If any one of the Legendary Sannin became Hokage, then even after Sarutobi Hiruzen retired, he would not completely lose his grip on Konoha.
The bond and trust between them were something Hatake Sakumo could not compare to.
Moreover, the Legendary Sannin enjoyed immense prestige throughout the Ninja World. Orochimaru in particular possessed strength and wisdom beyond question.
Tsunade possessed powerful medical ninjutsu and the bloodline of the Senju Clan, while Jiraiya was devoted to the greater good and held deep feelings for the village.
Sarutobi Hiruzen believed that whether it was Jiraiya, Orochimaru, or Tsunade, each of them was a more suitable candidate for Fourth Hokage than Hatake Sakumo.
Thus, Sarutobi Hiruzen had already made up his mind.
Although he did not wish to see Sakumo's reputation utterly ruined, he was willing to tacitly allow Sakumo's prestige to be suppressed somewhat, making his path to becoming the Fourth Hokage more difficult.
Especially since he knew full well that Shimura Danzō of Root had always coveted the position of Hokage and held particular resentment toward Hatake Sakumo.
Danzō had always acted decisively and without scruples. There was a good chance that he had secretly played a major role in stirring up this wave of public opinion against Sakumo.
Perhaps temporarily suppressing Sakumo's momentum would not be an unsuitable choice. Sarutobi Hiruzen made his decision.
He had no intention of stopping the rumors from spreading. Instead, he intended to wait and see.
He knew that although Danzō's methods were radical, he would not easily let things spiral out of control. Sakumo was, after all, a hero of Konoha, and Danzō could not go too far.
Sometimes, indulgence is not necessarily a bad thing. With a sigh, Sarutobi Hiruzen tacitly approved of Danzō's manipulation.
As for this public uproar, Sarutobi Hiruzen intended