Meanwhile, after touring Konoha after the war and experiencing Konoha peaceful and lively atmosphere, Hiruzen Sarutobi returned to his office to begin catching up on the work he had left behind.
But before he could work for long, he heard loud footsteps coming from the doorway.
"Tap tap tap"
Then he heard the Gate of Opening his office door opening. He looked up and saw his longtime comrade Shimura Danzō, walk in.
Shimura Danzō a gloomy face and exuded an aura that kept strangers at bay, making him look incredibly creepy.
However, this imposing aura had no effect on Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was extremely familiar with Danzo. He remained calm and asked indifferently, " Danzo, is there something you need?"
Knowing Danzo's nature of never visiting without a reason, he knew that Danzo must have something to ask him or something to ask.
At the same time, he was speechless at Danzo. Although Danzo was the Hokage's assistant whom he had personally appointed, could Danzo at least be a little more polite when entering his office? He was the Hokage, and he dealt with confidential matters, such as caring about the health of Konoha's female ninjas... cough cough cough, for example, if some major secrets were leaked, it would be a major event that would shake Konoha.
Upon hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's question, Shimura Danzō slammed his cane on the ground and let out a cold snort.
"Hmph, Hiruzen, you have the nerve to ask? Don't you really know at all why I'm here today?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned, looking puzzled. How did he know the answer to Danzo's seemingly random question?
" Danzo, what exactly do you mean? Just say what you want to say."
Upon hearing that Danzo Hiruzen Sarutobi was still pretending, Danzo's anger flared up instantly.
He didn't believe that Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't know the purpose of his visit.
However, the current Hokage was still Hiruzen Sarutobi, so he had to suppress his anger and questioned, " Hiruzen, don't you know your teacher's strategy towards the Uchiha Clan? Or have you forgotten your teacher's teachings? You actually chose Uchiha Fugaku as one of the Hokage candidates. Do you know the consequences? Do you think you've lived up to your teacher's expectations?"
It's worth noting that when the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, was formulating his strategy for dealing with the Uchiha Clan Uchiha Clan, he said that important positions should not be given to them.
Because the Uchiha Clan is too powerful and too dangerous, their thoughts and emotions are too extreme. If they hold high positions, it is not a good thing for Konoha at all. On the contrary, it will cause great harm to Konoha due to some problems.
Therefore, these Konoha High Command, who were disciples of Tobirama Senju, have always adhered to the policy of suppressing the Uchiha Clan.
But now, Hiruzen Sarutobi has actually listed Uchiha Fugaku, the head of the Uchiha Clan, as one of the candidates for Hokage. What is this if not a betrayal of his teacher Tobirama Senju?
Even more crucially, he, the Root Minister who had been working diligently behind the scenes for the growth of Konoha, was not on the list of candidates.
This was a tremendous humiliation and blow to him.
" Danzo, calm down." Faced with Danzo's questioning, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes flashed with understanding. He lightly stroked his pipe, took a puff, and said calmly, " Teacher Tobirama did indeed say he wanted to restrict the Uchiha Clan. But have you forgotten? Teacher Tobirama also said that if Uchiha Clan like Kagami appeared in the future, he could be trusted. If he was deemed truly outstanding, then the Hokage Position could be given a fair chance."
Hiruzen Sarutobi kept all of his teacher Tobirama Senju's Hiruzen Sarutobi in mind. Unlike Danzo's one-sided understanding, he knew that Teacher Tobirama had also considered fully integrating the Uchiha Clan into Konoha. Otherwise, he wouldn't have accepted his former comrade Kagami Uchiha, who also possessed the Will of Fire, as his disciple.
Furthermore, the teacher deeply understands the principle that it is better to guide than to suppress.
Suppressing the Uchiha Clan relentlessly will only lead to a strong backlash in the end.
The right path is to find the right opportunity to truly win over the Uchiha Clan.
The Uchiha Clan's reputation has improved significantly. Although they still have shortcomings, they are no longer as antagonized by Konoha Ninja as before.
Therefore, he believed that the time had come to fully integrate the Uchiha Clan into Konoha, which is why he listed Uchiha Fugaku as one of the candidates for Hokage.
In addition, he also considered what he would do if Uchiha Fugaku failed to become Hokage Position.
He had already decided that if the Uchiha Clan did not experience major unrest or discontent after Uchiha Fugaku was not selected, he would hand over key positions in Konoha to the Uchiha Clan Uchiha Clan to return to the core of Konoha.
However, if Uchiha Fugaku and the Uchiha Clan betray his trust, he will suffer from strong dissatisfaction with Konoha after failing to become Hokage Position, and may even harbor resentment towards Konoha.
He would naturally continue to adhere to his teacher's strategy, continue to suppress the Uchiha Clan, and silently wait for the arrival of someone who could change the Uchiha Clan and allow them to integrate into Konoha Uchiha.
Of course, if Uchiha Fugaku is truly that popular and unexpectedly becomes Hokage, then he wouldn't refuse.
After all, this result fully proves Uchiha Fugaku's Will of Fire, proving that he might be the one who wins the hearts of the Uchiha Clan, so he can only be genuinely happy.
Therefore, this Hokage election is a major test for Uchiha Fugaku and the Uchiha Clan. If they pass the test, the Uchiha Clan's return to the core of Konoha will be just around the corner, and their complete integration into Konoha will be a piece of cake.
But if it doesn't pass, then don't blame him for being ruthless and ignoring the contributions of the Uchiha Clan.
Danzo simply couldn't understand Hiruzen Sarutobi's thoughts, because his prejudice against the Uchiha Clan completely blocked his ability to analyze Hiruzen Sarutobi's ideas.
He only knew that Hiruzen Sarutobi's current actions would cause enormous damage to Konoha. As the Hokage's assistant, the Konoha Council of Elders had to stop him.
" Hiruzen? No. I disagree with this. Anyone else is fine, but not Uchiha Fugaku. This is the unanimous recommendation of the Council of Elders."
However, Hiruzen Sarutobi's will was unwavering and could not be changed by Danzo's roar.
"Alright, Danzo, stop arguing. I already discussed this with Homura and Koharu, and they both agreed with my idea. So your claim that the entire Council of Elders suggested this is completely unfounded."
"And Danzo, remember this: I am the Hokage!!!"
Upon hearing this, Danzo a rage and finally roared, unable to contain himself any longer. " Hiruzen, you'll regret this!!"
Then he stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
Finally, with a loud "bang," the Hokage's office fell silent once more.
Gazing at the scenery outside the office's floor-to-ceiling windows, Hiruzen Sarutobi stared blankly, thinking to himself, "Uchiha Clan, don't let me down."