Hayashi had long understood that the transfer of power was never a gentle process.
Utatane Koharu understood it just as well, which was why she had chosen her successor early.
That successor was Himeji.
Koharu was especially fond of the Hyūga girl and hoped she could help Hayashi smoothly manage the village after he became Hokage.
Naturally, Koharu's favoritism toward Himeji meant she was far less enthusiastic about Mikoto and Kushina.
Then again, who in Konoha didn't have connections these days?
Tsunade greatly favored Kushina, while Mikoto was Orochimaru's disciple, making her his preferred candidate.
All three women had powerful supporters behind them, and none were people Hayashi could afford to offend.
Even after becoming the Fourth Hokage, he could only sigh inwardly.
Politics was politics. It was never simple.
As Koharu's trusted assistant, Himeji successfully entered the core of Konoha's power structure.
Mikoto, however, did not receive a similar appointment.
After all, now that Hayashi had become Hokage, he naturally had less time to manage clan affairs. Those responsibilities would largely be left in Mikoto's hands.
As for Kushina...
She had absolutely no interest in political matters.
When she was younger, she often declared that she wanted to become Hokage, but that had mostly been her way of drawing attention to herself.
In truth, Kushina had never seriously wanted the position.
Although village administration bored her, she showed considerable interest in teaching.
With Hayashi's promotion to Fourth Hokage and the resulting personnel changes, several teams suddenly found themselves without leaders.
Kakashi's team was one such example.
Hayashi could hardly continue leading them on missions personally.
At that point, Kushina volunteered to take over.
Of course, the little redhead wasn't particularly passionate about nurturing Konoha's future generation.
According to her own explanation, she was simply learning how to deal with eight- and nine-year-old troublemakers so she could gain experience for raising her own children someday.
In other words, Kakashi, Asuma, Obito, and the others had become her practice subjects.
Unfortunately for them, Kushina's patience was notoriously limited.
Whenever her temper flared and those crimson strands seemed ready to float into the air, life became very difficult for the next generation of Konoha shinobi.
The most unfortunate victim was undoubtedly Obito.
When he attended the Ninja Academy, Kushina had already been one of his instructors.
He had thought becoming a genin would finally free him from her.
To his despair, after everything that had happened, he somehow ended up right back under her supervision.
Still, Minato had no time to worry about Obito's problems.
Nor did he have the opportunity to establish any Flying Thunder God special operations unit.
Instead, he, Nawaki, and Shikaku were appointed as Hokage secretaries.
The three of them were still young and had little experience with village administration, but their future positions had already been determined.
They were being cultivated as future senior advisors.
In other words, together with Himeji and Hayashi, the Fourth Hokage, they would shape Konoha's political landscape for decades to come.
Power was gradually shifting into the hands of Hayashi and his generation.
Of course, it was still too early to draw conclusions.
Under normal circumstances, things would likely develop that way.
Reality, however, was far from normal.
Once the Infinite Tsukuyomi was completed, the entire shinobi world would experience unprecedented upheaval.
The balance of power would inevitably change.
Yet one thing would remain constant.
The future governance of the shinobi world would revolve around Konoha.
In a sense, Konoha's current political structure was merely the prototype for the system that would eventually oversee the entire world.
Time passed quickly.
Before he knew it, three months had gone by.
By the time Hayashi returned to Root, October had already arrived.
This place had once been Danzō's stronghold.
Now, it had become Orochimaru's enormous research facility.
Hayashi walked through Root's underground passages with practiced familiarity.
No one stopped him.
The tunnels stretched endlessly downward, illuminated by lights embedded within the walls. Their vast scale was difficult to comprehend.
After navigating twists and turns for more than ten minutes, passing through seven hidden chambers and twelve concealed passageways, he finally arrived at the deepest level.
The space suddenly opened up.
Before him stood a two-story laboratory.
Near the entrance sat a desk overflowing with blueprints covered in chaotic handwriting. Countless papers littered the floor beneath it.
Farther inside stood an operating table.
Lying upon it was Hiruko.
Ever since Hayashi had placed Hiruko under Kotoamatsukami, there had been no need to question his loyalty.
As a result, Hayashi had decided to help him complete his ultimate technique: the Chimera Technique.
Orochimaru, however, strongly opposed the idea.
In his view, the Chimera Technique was still incomplete.
Even if it succeeded, the end result would likely be a monster that was neither truly human nor something else.
On that point, Orochimaru's judgment was remarkably accurate.
In the original timeline, Hiruko had successfully absorbed four Kekkei Genkai through the Chimera Technique.
Unfortunately, he had also transformed into a grotesque creature that no longer resembled a normal human being.
Hiruko's talent rivaled Orochimaru's own.
Like Orochimaru, what he lacked was not intelligence, but perspective.
For that reason, Orochimaru was reluctant to let such a gifted researcher gamble with his life.
He would have preferred to keep Hiruko around as a valuable assistant.
Unfortunately, Hayashi needed Hiruko for future plans.
And Hiruko himself was determined to complete the Chimera Technique.
Faced with those circumstances, Orochimaru could only compromise.
As for Hiruko's eventual transformation, Hayashi had his own ideas.
In the original timeline, Kabuto had not used the Chimera Technique.
Instead, he directly transplanted the cells of others into his own body to acquire their abilities.
Compared to Hiruko's approach, Kabuto's methods were even more extreme.
Alongside the cells of the Sound Four, he had incorporated Suigetsu's cells, gaining the Hōzuki Clan's ability to liquefy his body and reduce physical damage.
Most importantly, he had transplanted Karin's cells and obtained the Uzumaki Clan's extraordinary vitality and regenerative abilities.
Whenever he was injured, his body automatically recovered.
There was no doubt that Uzumaki cells were incredibly valuable.
Hayashi suspected that this was one of the main reasons Kabuto's condition remained far more stable than Hiruko's.
Obtaining Uzumaki cells for research was unrealistic.
Fortunately, there was another option.
Hashirama's cells.
Hayashi planned to have Hiruko fuse with a captured White Zetsu.
The White Zetsu would serve as the foundation for the procedure.
Its unique abilities alone would significantly enhance Hiruko's strength.
More importantly, the regenerative power derived from Hashirama Senju's cells would dramatically improve his endurance and survivability.
Once Hiruko successfully adapted to Hashirama's cells, absorbing additional Kekkei Genkai would become much easier.
The bloodline abilities Hayashi selected for him were also highly practical.
Ice Release.
Swift Release.
Shikotsumyaku.
Dark Release.
Combined with the Wood Release properties inherited from White Zetsu, Hiruko would possess a total of five powerful bloodline abilities.
A true powerhouse would be born.
"Have you decided to send him into the Akatsuki?" Orochimaru asked.
"Not yet," Hayashi replied with a smile. "Once Danzō dies, he'll join the Akatsuki."
There was no question about Danzō's fate.
He would die eventually.
The only uncertainty was whether Konoha or the Akatsuki would be responsible.
Once Danzō was gone, Konoha would lose its eyes within the Akatsuki.
Naturally, someone else would need to take his place.
With his greatly enhanced strength, Hiruko would be the perfect candidate.
Of course, Hayashi had another task in mind for him as well.
Since Kabuto was no longer available, someone else would have to handle a certain important responsibility.
Someone still needed to collect Madara's remains.
After all, it would be a shame to leave such a legendary figure buried and forgotten.
As a member of the younger generation, Hayashi was more than willing to prepare a proper resting place for him.
Perhaps somewhere not too far from the graves of Mito Uzumaki and the First Hokage.