"I came to see you, not to kill you," Hatake Sakumo said calmly. "As long as you keep quiet, I won't hurt you."
Mitokado Homura was still stunned.
What?
Danzo's dead, fine... but Hiruzen's dead too? H-how is that possible?
He looked up at the blood-soaked Hatake Sakumo in front of him and wisely kept quiet.
He knew just how strong Hatake Sakumo was.
The Konoha White Fang had completed countless S-rank missions and was the strongest man in the Land of Fire.
With his own abilities, he wouldn't last three moves against him.
Mitokado Homura nodded sensibly.
Seeing that, Hatake Sakumo withdrew his blade and continued:
"I want to become the Fourth Hokage."
Mitokado Homura: "..."
"Whether it's my contributions in the Second Shinobi World War, the S-rank and A-rank missions I've completed, or my reputation before Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō deliberately schemed to push me aside..." Hatake Sakumo spoke each word deliberately.
"I believe I should become the Fourth Hokage. What do you think, Lord Advisor?"
Mitokado Homura stammered:
"Well... I think you're certainly the most qualified. Um... is Hiruzen really dead?"
Hatake Sakumo nodded.
"He was the first one I killed."
His tone softened somewhat.
"As for you and Utatane Koharu, the two elder advisors, you've never wronged me, and you've always treated me quite well. Naturally, I won't harm either of you."
"It's just that I want to become the Fourth Hokage, and I need the support of you both."
Hatake Sakumo played with the blade in his hand.
"Now you know my secret too. To keep you from telling anyone, I have no choice but to place the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal on you."
"All you need to do is help me become the Fourth Hokage and keep quiet about me killing Shimura Danzō and Hiruzen Sarutobi. Afterward, you and Utatane Koharu can continue serving as advisors as usual, remaining the village's number-two figures beneath the Hokage."
Mitokado Homura's feelings were exceedingly complicated.
Whether it was because circumstances left him no choice,
or because he was genuinely won over by the prospect of staying alive and continuing as an advisor, a number-two figure above everyone but the Hokage...
Mitokado Homura nodded.
Hatake Sakumo immediately had him stick out his tongue and placed the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal on him.
The restrictions he set for Mitokado Homura were:
He was forbidden to reveal that Sakumo had killed Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō.
He was forbidden to reveal that Sakumo had used the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal to control Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu and make them support him as the Fourth Hokage.
As for anything else, he placed no restrictions on him.
Once it was done, Mitokado Homura felt deeply aggrieved and despondent.
Who am I? I'm a disciple of Second Hokage Tobirama Senju!
And now Hatake Sakumo has treated me like this...
Alas.
But on second thought, Danzo and Hiruzen were both dead. At least he was alive, and he could still be a number-two figure in the village, above everyone but the Hokage.
Put that way, it's... not so bad?
Hatake Sakumo paid no attention to his thoughts. After bringing him under control, he sat down and gave him instructions.
"Tomorrow, news of Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō's deaths will reach the major and minor clans. When that happens, I'll need you and Advisor Utatane Koharu to step forward."
"With your standing as the Second Hokage's direct disciples and longtime advisors to Konoha, you can quell the unrest and find the next Hokage to take over."
Mitokado Homura nodded.
"At present, aside from me, there are three others the major and minor clans might nominate. That's right, Hiruzen Sarutobi's three disciples."
Hatake Sakumo looked Mitokado Homura in the eye and continued:
"First, Tsunade. Although that woman is the most qualified aside from me, you know that because of what happened to her brother and Dan Katō, she now faints at the sight of blood. She's wandering around the Land of Fire with a young girl named Shizune. Unless there's truly no one else to take over, she won't become Hokage."
"As for Jiraiya? First, he isn't in the village; he's traveling abroad. Second, he's a complete amateur. Someone like him is utterly unfit to be Hokage. Anyone who nominates him has something wrong with their head."
"That leaves Orochimaru. Not only is he in the village, but he's also smart and strong enough for the position. Unfortunately... he's still a long way behind me."
Mitokado Homura's mood shifted quickly. He nodded in "wholehearted agreement." "Of course... That woman Tsunade wouldn't even be qualified to compete for the Hokage's position if she weren't the Senju princess."
Hatake Sakumo remained noncommittal, neither responding nor contradicting him, and continued:
"When the time comes, the two of you only need to overrule the opposition. Say that the news will soon spread, and the other ninja villages, large and small, and the four great nations will start entertaining unnecessary thoughts."
"At a time like this, someone with sufficient qualifications and strength must serve as Hokage. And I, Hatake Sakumo, am a suitable choice however you look at it."
Mitokado Homura nodded and said as if it were only natural:
"Of course. Your qualifications and strength speak for themselves. Originally, once Hiruzen retired, the position of Fourth Hokage was bound to be yours."
Hatake Sakumo took no pleasure in his "flattery" and merely waved a hand.
"All right, get some rest. I won't disturb you any longer. I still need to find Lady Utatane Koharu and discuss this with her."
"I'll leave it to the two of you tomorrow."
With that, Hatake Sakumo turned and left, planning to find Utatane Koharu and repeat the same procedure.
Mitokado Homura sat on the bed, motionless for a long time.
After a while, he sighed and felt his tongue.
"Ah, Hiruzen, Hiruzen, why did you have to do it? Would you only have been happy after driving Hatake Sakumo to this point? And you ended up losing your life. Alas!"
Utatane Koharu's home was not far from Mitokado Homura's, only two streets away.
A few minutes later, Hatake Sakumo emerged from Utatane Koharu's residence. He had followed the same procedure and made all the necessary arrangements.
There was one more person he had wanted to kill: the man the original owner of his body had saved, who had repaid that kindness with cruelty and joined others in bullying him.
But on second thought, he temporarily abandoned the idea.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was the Hokage, and Shimura Danzō was an advisor. The assassination of two high-ranking officials could still be blamed on powerful outsiders from another village.
But if the "enemy" had gone out of their way to assassinate a nameless nobody, that would make no sense at all... He would let the man live a few more days.
On his way home, Hatake Sakumo, hidden in the shadows, caught sight of several ANBU figures "flashing back and forth" across the rooftops, hurrying somewhere. They had clearly received urgent orders.
He figured it was because of the Third Hokage's murder. He paid it no mind and quickened his pace home.
Once home, he quickly took off his bloodstained clothes and mask and burned them all.
Hatake Sakumo did not yet know that the ANBU he had seen were rushing from one major and minor clan residence to the next, checking whether the clan heads were home.
Yet not a single person came to check on Hatake Sakumo at his residence, even though he had once been Konoha's strongest and, just two months ago, one of the ANBU squad leaders.