Chapter 114: Hokage Abdicates (Seventh Update!)
No matter how angrily Sarutobi Hiruzen cursed, what had already happened was destined to be irreversible.
The rift between him and Tsunade has a long history, and the ice is not formed overnight.
Now he has only two choices: either find Tsunade and let her fight for Konoha again, then all the rumors will naturally be dispelled.
But the Anbu just replied: Tsunade has not returned to the village yet.
And judging from Orochimaru's previous post-war report, even if Tsunade came back, it was basically impossible for her to go to the battlefield again.
Then there is only one choice left -
Sarutobi Hiruzen leaned back in his chair tiredly, and his voice became hollow for a moment.
"I will take all the blame for the recent crimes on myself, and then announce my abdication and resign from the position of Hokage in response to all accusations.
After that, the jonin team will propose the next Hokage.
Danzo is not here, Xiaochun, I'd like you to go to the Daimyo and personally notify him."
After making these final remarks, Sarutobi Hiruzen seemed to have aged ten years.
Although the final result is to give up the throne, Sarutobi Hiruzen's ending at this moment is undoubtedly several times uglier than in the original work!
In the original work, he managed to hold on until Minato Namikaze won the battle of Kannabi Bridge.
This allowed him to retain some credit for training and promoting the new generation, so that when he retired, the major ninja clans in the village were willing to give him some respect.
At the same time, it also became an important support for him to regain the position after the death of Minato Namikaze.
It can be said that in the original work, Sarutobi Hiruzen's evaluation in Konoha at least balanced his merits and demerits, and after his death in battle in the future, he was regarded as a hero by the whole village.
But now, Sarutobi Hiruzen can fully foresee that his reputation will not be very good after he retires.
First, Danzo was defeated in a small country, and then Tsunade caused public opinion to be in deep trouble...
This time, no one can take the blame for Sarutobi Hiruzen, and he has to bear everything by himself.
For this reason, he even gave up the right to nominate the next Hokage.
The two advisors obviously noticed this, and Utane Koharu quickly asked, "Huruzen, haven't you decided on the candidate for the Yondaime? What if I'm asked when I go to inform the Daimyo?"
Sarutobi Hitoshi sighed and said, "When the future Fourth Hokage takes office, he will be notified again. You don't have to answer him this time."
Considering his current notorious state, directly designating Namikaze Minato as the next Hokage may not be a good thing for the child.
No matter whether he was truly optimistic or was thinking about his own future, at least at this moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen's love for Namikaze Minato was absolutely from the bottom of his heart.
He really hoped that the other party could take over Konoha from him cleanly.
So he planned to abdicate first, and then let the jonin nominate the next Hokage themselves.
He believed that even if the jonin voted and made their own choice, Namikaze Minato would still be the best candidate for the Fourth Hokage.
If there were no outsiders interfering, there would be nothing wrong with this understanding.
There is nothing to complain about Namikaze Minato's character and strength, and he has a good relationship with people. In addition, Nara Shikaku, at the instruction of Sarutobi Hiruzen, took the initiative to help him consolidate his reputation.
It can be said that the three elements of time, place and people are all right.
But the premise of all this is: if there are no outsiders to interfere!
But, is it really possible?
This night will eventually pass.
The next morning, Sarutobi Hiruzen stood on the rooftop of the Hokage Building in disgrace, facing the entire village, and announced his impending abdication. "From today on, I will resign from the position of the Sandaime Hokage!"
One stone caused a thousand waves!
However, it did bring this public opinion to an explosive end in time, preventing the tension in the village from escalating further.
Even if Sarutobi Hiruzen made many mistakes, he has already abdicated, so what else can we say?
The public opinion in Konoha was thus resolved ahead of schedule.
At the same time, Utane Koharu also set out to meet the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, while the Anbu captain set out to deliver a letter to Minato Namikaze.
By the evening, news came back one after another, making Sarutobi Hiruzen feel mixed emotions.
The good news is that the daimyo did not make any comment on his self-described "negligence". Instead, he wrote a letter to comfort him, saying that this would not reduce his trust and support for Konoha Village.
This undoubtedly made Sarutobi Hiruzen breathe a sigh of relief.
But what worried him was the reply from the other side: the reply from Minato Namikaze.
Minato Namikaze on the front line expressed his unwillingness to rush back to the village at this time!
Compared to going back in a hurry and getting the Hokage's hat almost by chance, the proud Namikaze Minato would rather get his own glory through a fair victory!
In the letter, he explained that he had discovered the logistical pressure that Iwagakure was facing during the offensive, and planned to launch a raid on Iwagakure's supply lines within a few months!
If everything goes well, he will return triumphantly in a few months and take over the position of Hokage in a dignified and undisputed manner as a winner!
Minato Namikaze spoke very confidently in the letter, and even comforted Sarutobi Hiruzen, persuading him that the difficulties were only temporary and that everything would be fine if he persisted.
This letter is indeed very much like Minato Namikaze's usual style: warm, confident, and grand!
Minato was unwilling to accept the shortcut that Sarutobi Hiruzen had paved for him by using tricks and deceptions.
Even though his teacher's teacher had good intentions, Minato Namikaze had his own pride.
Seeing the reply, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt both relieved and worried.
I am glad that there is another outstanding ninja among the next generation of Konoha!
But at the same time, I am also worried: Will there really be no changes in a few months?
The front line where Minato Namikaze is now is very close to that hateful Rain Country!
For some reason, Sarutobi Hiruzen always had a vague sense of uneasiness in his heart, gnawing at his heart like an ant.
He had no choice but to turn his attention to other fronts to distract himself.
"How's the battle situation on Orochimaru's side? Has the Sand Village made any moves after he was injured?" Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the map of the Ninja World and asked the Anbu behind him.
Although Orochimaru was his direct disciple, at this moment he had already lost priority to his true successor.
The Anbu naturally didn't dare to comment on this and answered in detail.
“Lord Orochimaru has recovered from his injuries, and there hasn’t been any major trouble in the past few days.
On the contrary, there is news from Sunagakure that there has been chaos in their village recently."
"Oh? What happened?" Sarutobi Hiruzen had rarely heard good news in recent days and couldn't help but ask one more question.
He originally thought that Konoha's western front would face a lot of pressure after Orochimaru was injured.
Unexpectedly, the Anbu reported, "The news reported that Ye Cang, who used the Scorch Release, returned to Sunagakure and caused quite a commotion."
The promised seven updates have been completed!
It's really not easy to write from morning till night...
I'm asking for subscriptions, monthly tickets, rewards, anything is fine~
The people of the whole city are so grateful!
(End of this chapter)
