Naruto: I'm really not an evil scientist!

"It's time to retire. The village needs a successor, and it needs a younger, stronger Hokage to bring new vitality to the village and lead Konoha to prosperity."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said earnestly that he truly felt he was getting old and that someone needed to take over the burden of the Hokage and continue to protect this land and its people.

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a deep sense of powerlessness in his body; the years had left indelible marks on him.

As ninjas typically enter middle age, their overall strength begins to decline slowly, their energy diminishes, and their thinking becomes less sharp than it was in their youth.

Chakra, though a powerful energy, comes at the cost of draining one's life force.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was acutely aware that he was no longer as decisive as he had been in his youth.

He also lost the decisiveness that a Hokage leader should have, becoming increasingly indecisive.

Rather than clinging to the position of Hokage and becoming incompetent and decadent day after day, it would be better to choose to retire gracefully and hand over the future to the younger generation.

Unlike Danzo, Hiruzen Sarutobi's obsession with becoming Hokage was not as deep.

He has already served as Hokage and experienced that glory. Now, he cares more about the future of the entire village, how to protect the village, and how to pass on the Will of Fire.

He is happy to hand over the Hokage position to the next generation of young people, so that they can write their own glorious chapter.

Unlike that old guy Danzo, who became increasingly obsessed with the Hokage position, even to the point of being somewhat fanatical.

Hiruzen Sarutobi hoped that Danzo would understand that the position of Hokage was not everything; the future of the village was the most important thing.

Hiruko had absolutely no interest in this kind of formalistic meeting; he found it utterly boring and a complete waste of his precious time for scientific research.

In particular, Hiruzen Sarutobi, having been a cadre for so long, had gotten used to it and was still lecturing everyone on irrelevant things.

Phrases like "Will of Fire," "Sacrifice of our predecessors," and "Konoha's current peace and stability are all thanks to everyone."

But so far, he hasn't gotten to the point: who does he want to appoint as his preferred successor?

"Old man, stop dawdling and get to the point!" Tsunade was clearly becoming increasingly irritable because of Nawaki's death.

However, in Konoha Village, only a princess like Tsunade would dare to interrupt the Third Hokage in public.

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head helplessly, rubbed his forehead, and glanced at his carefree disciple.

He actually felt very sorry for this disciple who had suffered a severe psychological blow, after all, he was the child he had raised since childhood.

If it weren't for Nawaki's death, Tsunade wouldn't have become so withdrawn, drinking heavily all day, and her mental state wouldn't have deteriorated so much, which was really worrying.

In fact, Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted Tsunade to become the next Hokage directly.

After all, Tsunade is the granddaughter of the First Hokage, the founder of the medical ninja system, and has made great contributions on the battlefield.

Most importantly, the Senju clan has now completely disintegrated and has no chance to threaten the status of commoner ninjas.

Therefore, the Third Hokage was actually quite inclined to let Tsunade succeed as the Fourth Hokage.

Moreover, from a political perspective, Tsunade possessed absolute legitimacy, and her becoming Hokage should have been an unimpeded process.

However, the Hokage is the leader of the entire village, bearing the future and rise and fall of Konoha on his shoulders.

A person with a mental illness is hardly capable of undertaking this heavy responsibility, nor can Hiruzen Sarutobi entrust the future of Konoha to her. This matter cannot be taken lightly.

"Everyone, I have decided to nominate Minato Namikaze as the Fourth Hokage! Who agrees, and who disagrees?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi slammed his hand on the table, his eyes blazing as he stared intently at the elders present.

This sudden decision surprised everyone present.

They all originally thought that the next Hokage would be chosen from among the Legendary Sannin, but to their utter surprise, the Third Hokage's favorite successor turned out to be Minato Namikaze.

Orochimaru glanced calmly at Hiruzen Sarutobi, without saying anything more.

He had actually anticipated this outcome.

As early as the Third Shinobi World War, he had already realized that Hiruzen Sarutobi had been paving the way for Minato Namikaze.

In the past, he might have been willing to compete with Minato Namikaze for the Hokage position.

But now, because of Hiruko, he doesn't care about the mere position of Hokage at all.

Really, really! They don't care at all.

After silently repeating those words through gritted teeth, Orochimaru fell into deep thought, remembering that he had another important experiment to conduct that day.

After careful consideration, the heads of the various clans suddenly realized that Minato Namikaze was the most suitable person to become Hokage.

He was of noble birth, a true successor of Konoha, and a commoner ninja rather than a ninja clan member. He also made numerous outstanding contributions on the battlefield.

He was very caring and attentive to his companions, and was highly respected in the village.

Moreover, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is now his wife, which has given him even more support.

Even the Uchiha clan leader, whose face had been contorted with bitterness, now showed a hint of joy.

He had a close personal relationship with Minato Namikaze, and his wife also had a very harmonious relationship with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

If Minato had become the Fourth Hokage, the Uchiha clan's situation would have been much better than it is now, and they would have been able to integrate into the Konoha family more perfectly.

Hiruko carefully examined the junior in front of him.

His seemingly handsome yet somewhat unconventional blond hair was truly eye-catching; it has to be said that the nickname "Ninja World's Emo" was well-deserved.

Seemingly noticing Hiruko's scrutiny, Minato Namikaze immediately gave her a warm smile.

The two locked eyes.

Chapter 5: The Tragic Ninja World! Loss is the Norm!

