Chapter 76 – Do Not Disgrace the Title of Hokage
Hiruzen Sarutobi silently reflected to himself, feeling a deep sense of regret.
In truth, by the later stages of the Third Great Ninja War, he had already realized that he might have to step down and take responsibility.
This wasn't just because his political opponents were stirring up trouble behind the scenes; Konoha had indeed paid a heavy price for the war.
Many outstanding shinobi had emerged on the battlefield.
But even more had lost their lives due to his command.
From that moment, Hiruzen had begun planning to have Minato Namikaze succeed him.
There were several advantages to this decision.
The most important was that Minato came from a civilian background and had no deeply rooted clan influence within Konoha, which made him easier to control.
Furthermore, Minato was Jiraiya's disciple—he could be considered one of Hiruzen's own.
Entrusting the position of Fourth Hokage to him gave Hiruzen peace of mind.
But now, Minato had placed the greater good above all else and willingly handed the Hokage title to Uchiha Dali.
From now on, it was likely that the entire village of Konoha would be ruled by the Uchiha clan.
And the Uchiha were not so easily controlled.
Uchiha Dali, in particular, clearly wasn't someone who would follow Hiruzen's lead. It might even be too much to hope for him to respect Hiruzen's opinions at all.
With that thought, Hiruzen let out another silent sigh.
Seeing Hiruzen nod, Uchiha Dali smiled with satisfaction.
"Then I thank Lord Third for your support. I hope you'll stay on, along with the other two advisors, to help guide Konoha's development."
Uchiha Dali was offering Hiruzen a way to step down with dignity.
At the same time, he invited him to serve as a senior village advisor—offering him the recognition he was due.
Hiruzen merely nodded without replying.
Minato then said, "It would be best if our duel took place in front of everyone in the village. That way, the outcome will be more convincing."
He looked toward Uchiha Dali.
Dali hadn't considered that, but after hearing it, he glanced deeply at Minato. The latter continued, "Although I've already agreed to relinquish the title of Hokage, I won't be going easy on you."
"Neither will I," Dali replied with a faint smile.
And just like that, the matter was settled.
The two of them agreed to gather all of the village's jonin at dawn the next day to witness their battle outside the village.
At that moment, Hiruzen, having heard their decision, slowly spoke up, "The village still needs time for Uchiha's prestige to settle in and take root."
"Uchiha Dali…"
He paused, looking deeply at Dali with a hesitant expression.
Once Dali met his gaze, Hiruzen finally continued, "Konoha has never wished to be enemies with the Uchiha clan."
"I hope… you won't disgrace the title of Hokage."
It wasn't until after Hiruzen said this that the elite of the Sarutobi clan finally arrived.
The jonin of the Sarutobi clan stared at the fallen members of the Anbu scattered across the ground, then looked at Uchiha Dali, Minato Namikaze, and Hiruzen Sarutobi. They were completely stunned.
"I only need at most a year. Konoha will become the strongest force in the entire ninja world," Uchiha Dali declared confidently.
"Then this old man will wait to see what you accomplish," Hiruzen replied, placing his hands behind his back as he walked toward his clan members.
"Lord Third?" one of the Sarutobi clan jonin asked with uncertainty.
"Let's go. Everything here is settled. After tomorrow, I will personally officiate Uchiha Dali's Hokage inauguration," Hiruzen said calmly, as if nothing had happened.
…
They had originally thought a great war would be necessary to resolve the Uchiha clan's crisis.
Yet to everyone's surprise, the situation had been resolved so easily.
Even Uchiha Dali himself hadn't expected it.
However, there were still many people in the village who had no idea what had just transpired.
These individuals, standing at the forefront of Konoha—and even the ninja world—had, with just a few words, handed the fate of the entire village over to the Uchiha clan.
At this moment, in the Nara clan compound…
Nara Shikaku, who was kneeling on the floor, suddenly stood and opened the door.
"It's about time."
No sooner had he spoken than a knock sounded from outside.
Soon, the heads of several of Konoha's most prominent clans arrived: Hiashi and Hizashi of the Hyuga clan, Choza Akimichi of the Akimichi clan, Inoichi Yamanaka of the Yamanaka clan, Shibi Aburame of the Aburame clan, and Tsume Inuzuka of the Inuzuka clan.
Shikaku, who had been waiting for them, walked out to greet them.
"It seems you've all received the Third Hokage's summons," he said solemnly.
"So… are we really not going to respond to Lord Third's call?" Choza Akimichi asked, unable to hold back.
"This is such an important matter. If the Uchiha really intend to seize power, and we, as part of Konoha, choose to avoid helping Lord Third instead of shouldering the burden with him—wouldn't that be irresponsible?"
Inoichi Yamanaka also looked at Shikaku with a grave expression.
Earlier, following Uchiha Dali's instructions, Shikaku had shared a short story with them.
And he had solemnly warned every one of them not to stand against the Uchiha, nor get involved in the internal strife within the village.
Doing so would not only be a betrayal to their own clans but also to Konoha itself.
That was why, even after Hiruzen issued a summons to all the major clans, none of them had shown up.
"If the Uchiha truly intended to use force, it would spell a catastrophe for the entire village," Tsume Inuzuka said, hesitating slightly.
It was clear that although she was a woman, her insight and strategic thinking were in no way inferior to the men present.
At that moment, Hiashi Hyuga finally spoke: "If your opponent is the Uchiha, I suggest you all abandon any thoughts of going to war."
Though he didn't say why, the fact that the Hyuga clan—long considered one of the three most powerful clans in Konoha—had their patriarch make such a statement left the rest of the clan leaders visibly shocked.
Everyone instinctively turned to look at Nara Shikaku.
The strategist finally spoke up: "Although I promised Uchiha Dali I would pass his will to each of you, this is, after all, a summons from the Third Hokage. I believe we must prepare for both possibilities."
"Each of you, gather your clan members and stay here on standby. I will personally go see what's happening at the Hokage's office."
With that, Shikaku walked out of the courtyard.
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