Orochimaru and Danzo's defection both happened within a single day, throwing Konoha into chaos.
Panic spread through the village, but thanks to the swift response of the Security Force and Anbu, major incidents were avoided.
The Root base was placed under strict control, guarded heavily by Anbu and security personnel.
Now, inside the Hokage Building's meeting room, the atmosphere was tense.
Gathered around the table were Konoha's high-ranking officials, Elite Jōnin, and clan leaders—each a figure of great influence.
Their simultaneous presence made it clear: today's events had shaken Konoha to its core.
One wrong move could throw the entire village into turmoil.
And with war raging, Konoha's internal instability made them an easy target.
The four great nations were like sharks sensing blood—they wouldn't hesitate to strike.
At the head of the room, Sarutobi Hiruzen sat in silence.
Gone was the commanding presence of the Third Hokage.
His aged face was tired, hollow, as if the very soul had been drained from his body.
To the villagers, such an image of their Hokage had once been unthinkable.
Even in his later years, Hiruzen had always seemed strong, unwavering.
But today, he looked like a man burdened by failure.
In front of the ninja, he stood tall and imposing, like a strict father pushing them to grow.
But the past two days had taken a heavy toll on Sarutobi Hiruzen.
First, a student he had watched grow betrayed the village, even killing a comrade to escape. As a teacher—almost like a father—he could only watch him leave, unable to bring him back to the right path.
Then came the defection of his old partner...
One blow after another left Sarutobi Hiruzen drained, aging him by a decade in mere days.
"Sarutobi-sensei, the meeting is about to start," Tsunade and Jiraiya murmured beside him.
Breaking the heavy silence in the room, Sarutobi Hiruzen finally spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Everyone, there are two main reasons I called this meeting," he said gravely.
"First, is about Danzo's defection..."
Danzo acted alone, without the elders or advisors—a clear reflection of Sarutobi Hiruzen's stance.
"According to the interrogation department's search of Hanzo's memory and the investigation by Anbu in the Land of Rain, we have essentially confirmed that Danzo colluded with Hanzo, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure to attack Konoha's forces in the Land of Rain."
The Jōnin and clan heads present had almost witnessed it firsthand during the memory search, so there was no need for further explanation.
Jiraiya and Tsunade, though absent at the time, were still shaken upon hearing it.
They had never imagined Danzo would go so far as to attack Konoha's own shinobi—especially Simu, who had contributed so much to the village.
Was it because Simu's success made him too dazzling?
Were the higher-ups afraid he might threaten their authority?
Jiraiya wasn't clueless. He simply preferred not to overthink things or get involved in politics.
But this time, he couldn't ignore it.
His gaze drifted toward his mentor.
If Simu truly posed a threat, the one who should be most concerned wasn't Danzo—it was Hiruzen himself.
Faced with the many differing opinions in the room, Sarutobi Hiruzen fell into brief silence.
But soon, he continued
"I have ordered Anbu to thoroughly search the root base, and all the evidence will be made public when the time comes"
"As for the punishment, because Danzo is dead, we will confiscate all the benefits he has gained from the position of elder over the years."
After saying these words, the expression on Sarutobi Hiruzen's face dropped a lot.
Two consultants, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, who sat on the side, also looked sad.
There was a silent grief, like mourning the fall of an old comrade.
Sarutobi Hiruzen knocked on the table.
The originally noisy meeting room immediately quieted down.
He spoke slowly:
"The second thing is about the Orochimaru defection".
Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice was full of grief.
"Orochimaru's experiments—killing his own comrades to steal Konoha's Forbidden Techniques—are crimes that cannot be forgiven.
"And as Hokage, I failed to guide him properly. I failed to stop him in time. This is entirely my fault."
Simu, standing behind with his hands in his pockets, let out a cold snort.
This old fox still refused to admit that he had let Orochimaru go.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's weary eyes swept across the conference room before settling on Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura.
A flicker of nostalgia crossed his face.
Years ago, in this very room, he, Danzo, and Koharu had delivered the final command of the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.
That day, Sarutobi Hiruzen became the Third Hokage.
Back then, Konoha was in turmoil, and the ninja world was at war. The four of them had worked together to stabilize the village and end the First Ninja War. Under their leadership, Konoha had grown stronger and stronger.
But when did it start falling apart?
