Third: I think Obito can be the Fourth Hokage

"Crack..."

A charred, skeletal hand clawed its way out of the earth!

Immediately after, a head and torso emerged; it was none other than Orochimaru, who had been hiding underground.

At this moment, Orochimaru looked somewhat like Nagato would later, riddled with tubes. Most of the moisture in his body had been evaporated, leaving his muscles shriveled and his cracked skin clinging tightly to his bones.

He was in a wretched state.

Obito walked over to Orochimaru, pointing the tip of Ryujin Jakka at the center of his forehead. "Submit or die!"

"Water..." Orochimaru rasped in an even hoarser voice.

Obito, who had been in the middle of posturing, froze. Where am I supposed to get water for you right now?

"Give me water... I am willing to cooperate with you..."

Obito didn't mind that Orochimaru had deliberately avoided the word "submit." He was actually quite happy about recruiting Orochimaru; the man was a treasure trove of knowledge!

"Then hold on, I'll go get you some water," Obito said.

Half an hour later, after drinking some water.

A partially recovered Orochimaru lay on the ground, questioning reality... What kind of monster is this! Even if he started training from the womb, he shouldn't be at this level! He didn't even use Susanoo; is this the ability of his Mangekyo Sharingan? Is this Fire Style?

No! This is definitely not the power of Fire Style! He hadn't sensed any fire-attribute chakra! This must be the power of the Sharingan! Combined with the information Obito gave him about Kaguya, the Uchiha clan are descendants of the Sage of Six Paths, which means they are descendants of Kaguya! Could it be that Obito has already awakened a portion of "divine" power? If he could obtain some of Obito's samples for experimentation, perhaps he too could...

At this thought, Orochimaru's eyes shone with a piercing brilliance, as if he had found his life's purpose!

"I don't care about your experiments; I just need you to provide me with some results. Tomorrow, I will have Cheping contact you. Get some rest," Obito said.

"Is the power you used the power of a god? Or an advanced form of chakra?" Orochimaru asked, unable to suppress his curiosity.

"I don't know either. I woke up one day and had this power. Perhaps it's a gift from the heavens," Obito bluffed before vanishing.

A gift from the heavens, my ass! Sooner or later, you will become my test subject! And I, Orochimaru, will possess this bloodline's power! Orochimaru thought to himself.

"Hiss... what a terrifying power indeed!" Orochimaru struggled to push his body up to a standing position. Some of his charred skin had peeled away, revealing fresh skin underneath.

In the Hokage office, Hiruzen puffed on his pipe anxiously. The two advisors, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, were also present, their expressions grave.

"Homura, what are your thoughts?" Hiruzen asked in a deep voice.

Mitokado Homura wore glasses and was rational and sharp-witted. Since Hiruzen became Hokage, he had served in a role similar to a chief of staff, acting as the brain of Konoha's upper echelon.

"What was the outcome of the battle?" Homura asked, puffing on his cigarette.

"Orochimaru had no way to fight back. Obito didn't even use Susanoo, relying solely on that ability similar to Fire Style," Hiruzen said heavily.

"I told you! If the Uchiha clan isn't eradicated early, we will eventually suffer the consequences!" Utatane Koharu shouted.

Koharu, Homura, and Danzo were of one mind regarding the Uchiha clan, while Hiruzen remained hesitant—the reasons for which were a matter of opinion. We shall say no more on that here.

"The situation is already as it is; complaining now won't help," Hiruzen said, tapping the table.

"As for Tsunade..." Before Homura could finish, Hiruzen interrupted.

"Do not target Tsunade. She has already sacrificed enough for the village. The Senju clan has bled dry for Konoha! If we old men scheme against a junior, how will we have the face to see our teacher again?"

"Gather all the Jonin of the village, plus the Nine-Tails jinchuriki..." Homura continued.

"And then what? Our high-level combatants are dead or wounded; are we waiting for Sunagakure and Kumogakure to break our defenses and slaughter the village? Besides, the Nine-Tails jinchuriki is unstable; we might end up suffering for it," Hiruzen countered.

"This won't work, that won't work! Tell us, what do you intend to do?" Koharu asked after exchanging a look with Homura.

"I intend to make Obito a candidate for the Fourth Hokage!" Hiruzen said firmly.

"Impossible! Absolutely not!" Homura and Koharu stood up in shock. Letting an Uchiha be a Hokage candidate? Only over their dead bodies!

"Don't be so quick to object. I ask you, what way do you have to eliminate him? That is combat power rivaling Uchiha Madara! If his strength can become Konoha's strength, what can other great nations compare to us with?"

"Most importantly, Obito is different from other Uchiha. He doesn't want to stage a coup, and he can suppress dissenting voices within his clan through his own strength."

"Hiruzen, have you forgotten what our teacher said? The Uchiha are a clan cursed with evil! Obito raided the Root headquarters; he has no regard for this village!" Koharu said angrily.

"I agree with Koharu. An uncontrollable person becoming Hokage will drag the village into the abyss! I firmly disagree with letting him become Hokage!" Homura echoed.

"I'm not retiring immediately. I'm only putting him forward as a candidate. If he makes significant contributions and gains support before I retire, it would be a logical progression for him to become Hokage."

"Conversely, if he were to unfortunately perish while on a mission..."

Homura and Koharu exchanged a look, understanding Hiruzen's intent. Both simultaneously thought of one person: Dan Katō.

Recently, Sunagakure had been restless, with several small-scale conflicts occurring at the border with Konoha. Kumogakure and Iwagakure were also making moves, and the upper echelon could already smell the smoke of war. If a major war broke out, Obito would undoubtedly be the one to decide the outcome.

"Hmm... You are the Hokage. We will follow your arrangements," Homura said.

"Very well, it is settled. Meeting adjourned."

Watching Homura and Koharu walk out together, Hiruzen's gaze was cold. As former peers—including Danzo—the four of them had spent over forty years together. On many issues, the three had formed a bloc to oppose him as Hokage, causing many policies to remain unimplemented. Konoha's policies were like an aging man: sluggish and conservative.

Danzo had already defected, and two remained.

Let this outdated system be buried along with me as I grow old! The continuation of the Will of Fire is exactly this: old leaves fall to become nutrients, and new leaves grow to lead Konoha toward prosperity!