Over the next few days, Danzo was constantly occupied with handling various post-war village affairs.
First was the assessment of losses.
Regarding ninjas, the number of those killed or severely injured to the point of permanent disability reached over a thousand, including dozens of Jonin!
This kind of loss would be considered a devastating blow to any hidden village.
Put another way, the combat power Konoha lost this time would have been enough to completely wipe out any nation outside of the Five Great Shinobi Nations!
This was by no means an exaggeration. After all, those small nations only possessed a few hundred ninjas, and their number of Jonin was usually in the single digits, or at most reaching ten or twenty.
The Uchiha Clan alone would have been enough to annihilate them.
From this, one could see just how terrifying Konoha's losses were this time.
As for the civilians, thousands were injured or killed. The area of Konoha destroyed reached a staggering quarter of the village. Currently, a large number of ninjas were actively participating in reconstruction efforts.
Furthermore, during this battle, Konoha lost a vast number of precious ninjutsu scrolls and various research materials. Even the Scroll of Seals, Konoha's most precious treasure, had been stolen!
This matter left Danzo Enraged, but he was ultimately helpless.
Under those circumstances, all combat power had been deployed to the battlefield; there was simply no extra energy to focus on such things.
Moreover, facing those fellows from the Jashin Religion, Danzo did not believe that sending a few more Jonin would have made any difference.
Fortunately, Konoha kept backups of the Scroll of Seals, so they didn't lose every precious technique.
Beyond statistical losses and urgent reconstruction, Danzo's other major task was to pacify the various ninja clans and the families of the many fallen ninjas.
Civilian ninjas were easy enough to handle; it was simply a matter of distributing pensions according to Konoha's regulations.
The biggest headache for Danzo remained the ninja clans.
In this battle, every clan in Konoha had provided immense help—especially the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, who were closest to the Hokage. Similarly, these families had suffered heavy casualties, and providing compensation was only logical.
However, unlike civilians, these families didn't just want pensions. What they truly desired was an exchange of interests.
After all, the Uchiha Clan had been wiped out in this battle. Furthermore, the Spider Lily Chamber of Commerce—which had been thriving and was on the verge of monopolizing Konoha's pharmaceutical industry—had its assets seized and was permanently banished from Konoha by Danzo on the grounds of supporting the Uchiha rebellion.
This resulted in massive vacancies in Konoha's ninja tool and medicine industries.
What is a ninja war fought with?
Beyond lives, it is naturally logistics.
Ninja tools and medicine directly account for the bulk of logistics.
After all, what ninja doesn't need kunai and Food Pills?
Therefore, these two industries could be called Konoha's most lucrative businesses.
Add to that the various building materials needed for the village's reconstruction, and in the eyes of the major clans, these were pieces of a very rich cake.
Having made huge sacrifices in this war, they naturally hoped to carve out enough profit for themselves.
Another critical point was that Hiruzen Sarutobi was dead.
Without Hiruzen Sarutobi as Hokage, could the Sarutobi Clan still hold onto their original interests and resources?
If the Sarutobi Clan was willing to give up some resources, how would those resources be divided?
In addition, Danzo needed to demonstrate his own authority during this "cake-cutting" activity, using the distribution of interests to win over allies and consolidate his position.
In short, the matter was a tangled mess.
Fortunately, Danzo was an experienced politician. After convening a clan leader meeting alongside the two Konoha elders, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, the matter was finally resolved in its preliminary stages.
Among them, the Ino-Shika-Cho clans filled the market gap left by the Spider Lily Chamber of Commerce, which served as a form of recruitment by Danzo as the new Hokage.
Additionally, there was decent compensation for the Aburame, Inuzuka, and Hyuga clans.
Of course, to resolve this issue smoothly, Danzo inevitably had to exchange some interests with his "good friends" behind the scenes.
But compared to becoming Hokage, what did this bit of profit matter?
Once his position as Hokage was stabilized, wouldn't he be the one to decide how much to take back later?
After the clan leaders had all left, Koharu Utatane, who remained in the meeting room, asked, "Danzo, since your succession as Hokage is confirmed, how do you plan to handle the aftermath of this incident?"
With such a major event involving the extinction of a clan and the sacrifice of the Third Hokage, Danzo, as the new Hokage, had to provide an official explanation.
