Hiruzen Sarutobi exuded a majestic and chilling aura. Even though he was unable to move, he still possessed an overwhelming presence that silenced Danzo.
Seeing that Koharu and the others were about to offer their help, he could only leave with a resentful "Hiruzen, you'll regret this," before slamming the door and retreating back to the Root base to plan his next chance to reach the top.
This time, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't reply with his classic line, "I am the Hokage!" Given his current situation, there's basically no hope of him becoming Hokage!
"Haha, since that's the case, then I'll take my leave too." Seeing Shimura Danzo run away after being humiliated by Sarutobi Hiruzen, Jiraiya, sensing something was wrong, chuckled awkwardly and prepared to slip away as well.
Unfortunately, he was a little slow and was stopped by Hiruzen Sarutobi's coughs.
"Jiraiya, you're the only one in the village capable of fulfilling the duties of Hokage right now. If you refuse, are you planning to make me work from my sickbed, toiling away until I die?!"
Looking at his only disciple beside him, Hiruzen Sarutobi's coldness vanished, replaced by endless sorrow, helplessness, and pleading.
The fact that the usually tough and stern Sarutobi-sensei suddenly showed such a mournful and helpless expression made Jiraiya shiver several times.
In order not to be bound by the position of Hokage and hinder his search for the Child of Prophecy and his research, Jiraiya's mind raced, and he came up with a brilliant idea.
So he said, "Actually, there is someone more suitable than me to take over the position of Hokage!"
"who?"
After Jiraiya finished speaking, Mitokado Homura and Sarutobi Hiruzen remained silent, seemingly lost in thought. However, Utatane Koharu couldn't wait to ask.
As a female ninja, Koharu was somewhat dissatisfied with Jiraiya, who was always spying on her like a lecherous lecher. She used to have to be wary of Hiruzen Sarutobi, who used a crystal ball to spy on her when she took a bath, so she rarely went to public bathhouses.
Now that they're old, if they find someone who likes to peep to be the Hokage, won't peeping at women taking baths become a Hokage tradition?
Previously, there were really no other options, but now that there are alternatives, Xiaochun is still very interested.
Seeing Koharu's expression as if she could get rid of something dirty right away, Jiraiya couldn't help but smile wryly. Although he didn't want to become Hokage in the first place, there was no need for her to be in such a hurry.
"Naturally, it's Tsunade. She's strong, has high prestige, and most importantly, her medical ninjutsu is superb!"
"Although the teacher's injuries are severe, I believe Tsunade can still heal him. Moreover, with so many wounded in Konoha, having Tsunade guide the medical ninjas would greatly speed up the treatment process!"
In an attempt to shirk the Hokage position, Jiraiya became increasingly adept at talking, wishing he could personally drape the Hokage cloak over Tsunade right then and there.
Of course, it would be even better if he could personally take off Tsunade's cloak and other clothing someday. Thinking of this, Jiraiya's thoughts drifted even further. It was such a pity back then; he almost witnessed it!
“But Tsunade has been gone from the village for many years, and we have been unable to find her.” Seeing Jiraiya suddenly stop speaking and reveal a lewd, perverted smile, Koharu Utatane frowned and reminded Jiraiya.
Jiraiya was startled by Koharu's words, subconsciously raised his hand to touch the corner of his mouth, and then continued to promote Tsunade.
Thanks to Jiraiya's years of honed persuasive skills, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other two were eventually convinced and given a month to bring Tsunade back to succeed him as the Fifth Hokage.
As for village affairs, we can only ask the two elders, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, to take on more responsibility and assist Hiruzen Sarutobi, who is bedridden, in handling them.
Hiruzen Sarutobi thought that with this arrangement, Konoha's affairs would run smoothly, his injuries would heal well, and he might even be able to continue protecting Konoha for a few more years. However, Jiraiya had only been gone from Konoha to find Tsunade for a day when the devastating news arrived.
The envoy sent by the village to explain the situation to Sunagakure has returned, along with a large number of elite Sunagakure soldiers!
The losses suffered by Konoha this time were too great. In order to maintain the stability of Konoha, even though the Konoha Collapse Plan was initiated by Sunagakure, Hiruzen Sarutobi and his group did not want to declare war on Sunagakure.
At least nominally Orochimaru was impersonating the Fourth Kazekage to launch the attack. The Sand Village itself suffered considerable losses, and many prisoners were held by Konoha. Considering all factors, the two sides could still remain allies.
But less than two days after the Konoha ninjas sent to Sunagakure set off, Sunagakure launched another brazen attack!
"Shikaku, what are the specific details?"
Inside the hospital room, it took Hiruzen Sarutobi a while to accept yet another piece of bad news during his term as Hokage. For the first time, he genuinely felt that this position was too hot to handle and wanted to find someone to take over.
"Lord Hokage, Elders, according to the intelligence reports, Elder Chiyo of Sunagakure has led a large force of Sunagakure troops to appear about 100 miles outside Konoha Village. They are currently in a standoff with the stronghold there and the village's defense forces that have been urgently dispatched to the border."
Mentioning the current situation, even the usually calm Nara Shikaku couldn't help but frown, inwardly lamenting Konoha's bad luck—the enemy had arrived just as their strongest fighting force left.
After calming down, Shikaku continued, "Based on the analysis of the time and distance, it is likely that when the Sand Village launched the Konoha Collapse Plan, they had already gathered manpower on the border to attack. On the one hand, it was to provide support, and on the other hand, it may have been to expand the results of the war."
The border outposts are all out of contact now; they've most likely been wiped out!
Hearing Nara Shikaku's words, Mitokado Homura was furious. "Those bastards from the Sand Village are truly unpredictable! Konoha hasn't even investigated them yet, and they dare to come knocking on our door! If Konoha weren't currently lacking in strength, we should have wiped them out!"
"What's the point of saying all this now?" Koharu Utatane rolled her eyes at Homura Mitokado, then looked at Shikaku Nara and asked, "Since the Sand Village has stopped its attack and released the envoy, they must have some demands, right? What did they say?"
"The Sand Village demands that we hand over the One-Tailed Jinchuriki and the Sand Village ninja who have been captured."
Nara Shikaku paused here before continuing, "At the same time, Orochimaru, a rogue ninja from Konoha, plotted to kill the Fourth Kazekage and then impersonated him to forge orders to lure the Sand Ninja into attacking Konoha, causing them heavy losses..."
At this point, the faces of Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other two in the room were so dark they could practically drip water. They were the ones who always used this kind of rhetoric, but now that they were experiencing it themselves, they realized just how disgusting it was.
Seeing that Shikaku hadn't continued speaking, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but urge him on, "What else did the Sand Village ninja say?"
Upon being asked, Nara Shikaku, his face grim, produced a huge scroll. "The Sand Village says that Konoha must compensate the Sand Village for their losses and return a portion of their mission share to them. This is the detailed list of compensation for the losses."
Shikaku felt utterly absurd and furious as he relayed the words of the Sand Village envoy. When did Konoha become a place where people could come and bully you like this?
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