Tsunade

Although this experiment had been authorized by her grandmother back then, Tsunade's eyes still dimmed involuntarily whenever she thought of those familiar clansmen who had died.

"I'm very sorry, Tsunade. It was my fault," Hiruko apologized earnestly.

He did not really care much about it, but following the principle that less trouble was better, he did not want to provoke Tsunade.

After all, he still lusted after Tsunade's body and could not stop thinking about those massive breasts.

At the Hokage Building, the Third Hokage was clearly about to discuss serious business. Everyone restrained themselves somewhat, and Tsunade could not simply attack Hiruko and beat him half to death.

The Third Hokage suddenly stepped forward and said, "All right. Since everyone is here, let's get to the point. You have all been called here today primarily to decide on the candidate for the Fourth Hokage."

The moment his words fell, the room abruptly fell silent.

He took a deep breath and continued, "I am getting older, and I feel increasingly unable to do what I once could.

"It is time for me to retire. The village needs succession, and it needs a younger, stronger Hokage to bring new vitality to the village and lead Konoha toward prosperity."

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke earnestly. He truly felt that he had grown old and needed someone to take up the burden of the Hokage and continue protecting this land and its people.

Hiruzen Sarutobi deeply felt the weakness of his body. The years had left indelible marks upon him.

Once ninja entered middle age, their overall strength generally began to decline slowly. Their energy was no longer as abundant, and their minds were no longer as sharp as they had been in their youth.

Although chakra was a powerful form of energy, it came at the cost of draining one's life force.

Hiruzen Sarutobi understood very clearly that he was now far less decisive than he had been in his younger days.

He had also lost the boldness a Hokage leader ought to possess, becoming more and more indecisive.

Rather than cling to the Hokage's seat and grow senile and incompetent as the days passed, it was better to step down at the height of the tide and leave the future to the younger generation.

Unlike Danzo, Hiruzen Sarutobi was not so obsessed with the position of Hokage.

He had already been Hokage and experienced that honor. What he cared about now was the future of the entire village: how to protect it and pass down the Will of Fire.

He was more than willing to hand the Hokage's position to the next generation and let them write their own glory.

Rather than be like that old fool Danzo, who had grown ever more obsessed with the Hokage's seat, to the point of becoming almost deranged.

Hiruzen Sarutobi hoped Danzo could also understand that the position of Hokage was not everything. The village's future was what mattered most.

Hiruko had no interest whatsoever in this kind of formalistic meeting. He found it unbearably boring, a complete waste of his precious research time.

Especially Hiruzen Sarutobi. After being an official for so long, it had become second nature to him. He was still rambling on, stuffing everyone's heads with irrelevant nonsense.

The Will of Fire, the sacrifices of their predecessors, and empty platitudes like, "It is thanks to everyone's efforts today that Konoha enjoys such peace and stability."

Yet he still had not gotten to the point. Who exactly did he want to appoint as his favored successor?

"Old man, stop dragging your feet and get to the point!" Tsunade had clearly become increasingly hot-tempered after Nawaki's death.

However, in Konoha Village, only Konoha's princess, someone like Tsunade, dared interrupt the Third Hokage in public.

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head helplessly, raised a hand to rub his forehead, and glanced at his carefree disciple.

He truly felt heartache for this disciple whose mind had suffered such a devastating blow. After all, she was a child he had raised since she was young.

If not for Nawaki's death, Tsunade would not have become somewhat withdrawn, drinking herself senseless every day as her mental state worsened. It was truly worrying.

In truth, Hiruzen Sarutobi had wanted Tsunade to directly become the next Hokage.

After all, Tsunade was the First Hokage's granddaughter and the founder of the medical-ninja system. She had also earned tremendous military merit on the battlefield.

Most importantly, the Senju Clan had now completely disbanded and no longer had any chance of threatening the status of civilian ninja.

Therefore, the Third Hokage was actually quite inclined to have Tsunade succeed him as the Fourth Hokage.

Furthermore, from a political perspective, Tsunade possessed absolute legitimacy. Her becoming Hokage should have faced no obstacles at all.

However, the Hokage was the helmsman of the entire village, bearing the burden of Konoha's future, prosperity, and decline.

Someone suffering from mental illness was truly unfit for such a heavy responsibility. Nor could Hiruzen Sarutobi rest assured entrusting Konoha's future to her. There was no room for even the slightest carelessness in such a matter.

"Everyone, I have decided to nominate Minato Namikaze as the Fourth Hokage! Who is in favor? Who is against?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly slammed his palm onto the table, his gaze blazing as he stared intently at the elders present.

This unexpected decision startled everyone in the room.

They had all believed the next Hokage would emerge from among the Three Sannin. Never in their wildest dreams had they expected the Third Hokage's favored successor to be Minato Namikaze.

Orochimaru calmly glanced at Hiruzen Sarutobi without saying anything.

He had actually anticipated this outcome long ago.

As early as the Third Shinobi World War, he had already seen that Hiruzen Sarutobi had been paving the way for Minato Namikaze.

In the past, he might have been willing to compete with Minato Namikaze for the position of Hokage.

But now, because of Hiruko, he did not care about the mere position of Hokage at all.

Really. Truly! He did not care in the slightest.

After silently repeating those words through gritted teeth, Orochimaru fell into thought and remembered that he still had another important experiment to conduct today.

After careful consideration, the heads of the major clans suddenly realized that Minato Namikaze was indeed the perfect choice for Hokage.

He had a proper background, was a true inheritor of Konoha's legacy, and was a civilian ninja rather than a clan ninja. On the battlefield, he had repeatedly earned great military merit.

In everyday life, he was exceptionally considerate and caring toward his comrades, enjoying immense prestige within the village.

Furthermore, the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki had now become his wife, which gave him even more support.

Even the Uchiha Clan head, whose expression had originally been grim, now revealed a trace of delight.

He was personally close to Minato Namikaze, and his wife also had an excellent relationship with the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki.

If Minato became the Fourth Hokage, the Uchiha Clan's situation would surely improve greatly. Then they would be able to integrate even more perfectly into the great family of Konoha.

Hiruko, meanwhile, carefully examined this younger man before him.

That head of blond hair, handsome though it seemed yet always carrying a bit of an edgy style, was truly eye-catching. The shinobi world's scene-kid reputation was well deserved.

As if sensing Hiruko's scrutiny, Minato Namikaze immediately offered him a warm smile.

Their blazing gazes met.