Chapter 150
"Huruzen, Jiraiya is too impulsive!"
Seeing Jiraiya slam the door and leave, Danzo snorted. He didn't have much hostility towards Jiraiya.
After all, Jiraiya's loyalty to the village is well known. Unlike Orochimaru, although he also has a very high reputation and is qualified to compete for the position of Hokage, he has no intention of getting involved in the position of Hokage.
He does not compete with Danzo for the position of Hokage and he still possesses powerful strength. If there is no need, Danzo certainly will not deliberately be hostile to him.
But Jiraiya's behavior today made Danzo feel offended.
"What kind of cooperation do you have with that Madara?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen ignored Danzo's complaints, glared at the two advisors Utane and Koharu who stood up to cooperate with Danzo, and asked in a calm tone while puffing on his pipe.
Seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen's face hidden in the smoke, with no clear expression, Danzo, Utane Koharu, and Mito Kado En beside him suddenly fell silent.
As companions who have accompanied Sarutobi Hiruzen all the way, the three of them know Hiruzen's character too well.
Although Sarutobi Hiruzen's tone was so calm that no emotion could be heard, the three of them realized almost tacitly that this was just the depression before the storm.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was dissatisfied with them!
Utane and Koharu are relatively lucky. They are not involved in the cooperation between Danzo and Madara. Even the Root is Danzo's private territory.
They just routinely acted as a lubricant when Hiruzen and Danzo had conflicts. But in this situation, after realizing Sarutobi Hiruzen's dissatisfaction, the two of them stopped talking at the same time.
Utane and Koharu can turn themselves invisible and get themselves out, but Danzo, the person involved, cannot do that.
"Do you believe the nonsense that Jiraiya and that kid from the Rain Country say?" Danzo asked in a cold tone.
"I understand Jiraiya, just like I understand you." The tobacco in Sarutobi Hiruzen's pipe flickered, and large clumps of smoke spread out one after another, spreading in all directions while enveloping Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"I'm doing this for the stability and security of Konoha!" Danzo was silent for a moment, and after once again feeling the decisiveness that he once possessed in his old friend, he answered evasively.
"That's right!" Sarutobi Hiruzen's tone was light, but it gave people an inexplicable sense of heavy power. At this moment, he finally had some of the demeanor of a former ninja hero.
"You also agreed to summon him back to the village for questioning."
"It's a question!" Sarutobi Hiruzen's aura suddenly exploded completely, and he stared at Danzo with sharp eyes.
"In the past, I could turn a blind eye to you using the names of the Anbu and the Hokage to do things, but what is the current situation? How dare you join forces with outsiders to attack the ninjas of your own village!"
Danzo opened his mouth.
How could he know that Madara would be so incompetent!
Even if he heard the retelling of the battle from Jiraiya, Danzo didn't believe it, unless it was the news passed back by his Root team.
But now he could understand why Sarutobi Hiruzen was so angry.
During this sensitive period of mobilization, if they tried to mobilize the ninjas in the village, Jiraiya would come and make a fuss. Even if they were the only ones in the office, it was hard to say whether the news would leak out.
If Shisui had not died and returned to Konoha Village, we could ignore the thoughts of the ninjas in the village for the time being. The Uchiha clan, the troublesome ninja clan, would definitely make a big fuss.
In the past, Danzo didn't care about the Uchiha clan, and even hoped that it would make a bigger fuss. But now is a war, and the power of the Uchiha clan is a very important factor in whether the Fire Country and Konoha can win this ninja war!
Especially, Shisui is located at the border of the Land of Fire, pinning down the subordinates of Orochimaru, the Tsuchikage Ohnoki! At the moment, it is only Jiraiya. When Orochimaru knows this news, will he give up this opportunity to hit his prestige?
Thinking of this, Danzo became even more angry towards Madara, and also coveted the Wood Release Bloodline in his hands even more.
"A kaleidoscope! If it could be used, it would be enough to decide the outcome of a battle. But because of your selfishness, you have ruined this powerful force!"
What Shimura Danzo could think of, Sarutobi Hiruzen could also think of. As the Hokage, he had to consider more than Danzo!
