Chapter 99: Jonin Meeting, Sasuke Seeks Out Naruto Again
Needless to say, this candidate was nominated by members of the Sarutobi Clan. During Hiruzen Sarutobi's tenure as Hokage, he had secured many benefits for the Sarutobi Clan. They didn't want to hand over those advantages to others, so they still recommended someone from the Sarutobi Clan to serve as Hokage.
Just as Jiraiya was about to nod, Danzo slapped the table and said, "Nonsense! Asuma has only just returned from serving as a guardian for the Land of Fire's Daimyo; he isn't even familiar with the basic situation of the Village and is completely unqualified to be Hokage. I recommend myself to serve as the Fifth Hokage. Who among you agrees, and who opposes?"
After the heads of the Great Clans glanced at Danzo Shimura, they each turned to neighboring clan heads and Jonin to discuss who should become the Fifth Hokage.
Seeing that no one was giving him any face, Danzoslapped the table angrily and said, "Am I not qualified to serve as the Fifth Hokage?"
The civilian Ninjas were relatively blunt. One looked at Danzo and said, "Advisor Danzo's reputation in Konoha is not very high. If you were to rashly become Hokage, I'm afraid many people would be dissatisfied."
Hearing the words of the civilian Ninjarepresentative, Danzo squeezed his cane so hard it creaked in anger.
Two other civilian Ninjas chimed in, saying, "That's right, Elder Danzo. Although we know you've made many contributions to Konoha, most people are unaware of them!"
"Lord Danzo's reputation is in the shadows, not in the light. This could easily lead to dissent within the Village and leave the villagers unconvinced."
Jiraiya smiled and said, "Elder Danzo, you should sit down first. What they say is true; reputation is indeed very important."
After sitting back down angrily, Danzo looked at Jiraiya and said, "According to what you're saying, the only one in Konoha right now with both the reputation and the ability to be the Fifth Hokage is you. Are you going to be the Fifth Hokage then?"
Jiraiya smiled and shook his head, saying, "I've said it before, I'm not suited to be Hokage. Since no one has a suitable candidate, why don't I recommend one?"
Shikaku quickly followed up, saying, "I'm sure Lord Jiraiya has a suitable candidate in mind. Please, tell us!"
Shikaku was already openly urging Jiraiya to say Tsunade's name. If things dragged on any longer, some unforeseen complications might arise.
Jiraiya also saw the issue, so he stopped keeping them in suspense.
"I recommend Tsunade to be the Fifth Hokage. Whether it's strength, seniority, or ability, Tsunadeis more than qualified to be the Fifth Hokage."
Hearing this, Danzo slapped the table in anger and said, "I object! Never mind whether Tsunade's hemorrhagic phobia has been cured or not, we don't even know where she is right now. How can we let her be the Fifth Hokage?"
Jiraiya smiled and said, "Tsunade is the granddaughter of the First and Second Hokage; a little hemorrhagic phobia is nothing to fear. As for her not being in the Village, I've decided that after the Third is buried, I will personally bring Tsunadeback."
Just as Danzo was about to speak again, Shikakuquickly said, "The Ino-Shika-Cho clans agree to Tsunade serving as the Fifth Hokage."
"The Aburame Clan agrees to Tsunade serving as the Fifth Hokage."
"The Hyuga Clan agrees to Tsunade serving as the Fifth Hokage."
"The civilian Ninja representatives agree to Tsunade serving as the Fifth Hokage."
"Agreed...!"
"Agreed...!"
Except for the Shimura Clan, the heads of all the other clans agreed to Tsunade serving as the Fifth Hokage.
Seeing that everyone in the meeting room chose to support Tsunade, Danzo squeezed the cane in his hand so hard it was about to deform.
Seeing that everyone agreed, Jiraiya turned to look at Danzo Shimura and said, "Does Advisor Danzohave any other objections?"
Danzo glared at Jiraiya with gritted teeth and said, "None! Since you all agree on Tsunade being the Hokage, what opinion could I possibly have!"
After saying that, Danzo directly left the meeting room.
After Danzo left, Jiraiya, Shikaku, Kakashi, and several clan heads who had been significantly harmed by Danzo all breathed a long sigh of relief. Their families really couldn't withstand any more of Danzo's harassment.
Meanwhile, Sasuke, seeing the chaotic state of Konoha, went to the small house by the river.
When Naruto saw Sasuke arrive, he didn't say much. He brewed some tea and told Sasuke to sit down before speaking.
Sasuke looked at the tea on the table and said, "Three of the Konoha Leadership died today. Did you purposely leave the other one alive?"
Naruto nodded and then shook his head, saying, "In a way, yes... but also, no."
Sasuke frowned at Naruto and said, "Stop keeping me in suspense. I don't know where your intelligence comes from, but I'm certain you know a lot of things. I hope you can tell me all of your objectives."
Naruto sighed, took a sip of tea, and said, "I actually wanted to kill all four of the Konoha Leadership, but as you know, I'm just one person. It was impossible for me to kill all four of them."
"So you used Orochimaru to kill the Third Hokage, and then you personally killed Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado, right?"
"Yes!"
"Then why didn't you kill Danzo Shimura as well?"
"I just said, it wasn't that I didn't want to kill him, but that I couldn't. So I deliberately left him for you."
Sasuke looked at Naruto in confusion and said, "What exactly do you mean?"
"Danzo has the Root under him, with combat power no less than Konoha's Anbu and a vast number of personnel. If I were to kill Danzo inside the Village, it would definitely cause a huge commotion. At that time, not only might I fail to kill Danzo, but I'd also be branded with the crime of assassinating a Konoha Advisor. It wouldn't be worth the loss, so I didn't kill him and left him for you."
"I see! Thank you!"
Naruto shook his head and said, "You don't need to thank me. The harm and ostracization I suffered since childhood were largely orchestrated by those four. I am also seeking revenge for myself."
Sasuke nodded and stopped offering words of thanks.
After the two were silent for a while, Sasukesuddenly said to Naruto, "I want to leave the Village in a while."
"Don't wait. Leave immediately after the Third Hokage's funeral. While Konoha is still in chaos, it's the most suitable time for you to leave. If you wait until the Fifth Hokage takes office, it will be difficult for you to leave even if you want to."
Sasuke listened and nodded, saying, "Alright! After the Third's funeral is over, I'll leave. I want to go find Orochimaru."
"Finding Orochimaru is fine, but don't go to him immediately. This time, Orochimaru was hit by Hiruzen Sarutobi's Reaper Death Seal. Before long, he will surely perform the Living Corpse Reincarnation. With your current strength, you're no match for Orochimaru. Going there now would be like a sheep entering a tiger's den."
Sasuke said with some conflict, "You're telling me to leave the Village now, but also telling me not to go to Orochimaru yet. What exactly do you mean?"
Naruto rolled his eyes speechlessly and said, "Leave the Village now, find a place to cultivate for half a year, and then go find Orochimaru after that. You're really quite stupid."