"Please, Fourth Generation." Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a serious expression.
From the moment Mokgetsu put on the Hokage's hat, the Hokage of Konoha was no longer Sarutobi Hiruzen, but Habu Mokgetsu.
"I will do my best." Mokgetsu solemnly replied.
Clap! Clap!!
Another round of applause erupted.
"Konoha's Hokage, just a few years ago, wasn't even a squad leader." Karatachi Yagura sighed at the impermanence of life.
He once thought of Mokgetsu as merely a troublesome opponent, now he couldn't even be an equal match to Mokgetsu.
"What should we buy for the celebration later?" Tsunade contemplated.
Whether Mokgetsu became Hokage or not didn't matter to her, but the celebration for the Hokage couldn't be overlooked.
"Why not just buy everything we want? After all, it's a celebration for becoming Hokage, a bit more extravagant than an ordinary celebration is reasonable."
Tsunade decided to have it all; only children make choices.
"Finally inaugurated, Fourth Generation." Uchiha Fugaku smiled with a slight curve at the corner of his mouth.
The best era for the Uchiha was about to arrive. Once Obito and Shisui grew a bit more, the Uchiha would restore their former glory!
"Teacher Mokgetsu, you can definitely become the greatest Hokage!" Obito shouted while clapping vigorously.
Everyone knew that Sage Mokgetsu was capable of anything; becoming Hokage was effortless for him.
Many Jonin instinctively looked at Obito, thinking that he was truly bold.
The greatest Hokage, doesn't that mean surpassing all Hokage? Forget about the deceased First and Second, the Third Hokage is still standing here.
Kakashi, standing to Obito's left, felt the sun was extra intense today, burning his face as if with fire.
Nohara Rin, standing to Obito's right, hesitated to speak and eventually said nothing.
"Fourth Generation, you have a heavy burden, everyone has high hopes for you." Sarutobi Hiruzen said, stroking his long beard with a laugh.
At this point, Sarutobi Hiruzen wouldn't hold a grudge over such a trivial matter.
Moreover, in his view, Mokgetsu certainly had great potential to surpass him.
Mokgetsu smiled slightly, his gaze swiftly scanned all the ninja before nodding and turning toward the railing.
It was time for the inauguration speech.
When the ninja and the crowd below saw Mokgetsu with the Hokage hat, a massive cheer erupted.
"Fourth Generation Hokage Lord!"
Whether it was Jonin, Chunin, Genin, or civilians, they all hailed the Fourth Generation.
When Mokgetsu took off the Hokage hat and smiled warmly at the people below, the wave of sound reached a new peak.
It was a time when the sun was fierce, and the golden sunlight shone on Mokgetsu, making his blonde hair especially dazzling.
At this moment, Mokgetsu's smile seemed truly warm, giving the ninja and the people a comforting warmth.
Then Mokgetsu raised his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet.
Under Mokgetsu's strong charismatic influence, the previously noisy environment quickly quieted down.
"I am Habu Mokgetsu. Moving forward, I will serve as Konoha's Fourth Hokage." Mokgetsu slowly said as he looked at the crowd.
Clap, clap, clap!!!
The next moment, cheers and applause surged to a pinnacle, louder than when Mokgetsu first appeared.
Countless people cheered while clapping forcefully, celebrating Mokgetsu's ascension as Hokage.
"I can't believe I once worked in the same office as Hokage, asked him to cover classes, drank and ate with him, and borrowed money from him." Iketani Isamu clapped vigorously, unable to resist recalling memories of Mokgetsu just starting at the Ninja Academy.
If Iketani Isamu were to describe Mokgetsu's growth path, it could only be described as fantasy.
At first, he just thought Mokgetsu was a somewhat capable colleague with a better future than him, but limited.
In just a couple of years, Mokgetsu became Vice Principal of the Ninja Academy and directly moved out of it.
Afterward, things were even more incredible; even the skilled Iketani Isamu couldn't comprehend it.
In over four years, he transitioned from a Chunin teacher to Hokage. Not even a ninja novel would dare write such a story.
