Li Anshi's casual manner caused the ninjas present to frown slightly.
How impolite!
To them, Li Anshi's current attitude was utterly disrespectful.
However, recalling the power Li Anshi had previously displayed, these Jonin quickly held their tongues.
While the concept of hierarchy was deeply ingrained in the minds of these clan ninjas, the principle of respecting the strong was practically encoded into their very blood.
Moreover, during Tsunade's earlier conversation with the Third Hokage, the intention to promote Li Anshi had already been hinted at.
In other words, in terms of status, Li Anshi would soon be a "Jonin," just like them.
Even with the backing of their clans, could such support withstand a single strike from Li Anshi's dagger?
To the truly powerful, they themselves were behemoths, demanding awe and respect.
"Hahaha, our great hero has arrived! Please, sit, sit."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression stiffened momentarily, but he quickly smoothed it over as if nothing had happened, rising with a smile to pull Li Anshi down into the seat beside him.
"I never imagined our village harbored such a powerful ninja like you, Anshi. To think you've endured such grievances and infamy for so long."
"This point is my failing. If I had informed Lord Second of your situation earlier, Anshi, you would surely have gained his favor. Perhaps the Hokage today wouldn't be me, but you."
Li Anshi glanced at Hiruzen Sarutobi with some surprise; it seemed the current Hiruzen still possessed a sense of responsibility.
He understood the implication behind Hiruzen's words.
Allowing a powerful ninja to lack the status and position matching their strength was a dangerous gamble.
If such a ninja grew dissatisfied with the village and defected to another, the leader's authority would suffer a severe blow.
The Ninja Academy was founded by the Second Hokage.
The graduation assessment criteria were also set by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.
However, at that time, the Second Hokage had never imagined that "ninjas" incapable of performing ninjutsu could exist.
Furthermore, the year Li Anshi was supposed to graduate coincided with the death of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju. Many ninja villages began encroaching, forcing the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, to spend most of his time defending the borders. Thus, even if he knew a student from the first Ninja Academy class hadn't passed the graduation assessment, he likely wouldn't have paid it much mind.
This oversight fell on the Second Hokage.
After the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, passed away and Hiruzen Sarutobi took power, he issued a conscription order to resist the attacks from other villages. Retired ninjas, and those like Li Anshi who hadn't passed the Ninja Academy assessment, were all included.
Logically, Li Anshi becoming a ninja was thanks to the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
But now, Hiruzen's words effectively took the blame that belonged to his teacher, preventing Li Anshi from potentially holding the failure against the Second Hokage.
"Not at all, Lord Third, you speak too seriously."
"It's a fact that I failed to pass the Ninja Academy's assessment."
"I have never felt that the assessment rules set by Lord Second Hokage were unreasonable. In all these years, I seem to be the only one incapable of using ninjutsu."
"Besides, Lord Third, I don't feel I've suffered any grievance."
"Without those two years of free time, I wouldn't have had sufficient time to complete my secret technique training."
"In that case, never mind whether I could have gained Lord Second's favor, I likely would have died on some mission long ago!"
"As for the position of Hokage, that's you being too modest, Lord Third."
"If the Hokage were decided solely by strength, then Lord Second wouldn't have been Tobirama Senju, but Madara Uchiha."
"Lord Third became Hokage because, like Lord Second, you gained everyone's recognition first, not the other way around."
Li Anshi's words weren't mere flattery aimed at Hiruzen Sarutobi.
When the Second Hokage decided to stay behind alone, among his six disciples, Kagami Uchiha was still young and hadn't awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan.
Danzo Shimura lacked both strength and prestige, and the Shimura clan wasn't a major Konoha clan, lacking foundation.
Torifu Akimichi had strength, but his weaknesses were too obvious; without coordination with the Nara and Yamanaka clans, he was easily targeted.
Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado were the weakest in terms of strength, and their families were minor clans, unable to command the stage.
Thus, even Li Anshi had to admit that only Hiruzen Sarutobi possessed both the strength and the backing of the Sarutobi clan – the largest ninja clan in Konoha besides the Senju and Uchiha – making him the most suitable candidate.
"Well said!"
Li Anshi's words struck a chord deep within Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart.
They were disciples of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, and also his personal guard, the final line of defense.
However, when they went to negotiate with the Cloud ninjas and were ambushed, they failed in their duty as guards. Instead, the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, sacrificed himself to save them.
Though no one spoke of it openly, everyone knew what others thought privately.
The current Hiruzen Sarutobi had only been the Third Hokage for a year.
He had constantly strived, painstakingly, to prove that Master Tobirama's choice had not been wrong.
This was to vindicate both Master Tobirama and himself.
Hearing Li Anshi say he "gained everyone's recognition first, like Lord Second, and thus became Hokage," instantly made Hiruzen Sarutobi feel a sense of kinship with Li Anshi.
Hiruzen Sarutobi silently repeated Li Anshi's phrase in his mind several times, committing it to memory, before preparing to tell Li Anshi his arrangements.
Previously, he had harbored some reservations about promoting a civilian ninja to Jonin ahead of schedule.
But Li Anshi's words now made Hiruzen feel that Li Anshi wasn't just capable of becoming a Jonin; he even had the potential to become a 'Kage'.
"Anshi, from your words, I can feel the strong Will of Fire within you."
"Yet, Lord Hokage, I do not sense the Will of Fire of the First and Second Hokage within you."
"What?"
When Li Anshi uttered this sentence, the expressions of all the ninjas in the tent changed dramatically.
Even Tsunade was no exception.
They couldn't comprehend it. Li Anshi's previous words had seemed supportive of the Third Hokage; why would he say such a thing now?
The Will of Fire was the fundamental ideology that united Konoha's numerous clans and civilians.
For Li Anshi to say he didn't sense the Will of Fire of the First and Second Hokage in the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was undoubtedly questioning Hiruzen's "legitimacy" as the Hokage.