado Homura also spoke with a reproachful air.

Those two are just trying to make themselves feel relevant!

Danzo cursed inwardly. Of course, he knew they were two old fools unwilling to admit their age. They always liked making their presence known in these high-level meetings, showing off their right to speak.

After all, they were old and increasingly incapable, so they liked criticizing and offering opinions to show how impressive they still were.

Usually, they preferred targeting the Hokage. Only Hiruzen had such a good temper.

Once I become Hokage...

Though he cursed inwardly, Danzo remained calm and composed on the surface. He said pleasantly, "It was indeed my oversight."

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura both looked at him in surprise. They had not expected their old companion, who had always been known for his hardline stance, to yield so easily.

But on second thought, they understood Danzo's intentions. They had been old companions for many years; who did not know?

That was right. Danzo wanted to become Hokage. Especially now, with the Fourth Hokage gone and no new Hokage yet decided, this was a critical moment.

At a time like this, he could not be too forceful. He needed as much support as possible, so his attitude had to be good, whether toward the two Council Elders or Hiruzen, the Hokage.

Of course, that did not mean he should blindly bow his head. The key was that he truly had been negligent this time, and at such an important moment, he had to make his attitude clear.

"I have ordered Root to handle these matters. We will give you an explanation," he said in a grave tone. Though he needed to show a good attitude, he could not truly abandon a certain firmness of position. That was the foundation of his politics.

"Root will eliminate anything that threatens Konoha, leaving them no chance to endanger Konoha."

As he spoke, Danzo looked toward his old companion seated behind the desk, silently smoking beneath his Hokage Hat.

From beneath the shadow cast by the Hokage Hat, the Third Hokage also studied the man before him—the head of the "Anbu training department." His forehead, one eye, and one arm were wrapped in white bandages. Had he been injured recently? It did not seem so from his aura. Then perhaps he simply favored this kind of attire. Was he disfigured? Was he hiding scars? It could not be that he simply thought this outfit looked cool, could it?

The cross-shaped scar on his chin was quite conspicuous. His whole person radiated a gloomy, oppressive air, and his gaze could be called fierce and sinister. One look was enough to tell that he was someone who disregarded life.

Still, it was not strange for the head of the secret service to be such a person.

The Third Hokage set down his pipe and exhaled another puff of smoke. He knew Danzo was waiting for him to speak, and the two Council Elders beside him, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, were also waiting for the Hokage to open his mouth.

And once he spoke, he had to elevate the matter to a summarizing conclusion. Only then would it suit his position as Hokage.

"The reason such a thing happened, in the end, is still the aftermath of the Nine-Tails' Rampage," he said. "Our enemies beyond the village saw our weakness and thus pushed matters along from behind the scenes."

"Hiruzen, you are absolutely right," Danzo was the first to agree.

Utatane Koharu asked, "Then should we investigate who is pushing things from behind the scenes?"

"I will send people to investigate," Shimura Danzō immediately said.

Up to this point, everything had been "correct nonsense"—all obvious matters, yet they were expressing them through such meaningless words.

Naturally, the Third Hokage had started it. Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu sighed inwardly as well. As expected, Hiruzen was trying to smooth things over again.

Danzo, however, felt relieved. Since Hiruzen was trying to smooth things over, that meant this matter would be lightly dismissed.

And as he relaxed, Danzo's heart immediately grew heated again.

Since Hiruzen was willing to let this pass so lightly, did that mean he supported Danzo becoming the Fifth Hokage?

Just as his imagination ran wild—

"Danzo, Homura, Koharu, lately, I have been feeling increasingly unable to keep up."

The Third Hokage suddenly sighed, looking weary.

Danzo jolted!

Though he felt Hiruzen might merely be lamenting to his old companions, he could not help but hope. Was this a signal of some kind?

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura did not think that far ahead. After all, neither of them particularly desired the position of Hokage. Utatane Koharu said, "If you feel too tired, Hiruzen, you can rest a little."

"That is right. This village still needs you to hold it up, Hiruzen. You must take care of your health," Mitokado Homura said with concern.

As old companions of many years, seeing Hiruzen display such weary old age stirred deep feelings within them as well.

"...I have been thinking. Since I am becoming less and less capable, perhaps it is time to replace me with someone more suitable?" The Third Hokage smiled, as though his old companions' comfort had improved his mood somewhat.

Danzo's heart rose into his throat.

Hearing such an explicit statement, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura both fell silent for a moment.

Was Hiruzen really not just saying it casually?

"Then Hiruzen, do you have someone in mind?" Mitokado Homura was still the one to ask directly.

Shimura Danzō's heart tightened even further.

The Third Hokage pondered for a while before saying a name. "Orochimaru."

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu thought it over, then nodded.

In the current Konohagakure, there truly was no better choice. Tsunade had left, Jiraiya had left, so it could only be Orochimaru.

Although they did not particularly like Orochimaru either, he belonged to the Hokage's line of succession. Orochimaru taking the position would also best serve their interests.

On the other side, Shimura Danzō remained silent, but inwardly, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Good. Orochimaru is the easiest one for me to deal with.

But there was no need to rush into dealing with him. Inheriting the Hokage's position was not something that happened so quickly. Let Hiruzen and the others thoroughly discuss Orochimaru's succession and make preparations for it first.

That way, he could also arrange for people to contact Jiraiya and Tsunade, making their whereabouts even more obscure and impossible to track down.

Once Orochimaru was eliminated, no suitable candidate would be found for the time being.

Then as the Fifth Hokage, who else could it be but me?