"Kazuyama, are you serious?"
"Is it not possible, or..."
Minato looked at his good friend, but Kazuyama simply shook his head.
"Don't worry, this mission is mine."
"If I don't do it, Ibuse will curse me every day, and I will never come back."
Leaving behind that bold statement, Kazuyama Gekkō leaned back in his chair and fell silent. His sudden request to go to battle moved everyone—not because of sentiment, but because he was now known as the Twin Stars of Konoha, the Ghost of Konoha. He had the strength to back it up.
"All right, then, that's all for Amegakure."
"Kazuyama, come see me after the meeting."
With that matter settled, Hiruzen Sarutobi moved on to the next topic.
"In this war, although our village has lost many comrades, there are promising young talents rising."
"I am getting old, and I want to choose a successor to become the Fourth Hokage."
The entire hall erupted. No one—including Danzō—had expected Hiruzen to make such an announcement now.
"Lord Hokage, this..."
Shikaku Nara was about to speak, but Hiruzen raised his hand to stop him.
"This is my decision. I am not young anymore. It's time for someone more capable to lead the village."
"The village needs new blood, and the next Hokage will take us further."
As soon as he finished, several ANBU appeared in the meeting room and set up a blackboard behind him.
"Now, everyone may submit candidate names. I hope you will think carefully before making your nominations."
"Of course, once the list is compiled, it will be submitted to the Daimyō's Manor for confirmation, and the Fourth Hokage will be selected."
The Hokage is usually chosen by their predecessor. For example, Hiruzen Sarutobi himself had been directly appointed by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. At that time, it didn't require the Daimyō's approval—after all, the Senju Clan had dominated Konoha.
But over time, the Senju had declined, and other major clans gradually became the village's backbone. With the Fire Country Daimyō's office now involved in Hokage selection, their consent was necessary.
When Hiruzen finished speaking, the room fell into silence. Everyone was still processing what had just been said.
Only Danzō's eyes sparkled. To him, this was the opportunity he had been waiting for.
With Hiruzen stepping down, it was his chance to rise.
"In that case, I will not refuse."
"Hmph, Hiruzen, you may think you're too old, but I don't. Under my leadership, the village will go even further."
This was Danzō's first time speaking in the meeting—declaring his intention to become Hokage.
"Danzō as Hokage..."
"That's not necessarily a bad thing. Hiruzen, I think we should be more proactive."
"I support Danzō."
Homura Mitokado clearly wasn't happy about Hiruzen's reluctance to strike first. He wasted no time throwing his support behind Danzō.
"Pfft..."
A sudden chuckle broke the tension, drawing everyone's attention.
The source of the laugh was Kazuyama, who now looked slightly embarrassed.
He hadn't meant to laugh—he just couldn't hold it in.
"Kazuyama Gekkō, what are you laughing at?"
"Huh?"
Danzō looked at the young man in front of him with a displeased expression. Well, he wasn't really a kid anymore.
"I said I couldn't help it. Do you believe me?"
Kazuyama suppressed his laughter, but his face still looked like he was about to burst out again.
"Hmph! What exactly are you trying to do?"
"Or are you saying you have a problem with me becoming Hokage?"
Danzō's voice was heavy with irritation, his tone filled with clear hostility.
"Well, how should I put it?"
"Lord Danzō, if I'm not mistaken, you're about the same age as Lord Hokage, right?"
"Lord Hokage is stepping down, and you want to step up? Are you trying to work yourself into the grave?"
"You really are the embodiment of the working class—work soul and all. True laborers are the masters of the world, huh..."
Kazuyama didn't care in the slightest whether he provoked Danzō. In fact, he fully intended to.
If not for Danzō, would Orochimaru have been forced to leave the village so early?
Would Kazuyama have been targeted for months? All of it was because this bastard had betrayed Orochimaru.
"Since we're discussing candidates, I have a recommendation too."
"Minato Namikaze."
Minato's eyes widened in shock as he looked at his friend. He had never expected to be nominated, especially like this.
"Minato Namikaze—the Yellow Flash of Konoha. Young, smart, powerful, blond, married."
"Wasting talent like his by not making him Hokage? That would be a real shame."
"If that's not enough, how about Fugaku Uchiha? Sure, he's a bit older, but he's smart, strong, has black hair, a wife—and now a son too."
Kazuyama hadn't said a word before, but when he did, it was a bombshell.
He casually put forward his two closest friends, both of whom were undeniably qualified.
No one objected. One was the infamous Yellow Flash, a battlefield nightmare.
The other was the current head of the Uchiha Clan.
Hiruzen Sarutobi watched Kazuyama's antics with a small smile.
He genuinely liked this grand-grand-disciple of his—and he also didn't want Danzō to take the title.
In fact, the successor he had in mind was Minato.
After all, he knew him better than anyone.
Danzō, on the other hand, looked like a storm cloud. His face was completely dark.
Before he could speak, Kazuyama chimed in again.
"If that still doesn't work, I think Shikaku is a solid choice. Anyone here think they're smarter than him?"
"Hm?"
"I've said my piece. I'm nominating those three. That's it."
Kazuyama sat back down, smiling at Danzō.
The two stared at each other, locked in a silent standoff.
"Kazuyama, don't mess around. I'm not going to be Hokage. If I had to recommend someone, it would be Lady Tsunade or Lord Jiraiya. Everyone knows their abilities and character."
Shikaku quickly declined and added two more names to the list.
Two of the Legendary Sannin—solid and trusted candidates.
After all, Orochimaru had once been the top candidate to succeed as Hokage.
"Alright, now we have six candidates. Anyone else with a recommendation?"
"If not, we'll send the list to the Daimyō's Manor for confirmation."
The room remained silent for a long time. No one else spoke.
Finally, Hiruzen stood and slowly walked to the blackboard behind him.
He glanced at the six names written there, then turned and said,
"Alright. Since that's the case, we'll provisionally select these six candidates."
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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