Although everyone present had their own private motives, they were still essentially on the same side.
Naturally, they all knew that Hiruzen Sarutobi intended to pass the position of Fourth Hokage to Minato Namikaze.
So when Shimura Danzō brought up the relationship between Minato Namikaze and Uchiha Ren, his intention was obvious.
Hiruzen cleared his throat and said calmly,
"Minato has a gentle personality. He gets along well with everyone in the village—from civilians to shinobi of all clans. Uchiha Ren is not an exception."
"Besides, Ren and Minato were classmates at the Ninja Academy. It's perfectly normal for them to be close."
Within Konohagakure, Minato Namikaze was extremely popular.
Like a small sun, he made everyone around him feel warmth and closeness.
It wasn't just Uchiha Ren.
Even the current head of the Uchiha Clan, Uchiha Fugaku, had an excellent relationship with Minato.
Their wives were even close friends.
Because of this, Hiruzen saw nothing suspicious about Minato and Ren being on good terms.
Homura Mitokado also nodded in agreement.
"Minato Namikaze is an ideal candidate for Hokage in terms of personality, ability, and strength. The fact that he can build friendly relations with the Uchiha only shows his charisma."
"However, he is still young and lacks experience. He does not yet understand how dangerous the world can be."
"So when he becomes the Fourth Hokage, the few of us old men should stay by his side and guide him."
"We'll help him gradually adapt to the responsibilities of the Hokage's position."
"With us overseeing things, nothing major should go wrong."
Homura Mitokado was extremely satisfied with Minato as the next Hokage.
After all, every time Minato met him, he respectfully greeted him as "Elder Homura."
His manners were impeccable, and he always showed proper respect.
Orochimaru, on the other hand, was the complete opposite.
Cold and gloomy by nature, he didn't even bother greeting people when they met.
More than once, Homura had even noticed a trace of disdain in Orochimaru's eyes when he looked at him.
Between the two, the choice of the next Hokage was obvious.
Danzō snorted coldly.
"You're all being far too naive."
"Just hand Uchiha Ren over to me. Within two years, I'll turn him into the most useful tool in my arsenal."
"That would be the truly foolproof solution."
Danzō knew very well that the matter of Minato becoming Hokage was already decided by Hiruzen and the others.
There was no way to reverse it.
But he still wanted to secure Uchiha Ren for himself.
By mentioning the close relationship between Ren and Minato, he had hoped to plant a seed of suspicion in their minds—
So that he could propose bringing Ren into Root.
After all, Uchiha Ren was already being compared to Minato Namikaze.
If Danzō could control someone like that, Root's power would increase tremendously.
"No."
Hiruzen rejected the proposal almost immediately.
"Danzō, the village's shinobi already have many complaints about Root."
"If someone like Uchiha Ren—who has earned great merit in war—were forced into Root, it would only provoke resentment among the shinobi."
"So drop the idea."
"Uchiha Ren will never join Root."
Danzō's voice grew heavy as he argued back.
"What's wrong with Root?"
"Root exists for the sake of Konoha's prosperity! What do a few idle rumors matter?"
"My conscience is clear."
"And don't forget, Hiruzen—Root suffered heavy losses in this war."
"You were the one who told me to let Root recuperate in Konoha."
"Now I'm only asking you for one Uchiha Ren, and you refuse."
"How exactly is Root supposed to recover its strength?"
Hiruzen shook his head firmly.
"Anyone else can be discussed. But Uchiha Ren is absolutely impossible."
Although Ren could not be given to Danzō, Hiruzen acknowledged that Root had indeed suffered severe casualties during the war.
So he still intended to replenish Root's manpower.
For Konoha in its current state, Root remained extremely important.
There were many tasks that could not be carried out in the light.
Someone had to handle those matters in the shadows.
Danzō's eyes suddenly flashed with a sharp gleam.
He changed his request immediately.
"Fine."
"If Uchiha Ren is off the table, then give me Uchiha Shisui."
Hiruzen froze for a moment.
He had been so focused on Uchiha Ren that he had completely forgotten about Uchiha Shisui—allowing Danzō to seize the opportunity.
Shisui was not only a descendant of Uchiha Kagami, but also an Uchiha who genuinely carried the Will of Fire.
Hiruzen had been paying attention to him for quite some time.
In fact, he had always intended to bring Shisui close to him and personally cultivate him.
However, Shisui was still young, and with the war ongoing, there had never been a suitable opportunity.
Now, caught off guard by Danzō's sudden demand, Hiruzen found himself in a difficult position.
Seeing his hesitation, Danzō realized he had a chance.
He pressed the advantage immediately.
"Hiruzen, you just said that anyone except Uchiha Ren was negotiable."
"You're not planning to go back on your word now, are you?"
Hiruzen's expression shifted repeatedly.
After a long silence, he finally spoke.
"As a friend and comrade, I would have no reason to refuse your request."
"But as the Third Hokage, I must consider the bigger picture."
"What do you mean?" Danzō asked, momentarily confused.
Hiruzen explained calmly,
"As your friend, I would naturally respect your wishes."
"But as Hokage, I cannot ignore reality."
"Danzō, your relationship with the Uchiha Clan is already extremely tense."
"There is no way they would entrust one of their geniuses to you."
"And with the situation in the shinobi world changing so unpredictably, the last thing Konoha needs right now is internal turmoil."
"So give up on Uchiha Shisui."
"In fact, give up on any Uchiha at all."
This time, Hiruzen completely blocked every possible avenue for Danzō.
He didn't want to leave even the smallest loophole.
"You—!"
At that moment, Danzō finally understood.
Hiruzen was clearly breaking his promise, yet he was dressing it up with grand-sounding excuses.
The realization made Danzō furious.
"Danzō."
Hiruzen cut him off before he could finish speaking.
"You must remember something."
"I am the Hokage."
That single sentence shut down every word Danzō had been about to say.
"Damn it!"
Danzō's face turned livid.
Once again, he had been defeated by the authority of the Hokage's title.
"Enough. Let's leave the matter here."
Hiruzen waved his hand dismissively.
"Later, I'll prepare a list of candidates for you. You can choose whoever you want from that list."
He smoothly moved the discussion forward.
"Next, let's discuss the rotation of shinobi on the Kirigakure front."
"I've already decided. We'll use the excuse of guarding against a possible Kirigakure counterattack and rotate the frontline forces back to the village in batches."
"The Uchiha Clan will return in the first rotation."
"Once I've finished negotiating with Uchiha Fugaku, we'll bring the other clans back as well."
…
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