Hatake Sakumo accepted the Hokage hat without hesitation and placed it on his head, lowering the front brim to hide his face.
Then he turned to face the cheering crowd below, lifting the Hokage hat's brim and straightening it to reveal his gentle smile.
In an instant, all sorts of cheers and blessings erupted beneath the Hokage Building.
The people waved their hands excitedly, shouting for the Fourth Hokage and offering him their most heartfelt blessings.
Everyone on the rooftop applauded as well, witnessing this historic moment.
The smile on Hatake Sakumo's face became even more sincere.
At that moment, he became Konoha's new Hokage, taking on the heavy responsibility of protecting the village and its people.
Meanwhile, inside an unknown underground laboratory outside Konoha.
Orochimaru continued conducting his experiment without looking back as he spoke to the person seated in the resting area.
"Hehe, Danzō, looking at you now, I suppose you can no longer continue supporting my Wood Style research. I never expected Sakumo to become Hokage. Hehehe."
Hearing Orochimaru's sarcastic jab, Shimura Danzō opened the one eye not covered by bandages with an annoyed expression.
"Hmph, Orochimaru, you're not doing much better yourself. All you can do is hide away in a laboratory like this and conduct research. If Hiruzen hadn't taken all the responsibility upon himself, you wouldn't have gotten off much better either."
"Hehehe, I never expected Teacher to... relinquish the position of Hokage."
After saying that, the two fell silent for a while. Eventually, Shimura Danzō broke the silence and continued.
"So, Orochimaru, how far has your Wood Style research progressed? If you're still lacking quite a bit, I can try using what authority I have left to help you—"
Before he could finish, Orochimaru stopped his experiment, turned around, and interrupted him.