Otherwise, wouldn't the great Konoha be looked down upon by others?
Danzo sat in the Hokage's seat, and the majesty belonging to a Hokage unconsciously radiated from him.
"I have already given this matter serious thought. This entire incident happened because the Uchiha Clan, with their wild ambitions, colluded with the Jashin Religion to launch a coup. Therefore, moving forward, we will hunt down the wandering Uchiha members and the followers of the Jashin Religion."
"I intend to designate Itachi Uchiha and those from the Jashin Religion who call themselves Tobi as S-Rank Rogue Ninjas. Sasuke Uchiha will be designated as an A-Rank Rogue Ninja, and other Uchiha members will be wanted according to different ranks."
"Furthermore, we must retaliate against the Jashin Religion!"
Danzo spoke these words with strength and conviction, his eyes flashing with the fire of revenge.
After all, the Land of Fire claimed to be the greatest nation in the shinobi world. Having suffered such a loss, failing to retaliate would only invite ridicule from other great nations.
Not only would it impact Konoha on a diplomatic level, but Danzo also needed a powerful action to unite the village's internal forces and consolidate his own authority.
The two advisors understood this logic, but current conditions made them hesitate. "Danzo, while I know we need to use every method to boost morale, the village's current state really cannot withstand too much turmoil..."
Though Danzo was aggressive, he was no fool. He had naturally considered this problem.
"Rest assured, I will select suitable candidates to form elite squads to surgically eliminate Jashin Religion strongholds. We will not launch a full-scale war."
Hearing this, the two advisors were slightly relieved.
Their biggest fear was that Danzo, having gained power, would become overconfident and completely ruin the already precarious Konoha.
"If Jiraiya and Tsunade were willing to follow orders, how could Konoha have fallen to this state?"
Danzo's voice was quite dark, clearly showing his dissatisfaction with the two Sannin.
Koharu Utatane also frowned slightly. "Those two disciples of Hiruzen are indeed a bit willful. Hiruzen used to spoil them, but now that you are Hokage, you must discipline them properly."
Homura Mitokado added, "However, given the current situation, we still need them to help support the village. You need to be mindful of your methods when communicating with them."
Danzo rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly.
These two old-timers were chiming in together, saying things that were essentially meaningless.
At this moment, Danzo finally felt what Hiruzen Sarutobi must have felt when facing their fence-sitting attitude.
"Fine, I will consider it carefully. You two may leave now."
After a bit more chatter, Danzo finally issued the order for them to depart.
Meanwhile, the subjects of their conversation, Jiraiya and Tsunade, were standing on a nearby rooftop. They looked down from their high vantage point at the high-level clan members who were streaming out of the Hokage building with smiles on their faces.
If it weren't for the vast ruins surrounding them, an outsider might have thought it was the New Year.
Jiraiya let out a disdainful cold snort. "It seems Danzo showed quite a bit of 'sincerity' this time."
Tsunade stood with her arms crossed, her magnificent figure supported by her hands, her gaze toward the scene below utterly indifferent.
Seeing that Tsunade was ignoring him, Jiraiya could only talk to himself. "I wonder if letting Danzo become Hokage is a good or a bad thing."
Hearing this, Tsunade finally had a slight reaction. She withdrew her gaze and glanced at Jiraiya. "At this point, do we even have a choice?"
Jiraiya fell silent.
Indeed, since Danzo had already integrated the interests of the various clans and had the dying wish of the previous Hokage as an endorsement, his position as Hokage was basically set in stone.
Before Jiraiya could speak, Tsunade added, "Even if the Fifth Hokage isn't Danzo, who else is a suitable candidate?"
She turned to stare into Jiraiya's eyes. "Is it you, the unrestrained wanderer who hangs around the red-light districts? Or me, who spends all day drinking, gambling, and suffers from hemophobia?"
Jiraiya's face finally showed a frantic expression.
"Tsunade, even with hemophobia..."
"It doesn't matter, right?"
Tsunade sneered.
"You think it doesn't matter that a Hokage cannot go to the battlefield?"
"You think it doesn't matter that a medical ninja cannot stand the sight of blood?"
The successive questions left Jiraiya speechless.
