"All right. Since this has already happened, let's think about whether there's any way to resolve it."
Hiruzen Sarutobi had been Hokage for many years, after all. Though he had his own thoughts, he would not reveal them lightly.
"We sent him to deal with the Iwa Shinobi, and he killed Kitsuchi. We sent him to drive off the Mist Ninja, and he broke through Kirigakure's entire army single-handedly! Now we turned to Hanzō to deal with him, and he even killed Hanzō."
"Who can beat him now? Hiruzen, are you confident you could defeat Hanzō? He'd been famous for decades, and shinobi from every village had always regarded him as the pinnacle of the shinobi world. Now even he has been killed by Chihane Hatake."
"We have to admit it now. This boy is no longer someone we can easily dispose of. He's grown into one of the strongest people in the shinobi world."
Utatane Koharu calmly offered her analysis from the side.
Once she finished speaking, the entire office fell silent.
Everyone present knew this in their hearts. But having it laid bare before them was more than they could readily accept.
"Hiruzen, he probably hasn't discovered that we were the ones who contacted Hanzō, has he? If there's no other option, let Orochimaru become the Fourth Hokage! You did personally promise him that, after all."
Mitokado Homura swallowed before speaking.
He was genuinely frightened now. If Orochimaru became Hokage, he might lose his position as an elder, but at least he would still be alive.
If things continued down this path, he truly had reason to be afraid. Chihane was growing stronger far too quickly-frighteningly quickly.
And he was far too bloodthirsty. They had merely sent him on an intelligence-gathering mission, yet he had charged straight into