[Konohagakure, Hokage Office]
For once, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was not sitting in his seat. Instead, he stood with his back to Minato, hands clasped behind him, looking out the office window at the prosperous Konoha.
He asked Minato a question, "Minato, what do you think of Konoha's development during the years I've been in this position?"
Minato hesitated for a moment, but still spoke honestly, "In Konoha, many civilians are able to live peaceful and stable lives. That's something other shinobi villages find difficult to achieve. The achievements of the Lord Third are flawless…"
"But sometimes, because you were too afraid of losing everything, Lord Third, you became too conservative. As a result, in external matters, we were very weak."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's body trembled, "Yes… I've already gotten old. I felt that Konoha developing to this point was already enough. I was too afraid that all my efforts would be destroyed in an instant, so I only retreated and endured, wanting only to maintain the status quo."
"I… was too weak," Saying this, Sarutobi let out a sigh, "I actually know my own problems, but I didn't change, because I knew that if I really made a mistake, there was someone who would remind me in time."
"He did the things I didn't dare to do. He bore the responsibility I didn't dare to bear. Hidden in the dark, he protected the light. He made indelible contributions to Konoha."
"But now… he can never appear in front of me again, to criticize me, to tell me that I did something wrong. Minato, tell me… what should I do now?"
Namikaze Minato didn't reply, or rather, he didn't know how to reply.
He knew that Sarutobi was referring to Danzo. He also clearly understood the relationship between the Third Hokage and Danzo. But the Danzo that the Third saw as having made many contributions was, in Minato's eyes, the culprit behind Konoha's decline.
Now, Danzo was already dead, killed by his own disciple, and Minato himself had brought back Danzo's corpse.
He didn't want to continue striking the old man in front of him, but he also didn't want to open his mouth and praise him.
And so, the Hokage office fell into a strange silence.
After a while, it was Sarutobi Hiruzen who broke the silence, "Minato, do you think Danzo was unforgivable… to the point that he deserved to die?"
Namikaze Minato felt troubled. How was he supposed to answer that?
Sarutobi sighed, "Saying nothing means you've already acknowledged it in your heart. I don't blame you. But I want to tell you. There indeed needs to be someone to handle those unpleasant matters in your stead."
Minato was startled, "Lord Hokage, what do you mean by that?"
Sarutobi took a deep breath, "Danzo was not a good man, I know. Half of his wrongs are my responsibility to bear. That is something I ought to do."
"I'm already old and no longer suitable to remain in this position. From now on, Konoha… will be entrusted to you."
This time, Minato really was at a loss.
Although he had thought this day would come, it had come too suddenly.
"T-this… Lord Third, I'm not ready yet."
But Sarutobi said, "No preparation is necessary. Though you're still young, both inside and outside Konoha you have supporters, and your influence is already sufficient."
"Not to mention, you captured the Fourth Kazekage alive, ended the war, infiltrated Amegakure, and took back Danzo's corpse from Uchiha Madara himself. Even if another Kage had taken those missions, they might not have succeeded. All of that is proof of your merit."
"So don't refuse. I'll write to the Daimyo and call for a jonin confidence vote. If there are no unexpected problems… you will be the Fourth Hokage."
Namikaze Minato's heart suddenly stirred. This was the dream he had always had. Although with Obito's interference, he felt he had already touched that position. Ultimately, the title had not yet been decided.
He no longer declined and slowly spoke two words, "I understand."
Sarutobi turned his head to look at Minato, a trace of relief flashing in his eyes, "As expected of the successor I've taken a liking to, decisive and courageous."
"Since you've already decided to take the Hokage position, rather than waiting for another day, begin from today, protect Konoha with the mindset of a Hokage."
Minato froze, "Lord Hokage, what issue does Konoha currently face first?"
It seemed Sarutobi had already prepared, and he began calmly speaking, "First, the appearance of Uchiha Madara is a huge threat to the entire ninja world. Even the great villages had to unite and fight him, and the result… as you saw, was a disastrous defeat, and we even had to accept his coercive demands."
"One chakra converter costs one billion ryo. We can produce that money, but what if he continues doing that in the future? Are we going to hand over money in humiliation every time?"
"So dealing with Uchiha Madara, or even if we can't deal with him, making sure he does not threaten Konoha, is the first problem we must consider."
Pausing briefly, Sarutobi continued.
"Second, now that Uchiha Madara has appeared, the war may be coming to an end. After all, to confront this common threat, no one wishes to keep fighting."
"But many of Konoha's shinobi have already died on the battlefield. The seeds of hatred have already taken root and started to sprout. How to appease the emotions of these shinobi and finish this off without harming Konoha's interests… is an art."
Sarutobi continued.
"Third, it's an internal problem within Konoha. Konoha was founded by the union of the families from the Warring States Period. This is both a strength and a weakness."
"The weakness is that there's always a gap between the clans and the village. As long as each clan cares too much about its own people, they cannot fully become part of the village, and will eventually form small villages within the village."
"This is especially fatal during wartime. For example, the Hyuga clan, they possess the Byakugan, which is extremely useful for reconnaissance. I had intended to assign them to different battlefields to act as Konoha's eyes and ears."
"But they almost never listened to my orders. Most of the branch members only stayed around a few members of the main family, unable to be evenly distributed. That wasted a lot of resources."
"Obviously, to the branch family members, only the main family can command them. Because of the Caged Bird Seal, they acknowledge Hyuga, not Konoha. So when this kind of situation appears, it must be… knocked into them."
"Of course…"
Sarutobi said with a troubled expression, "Compared to the Hyuga, the Uchiha problem is even more troublesome. Or rather, far more troublesome."
"They are too focused on the clan, proud of the clan, and they possess an extremely unstable power. Every powerful Uchiha has severe emotional problems. You can't tell when these emotional problems might cause harm to Konoha. So… the Uchiha itself is an unstable factor."
[T/N: In short, now he wants to step down from the chess board and use Minato as the king to play the game.]
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