Chapter 190: The Next Hokage
Shintaro quickly moved to Tsunade's side and reached out to support her by wrapping his arm around her shoulder.
"Tsunade-sama?"
Shintaro saw her covering her eyes with her hand and assumed Tsunade was overworked.
However, Tsunade's chakra was still abundant, there were no injuries on her body, and the chakra reserves in her Yin Seal were sufficient.
There should be no reason for Tsunade to feel unwell.
"Blood…"
Tsunade's lips parted slightly, and she struggled to say a single word.
"Blood?"
Shintaro was slightly uncertain about the word he heard. He turned around and saw blood beneath the severely injured person he had just healed.
With a thought, he immediately guessed that Tsunade's reaction might be related to her past wartime experiences.
'It seems that Tsunade's fear of blood is a confidential piece of information in the village. No wonder I didn't know about it before. From this perspective, it makes sense why Tsunade never appeared on the front lines during the Ninja World War.'
Shintaro didn't linger with Tsunade for too long and quickly said to the surrounding medical ninjas, "Tsunade-sama has expended too much chakra treating the injured in the village and now feels unwell. Please take Tsunade-sama to rest quickly."
Several medical ninjas immediately stepped forward to take over and help Tsunade into the hospital to rest.
Tsunade was in a lethargic state now, and her voice was very faint, so only Shintaro, who was closest, could hear her.
Therefore, none of the medical ninjas doubted his words.
Fortunately, the treatment of the injured was almost complete. Tsunade's remaining chakra supported the existence of many split slugs for a certain period, coupled with Shintaro's focused treatment.
It didn't take long, and all the injured gathered in the open space of the Konoha Hospital had been treated.
Everyone recovered, and there were no more casualties.
This time, the village's health crisis was successfully ended.
The medical ninjas at the hospital stepped forward to express their gratitude to Shintaro.
"Uchiha Shintaro, thank you for your help!"
"Your medical ninjutsu is truly incredible. You can actually regenerate severed limbs. It's amazing!"
"Thank you so much for bringing Tsunade-sama!"
Shintaro said to these medical ninjas, "It's no problem, it's what I should do."
"As a member of Konoha, I have the ability to heal and must help."
At this moment, Shintaro saw an aura emanating from the Konoha Hospital.
"Hokage-sama."
As he spoke for the first time, everyone turned toward the entrance of Konoha Hospital and saw Hiruzen walking out of the hospital.
Hiruzen was still wearing his black combat uniform, his attire dusty, and his face looked tired.
As Konoha's Third Hokage, he had to run around when Konoha was in this crisis.
Even if the Kyuubi had been sealed, things like arranging the Jinchūriki, meeting the demands of the people, and checking on the injured were sources of his energy consumption.
Hiruzen was no longer young, and what he experienced tonight made it a bit hard for him to endure, but he persevered and didn't show it in front of everyone.
"You are all fine. It is you who minimized the human losses from the Kyuubi Rebellion. As Konoha's Hokage, I thank you on behalf of the village."
Hiruzen walked out of the hospital and bowed to everyone.
Everyone responded one after another.
"Thank you for your hard work, Hokage-sama!"
"Don't take it seriously! It's our duty!"
"Hokage-sama is the greatest hero in Konoha."
Shintaro also said a few sweet words while observing Hiruzen's expression.
Hiruzen didn't hesitate to accept everyone's praise.
Shintaro immediately guessed that Hiruzen was reconsolidating his prestige in the village.
"The Will of Fire is endless! Although Konoha has experienced this disaster, we will surely rise from the ashes."
Hiruzen began his speech about the Will of Fire at the hospital entrance.
Although it was still cliché, Shintaro acknowledged that after Konoha experienced such a calamity, a speaker was indeed needed to calm people's hearts.
And Hiruzen, who had served as Hokage for many years, was undoubtedly the best candidate to soothe people's hearts.
"…Everyone has worked hard all night. You don't need to listen to me any longer. Go and rest."
Hiruzen's speech ended, and everyone dispersed after receiving his instructions.
"Shintaro, wait a moment."
Hiruzen said with his hands behind his back.
Shintaro took the initiative to approach him.
"Hokage-sama."
"Will you accompany me, an old man, for a walk?"
Hiruzen squinted slightly and looked at Shintaro with a friendly smile on his face. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were very noticeable.
Shintaro showed his white teeth and smiled wholeheartedly: "It is an honor for me."
Hiruzen was not tall, so when they walked side by side, he was even shorter.
The two walked out of the hospital. Shintaro's pace was always half a beat slower than Hiruzen's, and he followed his lead.
"Konoha has really been through a lot tonight."
Hiruzen looked at the vast ruins in Konoha Village, shaking his head and sighing.
"Yes, the person behind this is very hateful."
"The mastermind behind this? Indeed, the Kyuubi Rebellion was man-made. Do you know any information behind it?" Hiruzen said, slightly surprised.
"I don't know." Shintaro shook his head. "But I fought against the mastermind, but unfortunately, I couldn't defeat him. He called himself Uchiha Madara."
"Uchiha Madara! No, it can't be, Uchiha Madara is dead…"
Hiruzen lowered his head, recalling some things from back then.
At that time, Madara led the Kyuubi to attack the village but was defeated by the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama. The Kyuubi was sealed, and Madara himself was stabbed to death from behind by Hashirama.
Madara's body was preserved by Tobirama for research, but then it mysteriously disappeared.
Hiruzen knew about this. So he fell silent.
After a while, he lifted his head.
"No matter whether the mastermind is Uchiha Madara or not, he is an enemy of Konoha and even the entire ninja world."
"Facing such internal and external issues, Konoha's top priority now is to find the next Hokage as capable as Minato to take on this important task."
"Shintaro, I think you are very suitable."
Hiruzen looked at him, as if he genuinely wanted Shintaro to become the next Hokage.
But Shintaro didn't believe this at all.
Hiruzen feared the Uchiha Clan no less than other high officials in Konoha, but he rarely showed it.
"I am still too young and unable to take on the position of protecting the village."
Shintaro firmly and humbly stated that he couldn't become Hokage.
"But I recommend Tsunade-sama. She has just saved many injured people in Konoha and collapsed from exhaustion. Combined with the title of Sannin, I think Tsunade-sama is enough to take on the important role of the Fifth Hokage."
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