Recommendation for the Hokage Position

Thump, thump! Following two crisp knocks, Hiruzen Sarutobi extended a finger and tapped the table before him.

At this moment, the various individuals in the room, each wearing different expressions, turned their gazes toward Hiruzen Sarutobi upon hearing the sound.

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke with a grave face: "Very well. Since the Uchiha clan has proven their innocence, the matter regarding the Sharingan in the Nine-Tails' eyes shall be set aside for now. Our top priority is to consider how to deal with that masked man. Shikaku Nara, do you have any thoughts on this?"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone's eyes shifted in unison to focus on Shikaku Nara.

Feeling the expectant gazes of the group, Shikaku Nara's expression remained calm, though he was inwardly groaning. Even though he understood the masked man's abilities, he could not immediately come up with a viable countermeasure.

After a moment of deep thought, Shikaku Nara finally spoke: "Lord Third, the enemy likely does not know that his identity has been exposed. We might as well suppress this news and pretend we know nothing.

We lost a large number of personnel in this battle; we can use this time to let Konoha recover properly.

As for the villagers, we can tell them that the Fourth Hokage sacrificed himself after sealing the Nine-Tails, having exhausted his chakra after successfully killing the enemy. What do you think of this?"

Hearing Shikaku Nara's suggestion, Hiruzen Sarutobi furrowed his brows slightly, lost in silent contemplation. As time ticked by, a suffocating atmosphere permeated the entire conference room.

Finally, Hiruzen Sarutobi broke the silence, looking at Shikaku Nara with a firm gaze to indicate his agreement with the proposal.

This disaster had claimed too many lives, and the entire village was shrouded in endless grief.

Although this method might not provide the villagers with a true outlet for their anger, at least in their eyes, the Fourth Hokage had already avenged them.

Even if it were merely a false comfort, under the current circumstances, it might help the village survive its most difficult moment.

In this way, the truth about who the Nine-Tails was sealed within remained hidden, known to no one.

When the day comes in the future, when Naruto has grown up a bit, the fact that he is the orphan of the Fourth Hokage can then be made public.

After years of emotional settling, the villagers would at least be somewhat pacified, and their hatred for the Nine-Tails would diminish accordingly.

At the very least, before Naruto's identity as a jinchūriki is revealed, he can enjoy the protection of Minato's legacy.

Moreover, even if Naruto's identity as a jinchūriki were eventually exposed, it would not matter.

After such a long passage of time, even if people still harbored resentment toward the Nine-Tails, their attitudes would be tempered by the halo of him being the Fourth Hokage's orphan.

After all, time is the best medicine for healing all wounds; hopefully, as time passes, the villagers will gradually let go of the hatred in their hearts.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had worried so long for Naruto, never imagined that Naruto, who should have grown up according to the original plot, would have his fate altered by the meddling of the Pot Kage.

Regrettably, under the arrangements of the Pot Kage, Naruto's identity as a jinchūriki spread throughout the village before long. Meanwhile, due to the loss of several people close to him during the Night of the Nine-Tails, Naruto's spirit was shattered, leading him to become increasingly weak. Blocked by the Council, his true identity as the Fourth Hokage's orphan could not be made public in time.

Consequently, the villagers, having found an outlet, mercilessly vented their rage upon this helpless orphan who they believed had wronged them, thus forging the miserable childhood that Naruto would later look back upon with such pain.

But the current situation is vastly different from the original story.

After all, under the orders of Uchiha Chen, Shimura Danzō naturally dared not make such moves again; Kushina is also still alive, so Naruto's childhood in this life will surely be several times better than in the original.

Seeing that his previous suggestion had been adopted, Shikaku Nara spoke up once more: "Lord Third, we have another urgent matter that needs to be addressed.

The Third Shinobi World War has only just concluded, and the village was severely crippled by the Nine-Tails incident yesterday. To avoid exposing our true strength under the close scrutiny of the other four great shinobi villages, please either resume your position as Hokage or immediately select the Fifth Hokage to deter others and preserve Konoha."

"Alas! I am old, and my physical condition is not what it once was; I can no longer bear the immense pressure that comes with the position of Hokage.

Therefore, we must select the Fifth Hokage as soon as possible so that the village can continue to develop steadily. Does anyone here have a candidate in mind?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke in a heavy tone, his gaze slowly sweeping over those present before finally resting on Shikaku Nara and Shimura Danzō, staring at them meaningfully.

At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Shikaku Nara with a glimmer of expectation, hoping that this ninja, known for his wisdom, could offer some constructive advice to help him find a suitable successor. When he looked at Shimura Danzō, however, he revealed a hint of warning and vigilance, hoping he would not be self-important enough to nominate himself; after all, everyone knew of Shimura Danzō's ambition and methods.

As soon as Hiruzen Sarutobi finished speaking, Shikaku Nara immediately fell into deep thought. He knew the importance of this question and had to consider it carefully. Various potential candidates flashed through his mind, but after some filtering, he found that very few were truly qualified to serve as the Fifth Hokage.

First, he ruled out the Third Hokage, who had just declined. Among the remaining candidates, Jiraiya and Tsunade were undoubtedly the most suitable. As for Shimura Danzō... Shikaku Nara couldn't help but complain inwardly. At the mere thought of him becoming Hokage, pfft! A chill ran through his chest, and he quickly shook his head, casting the terrifying thought from his mind.

After adjusting his thoughts, Shikaku Nara looked up without hesitation, meeting Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze directly, and said solemnly: "Lord Hokage, in my opinion, Lord Jiraiya and Lady Tsunade are both powerful and highly prestigious candidates. Either one of them is qualified to ascend to the position of Fifth Hokage. At this stage, we should immediately recall both of them and begin the succession ceremony."

Hearing these two candidates, everyone present understood they were the best choices and nodded in agreement. Seeing their expressions and knowing they all agreed, Hiruzen Sarutobi was about to make the final decision when a different voice rang out.

"Wait! Lord Third, I don't think this is appropriate."

Hearing this, the crowd frowned and began to whisper, wondering who was bold enough to openly object to two of the legendary Sannin becoming Hokage. They all turned their inquisitive gazes toward the source of the sound.

Uchiha Chen raised his arm and then slowly stood up, scanning the crowd with a firm gaze. Amidst the looks of those who viewed him like a clown, his eyes finally landed on Hiruzen Sarutobi, and he met his gaze.

Speaking again, Uchiha Chen's tone was firm: "I believe that bringing those two back is not the primary objective at this stage."