Chapter 75 – The Situation Overpowers the Individual
With just a few well-placed words, Minato Namikaze subtly yet unmistakably conveyed his principles to Uchiha Dali.
The position of Hokage—he was willing to honor their agreement and hand it over.
However, if it turned out that the Uchiha clan was incapable of bearing the great responsibility of leading Konoha, or worse, if their leadership brought the village to a more precarious state—
Then he absolutely wouldn't sit by and do nothing.
Even if it meant internal strife, Uchiha Dali would have to be forcibly removed.
To Uchiha Dali, those words didn't carry much weight.
But the attitudes of Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane were clearly different.
Seeing Minato speak so directly, they had no choice but to back down—at least for now—and remain silent.
"Right now, there's still one major issue we need to address: the matter of the Third Hokage."
"He's already gone to mobilize all of the village's Anbu and Jonin."
Minato laid the thorniest issue on the table.
The official inauguration had yet to take place. Without completing the formal procedures, his role as the "Fourth Hokage" remained unofficial and carried little real authority.
As long as Hiruzen Sarutobi refused to approve, the matter wouldn't be settled.
So they needed to speak with Hiruzen directly.
Uchiha Dali had long anticipated this. Upon hearing it, he calmly rose to his feet. "Then let's go have a chat with the Third Hokage."
…
Atop the Hokage Building
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood with his hands behind his back, gazing down at the entirety of Konoha.
Behind him stood sixteen elite combat squads, all under his direct command—dozens of top-tier Anbu operatives.
"Have the messages been sent out?" he asked calmly, pipe in mouth.
"They've been sent."
"By now, every clan in the village should've received them."
One of the Anbu squad leaders replied.
Hearing this, Hiruzen's brow furrowed ever so slightly.
He swept his eyes across the wide, orderly streets of Konoha.
The orders summoning the clan leaders and the village's Jonin had been issued for quite some time.
And yet, so far, aside from the Anbu directly under his command, not a single other shinobi had arrived.
This was not normal.
A creeping sense of foreboding began to rise within him.
It was at that moment that Hiruzen sensed something and turned his gaze slightly behind him.
Uchiha Dali and Minato Namikaze appeared together.
Dozens of elite Anbu instantly reacted as if facing a mortal threat, turning in unison to confront Uchiha Dali.
"Hmph…"
Uchiha Dali let out a cold chuckle.
Without warning, his Conqueror's Haki burst forth.
In the blink of an eye, more than half the elite Anbu collapsed.
In the end, only seven or eight of the most powerful remained standing.
These few were Hiruzen's personal selections, handpicked from every clan and even the civilian ranks—true elites.
But even though they remained on their feet, their eyes were filled with terror as they stared at Uchiha Dali, pupils trembling.
The intimidation had worked.
At that moment, as they watched Uchiha Dali calmly walk toward Hiruzen, those elite Anbu squad leaders were completely frozen in place, unable to act.
Minato had watched the entire process unfold.
Even he was stunned.
"What is this power? Even I could feel that terrifying pressure…"
His expression turned grave as he looked at Uchiha Dali's back.
"Minato, it seems you've made your choice."
Hiruzen said, watching Uchiha Dali's show of force unfold while Minato remained silent. That told him everything he needed to know.
"Lord Third, I've already agreed to pass the Hokage position to Dali."
"But we reached two conditions of consensus…"
Minato then relayed to Hiruzen the agreement he had made with Uchiha Dali.
Upon hearing it, Hiruzen turned his eyes back to Dali's face.
"Young man, why are you so fixated on becoming Hokage?"
He slowly took the pipe from his mouth.
But just as his fingers touched it, the entire pipe crumbled into powder and scattered to the wind.
Hiruzen's expression shifted.
"Was it destroyed by the pressure from earlier…?"
He stared in disbelief at the remnants of ash in his hand, utterly shaken.
He never imagined that Uchiha Dali could cause actual physical damage with mere force of will.
Even in his memory, not even Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage, had achieved something like this.
As his gaze returned to Uchiha Dali, Hiruzen's eyes now carried unmistakable wariness.
"Lord Third, you're asking the wrong question."
"What you should be asking is: why is it that Konoha's leadership has never accepted the Uchiha clan as its rulers?"
"Find the answer to that question, and you'll understand mine."
Uchiha Dali responded at ease, clearly in control of the situation.
His words carried deeper meaning…
Which made Hiruzen reassess him yet again.
"The Uchiha clan has been fully in charge of Konoha's security forces. The Konoha Military Police Force was established specifically for your clan, a tradition passed down since the Second Hokage's time—"
"I don't want to hear about that."
Uchiha Dali cut him off. "You heard what Minato just said, didn't you?"
"I'm not as subtle as he is. I prefer to speak plainly. Lord Third, if you don't want this small disagreement to escalate into bloodshed, I suggest you support me as Hokage."
"Relax, there's no one else around. You won't lose face."
Uchiha Dali shrugged and smiled casually.
Minato and all the Anbu squad leaders behind him frowned at those words.
But no one dared to oppose him.
Uchiha Dali had already proven, more than once, that he truly possessed the power to overturn the village.
Now, with Minato and the Anbu remaining silent—
All the pressure fell on Hiruzen.
He looked down at the elite guards sprawled across the floor, unconscious.
Then glanced at Uchiha Dali's relaxed and confident demeanor.
In the end, he sighed in resignation.
"It seems you've already secured your victory, Uchiha Dali."
"The reason none of the elite Jonin from the clans responded to my summons—was that your doing as well?"
Hiruzen's expression gradually calmed as he asked coolly.
"They simply made the rational and correct choice."
Uchiha Dali replied.
Hiruzen's suspicions were confirmed, and for a moment, he was left speechless.
He never imagined that those loyal ninja clans would now turn their backs on him.
He didn't know how Uchiha Dali had pulled it off—
But he had to admit: in terms of both power and method, this young man standing before him was indeed qualified to be Hokage.
Perhaps, under his leadership, the village really could become a better place…
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