The Wisdom of the Hokage

After Uchiha Kurohane left with Yakushi Nonō, he vanished from the scene.

A group of Jonin arrived with several Chunin in tow, nervously asking Sarutobi Hiruzen, "Lord Hokage, has the enemy been dealt with?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen replied with a helpless sigh, "It was a misunderstanding; just a few children fighting. You may lift Konoha's state of emergency now. Go notify the others and tell the villagers to return to their homes; there is no need to take shelter."

The Jonin and Chunin stared at the crater-pitted street and the charred insect carcasses littering the ground, finding it hard to believe.

They were calling such a brutal battlefield a mere scuffle between children?

Did Konoha even possess children that powerful?

Still, knowing it wasn't an enemy invasion, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, any enemy bold enough to launch a frontal assault on Konoha would undoubtedly be formidable.

In fact, they believed only the Third Raikage would have the audacity for such a feat.

The Third Raikage was renowned for his ability to grapple with Tailed Beasts, a name that shook the entire ninja world.

He was known as the man who possessed both the strongest spear and the strongest shield.

Any ninja who fought him head-on faced a near-certain death.

These Jonin and Chunin had all prepared themselves for the ultimate sacrifice while rushing to the scene.

Now that they realized it was a false alarm, they all felt as though they had narrowly escaped disaster.

However, their curiosity was immediately piqued.

"Which two children could be so powerful?"

Seeing the traces of the battle, these Jonin admitted they were no match for the combatants.

They sighed inwardly, realizing the strength of these children far surpassed their own.

If they were this powerful as children, they would surely possess extraordinary strength once grown.

They were the hope of Konoha!

Sarutobi Hiruzen opened his mouth to answer, but quickly realized the implications.

Uchiha Kurohane's strength was immense; once he matured, he would certainly have the power to become Hokage.

But if strength alone were the criteria for becoming Hokage, then the selection process would be impossible to control.

Therefore, after becoming Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen had consulted with his three advisors to redefine the standards for the position.

In the past, the Hokage was appointed by their predecessor.

Before the First Hokage died, he appointed his younger brother as the Second Hokage.

Before the Second Hokage died, he appointed his student as the Third Hokage.

They had all been the most powerful ninjas in Konoha at the time.

Thus, the standard for becoming Hokage had been: greatest strength plus the appointment of the previous Hokage.

But now, a problem had arisen: Sarutobi Hiruzen lacked the prestige to manage Konoha alone and needed the support of his three advisors.

Consequently, the selection of the next Hokage would also be influenced by the next set of advisors.

If Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, and Shimura Danzō joined forces, their three votes against Sarutobi Hiruzen's one could appoint a Hokage he did not wish to see in power.

In effect, Sarutobi Hiruzen had lost the sole right to appoint his successor.

To maintain control over the next Hokage, he gave the Will of Fire a new interpretation.

The Hokage was not a position for the strongest, but for one who could earn the recognition of the people.

Then the question arose: how was a Hokage candidate to gain the recognition of the rest of the village?

This required the skill Sarutobi Hiruzen excelled at most: putting on a facade and waging a war of public opinion.

Although many viewed Sarutobi Hiruzen as a weak and incompetent leader who couldn't handle anything properly, his political acumen was actually incredibly high.

He had managed to rule Konoha for so many years, knowing every dark secret of the village, yet never getting his hands dirty, successfully shifting all the blame onto Danzō.

In the end, he was still regarded as a kind-hearted old man; such political ability far exceeded that of any other character in the Hokage series.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was, in truth, a master of hidden political maneuvering!

Take, for instance, the incident involving Hyuga Neji's father's suicide.

It was Sarutobi Hiruzen who had demanded the head of the Hyuga clan to sacrifice himself, which led to the event where Neji's father knocked out Hyuga Hiashi and chose to commit suicide.

The context at the time was that the Hyuga clan's successor had been snatched by Cloud Ninja, and after Hyuga Hiashi killed the kidnapper, the village demanded the clan leader offer up his own head.

This defied all reason, logic, and morality.

Essentially, the Hyuga clan had been persecuted by Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Logically, the Hyuga clan should have stood united against the outside, harboring deep hatred for Sarutobi Hiruzen.

As the victim whose father was killed, the person Hyuga Neji should truly hate was neither Hyuga Hiashi nor the three-year-old girl Hinata, but Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Yet, Sarutobi Hiruzen had scrubbed himself clean of any involvement in that incident, and Hyuga Neji had never once blamed him.

This was the brilliance of Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Possessing such political wisdom, Sarutobi Hiruzen understood the essence of gaining the approval of the entire village.

Whatever you propagate, the villagers will believe.

It did not matter if you were a hero of the Leaf, how many merits you had earned on the battlefield, or how much you made the enemy fear you.

As long as these things were not publicized and the villagers were kept in the dark, they would never know.

That was why Sarutobi Hiruzen only promoted the achievements of his three students on the battlefield, while never mentioning the feats of the White Fang of the Leaf.

The current situation was exactly the same.

If the ninjas of the Leaf were to learn of Uchiha Kurohane's immense strength, it would make him a strong contender for the next Hokage.

Due to the rift between the Uchiha clan and the Leaf's leadership, Sarutobi Hiruzen believed that an Uchiha must never be allowed to become Hokage.

After the old man thought all of this through in an instant, he changed what he had intended to say.

"We are currently in a time of war; internal strife among the village's ninjas is detrimental to our unity. Their actions cannot be publicized and must be punished."

"However, they are still young, mere children who do not yet understand the Will of Fire. Therefore, we shall treat this incident as if it never happened, and I will not hold them accountable."

"I do not wish for them to carry this stain on their records in the future, so do not go asking who was responsible..."

The gathered Jonin and Chunin heard these words and sighed in their hearts at the greatness of Sarutobi Hiruzen.

The Third Hokage's vision was so far-reaching and mature, and he was so compassionate as well.

He truly was the benevolent father of the Leaf!

Sarutobi Hiruzen paused for a moment, then emphasized his tone.

"Do not be misled into thinking his strength is great; he simply has a bit more chakra and can release more Fire Release."

"Releasing Fire Release so recklessly not only destroys the streets of the Leaf but also wastes his own chakra. If he were to do this on the battlefield, he would quickly exhaust his reserves and be killed by the enemy."

"This is a common flaw in children; their understanding of ninja combat is too shallow. The Ninja Academy needs to strengthen education in this regard... but never mind, that is a matter for later. You all go and notify the others to lift the state of emergency immediately."

Sarutobi Hiruzen had only spoken a few understated words, yet he had completely altered the thoughts of these ninjas.

So, that child wasn't actually strong; he just had a lot of chakra.

Furthermore, his style of combat was flawed; he wouldn't survive on a real battlefield!

The Jonin and Chunin no longer felt any admiration for that genius child.

Even the Anbu felt that Uchiha Kurohane's strength was nothing special.

They all departed using the Body Flicker Technique, rushing off to carry out Sarutobi Hiruzen's orders.