The current Konoha Village is like a bowstring that is constantly being pulled, and no one knows when it will break.
Although the main enemies this time are only the Hidden Mist Village and the Hidden Iwagakure Village, as well as some small ninja villages and wandering ninjas encompassed by these two villages, Konoha, which had previously experienced friction and losses with the Land of Lightning, is now finding it difficult to cope with the war as it continues.
The Iwagakure ninja army of tens of thousands tied up most of Konoha's forces. In addition to the Kirigakure Village's standoff with the Fire Country and the Water Country on the border, it also made use of its expertise to send out elite ninja teams to sneak into the Fire Country to carry out assassinations and sabotage.
Konoha also needs to allocate a large number of people to search for these Mist Ninjas roaming in the Land of Fire. Otherwise, if they are allowed to move freely in the country, the transportation of food and military equipment may be attacked, resulting in huge losses on the battlefield ahead.
In order to solve the problem of shortage of manpower caused by personnel reduction, Sarutobi Hiruzen has greatly relaxed the conditions for ninjas to be promoted to higher positions.
The students of Konoha Ninja School were quickly given a cramming-style education, and then were granted the forehead protectors of Genin, skipping the leadership growth period, and were directly led into the battlefield by the Jonin.
In this situation, in the eyes of the Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, every bit of strength is invaluable to Konoha now!
Especially a ninja like Shisui who has powerful strength!
The Uchiha problem can be solved slowly after the war, but the problem of lack of manpower in the war is imminent.
A kaleidoscope!
Such a powerful fighting force, in Sarutobi Hiruzen's mind, should not be wasted in internal fighting. In addition, Shisui is the descendant of his old friend Uchiha Kagami. In the Root's assessment and from what he felt, he was a trustworthy kid who had left the clan barriers, was loyal to Konoha, and could be trusted.
Originally, he should have been able to shine for the Konohagakure like the new generation such as Minato Namikaze and Nara Shinobi, but now he was inexplicably killed in a conspiracy.
This made Sarutobi Hiruzen feel suffocated as he looked through the intelligence transmitted back from the battlefield every day and felt that the situation was becoming increasingly deteriorating and out of control.
The reputation of being the first Hokage of Konoha Village to fail in a war is not something Sarutobi Hiruzen can accept!
"It is because the power of the Mangekyo is too strong that we should master it in our own hands!" Danzo said dissatisfiedly: "Have you forgotten what the Second Generation taught and reminded us? The Uchiha clan is not trustworthy!"
"You are too extreme!" Seeing that Danzo was still quibbling, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked a little disappointed: "You are too selfish, Danzo." "I am devoted to Konoha!"
"It's for your Konoha!" Sarutobi Hiruzen mercilessly exposed Danzo's inner thoughts in front of Utatane Koharu, "Don't think I don't know what you're thinking!"
"Why can't I become the Hokage?" Danzo blurted out under Sarutobi Hiruzen's stimulation. But the next moment, he felt a little regretful. But since he had already spoken, and there was no one else in the office, he had no intention of stopping.
"It was only because you stepped forward before me that you were granted the position of successor to Hokage by the Second Generation! If I had stepped forward first..."
"There was no first time!" Sarutobi Hiruzen interrupted Danzo's words, staring at him without hesitation, and said firmly: "Slow is slow! This is not just a step slower, it's a mentality and character!
Even if you had stood up before me, you might not have been recognized by the teacher and allowed to inherit the position of Hokage!"
"I won't let you inherit the position of Hokage either!"
After saying the last sentence, Sarutobi Hiruzen retracted his gaze and looked at Utane Koharu and the others: "Let Danzo rest for a while, the two of you will manage the Root first, and take over the responsibility of arranging the Root's tasks and actions."
"The Root belongs to me!" Danzo couldn't help but shout angrily when he saw that Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted to transfer the control of the Root that he had created to someone else.
"It will still be yours in the future. It just takes time for you to calm down."
If there was a choice, Sarutobi Hiruzen did not want to hide Danzo at this critical moment of the war. After all, although the Root led by Danzo brought a lot of trouble, it also made great contributions to Konoha Village.
