"Congratulations, Clan Head Fugaku."
Sarutobi Hiruzen appeared in the conference room dressed in his combat gear.
And the first thing he said upon arriving was to congratulate Fugaku on becoming clan head.
This unusual behavior made everyone present frown without even realizing it.
The Daimyo and Ye Ning exchanged puzzled looks, completely unable to figure out what the Third Hokage was up to.
Normally, if everyone had been summoned to the Hokage conference room today, it would have been to discuss going to war against Kirigakure and making preparations for the battle, right?
What did that have to do with summoning the two of them, father and son?
They had no say in Konoha's internal affairs, and in the past, even when Konoha had made plans for war, it had never sought the Daimyo's opinion. At most, they would be notified afterward.
Today's business...
Was twelve out of ten kinds of suspicious!
Ye Ning keenly noticed the change in the Third Hokage's expression.
The Third Hokage seemed... a little more relaxed today?
As if he'd finally set down some kind of burden.
Once everyone had arrived, the Third Hokage looked around the room and finally spoke:
"Everyone, after giving it a great deal of thought over the past few days, I've decided that I'm old. Konoha's future belongs to the young. So I've decided to step down as Hokage. Who do you think would be the best choice for the Fourth Hokage?"
Although Sarutobi Hiruzen had already decided that Tsunade should succeed him as Hokage, the proper procedure still had to be followed.
Even if he could announce right now that Tsunade would be the Fourth Hokage without facing any objections, the rules were the rules. They couldn't be changed.
It would also give these clans a chance to make