In the Hokage Building, an emergency Jonin meeting was held.
The Third Hokage sat in his main chair, his old face looking very kind yet also holding deep sorrow.
The three village advisors – Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane, and Danzo Shimura (who seemed quieter than usual this time) – sat beside him.
"As we all know,"
Hiruzen began the meeting,
"this time, the Sand Village Sunagakure and the Sound Ninjas Otogakure have jointly launched an attack on Konoha. The situation has been clearly investigated. Orochimaru killed the Fourth Kazekage and cunningly deceived and manipulated the Sand Village to join the attack on us. Although the Sand Village's actions are clearly an aggression, considering they were also victims of deception, there might be room for forgiveness. However, compensation for the damage and losses we suffered is clearly necessary. We will discuss this matter further with the delegation from the Sand Village whom we will summon shortly."
The Jonin present nodded in agreement upon hearing this explanation.
They didn't raise many objections.
Those present in this room were Konoha's elite, experienced ninjas who were already familiar with the intricacies of politics and inter-village issues like this.
The Third Hokage once again spoke about several important matters that the village had to immediately face and handle after this war – infrastructure repair, victim management, defense reinforcement, and so on.
He handled all these matters calmly and orderly, demonstrating his vast experience.
After all, he had served as Hokage for several decades, and no one in the entire Konoha Village was more familiar or more adept at handling village affairs like this than him.
An hour later, after all important agendas were discussed and various tasks had been delegated.
Just when everyone thought the meeting would soon end and they could rest a bit, the Third Hokage suddenly said in a different tone of voice, more personal and full of regret.
"I... I feel very guilty and responsible for Orochimaru's attack on Konoha this time. It was under my watch that Orochimaru managed to escape the village years ago, and that negligence ultimately led to today's great disaster. Therefore," he paused for a moment, looking at all the Jonin present,
"I plan to resign from the position of Hokage."
Instantly the room fell silent.
Everyone was shocked to hear the sudden announcement.
Shikaku Nara, known for his intelligence, was the first to speak.
"Sandaime-sama, with all due respect, we need to think about this matter further and more maturely. Changing the Hokage at a time like this is a very big and troublesome issue. It's highly likely that it will affect Konoha's stability, which has just begun to calm down after the attack."
"Shikaku, I have thought about this matter very carefully,"
Hiruzen replied with a tired smile.
"Konoha needs a new leader now, someone with younger spirit and strength. I am old, and frankly, I no longer feel capable of shouldering such a great responsibility. So, from whichever aspect we look at it, a new Hokage must indeed take office soon. These old bones of mine should have been resting peacefully since twelve years ago. I am also very tired after serving for all these years."
"This..."
Shikaku fell silent for a moment.
He knew that what the Third Hokage said was very reasonable, although difficult to accept.
"Alright," Hiruzen continued, his voice firm again.
"The next step is to determine who will be the new Hokage. Let us all, the Jonin present here, nominate the names you think are most worthy to become the Fifth Hokage today. After that, I will report the names of these candidates to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire to get a final decision."
When the Third Hokage said this, all the Jonin present looked at each other, their faces showing various expressions – surprised, confused, worried, but also a little curious.
Who would be Konoha's next Hokage?
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
Today was a rather important day for several Genin who had shown outstanding achievements.
In a room in the Hokage Building, Naruto, Shikamaru Nara, and Sasuke Uchiha stood a little awkwardly but also proudly.
Before them, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, smiled warmly.
Beside him, several senior Jonin, including Kakashi and Asuma, were also present.
"Uzumaki Naruto, Nara Shikamaru, Uchiha Sasuke,"
Hiruzen's voice sounded clear and authoritative.
"After a thorough evaluation of your performance during the Chunin Exams, in terms of combat, decision-making ability, and leadership, Konoha village hereby officially recognizes you and promotes you to the rank of Chunin!"
A staff member came forward and handed a distinctive green Chunin vest and an official certificate to each of them.
Naruto accepted his with an uncontainable wide smile, his eyes sparkling.
Shikamaru just muttered "troublesome" but there was a faint smile on his face.
Sasuke accepted his vest with a calm nod, but there was a glint of satisfaction in his eyes.
It seemed Sasuke, who in this timeline was not affected by Orochimaru's curse seal thanks to the intervention and indirect protection from various parties (including the 'luck' brought by Hana), showed much better mental stability.
Hiruzen, after considering Kakashi's report and his own observations during the exam, deemed that Sasuke deserved this promotion based on his undeniable abilities and his attitude that was beginning to show maturity.
("What about that Hyuga genius, Neji?" someone might ask.
Well, come on, who would want to promote someone who so easily divulged internal secrets and family conflicts in public, even in front of representatives from other villages, during the Chunin Exams?
Ability is important, but discretion and emotional maturity are also vital qualities for a Chunin who will lead a team.
Who knows what else he might say to enemies outside the village if his emotions were provoked?
At the very least, Neji needs to wait another year or two, after he is more mentally stable and understands the importance of keeping secrets, before he will truly be worthy of the Chunin rank.)
After the brief ceremony, Naruto couldn't contain his excitement.
"Yosh! I'm finally a Chunin, dattebayo! This is all thanks to my hard work... and a little help, hehe."
"Congratulations, Naruto, Sasuke," Shikamaru said with a yawn.
"Now our responsibilities are bigger. Just troublesome."
Shikamaru went home just like that, leaving the two of them.
"Hn. This is just the beginning," Sasuke replied, neatly folding his Chunin vest.
"Hey, hey! Since we're officially Chunin now, how about we celebrate?"
Naruto suddenly suggested, his eyes sparkling with an idea.
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
During these difficult times of reconstruction and recovery, the Third Hokage, increasingly felt his advanced age and dwindling energy.
The burden of responsibility as the village leader felt heavier on his frail shoulders.
To avoid dying of exhaustion while still serving as Hokage, and for the better future of Konoha, after several heated debates (and a little drama) with Jiraiya, his recently returned former student, the two finally reached an important agreement.
"I can't take it anymore, Jiraiya,"
Hiruzen complained one night in his messy office, his pipe puffing out tired smoke.
"Orochimaru's attack this time really opened my eyes. I'm too old to face such a threat alone."
Jiraiya, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, snorted.
"I've told you many times, Sensei. You should have retired long ago and enjoyed your old age peacefully, maybe while writing pervy novels like me."
"Don't start with your novels!"
Hiruzen snapped, but then he smiled faintly.
"But you're right. Konoha needs a new leader, fresh blood with a more burning spirit."
He looked at Jiraiya seriously.
"And I've decided. Either you will find Tsunade soon and persuade her to take over the position of Fifth Hokage, or... if she refuses, then you yourself will take the position of Fifth Hokage, Jiraiya."
Jiraiya's eyes widened.
"M-me? Become Hokage? Sensei, you must be joking! I'm a free-spirited hermit who prefers to travel seeking inspiration... and beautiful women, of course!"
"I'm not joking, Jiraiya," Hiruzen said firmly.
"This is a final decision. In short, the position of Fifth Hokage will only fall to one of you two, my most trusted students. There is no other choice."
Reluctantly, Jiraiya finally agreed to the deal, although with a heavy heart if he had to become Hokage.
His main mission now was to find Tsunade, his long-lost Sannin comrade, and bring her back to Konoha.
And of course, Jiraiya decided to take Naruto along on this long journey.