Only I can make Konoha Village great again.

Shimura Danzo snorted coldly: "Hiruzen! Orochimaru is your student, and you know him better than I do, so you must know that he is extremely cunning, has a mysterious and unpredictable mind, and never reveals his true feelings."

"What's even more terrifying is that he never hesitates to use any means to achieve his goals, treats human life as worthless, and his mind is full of forbidden experiments and evil magic of immortality."

With each word Shimura Danzo spoke, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression grew darker, and his gaze toward Danzo became more menacing.

But Danzo didn't care and continued to say even harsher things: "Orochimaru is no good, and he is not someone Konoha can use."

"On the contrary, he is a dangerous individual who must be constantly on guard, second only to the Uchiha clan in Konoha!"

Danzo took a deep breath and unleashed his long-prepared trump card: "Hiruzen, do you think Orochimaru is unaware of your suppression of him? Doesn't he hate you?"

Click!

Hiruzen Sarutobi snapped his pipe in half and growled at Danzo Shimura, "Danzo Shimura, shut up!"

"By the way, you're the commander on the eastern front. How could you return to the village without reporting it?"

"Get back to command immediately!"

Danzo Shimura shook his head and said, "It doesn't matter whether I'm here or not. Hiruzen, I was appointed as the commander by you, the retired Third Hokage. The Konoha ninja don't respect me at all."

"I've returned to confirm the new Hokage. Only when the incumbent Hokage appoints the commander of the Eastern Front can everyone be truly convinced."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared in disbelief, muttering to himself, "So, so that's how it is?"

Thinking back to the repeated "You're just a retired Hokage" that he heard more than once after Minato Namikaze's sacrifice, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes changed.

"Danzo, you're right. It's indeed time to confirm the Hokage."

Danzo's lips curled slightly; he knew his old classmate had taken his words to heart.

There's nothing more to say.

The celebrations by the villagers and ninjas of Konoha continued into the night and escalated into a petition the following day demanding that "Orochimaru-sama become the Fifth Hokage."

Petitions poured into the Hokage's office like snowflakes, making Hiruzen Sarutobi feel terrible.

But what made him feel even worse was that he saw the detailed battle reports from the northern front, the miraculous results achieved by Shan Zhongchujiu, and his incomprehensible command abilities.

Hiruzen Sarutobi understood Orochimaru; his disciple's strength was all-encompassing and without any weaknesses, but he truly had no interest in power.

Although Orochimaru's pride would prevent him from becoming a puppet, and he would certainly seize all power as the Fifth Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi could easily overwhelm him with endless tedious tasks by using a little trickery, making him eager to hand over the Hokage position to his successor.

Who can we entrust Orochimaru to?

Tsunade is capable and prestigious, but she would never accept gifts from her classmates.

Mitarashi Anko, that little girl isn't even qualified to become a Jonin, let alone a Kage.

Kakashi Hatake, this child's heart is dead.

Orochimaru's only viable successor was his eldest son, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the head of the Konoha Anbu!

The position of Hokage went around in circles with Orochimaru and returned to the hands of Hiruzen Sarutobi's son. This was a small selfish motive that he could not tell anyone.

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't originally think that way, but Sakumo Hatake committed suicide, Orochimaru became obsessed with experiments, Jiraiya pursued the Chosen One, Tsunade developed hemophobia, and even Minato Namikaze sacrificed himself to seal the Nine-Tails.

As for why so many young Kage-level ninjas were eliminated, Hiruzen Sarutobi dared not think about it.

But he couldn't help thinking that after Orochimaru, his only successor to the Hokage position was his son, so handing the village over to his favorite student wasn't out of the question...

When Hiruzen Sarutobi first heard that Orochimaru had taken on a new student, he was overjoyed.

He knew that the child was called Yamanaka Hatsuyu, the younger brother of the Yamanaka clan chief. At the age of fourteen, he was already a special Jonin and had the potential to become a Kage-level ninja.

He was genuinely happy for Orochimaru at the time.

Regardless, Orochimaru was Hiruzen Sarutobi's favorite student, and it's great that he wasn't destroyed by his own suppression.

But now Hiruzen Sarutobi feels things aren't going well.

How could Shan Zhong Chu Jiu possess such powerful command abilities?

He shouldn't be this strong!

This fourteen-year-old Yamanaka Chuu is so strong, how can my own son compete with him, relying on his experience as an ANBU member?

impossible!

Being strong is the first requirement for a Hokage. A ninja who can lead the Konoha ninjas to victory is one who can crush ninjas who do not participate in the war.

Hashirama Senju was invincible, which is why he overpowered Madara Uchiha and was chosen as the First Hokage.

Minato Namikaze single-handedly wiped out 50 Iwagakure ninjas and fought to a draw with the Fourth Raikage's A-B combination, becoming the Fourth Hokage recognized by all.

Yamanaka Hatsugu commanded 4500 Konoha ninja to fight against 6000 Kumogakure ninja, killing more than 1300 enemies without losing a single one himself.

This record far surpasses Orochimaru's, and in two more years he might even be qualified to compete for the Fifth Hokage.

If Yamanaka Hatsugu had been trained by Orochimaru for ten years and grown into a Kage-level ninja, how could Sarutobi Shinnosuke compete with him?

Since Sarutobi has not been the Hokage for two consecutive generations, will there be another Hokage from the Sarutobi clan in the future?

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat alone in the Hokage's office, remaining motionless until darkness fell, letting himself be swallowed by the darkness.

The next day, the Third Hokage convened a meeting of Jonin.

Due to the impact of the war, only half of the Konoha Jonin attended the meeting, but the three elders of Konoha's high-ranking officials and the Third Hokage, who was acting as Hokage, were all present.

They sat upright on one side of the conference room, their every move exuding authority.

The ninjas' eyes were filled with solemnity, and they would occasionally glance at the head seat of the conference room, symbolizing the Hokage's supreme position of power.

After the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, sacrificed his life, Konoha Village remained without a Hokage for far too long.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, temporarily assumed command, but the renewed war caused such intense unrest that it severely impacted the village's operations.

The Third Hokage had previously said that the election of Hokage should not cause chaos and collapse on the front lines, and asked everyone to be patient.

The Konoha ninjas felt this made sense and could only grit their teeth and persevere.

But now that the Hidden Cloud Village has come to sue for peace, the war on the northern front is about to end completely, and choosing a new Fifth Hokage has become the most urgent and important matter.

After all, without a Hokage in office, who could represent Konoha Village and sign a peace agreement with the Fourth Raikage?

Mitokado Homura spoke first: "All the Jonin are here. Let's begin the meeting."

"Today, I have summoned all Jonin to this meeting. There are two issues that need to be resolved: first, we need to determine the Hokage; and then the Hokage will decide whether to accept the peace negotiations with Kumogakure."

Mitokado Homura's words struck a chord with the Konoha Jonin, causing a slight commotion.