"Truly incredible." Shimotsuke Hisanobu sighed.
As the head of the teaching department, he witnessed Mokgetsu's rise step by step in the Ninja Academy.
He had once worried that Mokgetsu might take his position as head of the teaching department, but clearly, he underestimated Mokgetsu; the Ninja Academy was too small for Mokgetsu. Mokgetsu's stage was the entire Konoha, even the entire Ninja World.
"If Lord Danzo knew from the heavens, he would certainly feel gratified." The former Root ninja, now head of the training squad, couldn't help but comment.
He was one of the surviving members of the Root who stayed at the base.
All Root ninja knew that Mokgetsu was Shimura Danzo's most prized creation, and would often use phrases like "Mokgetsu is the best Root ninja" to motivate new Root members to strive with Mokgetsu as their target.
He thought, to have Danzo's favorite Root member become what Danzo most wanted to be—a Hokage—if Mokgetsu's Root identity weren't illicit and needed to be kept confidential, it would certainly become a celebrated tale.
"Finally officially inaugurated." Yamato smiled sincerely, applauding Mokgetsu.
He was the only one of Mokgetsu's students not attending the ceremony on the rooftop, but Yamato understood; after all, he wasn't even a ninja.
"Teacher Mokgetsu, I've always believed you should become Hokage!" Asuma excitedly shouted.
As someone who had not been a Jonin for long and did not hold significant duties, he couldn't attend the rooftop ceremony and had to watch from below.
For Asuma, it didn't matter because he disliked his father using Hokage privileges on him, and he wasn't the only Jonin watching from below; most Jonin weren't qualified to attend the rooftop ceremony.
"Teacher Mokgetsu!"
Ninja who had attended Mokgetsu's classes at the Ninja Academy called out in unison.
No matter Mokgetsu's status, to them, Mokgetsu would always be their respected Teacher Mokgetsu.
"Fourth Generation, truly wonderful." Namikaze Minato gazed at Mokgetsu's especially radiant blonde silhouette in the sunlight, listening to the huge cheer below, and sighed sincerely.
As a ninja aspiring to be Hokage, Namikaze Minato had fantasized about his inauguration as Hokage.
Today's ceremony fulfilled all Minato's fantasies about the inauguration.
Even though he was not the star of the ceremony, as one of the witnesses to Mokgetsu's growth, Minato was very happy.
"It's alright, Minato, you're still young, there's still a chance." Kushina noticed the hidden envy in Namikaze Minato's eyes and comforted, holding his hand.
Namikaze Minato was slightly startled, exhaled a soft breath.
Even though Mokgetsu was ahead of Minato in many respects, making this Hokage position reasonable, watching a good friend achieve the dream he wished for was naturally envious.
"You never know, Mokgetsu might step down in ten or twenty years, and by then you'll only be in your thirties or forties, there's still time." Kushina continued.
Mokgetsu was now the youngest Kage in the entire Ninja World, ascending at twenty-two. Whether anyone would follow was uncertain, but certainly, there had been none like him before.
Namikaze Minato held Kushina's hand tightly, smiled, and softly said, "If there's a chance, we should strive for it, but if there isn't, there's no need to force it."
Mokgetsu becoming Hokage, Minato was genuinely impressed and convinced.
As long as Mokgetsu didn't voluntarily step down, Namikaze Minato wouldn't harbor thoughts of becoming Hokage, unlike Shimura Danzo, who would forcefully create opportunities if they didn't exist.
Whether it was the Jonin on the rooftop or the ninjas and civilians on the ground, everyone was harmoniously celebrating the emergence of the new Hokage.
Facing these supporters, Mokgetsu didn't hold back his smile, maintaining a warm smile to respond to everyone.
And in a vision only Mokgetsu could see, the life missions of Obito began to soar.
A bit of trivia knowledge: aside from the Second Hokage Senju Tobirama being a blood relative of the First, all Hokage up to the Seventh had a master-disciple relationship.
The disciples of a Hokage are not guaranteed to become Hokage, but those who do almost always have a Hokage master; either their teacher is a Hokage, or their teacher's teacher is a Hokage.