The Fourth Hokage Is Decided

Konoha.

With the return of the ninjas stationed on the Northern Front, news of the ceasefire with Cloud Village spread throughout Konoha.

Thus, the Third Shinobi World War can be considered to have largely come to an end for Konoha.

As for the remaining minor skirmishes, they are no longer of any importance to Konoha at this point.

This is naturally good news for the ordinary villagers of Konoha.

With the ninjas returning and families reunited, both Civilian and Ninja Clan were filled with joy.

The return of ninjas, along with these high-spending individuals who have amassed considerable wealth, has propelled Konoha's businesses to unprecedented levels of prosperity.

But this outward prosperity could not possibly conceal the turbulent undercurrents within.

Konoha did not start the Third Shinobi World War, but Konoha was undoubtedly the Third Shinobi World War winner.

But what did this winner ultimately gain?

With the combined strength of the entire village and a do-or-die spirit, Sunagakure forced the signing of a peace treaty.

There was no money, no supplies, not even an apology.

When the agreement was signed with Sunagakure, Konoha was besieged on all sides and desperately needed to relieve the pressure of war, so it had no choice but to sign such an agreement.

That might be somewhat understandable, but what kind of nonsense was that agreement with Iwagakure and Cloud Village afterward?

Konoha poured so much manpower and resources, and even the lives of thousands of elite ninjas, into the Third Shinobi World War, only to receive three worthless pieces of paper in return.

The child lost his parents; the wife lost her husband; the mother lost her son.

Facing the house that once housed people, but is now empty.

How do you expect those parties who have paid a huge price for this to view this?

During wartime, these grievances and dissents could be suppressed, but now that the war is basically over and external pressure has disappeared, these hidden internal contradictions are like a volcano gathering strength, ready to Konoha at any moment.

The Hokage's Office, on the balcony.

Hiruzen Sarutobi gazed at the bustling Konoha below, a satisfied smile playing on his lips. Even the fact that his pipe had long since gone out did not attract his attention in the slightest.

From behind, Mitokado Homura walked in from outside, saw the Hokage on the balcony, and sat down next to the Hokage in a few steps.

Seeing the smile on Hiruzen Sarutobi's lips, Mitokado Homura was furious.

"You still have the nerve to laugh here? Haven't you noticed the rumors circulating in the village?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi remained unmoved, simply gazing at the beautiful scenery before him, seemingly never tiring of it.

This made Mitokado Homura was standing nearby, extremely anxious. He immediately took out a scroll and held it up in front of him.

"Root Scout that the village is extremely unstable recently. Everyone is complaining that the Third Shinobi World War yielded nothing, resulting in a waste of money and manpower. They all believe that you, Hokage, have been incompetent—"

Mitokado Homura rambled on and on, recounting the recent situation in the village.

Hiruzen Sarutobi remained unmoved, acting as if it were none of his business, making Mitokado Homura feel like he was talking to a brick wall.

"Hiruzen, are you even listening to me? The news is spreading like this everywhere, and you don't seem to care at all."

Mitokado Homura's words were finally shouted out, which brought Hiruzen Sarutobi back to his senses.

"Flame!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi his gaze from the distance, brought his mouth to the pipe mouthpiece and took a puff, only to find that the pipe had already gone out.

He slowly rubbed a small flame to ignite the extinguished tobacco, then took a long, deep drag.

The smoke circulated twice in my lungs before slowly exhaling from my nostrils.

Hiruzen Sarutobi finally turned his gaze to Mitokado Homura.

He didn't take the scroll, nor did he care about its contents. He simply smiled and said, "They're right. I really didn't do a good job as Hokage."

This startled Mitokado Homura quite a bit. He stared intently into Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes, fearing that the other man might be under the influence of some kind of Genjutsu.

"Hiruzen, you have to pull yourself together. Don't give up on yourself. Signing that treaty was just a way to conserve your strength to deal with Madara Uchiha."

The outside world is unaware of the situation and is spreading rumors and gossip; you can't give up on yourself.

Mitokado Homura's words were truly heartfelt, stemming not only from his own position but also from his concern for his longtime comrade.

"Don't worry, Yan, that's really what I think."

Hiruzen Sarutobi patted Mitokado Homura's hand, a gesture that surprised Homura again.

For so many years, Hiruzen hadn't shown him such closeness.

He finally realized that Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed different today; he seemed to have put down a heavy burden and looked exceptionally relaxed.

"After the Third Shinobi World War, the village did not gain the benefits it deserved; instead, so many ninjas lost their lives on the battlefield. No matter how justified their reasons may be, someone must take responsibility for this."