At least his methods and the Root under his control helped Konoha solve a lot of problems in the outside world. If not, why would Sarutobi Hiruzen give the Root almost the power of the Hokage directly under the Anbu, and even tacitly allow him to select people from the major ninja clans to fill the Root?
For example, the Ino-Shika-Cho clans are allied clans with the Sarutobi clan. Without Sarutobi Hiruzen's permission, how could Danzo's Root select children from the three clans to brainwash and train them?
If Danzo hadn't always wanted to interfere in the internal affairs of the village, the Root led by him would have been Konoha's most perfect sword against the outside world.
The delay in the affairs of the people who had put Danzo in hiding was enough to give Sarutobi Hiruzen a headache. But compared to the trouble that was about to come, he chose the lesser of two evils. He felt that the way he handled it was an explanation to everyone and could minimize the future disturbances.
I hope Orochimaru can calm down.
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at another person who slammed the door and left after Jiraiya, and rubbed his head with a headache.
Old friends and disciples all have their own thoughts and ideas. Even though Sarutobi Hiruzen has been trying hard to maintain the balance, at this point, even as the Hokage, it is difficult for him to suppress the occurrence and spread of the situation.
All he could do was to maintain a balance. At least until the war was over, he would not allow civil unrest to occur.
As for after the war?
Sarutobi Hiruzen tilted his head slightly in his chair. When the day came, it seemed that he should choose a new successor.
He sometimes felt that he couldn't suppress the new generation in the village and the torrent behind the scenes. After so many years as a Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen also had some thoughts of retiring.
Now the selection of the next Hokage has become almost an open discussion in the village, which shows that most people in the village think that it is time for him to abdicate.
Of course, this is also related to the fact that Sarutobi Hiruzen did not deliberately suppress this voice.
Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and the deceased Konoha White Fang Hatake Sakumo are all candidates to inherit the fourth generation.
But now, Jiraiya has no intention of becoming Hokage, Tsunade has left the village to wander, and only Orochimaru is left.
With the technical development department in hand, Orochimaru has already gained the recognition of at least half of the ninja clans in the village, and has powerful and loyal supporters like the Uchiha.
If nothing unexpected happens, Orochimaru will naturally be the best successor to Hokage.
Sarutobi Hiruzen also prefers his disciple Orochimaru in his heart, but at the same time, Namikaze Minato, who has emerged as a rising star in recent years and inherited all of Jiraiya's connections and relationships, has also entered Sarutobi Hiruzen's sight.
Both have their own advantages.
First of all, both of them have very close relations with the major ninja clans, especially Namikaze Minato, who has a strong strength, a gentle and sunny personality, and has a large number of followers.
Even the Ino, Shikaku, and Chou clans, as well as the Uchiha clan and other ninja clans, have a very favorable impression of Namikaze Minato and have good relations with him.
As for the village's jonin, chunin, genin, and civilians, Minato Namikaze's reputation is even better than Orochimaru's.
If it weren't for Nara Shikata and the technical development department founded by their master and apprentice, Orochimaru, who has become somewhat gloomy and withdrawn since the Second Ninja World War, might have been caught up with or even surpassed by Namikaze Minato in reputation.
But right now, as the war continues to intensify, Namikaze Minato, who has already made a name for himself as the Yellow Flash on the battlefield, is already catching up with the Three Ninjas in terms of performance and reputation.
The ability to give up a mission without being punished when seeing a yellow flash was something that only the White Fang of Konoha had ever been able to do.
If we add in the fact that the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is Minato Namikaze's lover, and Minato Namikaze's personality, he is undoubtedly the perfect candidate for Hokage.
It’s just a pity that Orochimaru exists.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was having trouble making a decision, sighed inwardly. Whether it was Orochimaru or Namikaze Minato, a disciple and a grandson, in his mind, they were both candidates who could inherit the title of Hokage.
The only thing that bothered him was that choosing one side might cause the other side to be hit and some trouble.
But now, he should first find a way to deal with the mess left by Shimura Danzo. If he can't solve it, then the best outcome for him is to go to the battlefield and die on the battlefield like the previous five Kage.
(End of this chapter)