Civil War Phantom God

Konoha.

Next to the Hokage Office, in the High-Level Meeting Room, Konoha Four Elders, along with a group of Jōnin, were gathered.

"We'll agree to a ceasefire with Iwagakure! But you must agree to our conditions!"

"Exactly! After paying such a huge price, are we just going to let them go so easily?!"

"If the fighting continues, the village can't hold out any longer!"

"If we don't give Iwagakure a good beating now, we'll have to Fourth Shinobi World War sooner or later!"

"I support fighting again!"

"We must defeat Iwagakure!"

"Iwagakure won't pay compensation, then let's fight!"

The crowd was abuzz with discussion, with the War Faction displaying a fierce momentum.

The Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, remained silent, his face ashen.

Danzo chuckled inwardly, but remained outwardly calm.

Since Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze repelled the Iwagakure army on the main battlefield of the Northwest Front, Minato Namikaze's team successfully destroyed the Kannabi Bridge, and the Iwagakure army suffered heavy losses. Finally, they withdrew from the Land of Grass and returned to the Earth Country.

Subsequently, in response to the ceasefire agreement offered by Konoha, the Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, Ōnoki, agreed to the ceasefire, but Iwagakure would not pay reparations to Konoha as the defeated party.

Some Ninja Clan suffered heavy losses in the war expressed strong dissatisfaction with this, and many Jōnin disagreed with Iwagakure's conditions.

In the early and middle stages of a war, if Iwagakure were willing to cease hostilities, the vast majority of people would certainly be willing to do so, even if it meant giving up some benefits.

After all, in the early and middle stages of the Third Shinobi World War, Konoha was surrounded by enemies on all sides and faced the siege of the four great ninja villages. Its combat strength was stretched thin. If it weren't for Kushina and Shiraha repelling the Third Raikage, this war would have gone on for who knows how long.

However, after the Kumogakure withdrew its troops and Orochimaru defeated the Sunagakure and recaptured Kikyō Castle, the situation instantly reversed.

Konoha is now fully capable of focusing all its efforts on dealing with Iwagakure.

Admittedly, some Conservative Faction are right. Konoha suffered heavy losses in this war, and continuing the war delayed its recovery.

But for the War Faction, so many of their comrades and clansmen had died. If they couldn't get some compensation, wouldn't their clansmen have died in vain?

Training ninjas requires resources and money!

Is it generated for love?

Konoha suffered heavy losses, and other villages also suffered significant losses. If Konoha is now determined to continue fighting Iwagakure, Iwagakure will definitely be no match for them. If it comes down to a single village, no ninja village can stand against Konoha.

After all, the Hyuga clan and Uchiha Clan on the Eastern Front had joined forces to repel Kirigakure, and it was only a matter of time before Kirigakure was completely defeated.

"I understand everyone's thoughts, but the village simply cannot continue fighting, so we have no choice but to accept Iwagakure's conditions." Sarutobi Hiruzen looked apologetically at everyone present. The risk of fighting again was too great, so he chose the safest path.

"If we don't continue to deplete Iwagakure's forces now, they will inevitably come back sooner or later. In every Ninja World War, it was Sunagakure and Iwagakure who led the charge. Some time ago, Sunagakure proposed an alliance with our village, and you, Third Hokage, agreed not to pay reparations because Sunagakure was too poor to afford it. But the reparations we demand, Iwagakure will definitely be able to provide. I absolutely do not agree to a ceasefire like this!"

The Former Senju Clan elder said in a deep voice, expressing his outrage at Sarutobi Hiruzen's actions. In this war, nearly half of the Former Senju Clan's ninjas were killed or wounded, and with the addition of ninjas who volunteered to participate in the Wood Release Experiment, the elite of the Former Senju Clan were almost wiped out.

If it weren't for Nawaki's Limb Regeneration and awakening of the power of Wood Release, the Senju Clan would have been extinct.

"If we were to fight again, I would be the first to go to the battlefield!" Nawaki said. Since he awakened the power of Wood Release, his strength has increased by leaps and bounds, and he is now close to the Kage Level.

Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed helplessly, not knowing what to do.

At this moment, Minato Namikaze spoke up, "Everyone, the Lord Third Hokage also has his reasons. If we continue to fight against Iwagakure, then we will have to lead our army into the Earth Country."

The terrain there is rugged, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. In a foreign land, and with the enemy having the advantage of terrain, our ninjas will not be able to gain any advantage.

Once a protracted war breaks out, logistical support becomes a huge problem.

If we suffer setbacks within the Earth Country, we may very well lose even our current gains.

The war has already had a significant impact on the village's economy. Ending the war sooner will also restore peace sooner, allowing the village to recover as quickly as possible.

In this war, we have lost too many comrades and sacrificed too many ninjas.

Giving up compensation was a last resort!

