Sarutobi Hiruzen recommended Namikaze Minato to become the Fourth Hokage.
Danzo countered by recommending Sora, who had a higher reputation than Namikaze Minato.
But Sarutobi Hiruzen left Danzo speechless with just one sentence.
Danzo gritted his teeth and glared at Sarutobi Hiruzen.
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire half-covered his face with a fan and asked, "What do the others think?"
Everyone except Danzo nodded slightly.
Danzo finally understood.
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura were on Sarutobi Hiruzen's side. These three people had been at odds with him for a long time and had isolated him.
The Fire Daimyo announced: "Then Namikaze Minato will serve as the Fourth Hokage."
...
After returning to Konoha, Sarutobi Hiruzen summoned Namikaze Minato to meet him alone.
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Namikaze Minato, who was kneeling before him with a serious expression, and said: "I have always believed that you are the heir to the Will of Fire. I will entrust the future of Konoha and the shinobi world to you. Are you willing to accept this responsibility?"
Namikaze Minato replied seriously: "I will work hard to honor the Third Hokage's trust!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen said solemnly: "I originally planned to hold the succession ceremony in better circumstances, but the road ahead of you will be very difficult..."
Namikaze Minato said with determination, "I'm mentally prepared!"
A smile appeared on Sarutobi Hiruzen's face: "I believe you can do it. Now, you will prepare for the succession ceremony. I will tell you what you must do after you take office."
Namikaze Minato leaned forward to listen to Sarutobi Hiruzen's instructions.
Sarutobi Hiruzen said: "After you become the Fourth Hokage, the first thing you must do is calm the emotions of the Uchiha clan. Currently, because of Sora's targeting and our deliberate blind eye, the Uchiha clan is very unhappy with us.
So when you become Hokage, pacify the Uchiha clan's feelings as soon as possible. You can praise them verbally, but don't actually promise them anything.
Sora's targeting of the Uchiha clan was jointly authorized by Danzo and myself. The Uchiha clan is now like a cancer growing within Konoha. The problem of the Uchiha clan must be solved quickly."
Namikaze Minato's eyes flickered.
He had already faintly guessed that Sora's intense targeting of the Uchiha clan must not just be because of personal enmity between Sora and the Uchiha.
After all, when Sora was on the battlefield, he had clearly taken revenge on the Uchiha clan, but Konoha's leadership had only criticized Sora once.
But it was just criticism, with no other substantial punishment.
Sarutobi Hiruzen continued: "After I step back from the spotlight, Danzo and I will continue working on the Uchiha clan issue to remove this hidden danger from Konoha.
And Minato, you need to organize your own team and form your personal guard.
After the Uchiha problem is solved, you'll need to address the issue with Root.
Once you take over as Hokage, you'll definitely come into contact with Root, but you probably don't know much about them.
Root is the ANBU training division. This organization exists in Konoha's shadows. It digs its roots deep into the darkness. Its main purpose is to secretly eliminate obstacles that hinder the village's prosperity.
Therefore, Root operates deeper than ANBU, and their activities are more secretive.
There are some things that are inappropriate for a Hokage to do directly, so Root handles them.
Root is Konoha's most direct and effective sword, following the principle of 'Better to kill by mistake than let a threat escape,' eliminating all dangers inside and outside the village.
But now Root functions as an independent organization led solely by Danzo. Even I cannot directly intervene in Root's operations.
After solving the Uchiha problem, you must prepare to address the Root issue and bring Root back under the Hokage's control."
Namikaze Minato nodded to show he understood.
After Sarutobi Hiruzen took a puff from his pipe, he continued: "The next matter concerns Danzo. How should I put this... Danzo is extreme and harsh, but he truly cares for Konoha.
But he has always had one obsession: becoming Hokage. Danzo supports Orochimaru and Sora, and most likely wants to involve himself with the Hokage position, so he will probably cause trouble for you in the future.
Don't worry though, I will keep an eye on him. You should govern Konoha according to your own ideas and pace."
Having said a lot, Sarutobi Hiruzen picked up his teacup and took a sip of water.
After setting down the teacup, Sarutobi Hiruzen asked casually: "Minato, you and Sora seem to have a serious conflict, right?"
Namikaze Minato said earnestly: "Hokage-sama, please rest assured that our personal conflict is nothing compared to Konoha's wellbeing! I will manage it."
Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head and said with a solemn expression: "No, I want to warn you to be careful of Sora.
Sora, like Orochimaru, is very secretive in his actions.
On the surface, he seems very loyal to Konoha, but I sense that Sora is not as loyal as he appears. He merely wants us to believe he is loyal to Konoha so we lower our guard against him.
Sora is the same type of person as Orochimaru. He takes things to extremes, and his true thoughts are unclear.
You can employ Sora. As a subordinate, Sora is highly qualified and a very capable commander, but you absolutely cannot trust him! If necessary... you may need to take measures to control him preemptively.
Currently, Sora is very powerful. In him, I see the shadow of Uchiha Madara. If Sora is not kept in check, he could cause great harm to Konoha.
However, with Kushina in Konoha, you needn't worry too much about Sora losing control, so you must be careful in how you position Kushina.
It could be said that Kushina is crucial in maintaining Sora's surface loyalty to Konoha."
Namikaze Minato was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected Sarutobi Hiruzen to be so wary of Sora.
However, when Namikaze Minato thought about it carefully, he realized there was good reason to be cautious of Sora.
Sora now had quite a reputation.
He had destroyed half of Kirigakure and killed the Blood-eyed Shura of the Third Mizukage.
Looking back at Sora's record, it was quite impressive.
Compared to Sora, Namikaze Minato felt that his own accomplishments weren't quite as notable.
Namikaze Minato nodded and said, "Hokage-sama, I will remember everything you've said."
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded and replied: "Good, you may go now. There's no rush in becoming Hokage. I will assist you as needed."
Namikaze Minato promised: "Yes, thank you for your trust, Hokage-sama. I will definitely work hard for Konoha!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled gently: "I believe you will. Now, you may leave."
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