When did everything go wrong?
As the room fell into silence, Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly raised his hand and placed it on his Hokage hat.
With both hands, he lifted it from his head and gently set it on the table.
"I hereby announce my formal resignation as Hokage."
At last, he had made his decision.
Jiraiya and Tsunade froze.
They hadn't expected their teacher to make such a decision.
Simu, on the other hand, remained on the sidelines, watching quietly.
But his instincts told him that Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't someone who would step down so easily.
Sure enough, a Jōnin immediately stepped forward.
"Hokage-sama, we're in the middle of a Ninja World War. If the Hokage changes now, many shinobi might lose their will to fight!"
"Yes, Lord Hokage! While Konoha's new generation continues to grow under the Will of Fire, they still lack the experience to take on such a great responsibility!"
Having led the village for so many years, it was no surprise that Sarutobi Hiruzen had strong support.
But where there were supporters, there were also dissenters.
The first to speak out was the Uchiha—the biggest thorn in Konoha's side.
An Uchiha Jōnin stepped forward and said coldly,
"Hokage-sama personally let his own disciple escape. Is that what a Hokage should do?"
Jiraiya and Tsunade's expressions immediately darkened.
Sarutobi Hiruzen remained silent.
Instead, his son, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, stepped forward.
"You're slandering him! My father simply failed to see through the situation in time and was caught by Orochimaru's jutsu!"
An Uchiha ninja sneered.
"If Hokage-sama can be controlled by genjutsu so easily, then is he really strong enough to be Hokage?"
Sarutobi Shinnosuke fell silent.
The evidence was undeniable, and his defense felt weak.
If Sarutobi Hiruzen was truly strong, why couldn't he stop Orochimaru's defection?
If he wasn't strong, then why should a weak Hokage continue to lead?
If Orochimaru was too powerful, then why was he later killed by Hanyu Simu on his way back?
If he was weak, then how did he manage to escape from the Third Hokage?
No matter how one looked at it, the situation didn't add up.
And when viewed from another angle…
Wasn't Hanyu Simu—who had easily dealt with both Orochimaru and Danzo—actually more qualified to be Hokage?
Sarutobi Shinnosuke was stunned by his own thoughts.
My father is the Hokage… How could I even think that?
Even Jiraiya and Tsunade were at a loss for words.
Utatane Koharu finally spoke.
"In your opinion, then, who should be Hokage?"
The Uchiha ninja responded without hesitation.
"Our Uchiha clan has plenty of strong candidates!"
Uchiha Bakugo, seated nearby, sighed and shook his head.
Strength aside, sometimes their thinking is just too simple.
Hearing this, Utatane Koharu scoffed.
"So in the end, it's just about pushing your own clan forward. What do you think, Patriarch Bakugo?"
Uchiha Sifang had no choice but to stand up and reply,
"While our Uchiha clan has many strong shinobi, it would still be too difficult for us to take on the role of Hokage."
Utatane Koharu then turned to the young man sitting next to Uchiha Bakugo and smirked.
"I think Uchiha Fugaku isn't a bad choice, right?"
Uchiha Fugaku had become a Jōnin at a young age.
Even among the Uchiha, he was considered a genius—destined to be the clan's future leader.
But in terms of overall strength, he barely ranked among Konoha's top fighters.
Uchiha Fugaku responded bluntly,
"Thank you for your praise, Elder Koharu, but with so many experienced seniors in Konoha, I don't think I'm qualified to be Hokage."
But Utatane Koharu wasn't ready to let him off so easily.
"Then who do you think would be the most suitable choice?"
"Brother Simu."
Fugaku answered without hesitation.
Ever since he passed the Jōnin assessment, he had often sought Simu's guidance—encouraged by his clan's elders.
Though Simu always sighed and muttered, "What a hassle," he never refused.
And every time, Fugaku walked away having learned something valuable.
After fighting alongside him in multiple battles, he had seen Simu's strength firsthand.
It was undeniable.
The room fell into silence.
Sarutobi Hiruzen and his two advisors instantly tensed, their expressions darkening.
Hanyu Simu... connected to the Uchiha?
Sensing the shift in atmosphere, Fugaku cleared his throat and quickly tried to smooth things over.
"Of course, Jiraiya and Tsunade are also excellent candidates."
.
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TO BE CONTINUED
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