Minato Namikaze's words were reasonable and well-founded, and many Jōnin from humble backgrounds agreed with them.

After all, even if war reparations were received, the family would take the lion's share, while these individuals would receive less.

Even setting aside the issue of self-interest, this First Shinobi World War left them exhausted. Even for Jōnin, surviving required a certain amount of luck, and they really didn't want to fight the enemy anymore.

The loss of family, friends, and comrades cannot be compensated with a little money, and continuing the war will result in even more casualties.

It's time to end the war!

"Easy for you to say! Without war reparations, wouldn't our people have died in vain?!"

No sooner had Minato Namikaze finished speaking than someone retorted.

Because of their differing perspectives, even if Minato Namikaze's arguments were entirely reasonable, they couldn't agree.

Minato Namikaze was about to argue further, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was in the lead, looked pleased and waved his hand at him, signaling him to stop talking.

"Even without war reparations, Iwagakure won't thank Konoha. That old fox Ōnoki will still try to cause trouble for Konoha whenever he gets the chance," Danzo had been silent all along, said calmly.

At this moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen stood up and said with a look of remorse, "Everyone, as the Third Hokage, I will take responsibility for this incident and the wrong decisions made in the war."

"How will you take responsibility?" Danzo pressed.

Sarutobi Hiruzen stared directly at Danzo and said, "I will resign from my position as the Third Hokage!"

"What?!"

"Lord Third Hokage, you shouldn't be doing this!"

"Third Hokage, things haven't gotten to that point yet. Everyone makes mistakes."

Upon hearing that Sarutobi Hiruzen was going to resign Hokage position, many Jōnin panicked. After all, during his more than 20 years in office, regardless of his great achievements, he was at least diligent and conscientious, and many of the policies he implemented provided a path for commoners to advance in their careers. Many small and medium-sized clans, as well as ninjas from commoner backgrounds, supported him.

Unfortunately, due to the Sakumo incident, many Jōnin, and with the addition of strong figures like Kushina and Shiraha, the village was unable to retain them, resulting in a significant loss of Sarutobi Hiruzen's reputation.

Some command errors in this war were not a major problem; the most important thing was to win the war.

On the Western Front, Orochimaru used dozens of Jōnin as bait in order to recapture Kikyō Castle with fewer troops, resulting in heavy casualties. However, most ninjas could understand Orochimaru because even if he was going to his death, Orochimaru was on another front, facing many powerful enemies and charging at the forefront of the battlefield.

A series of key issues Sarutobi Hiruzen erupted in recent years, causing his popularity among Jōnin to plummet.

Of course, he still enjoys high support among the villagers because many of his policies have brought tangible benefits to the most disadvantaged people.

"Everyone, there's no need to persuade me anymore. I will go to see the Daimyo soon and bring this up with him. Also, everyone can nominate a candidate for the Fourth Hokage. The one who gains everyone's approval will succeed as the Fourth Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen continued.

Danzo his eyes. He hadn't expected Hiruzen to resign from the position of Third Hokage so decisively. He had thought Hiruzen would definitely hold onto the position for a few more years.

If Hiruzen down, Orochimaru would definitely be the most likely candidate to become Hokage.

Today's incitement of the Ninja Clan to attack Hiruzen is the result of Danzo's recent efforts, since many Ninja Clan are hoping to receive war reparations after the victory in this war.

Danzo was afraid that Sarutobi Hiruzen would use various excuses to delay the election of the Fourth Hokage after the war, so he wanted to take this opportunity to remove him from the Hokage position as soon as possible.

As it turned out, Danzo's plan was correct.

The news that Sarutobi Hiruzen down caused a sensation in Konoha.

Even the Daimyo repeatedly urged him to continue serving as Hokage, since for the Daimyo, as long as Konoha remained stable and could continue to win in wars, that was enough.

Regardless of Sarutobi Hiruzen's abilities and achievements, at least Third Great Ninja War were won during his tenure.

What matters is the result.

His most favored successor, the Fourth Hokage, Hatake Sakumo, had already committed suicide, so it didn't matter much who became Hokage.

Konoha is the most popular candidate to succeed Orochimaru as the Fourth Hokage, because Jiraiya has repeatedly stated publicly that he will not compete for Fourth Hokage position. Therefore, a significant number of Jonin who support Jōnin have chosen to support his disciple Minato Namikaze.

Minato Namikaze's reputation soared to the level of the three thanks to his stunning performance in the Third Shinobi World War. The fact that the Iwagakure leadership issued an order that "if you encounter the Yellow Flash, you can abandon your mission without being punished" is enough to demonstrate their recognition of his strength.

However, to everyone's surprise, the one with a similar approval rating to Minato Namikaze was not Tsunade, but Shimura Danzō, the leader of Root.

