Orochimaru's defection and Danzo's betrayal occurred within a single day.
It plunged the entire Konoha into panic.
Fortunately, thanks to the swift actions of the Security Team and the Anbu, nothing particularly catastrophic happened.
As for the Root base, it was strictly sealed off and placed under heavy Anbu and guard control.
Inside the Hokage Building's meeting room, the atmosphere was grave.
All present were Konoha's top brass—Elite Jōnin and the patriarchs of various clans.
Each of them held great authority.
The fact that they had all gathered here at once showed just how serious today's events were.
If mishandled, it could throw the entire village into complete chaos.
And with war looming again, internal problems within Konoha were especially dangerous.
The four great powers surrounding the village would pounce the moment they smelled weakness—like sharks scenting blood.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sat at the head of the room, but the authority and composure expected of the Hokage were gone.
His aged face looked deeply sorrowful.
It was as if the soul had been pulled out of his body.
A sight unimaginable in the past.
To the villagers...
Even though the Third Hokage was well into his later years, he had always seemed youthful and full of energy.
In front of the shinobi, he appeared dignified—like a strict father pushing them to grow.
But the recent events had dealt a heavy blow to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
First, one of his students—someone he had watched grow from a child—betrayed the village, even killing comrades to escape.
And as a teacher who could almost be considered a father figure, he could only stand by and watch.
Unable to bring him back onto the right path.
Then came the defection of his old comrade...
One incident after another had nearly exhausted him, leaving him looking ten years older.
"Lord Sarutobi, it's time to begin," Tsunade said quietly, sitting next to Jiraiya.
Finally, Hiruzen's hoarse voice broke the heavy silence in the meeting room.
"Everyone, there are two main reasons I've gathered you all here today."
He let out a long sigh and continued, his tone heavy:
"First, regarding Danzo's defection…"
He referred to him simply as "Danzo," omitting the title of elder or advisor—clearly showing his attitude.
"According to the Interrogation Department's extraction of Hanzo's memories, and confirmation from the Anbu deployed to the Land of Rain, it's been basically confirmed—Danzo colluded with Hanzo, and with the Iwa and Sand villages, to launch a surprise attack on Konoha's forces stationed in the Land of Rain."
This was a truth that needed no further proof.
Most of the Jōnin and clan leaders here had personally witnessed the memory extraction.
Of course, Jiraiya and Tsunade—who hadn't been present—were still visibly shocked upon hearing this.
They had never imagined Danzo would go so far as to betray Konoha's own shinobi.
And the target had been Rei, a man who had made great contributions to the village over the years.
Was it because Rei's achievements were too brilliant—so much so that the higher-ups feared he would threaten their authority?
Jiraiya wasn't a fool.
He might be carefree and unwilling to involve himself in politics, but even he couldn't ignore this situation.
His eyes drifted toward his teacher.
If Rei really posed a threat, shouldn't Sarutobi himself be the one feeling that threat more than Danzo?
Sarutobi Hiruzen remained silent in the face of the mixed reactions in the room.
But soon, he continued:
"I've already ordered the Anbu to conduct a thorough search of Root's base. All evidence will be made public in due time."
"As for Danzo's punishment—since he is already dead, all his gains from his position as elder over the years will be confiscated."
After saying this, the expression on Hiruzen's face darkened further.
The two advisors, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, sitting off to the side, also wore mournful expressions.
There was a shared sense of loss—like foxes mourning a fallen rabbit.
Sarutobi Hiruzen tapped the table lightly.
The room, which had grown noisy with murmurs, immediately fell silent.
He spoke again, slowly:
"The second matter is regarding Orochimaru's betrayal."
His voice was filled with grief.
"Orochimaru conducted inhumane experiments, killed fellow villagers, and stole Konoha's forbidden techniques. These are unforgivable crimes."
"As Hokage, I failed to guide him properly, and I didn't stop him in time. That is entirely my fault."
Standing at the back of the room, hands in his pockets, Rei snorted coldly.
This old fox still wouldn't admit that he had intentionally let Orochimaru go.
Sarutobi's tired eyes swept across the room full of clan heads and elite shinobi.
In the end, the responsibility fell to Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura.
A trace of nostalgia flashed in Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes.
Back then, he, Danzo, and Koharu delivered the final order of the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, right here.
That moment marked the beginning of Sarutobi Hiruzen's legacy as the Third Hokage.
