บท 114: Chapter 114: Seeking a New Hokage
The recent attack exploded all the contradictions that had accumulated in Konoha.
The weakness and incompetence of the Third Hokage had caused many shinobis to lose faith in him.
During the Third Shinobi World War, after Minato single-handedly stopped an invasion consisting of a thousand Iwa shinobi, the Third Hokage actually established a policy of reconciliation to end the fighting with an unprecedented offer not to seek reparations for part of Iwa.
This caused the war advocates to oppose Hiruzen's seemingly weak decision and, to keep the discontent in the village under control, he decided to resign as Hokage. Otherwise he could have been the first Kage to be removed from office.
However, with the death of the Fourth Hokage, the Third Hokage returned to power.
The incident between the Kumogakure delegation and the Hyūga clan, the massacre of the Uchiha clan, Root's theft of the corpses of the Konoha shinobi...
One event after another deepened the resentment of the village towards the Third Hokage.
During the last incident where Root's laboratory was exposed, if it weren't for the Third Hokage guiding everyone's opinions, making them believe that the Fourth Shinobi World War was about to break out, the ninja clans would have already started causing trouble.
The ninja clans ultimately chose to compromise because it was undeniable that there was no successor to the Konoha Village. The only ones remaining in the village with Kage-level combat power were the Third Hokage and Shimura Danzō.
And the Third Hokage was at least a bit more reliable than Shimura Danzō.
Furthermore, although the Third Hokage was confused about many things, his reputation as a great ninja from the past was still significant. He was always considered a powerful shinobi second only to the First Hokage and the Second Hokage in terms of power.
Faced with the impending war, the ninjas ultimately chose to suppress their anger.
However, now they can't bear it anymore.
"A mere Rasa actually killed the Third Hokage?" The ninjas were furious. "When did we have such a weak Hokage in Konoha?"
The First Hokage suppressed the ninja world.
The Second Hokage created countless secret techniques and his strength was only surpassed by the First Generation.
The Fourth Hokage also held the record of stopping an invasion of nearly a thousand Iwagakure shinobi by himself.
Only the Third Hokage... Did he really die at the hands of Rasa?
That's not all, Rasa didn't even receive a scratch? What did you, as Hokage, even do?
Of course, everyone believed that the Fourth Kazekage killed the Third Hokage because the barrier blocked the outsiders' view. It was difficult to see the situation inside without getting closer, and the Shadow Guard who approached was killed by Natsuo.
At the same time, Natsuo deliberately erased the traces of Wood Release and instead used his Magnet Release to cover it.
Due to the Third Hokage's intentional guidance, most shinobi now considered him to be the strongest Hokage in history, which is why they tolerated his various policies.
However, as a result, he was defeated by the enemy without much effort, plus his policies ended up greatly damaging Konoha's strength. And currently, there is no suitable successor for Hokage because all the shinobi who could have been the next Hokage were suppressed.
White Fang, Fourth Hokage, Nawaki, Katō Dan... There were so many excellent successors, and their deaths were more or less the responsibility of the Third Hokage and Danzō.
The fact that Konoha, once the strongest village in the Shinobi World, has fallen to the point of being humiliated by Sunagakure, is mainly the responsibility of the Third Hokage.
The people were full of righteous indignation and exhaustion, but their eyes were full of resentment.
The ninja clans began to contact each other, showing signs of unrest.
The members of Konoha Council were in a panic. Hiruzen died, and Danzō was injured.
There was only Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura who immediately went to find Jiraiya. But as soon as they saw him, they were stunned.
"Jiraiya, what happened to you... Did you encounter an enemy?" They asked.
"Well, it was a man who called himself Uchiha Itachi... But from what I saw, he might not be Uchiha Itachi." Jiraiya said with bandages on his body, forcing a bitter smile. "But his Mangekyō Sharingan is real, and I was defeated by him."
"Konoha still has enemies?!" The two old men exclaimed.
'And Uchiha Itachi? Mangekyō Sharingan?'
"Jiraiya, there's something you might not know..." Utatane Koharu hesitated for a moment, then revealed the whole truth and added: "Itachi actually remains a Konoha shinobi, probably someone else with the Mangekyō Sharingan impersonated him."
Jiraiya wanted to curse at that moment.
'I mean, how could the Uchiha clan be easily wiped out by a young man? So it was the village's doing?'
'Why is it that after hearing what you said, I feel like the possibility of that person being Uchiha Itachi is even higher?'
"You technically forced him to wipe out his entire clan. Due to pressure and other mental factors he may have allowed himself to be manipulated at that time. But with time he will definitely understand the reason for everything, and when that happens, he will definitely cause trouble for Konoha again." Jiraiya finally forced himself to say those words without exploding with anger.
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura looked embarrassed.