Danzo served the Third Hokage from the First Shinobi World War onwards and was active in Second Shinobi World War and Third Shinobi World War.

If it weren't for his ruthless style, his approval rating might not be lower than Orochimaru's.

At this moment, in the Root headquarters, Orochimaru and Danzo were talking in a room on the lowest floor.

"Danzo, why are there fewer experimental subjects you promised to give me?"

Orochimaru's expression darkened slightly as he questioned him.

His experiment had reached a critical point, but he was running out of subjects, which made him very frustrated.

Not only have his Cursed Seal Experiment stalled and his Wood Release Experiment progressed very slowly, but now even his most important Reanimation Forbidden Jutsu has hit a bottleneck.

"Don't you care at all about who gets the Fourth Hokage position?" Danzo's expression darkened slightly, showing some dissatisfaction with Orochimaru's attitude.

Orochimaru said, "Don't you understand? No matter how many candidates there are for the Fourth Hokage, the old man's support is the key."

This was Orochimaru's confidence. He believed that with so many years of master-disciple relationship and mutual understanding, the Third Hokage would definitely choose him. Although Orochimaru wasn't particularly interested in the Fourth Hokage at the moment, if the Third Hokage chose him to become the Fourth Hokage, he would still do his Hokage well, cultivate a suitable successor as soon as possible to inherit his position, and then continue his experiments.

Currently, Orochimaru's favorite person is Nawaki, who has become one of Konoha's strongest after awakening Wood Release.

"That Minato Namikaze is a huge threat. Based on his performance in the Third Shinobi World War, he will be a formidable opponent for you. Aren't you afraid that the Third Hokage will switch his allegiance to him?"

Danzo continued.

Orochimaru smiled faintly. Perhaps Minato Namikaze had surpassed him in strength after learning the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, but in the struggle for the Hokage position, he didn't take a junior like Minato Namikaze seriously at all.

Seeing Orochimaru's confident expression, Danzo felt little joy.

Admittedly, after Orochimaru takes over, Danzo will have more power and a higher status based on their previous relationship of interests.

But at this moment, Danzo felt that he was the closest he had ever been to becoming Hokage position.

As long as Orochimaru doesn't stand in his way, he has a much better chance of becoming the Fourth Hokage. After all, what makes Minato Namikaze, whose foundation isn't deep, a worthy competitor?

He and the Third Hokage have supported each other for decades. Would the Third Hokage really support Minato Namikaze and abandon him?

Thinking of this, Danzo found himself unable to contain himself.

"I will make preparations for the experimental subjects as soon as possible. After all, as you know, the war is coming to an end, and it is much more difficult to catch spies than before."

"Hmm." Orochimaru nodded, then turned around and prepared to leave.

"How far have you progressed in your Wood Release Cells research?" Danzo asked. He never expected that Nawaki would also awaken Wood Release, and that its power was even stronger than the 'Armor' he had carefully cultivated. Although there was the age difference and the fact that Nawaki was the grandson of the First Hokage, there was definitely also the reason that Orochimaru's Wood Release Experiment was not as complete as Yagami Shiraha's.

"I don't have the energy to continue these experiments right now." Orochimaru frowned slightly. Nawaki was his disciple, and he had extracted cells from Nawaki's legs for research. It turned out that Shiraha's Limb Regeneration technology had far surpassed that of his teacher, so Orochimaru had now focused his energy on other things.

Danzo watched Orochimaru's departing figure, his face gradually darkening. "As a teacher, you're not even as good as your disciple!"

Since the Wood Release Experiment, Orochimaru has given him fewer and fewer results. He had boasted at High-Level Meeting that he would complete the Forbidden Technique, Impure World Reincarnation, but because Orochimaru did not put his mind to it, the experiment progressed slowly.

"Someone come here!"

Danzo spoke in a deep voice to the empty room.

Brush!

Three Root Ninja appeared in the room using the Body Flicker Technique and knelt on one knee.

"Capture some commoner ninjas from the village and send them to Orochimaru. Also, find some orphans around the village."

Danzo said indifferently.

"What? Capture the village's ninjas?" Even the ninjas who had undergone Root's Brainwashing Training were taken aback.

"What? You dare disobey my orders?!" Danzo his eyes.

"Yes!"

The three Anbu received their orders and left the Root Headquarters.

"It seems I need to find a way to increase the level of secrecy within Root." Danzo thought to himself. Root members all undergo brutal training, but there are always exceptions. The first one is Yakushi Nonō. Brainwashing Training alone is not enough. We need to find a way to develop a technique that will increase secrecy.

"Orochimaru, this time, just make way for me."

Danzo thought to himself.

PS: The upstairs neighbors are renovating until Saturday. They're very nice and want to finish as soon as possible. I'll update less these next few days and make up for it later. If you think it's too short, let it sit for a few days. It feels different when you read it all together. That's all.