"And as the Hokage, I bear the primary responsibility for this, and I've thought that through very clearly."

Mitokado Homura wanted to speak, but Hiruzen Sarutobi his hand to stop him.

"I've decided that once the war is completely over, I will abdicate as the Third Hokage. You should also spread the word and have them prepare for the nomination of the Fourth Hokage."

"This is my way of giving everyone an explanation. I, this incompetent Hokage, will bear the full responsibility for the Third Shinobi World War Hokage."

After speaking, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned around again, his gaze returning to the bustling Konoha below. That faint smile reappeared on his aging face.

Mitokado Homura stared at Hiruzen Sarutobi back for a long time without saying a word. In the end, he could only sigh helplessly, leaving behind the words, "I understand," and slowly retreating from the Hokage's Office.

In the following days, a message first circulated among the upper echelons of Konoha, then quickly spread to the entire ninja community, and then to all the Konoha.

The news is quite detailed, claiming that the Third Hokage will officially retire after the war, and they are currently considering who will succeed him as the Fourth Hokage.

Now, everyone's attention was drawn to this news about the Hokage Position.

No one discussed the agreed-upon compensation anymore.

As for the issue of the Hokage's responsibility, didn't you see that the Third Kazekage even wanted to abdicate because of it? You can't possibly use that to scheme against an old man who has dedicated his entire life to Konoha.

This was just the opinion of the general public in Konoha; the higher-ups and Jonin, however, wanted to know who would ultimately become the Fourth Hokage.

Is it Jiraiya, Orochimaru, these veteran and well-known ninjas, or Minato Namikaze, who rose to prominence rapidly during the Third Shinobi World War?

It wasn't that no one thought of Taichi Matsushita, but unfortunately he was still too young. With no shortage of candidates in Konoha, no one would consider a 12-year-old child.

After all, in peacetime, this is still the age of someone who has just graduated.

The news that the Third Kazekage was about to abdicate and the Fourth Hokage was waiting for a candidate spread like the chirping of cicadas in Natsuhi.

The news was still circulating in the village today, but within a few days it had spread to various war zones.

This naturally includes the Eastern Battlefield, which has the most popular candidates.

Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze have both been here before, and with the addition of Tsunade, the medical genius, the small Eastern Battlefield has gathered Konoha's most elite forces.

That day, after finishing all their official business, the three of them gathered in a temporary tent.

Jiraiya, in front of Tsunade, pulled out two jars of sake from somewhere and sat down opposite Tsunade, enjoying a small drink.

On the small table between the two people, several small dishes were placed; if you didn't know better, you would think it was a gathering of close friends.

Meanwhile, our future Fourth Hokage stood awkwardly to the side, refilling the cups of those whose drinks were empty.

How could he not be embarrassed? Minato is a very law-abiding person. If it were him, he would never drink alcohol at the Camp.

But the two people in front of him were his teacher and the Commander of this place. What could he do but obediently do the job of pouring drinks?

"Minato is so much better. If it were Taiichi brat Taiichi, he would have flipped this table over."

Tsunade sighed, as if recalling something unpleasant, and snatched the sake jar from Minato's hand, replacing the sake cup with a large bowl and pouring it out.

Jiraiya's brow twitched, and many memories flooded his mind. He still remembered the time when Taiichi impersonated Tsunade to scare him at a crucial moment in his research.

Now, listening to what Tsunade said, it seems Taiichi is really capable of doing such a thing.

The two drank and chatted, and gradually both became a little tipsy.

Tsunade were slightly flushed as she sipped the wine in her bowl, looking at Jiraiya across from her.

"You've heard the news in the village, haven't you? The old man is going to retire. Don't you have any thoughts about his position?"

Jiraiya let out a hiccup, the small sake cup swaying in front of his eyes, and turned to smile at his apprentice.

"Before the war, I had some ideas. Orochimaru and I would be stationed in the south and the north, respectively, to guard Sunagakure and Cloud Village. At that time, we both wanted to make contributions on the battlefield and compete for the Hokage Position."

"Oh!" Tsunade became interested, took another big gulp of sake, and her face flushed even more. "So, what about now? Has your opinion changed?"

"Yes! A new generation replaces the old. Seeing Minato's performance makes me realize that I'm getting old too."

What was said without malice may have been taken to heart by the listener.

Jiraiya expressed his intention to make way for the younger generation, but Tsunade only heard the latter part of his statement.

"Fart!"

A sharp rebuke interrupted Jiraiya's melancholy.

"I'm still in my prime, I'm not old at all, you bastard, explain yourself clearly."

