Hokage's office.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzo, Mito Kaden, and Koharu Koharu, the four top leaders of Konoha gathered here to discuss the aftermath of White Fang's suicide.
"Hiruzhan, the impact of this incident is so bad. Ninjas like White Fang have committed suicide. Some people in the village are even discussing whether they can abandon their companions at will for missions in the future. Once such a trend is established, the cohesion of the village will be reduced. It will be greatly reduced." Xiaochun said solemnly as he turned to bed.
"It's just that some ninjas want to take this opportunity to cause trouble. Grab a group of typical people, and then win over some people, and the matter will be solved."
Danzo said calmly, not paying attention at all.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed, with regret on his face: "This whole thing is all my fault! If I could have stood up earlier to calm public opinion, Sakumo might not have..."
"I can't blame you. No one thought about what happened to Sakumo. Who knew he would use such an extreme way to apologize. In the final analysis, it was mainly because someone was adding fuel to the fire. The mission Sakumo performed was top secret. Why was he able to get someone? Everyone knows about it, so we need to investigate it carefully." Mito Monoyan advised, as if there was something in his words.
Danzo narrowed his eyes. His original intention was to suppress Sakumo's reputation, and then allow Orochimaru to ascend to the position of Hokage more smoothly. After all, the kid under his command who awakened the wood escape still needs time to grow up.
But who would have thought that Sakumo would commit suicide?
And Hiruzen also acquiesced in this matter.
Otherwise, Hiruzen would have stood up and spoken out from the beginning, and public opinion would not have gotten out of control. Now he is pretending to show regret to anyone.
In the final analysis, he just handed a sword to Hiruzen, and it was Hiruzen who handed the sword to Sakumo.
"Indeed! There must be a strict investigation!" Sarutobi Hiruzen said solemnly.
Danzo glanced at him, it seemed that he had to take the blame, and said: "One of the members of Sakumo's team was born from the root. He has admitted that he accidentally leaked the secret. Last night, he I apologize for committing suicide."
"What?! Suicide again?!" Mito Kadoyan lost his voice.
The village lost three jounin in a row. White Fang was a Kage-level player, and Sakamoto Kouta was not weak among the elite jounin. Now another one died. How could this happen!
Sarutobi Hiruzen glared at Danzo: "In that case, this matter ends here. From today on, the village's system must be strictly implemented, and no more random leaks of secrets will be allowed."
The matter has come to this, and it is self-defeating. The most important thing at this time is to stabilize the internal situation. Now is not the time to punish Danzo.
At this time, a burst of slow footsteps came, the office door was pushed open, and a white-haired old man walked in tremblingly on crutches.
"Kazumi-sama?! Why are you here?"
The four senior executives were all stunned.
The old man is the elder of the Senju clan, Senju Kazuya.
In other words, he should be called Kazuya now. After all, as a staunch supporter of the Second Hokage, he gave up the surname Senju.
The four senior executives looked very respectful. Mito Kazuo brought a seat to Kazuya and helped him sit down.
When they were young, they were accepted as disciples by the Second Hokage. Master Kazumi took great care of them.
After turning to bed, Koharu was ready to make tea. Kazuya waved his hand and said, "No need to bother, I'll just say a few words and leave."
"Kazumi-sama, if you have any requests, just ask us. If we can do it, we will definitely satisfy it."
Sarutobi Hiruzen said respectfully.
Kazuya smiled and said: "Monkey, you are still as direct as before, but you are not as decisive and straightforward in your actions as before."
Now in the entire Konoha Village, the one in front of me is probably the only one who can be nicknamed the Third Hokage.
"Kazumi-sama taught me that the affairs of the village are heavy and many things need to be handled with caution. I can't just rush forward in everything like before."
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked like he was willing to be taught.
"Since the affairs of the village are heavy, why don't you choose the successor of the Fourth Hokage earlier? Even if you are still in your prime, you can let the successor help you share your worries.
Originally, White Fang was the best candidate. Who would have thought that he was so mentally fragile that he would commit suicide after a slight setback.
But the three ninjas are all excellent. Is there no one you like among them? "
Kazuya probed.
Sarutobi Hiruzen said: "The three ninjas are indeed excellent, but they still need more experience before they can truly stand on their own. I can persist for a few more years and give them some time to grow as young people."
Kazuya narrowed his eyes and was a little dissatisfied with Hiruzen Sarutobi's behavior of playing Tai Chi with him, so he stopped probing and said straight to the point: "What do you think of Tsunade?"
"Tsunade?" Hiruzen Sarutobi was stunned, and nodded: "Tsunade is indeed very good and deeply loved by people in the village. Even if we exclude her status as the granddaughter of the first generation, she is also one of the best candidates for the Fourth Hokage. one."
"I won't beat around the bush with you, I'll just tell you the truth! If you let Tsunade succeed as the Fourth Hokage, I can guarantee you that she will never continue to implement Tobirama's policies." Kazumi said firmly.
Sarutobi Hiruzen: "This...if you want to succeed as Hokage, you need the support of everyone. The approval of the Jonin cannot be decided by just one word from me."
Kazuya nodded: "This is indeed the case, but once you openly support Tsunade, most of the Jonin who originally supported you will also support Tsunade. By then, Tsunade's vote rate among the Jonin will definitely be in the lead. You Don’t you deny it?”