At the time, the situation in Konoha was chaotic, and the ninja world was in turmoil.
The four of them worked together to stabilize the village and end the First Great Ninja War.
Under their leadership, Konoha grew stronger and stronger.
But when exactly…?
When did things start to change?
With everyone's eyes on him, Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly raised his hand and removed the Hokage hat from his head.
He held it in both hands… and gently placed it on the table.
"I hereby announce that I am formally resigning as Hokage."
Sarutobi Hiruzen had finally made his decision.
Both Jiraiya and Tsunade were stunned.
They never expected their teacher to make such a decision.
As for Rei, he silently observed the situation from the sidelines.
But his instincts told him—Sarutobi Hiruzen was not as simple as he seemed.
Sure enough, a Jōnin immediately stepped forward and said:
"Lord Hokage, it's the middle of the Ninja World War. If we change Hokage now, I'm afraid the other ninja will lose the will to fight!"
"That's right, Lord Hokage. Although the Will of Fire burns strong and a new generation of Konoha shinobi are emerging, they still lack experience. It's too early for them to shoulder the burden of being Hokage!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen had held the position for so many years—it was only natural that there would be people opposing his resignation.
However, where there's support, there's also opposition.
And the first to speak out… was the Uchiha Clan, the most controversial faction in the village.
An Uchiha Jōnin spoke out bluntly:
"Lord Hokage allowed his own disciple to go free. Is that really what a Hokage should do?"
Jiraiya and Tsunade's expressions immediately darkened.
Sarutobi Hiruzen remained silent.
Instead, his son, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, stood up and retorted:
"That's slander! My father was caught off guard and was under the influence of Orochimaru's technique!"
The Uchiha ninja sneered.
"If the Hokage can be so easily controlled by a genjutsu… then perhaps he doesn't have the strength to be Hokage in the first place?"
Sarutobi Shinnosuke was momentarily speechless.
After all, the damning evidence in the video was hard to refute.
You say Hiruzen is powerful—yet he couldn't stop Orochimaru from defecting.
You say he's weak—then how could a weak man become Hokage?
You say Orochimaru was too powerful—yet he was killed by Hanyu Rei on the way back.
You call him weak—yet he managed to escape the Third Hokage again.
No matter how you spun it, it didn't make sense.
On the contrary, it almost seemed like Hanyu Rei, who defeated both Orochimaru and Danzo, was the more qualified candidate for Hokage.
Even Shinnosuke was stunned by the thought.
That's my father… how could I think like that?
Even Jiraiya and Tsunade were left speechless.
At that moment, Utatane Koharu spoke:
"In your opinion, then, who should be the next Hokage?"
The Uchiha ninja didn't hesitate.
"Our Uchiha clan has many strong candidates!"
Uchiha Sifang, who had been seated calmly, sighed when he heard this.
The Uchiha were indeed powerful… but this kind of boldness was just plain foolish.
Koharu sneered.
"So in the end, you're just pushing your own clan forward? Patriarch Sifang, what do you think?"
Uchiha Sifang had no choice but to stand and respond:
"While it's true our clan has many talented individuals… we're still not ready to hold the title of Hokage."
Koharu looked toward a young man beside Sifang and said sarcastically:
"I think Uchiha Fugaku isn't bad?"
Uchiha Fugaku had become a Jōnin at a young age.
Even within the Uchiha clan, he was considered a rare genius. Otherwise, he wouldn't have become the future clan leader.
But even with his talent, his strength could only be considered average among Konoha's top shinobi.
So Fugaku answered honestly:
"Thank you, Elder Koharu, for your praise… but there are many senior shinobi in Konoha. I don't think I'm qualified to be Hokage."
Still, Koharu didn't let up.
"Then who do you think is more suitable to be Hokage?"
"Brother Rei."
Uchiha Fugaku spoke the name without hesitation.
After his Jōnin promotion exam, he had frequently consulted Rei, encouraged by the clan elders.
Even though Brother Rei always sighed, "So troublesome…"
Each time, Fugaku walked away having learned something valuable.
After so many battles, he was deeply convinced by Rei's strength.
He really is… something else.
The faces of Sarutobi Hiruzen and the two advisors instantly darkened.
So… Hanyu Rei had really gotten involved with the Uchiha clan?
Uchiha Sifang cleared his throat, trying to smooth over the tension:
"Of course, Jiraiya and Tsunade are also excellent candidates."
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