They knew that the shinobi of the village were dissatisfied with Konoha's upper management, and now that Hiruzen was dead it was normal for them to take action against them.
That is why it was necessary to resolve the matter of the new Hokage as quickly as possible.
They exchanged glances and immediately made a decision.
Without hesitation, Utatane Koharu said: "Jiraiya, now that Hiruzen is gone, the village cannot be without a strong man, you should become the Hokage..."
"Yes, now only you are the most suitable!" Mitokado Homura also agreed.
Jiraiya sat awkwardly in front of the two old men and then interrupted them. "Wait, do you really think I'm fit to be Hokage?"
Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu looked at each other, both revealing helplessness.
The point is not whether Jiraiya is the best fit for the position, but they know that if someone who has a connection to the Hokage line does not come forward as a candidate soon, the resentment built up by the shinobi clans will definitely explode.
This resentment is not only directed at Danzō and Hiruzen. It is also directed at the two of them.
If there is no new generation Hokage to suppress the anger of the village's shinobi, who knows what the enraged shinobi might do!
"I am not suitable for the position." Jiraiya sincerely said that he didn't want to be Hokage.
A hero like him should belong to the entire ninja world, so how could he be trapped in a small office?
"I will go and find Tsunade." Jiraiya sighed lightly. "Now she is the most suitable to step forward."
Jiraiya also understands the current situation of the village.
It can be said that after the misdeeds of the Third Hokage and Danzō, the level of trust between the village and the shinobi clans has dropped to an all-time low. And Tsunade, the granddaughter of the First Hokage, is the only candidate who can convince both sides.
"Okay, as long as you can bring Tsunade back and persuade her to become Hokage, we will support her. But if you can't do it, you will obediently become Hokage." Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura said in unison.
Jiraiya looked at the two of them, his eyes filled with disgust.
These two people, even now, still haven't taken responsibility to salvage the situation. Instead, they are trying to rely on the new Hokage to help them...
Honestly, although Danzō is ruthless, the Third Generation is weak. But they are both much stronger than these two idiots!
However, Jiraiya didn't say much, he just closed his eyes and said: "Okay."
"Then you should leave quickly!" Utatane Koharu said. "Konoha Village cannot be without a Hokage. The Jōnin are already restless, the village has just shed blood, we cannot have internal strife."
"I'm still injured!" Jiraiya's mouth twitched, not wanting to waste time with them.
"Fine."
In fact, the hidden currents in Konoha are clear to everyone.
Even Natsuo, the Uchiha clan leader who is completely 'obsessed with having children', has received numerous contacts.
Many shinobi have sent invitations, ostensibly as guests, but in reality, they are discussing the matter of the Hokage.
"Konoha needs a strong Hokage, the Third Hokage and Danzō are simply not worthy!"
This is the common understanding of the shinobi clans. But the specific situation still needs to be studied.
Many shinobi who have dreams of becoming Hokage have started to take action. For example, the reason why Hyūga Hiashi generously sent an invitation to the Uchiha, their former enemies, is because he wants to see if he can compete for the position of Hokage and prove his own strength.
Other shinobi also have their own thoughts and are making moves. But Natsuo didn't care at all.
During this attack the Uchiha clan has also revealed some of its strength as the Uchiha residential area was one of the few areas that was not affected by the unrest.
Although the members of Akatsuki were hired, the fact that no one in the village, including merchants and residents, was injured already demonstrated their abilities!
If Natsuo's reputation wasn't so bad and most men disliked him, perhaps someone would have asked him to run for the position of Hokage.
After all, Hokage is everyone's dream.
At the same time, Natsuo also exposed some of his strength during this attack, as after the situation calmed down some recognized that the shinobi who stopped Shukaku from destroying the Uchiha clan's residential area was him. This information attracted the attention of many people.
Not only him, but many previously unknown ninjas also emerged during the destruction of Konoha.
For example, Neji gained a lot of fame this time. At only twelve years old, he had combat power at the Jōnin level and was able to participate in the battle against Shukaku, rescuing a large number of shinobi and civilians.
This extraordinary talent made him the brightest star of the new generation of shinobi.
Even Naruto and Sasuke couldn't help but envy and admire Neji.
"Neji, you're really strong!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly. "I can even hear people talking about you when I go to the supermarket!"
"That's great! If I had that kind of strength, I would quickly gain people's recognition, right?"
"No wonder you're Natsuo's disciple, Neji. You must have known Natsuo's strength early on and sought his guidance." Sasuke smiled. "You two really hid it well!"
"One has Jōnin-level strength right after graduating, and the other is an expert who can stop Shukaku's Tailed Beast Ball..."
"But we're not inferior either!" Sasuke proudly said. "After I graduate, I'm definitely not going to lose to Neji in terms of strength!"
"No! I will definitely defeat you!"
"That's right!" Naruto nodded vigorously.
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