"Yes." Sarutobi Hiruzen responded.
"At the beginning, Tobirama and I had the same idea. We thought that all the ninja clans in Konoha should be disbanded one by one. Everyone would abandon their surnames, eliminate family boundaries, and fully integrate into the Konoha collective. All ninjas would have only one surname. That's 'Konoha'.
But practice has proven that Tobirama and I were wrong.
Continuing to implement this policy will only cause unrest within Konoha.
Just like now, the two families, Uchiha and Hinata, will definitely openly oppose it.
Tsunade is now much more stable than before, and she has a sense of proportion in many things. "
Kazumi said with a serious expression and a very sincere attitude.
Hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen fell into silence and felt a little hesitant.
He naturally prefers Orochimaru.
But in recent years, he discovered that Orochimaru, who was originally sent by him to monitor Danzo at his roots, seemed to be suspected of colluding with Danzo.
His original intention was to find the root of the root through Orochimaru, and then take the opportunity to weaken the power of the root, but he did not expect that the root had grown stronger over the years.
Now that I heard Kazuya's assurance, I felt a little moved.
This person can represent the opinions of most of the former Senju lineage, and his words are credible.
"I need time to think about it." Sarutobi Hiruzen did not give a direct answer.
"Ok, I will wait for you."
Kazuya nodded, not looking anxious.
"Hiruzhan..." Danzo felt bad when he saw the situation. He knew Hiruzen's character too well. He has become more and more indecisive over the years. If Tsunade is really as Kazuya said, the fourth generation of Hokage The ownership of the position is up for debate.
Bang!
Just when Kazuya stood up to leave, the door to the Hokage's office was pushed open violently, and Tsunade burst in angrily.
"Sandai! What's going on?! Why did Sakumo commit suicide? You guys..."
Before Tsunade entered the room, excited voices came in first, but she paused when she saw the senior officials gathered in the office, including Elder Kazuya.
"I'm sorry everyone..." Jiraiya followed the room with an awkward look, not having time to stop Tsunade.
"Tsunade, the thing about White Fang is that his mental endurance is too weak. It's not the third generation's fault. You go back with me first." Kazumi's face darkened. Just now, he had praised Tsunade for being steady, but his face was immediately swollen.
Tsunade shouted angrily: "Weak psychological endurance?! He is mentally stronger than any of you!
Is the Will of Fire passed down by grandpa just for you to waste like this?
What's wrong with Sakumo?
A ninja who gives up on his mission is a loser, and a ninja who gives up on his companions is worse than a loser!
Without ninjas, where would Konoha be?
If Second Grandpa had the same idea as you, would he still stay and rear after mastering the art of Flying Thunder God? !
What a disappointment! "
"Shut up!" Kazumi said angrily, "Don't talk nonsense!"
Tsunade grabbed Kazuya's collar and said angrily: "Shut up! You old man, don't rely on me to show off your old age."
"Tsunade! You've gone too far!" Sarutobi Hiruzen said in a deep voice, "Hurry up and put down Master Kazuya."
"Tsunade, don't be like this." Jiraiya quickly advised, and then apologized to several people: "I'm sorry, Sakumo was Tsunade's friend. He died suddenly, and Tsunade couldn't accept it for a while..."
"Hmph!" Tsunade snorted, turned and left.
Jiraiya smiled awkwardly and chased after him.
"I haven't become the fourth generation yet, but this is the attitude." Danzo said calmly, with a slight snort in his nose.
Kazuya had a dark face and said nothing.
"Kazumi-sama, I..." Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted to step forward to comfort him.
"I'm going back first." Kazuya waved his hand, and then left on crutches, his figure much more stooped than before coming.
After turning to bed, Xiaochun shook his head slightly: "How can you take on such a big responsibility if you are so impulsive and irritable?"
...
"Tsunade, you are too impulsive. How could you say that in front of senior officials?"
On the way back, Jiraiya was worried.
He wasn't worried about what kind of punishment Tsunade would receive, but what Tsunade said would definitely leave a bad impression on her among the higher-ups.
Although she doesn't say it, she loves Konoha more than anyone else.
Tsunade can definitely make a good Hokage!
In Jiraiya's mind, she was more suitable to become Hokage than Orochimaru.
Tsunade said coldly: "Jiraiya, you are not a fool, can you not understand?"
"..." Jiraiya fell into silence. He also knew the secret behind it. Politics was the thing he hated the most, so he didn't want to be Hokage, because once he reached that position, he would never be able to insulate himself from politics.
"The third generation has changed, he is old! He is no longer the third generation before, otherwise he would stand up and speak out for Sakumo immediately."
"..." Jiraiya was silent again, because what Tsunade said was true.
"Hasn't he thought about the possible impact of this incident on Sakumo? Now he is thinking about how to decentralize power and check and balance. How can he be half of Shinobu's style?!" Tsunade looked tired.
Jiraiya advised: "You should be patient for a while and wait until you or Orochimaru succeeds to the fourth generation, and then..."
"Is this the first day you met me?" Tsunade interrupted Jiraiya: "Konoha is so disappointing now!"
After saying that, Tsunade flashed and disappeared in front of Jiraiya.