That was right. The reason Tsunade was unwilling to become Hokage wasn't just because she disliked political maneuvering. More importantly, after seeing her relatives and lover die tragically one after another, she had developed a severe fear of blood.
This meant she could not go to the battlefield, and even when fighting others, she had to be absolutely cautious, striving for a one-hit kill.
Otherwise, as soon as she saw blood, she would immediately lose her fighting ability due to fear.
This was almost fatal for a Hokage.
After all, to become Hokage, besides the devotion of the villagers and the support of the clans, the most important thing was to possess sufficiently powerful strength.
The current Tsunade clearly could not meet this requirement.
By the same token, fearing blood was fatal for a medical ninja—especially one of the top medical ninjas in the shinobi world.
This was the root cause behind Tsunade's lack of interest in performing missions and her days spent soaked in alcohol and gambling.
She felt she had lost all value; her pride and all her previous achievements had become meaningless with the deaths of those two important people.
As a companion and a long-time admirer, Jiraiya really wanted to comfort Tsunade. However, he knew deeply that this was the pain at the core of her heart and didn't know how to begin comforting her. For a moment, his raised hand didn't know where to rest.
Just as he made up his mind and prepared to gently put his hand on Tsunade's shoulder, she let out a breath.
"Let's go."
"Huh?"
"To eat."
"Oh, okay."
The following day, the funeral for the Third Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was officially held.
Many villagers and ninjas attending the funeral couldn't help but burst into tears, mourning in deep grief.
The new Fifth Hokage, Danzo Shimura, delivered an important speech.
Lord Hokage Danzo stated that Hiruzen Sarutobi was an outstanding ninja who studied many types of ninjutsu during his life, enriching Konoha's collection and making the name "Professor" world-renowned.
At the same time, he was an excellent politician. His life inherited and implemented the Will of Fire, and under his leadership, the Will of Fire in Konoha burned brightly.
He was also a great leader for all Konoha ninjas, caring for his subordinates and striving to promote the development of the ninja profession.
He was also a beloved Hokage to the villagers, empathizing with the people and caring for their livelihoods. During his reign, he greatly improved the living conditions of the villagers...
Next, as the successor, he would also inherit the excellent policies of the previous Hokage and, on that basis, continue to work hard to lead Konoha to a new level and a new world.
After these words, the crowd finally moved past the sorrowful atmosphere. Thunderous applause broke out as they looked forward to a better life in the future.
Simultaneously, the Lord Hokage issued a stern condemnation of the Uchiha Clan and the Jashin Religion, stating that Konoha would use various methods to strike at the Jashin Religion until it completely vanished from the shinobi world!
This statement pushed the atmosphere to its climax. Whether villagers or ninjas, everyone was tightly bound together at this moment by an emotion called "hatred," speaking with a united voice.
Danzo Shimura, the new Hokage, used this to greatly increase his reputation. His succession as Hokage became the consensus of the people.
In the days that followed, Konoha's various sensory ninjas were sent out like they cost nothing, searching everywhere for traces of the Jashin Religion.
Subsequently, ten elite squads were dispatched to carry out a massive purge of Jashin Religion strongholds—and even suspected strongholds—located on the borders of the Land of Fire and inside nearby small nations.
Every country in the shinobi world felt Konoha's determination this time.
"That old man Hiruzen Sarutobi actually died."
In the Hidden Stone Village, thousands of miles away, a short—even dwarf-like—old man was examining a scroll in his hand.
This man was the Third Tsuchikage of the Hidden Stone Village, Onoki.
As a contemporary of Hiruzen Sarutobi, he actually felt a bit of a sense of shared mortality regarding Hiruzen's death.
Beside him stood a man who looked incredibly honest and sturdy, with a red head-wrap around his head.
This was Onoki's son, a Jonin elite of the Hidden Stone Village, Kitsuchi.
He also said with great surprise, "I didn't expect the Jashin Religion to possess such terrifying power."
Actually, after the incident in the Hidden Sand Village, the other Four Great Shinobi Nations had developed a sense of wariness toward the Jashin Religion.
But what they never expected was that in less than a year, the Jashin Religion would strike at Konoha, known as the strongest in the shinobi world.
And the battle results were so terrifying!