Tsunade slammed her wine bowl on the table, then slapped it down. She stood up, placed one foot on the stool, Jiraiya with a rather domineering air.

Jiraiya was startled by Tsunade's imposing aura. The fear of being dominated by Tsunade's fists surged into his heart, and his body instinctively dodged backward.

With a series of "crash" sounds, the stool under his bottom was overturned, and he fell face-first onto his backside.

Only then did Jiraiya realize what he had just said, and he couldn't help but slap himself in the face.

He begged for mercy before he could even get up.

"Tsunade, let me explain! That's not what I meant! I meant I'm getting old, not you!"

Seeing Tsunade's expression turn unfriendly again, Jiraiya quickly changed his tune.

"Pshaw, I'm not old either. What I mean is that Minato and Taiichi have grown up too, and we, as their masters, should make way for them."

This guy finally got smart for once, knowing to drag Taiichi into the discussion as well.

Minato, who was standing nearby, finally realized what had happened and understood what had gotten into his teacher and Lady Tsunade. They had been talking peacefully, but suddenly they were about to start fighting.

He quickly stepped forward to help his teacher up, and even stood in front of Jiraiya, feigning ignorance with a smile, saying, "Lady Tsunade, there's no need to be angry. Teacher just had a bit too much to drink."

"Hmph, people speak the truth when they're drunk; that's exactly what he was thinking."

She was still grumbling, but Tsunade knew she had been being unreasonable, so she put her feet off the stool, sat down drunkenly, and started drinking again.

Jiraiya was so startled that he sobered up considerably. He was used to being disciplined by Tsunade since he was a child.

He arranged the chairs, sat down again, and continued the previous conversation.

"The rumor is that they're nominating candidates for the Fourth Hokage, but those in the know understand that the chosen one was already decided long ago."

Jiraiya glanced at Tsunade and, seeing that she didn't raise any objections, felt relieved.

He turned to his disciple beside him and said with great satisfaction, "Minato, you'd better do your best in this final First Shinobi World War. Everyone is paving the way for you, so don't let them down."

That's true. Jiraiya no longer wants to be Hokage, Taiichi willingly accepted being transferred away from the front lines, and Tsunade is now remaining silent about it.

These qualified people all silently supported Minato, hoping he could be a good Hokage, didn't they?

Upon hearing this, Minato immediately stood up straight, his face serious, and promised, "Teacher, rest assured, I will risk my life to protect Konoha."

In Konoha, at a secret research base.

Orochimaru was carefully cutting open the corpse on the dissection table with a scalpel, and next to him, on a shelf, were various tissue samples he had cut off.

Taiichi stood to the side, carefully watching Orochimaru's every move, and even handed him different tools, clearly acting as an assistant.

The corpse they were dissecting was the Taiichi Taiyi had brought back.

Orochimaru had just returned from the Northern Battlefield and hadn't even gone home when he started pestering Taiichi for the corpse.

Now that his wish had finally come true, he was in high spirits and even dragged Taiichi along to study the corpse.

For a full five hours, Orochimaru focused intently on his work, completely absorbed in the dissection.

Taiichi accompanied him, and the two of them didn't exchange a single unnecessary word, except for professional exchanges about work.

Finally, when Orochimaru smoothly placed the scalpel back on the workbench, the dissection was officially over.

"What amazing creatures!"

Orochimaru paused slightly, thought for a long time, and finally defined White Zetsu using the term "biological".

"This physiological structure, somewhere between that of animals and plants, explains why it can use Wood Style; it's practically a creation of Wood Style itself."

Orochimaru's eyes gleamed as he turned to look at Taiichi, making no attempt to hide the burning desire in his eyes.

"Taiichi, do you think it can reliably reproduce the miracle of Wood Style?"

"While Wood Style is powerful, it is essentially just one type of Ninjutsu. The power lies not in Wood Style, but in the person who uses Wood Style."

Taiichi first set the tone for his statement before expressing his own opinion.

"This thing only benefits from people's unfamiliarity with Wood Style; its true strength is just so-so, not worth mentioning."

"However, this should indeed be a mass-produced item. I've seen more than one; it must have been produced using some kind of secret technique."

"Just as I suspected."

Orochimaru stared at the various tissue samples neatly categorized on the table, his eyes filled with a desire to explore.

It's too late today, so I need to be in good spirits for the next experiment and continue tomorrow.

As the two tidied up the laboratory, Taiichi looked at Orochimaru, who was still excited, and asked the question that had been on his mind.

"Does Lord Orochimaru no longer want to compete for the Hokage Position? Why is he burying his head in here as soon as he gets back?"