It must be said that Minato Namikaze's title of "Little Sun" is truly well-deserved, as if he really possesses the power of Yang Release within him.

It gives people a warm feeling of chakra, which is completely different from the cold chakra of the Uchiha clan.

With Hiruko's current strength, it wouldn't be difficult for him to leave Konoha.

However, he was truly reluctant to part with the resources of Konoha, especially since Tsunade, whom he cherished, and the future beauties of Konoha were all there. How could he bear to leave?

Unlike the conservative Third Hokage, if the Fourth Hokage were Minato Namikaze, he might have been able to be more flexible in many matters.

Minato Namikaze is very young, energetic, and vibrant; he will likely support reforms.

Even though she had become a beneficiary of the ninja world, Hiruko still felt sorry for the poor people who suffered from the bullying and exploitation of the daimyo and ninja.

Hiruko came to this world after she devoured her counterpart from another world in the ninja world when she was five years old.

At that time, he and his parents made a living by farming in the village and rarely had the opportunity to come into contact with or learn ninjutsu.

But when he learned that his name was Hiruko, he became certain that he would become a ninja in the future, even though he wasn't very talented.

However, that night completely shattered his original understanding of the ninja world, allowing him to witness a cruel world that was completely different from the somewhat cheerful Naruto world of his previous life.

Hiruko still vividly remembers that night, when the wind howled and raged between heaven and earth, and the heavy dark clouds pressed down on him like a huge black curtain.

Large raindrops, like sharp blades, relentlessly pierced Hiruko's face, bringing waves of stinging pain.

He huddled on the muddy ground, his body trembling uncontrollably, watching in terror and helplessness as his parents were surrounded by a group of ninja from Kumogakure.

The father's arm had been cruelly severed by the enemy, and blood gushed out like a fountain, staining the ground beneath his feet red.

The mother knelt on the ground, her face streaked with tears, pleading, "Stop! Please!"

The parents held the ninja in front of them back with all their might.

"No!"

But Hiruko's roar was mercilessly swallowed up by the deafening thunder.

The Cloud Village ninja curled his lips into a cold smile, and with a light flick of his kunai that gleamed with a cold light, the mother's throat was instantly slit open, and blood gushed out.

Upon seeing this, the father roared and charged at the enemy, only to be mercilessly pierced through the chest by a sharp longsword and fall heavily to the ground.

"No—!" Hiruko's pupils dilated instantly, his heart felt as if it were being torn apart by an invisible hand, the excruciating pain almost suffocating him.

He wanted to rush forward and fight the enemy to the death, but his legs felt like they were filled with lead, so heavy that he couldn't move an inch. The ninja's killing intent was a complete dimensional reduction attack on ordinary people.

The Cloud Ninja turned his head, his gaze as cold as frost, locking onto him intently, a cruel smile playing on his lips: "Kid, it's your turn."

Just as the gleaming kunai was about to strike, several dark figures descended from the sky like ghosts!

"Leaf Whirlwind!" A green figure flashed past like lightning, creating a gust of wind, and kicked the Cloud Village ninja and his kunai away, sending them crashing heavily to the ground.

Immediately afterwards, a dense barrage of shurikens rained down like a sudden downpour, their sharp whistling sound forcing back the other restless enemies.

Enraged, the Cloud Village ninjas roared and charged forward like wolves, instantly plunging the two sides into a fierce battle.

The kunai collided, sparking dazzling sparks, and various ninjutsu techniques surged wildly in the air, emitting sharp whistling sounds.

The Konoha ninjas moved with the agility of swallows, their teamwork was seamless, and their offense and defense were well-balanced, quickly suppressing their opponents and forcing them into a retreat.

"Retreat!" Seeing the situation was dire, the Cloud Village ninjas dared not linger and retreated swiftly like a tide, disappearing into the rain in the blink of an eye.

The rain continued to fall softly, as if even the heavens were weeping for this tragedy.

Hiruko knelt beside his parents' bodies, tears streaming down his face like a burst dam, mingling with the rain. His body trembled in the rain, his heart filled with endless grief.

Most of the Konoha ninjas went after the enemy, leaving only one ninja standing silently behind him, not going forward to disturb him, but simply keeping him company.

"Why...why..." Hiruko clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms, blood trickling down between his fingers, but he felt no pain at all, only endless grief and indignation in his heart.

I am too weak, so weak that I can't protect anything!

"Come back to Konoha with us," the ninja said softly.

"Yes!" Hiruko nodded heavily. He knew that he was just a weakling now and couldn't change anything.

Only by becoming strong enough could he change all of this. So this is how he entered Konoha. Hiruko looked at the desolate scene before him with a lost and dejected expression.

After hastily burying his parents, he returned to the village with the Konoha ninja.

His ancestors were true Konoha people, but they went out to farm because they didn't have the talent to be ninjas.

Who would have thought that hostile ninjas would invade such a place so close to Konoha?

However, it was precisely this unexpected turn of events that gave him the opportunity to stay in Konoha.

From then on, he embarked on a difficult path in pursuit of power, diligently cultivating himself day after day, year after year.

After he officially unlocked the panel at the age of eighteen, his strength advanced by leaps and bounds, like a rocket.

Due to limitations in his natural talent, Hiruko was never able to break through to the Kage level.

However, given his strength, even a Kage-level expert couldn't stop him if he really wanted to leave.