He said that if he mentioned it outside, hardly anyone would believe him; when Senju Hashirama was the same age as Mokgetsu, his strength wasn't actually stronger than Mokgetsu's.
In Sarutobi Hiruzen's opinion, Mokgetsu was somewhat like a composite of the First through the Third Hokage.
The First's heaven-defying Wood Release talent, the Second's Ninjutsu development, and Sarutobi Hiruzen's Ninjutsu genius—Mokgetsu had all of these.
The Daimyo was a bit surprised; he didn't expect Sarutobi Hiruzen to even bring out Senju Hashirama for comparison.
Because he was the founder of Konoha and possessed terrifying strength, Senju Hashirama held a transcendent position in Konoha, and even though the Second and Third Hokage were highly regarded, no one ever claimed to measure up to the First.
"Then I'll wait for your good news," the Daimyo said with a smile.
His relationship with Konoha was mutually beneficial; a stronger Konoha was also better for the Land of Fire.
"Congratulations, Mokgetsu. It won't be long before I have to call you Fourth Hokage," Namikaze Minato said as he walked alongside Mokgetsu with a smile.
Currently, Mokgetsu was only confirmed as the candidate for Fourth Hokage, and would only truly become Hokage after the succession ceremony.
"No need to call me Fourth Hokage; actually, I think you'd be more suitable to become Hokage," Mokgetsu shook his head.
If he could pass on the role of Hokage, he truly wanted to give it to Namikaze Minato.
In reality, Mokgetsu couldn't step down. If he forcibly made Namikaze Minato Hokage, it would only spark conspiracy theories and oppositional voices in the village, which would harm Namikaze Minato.
Mokgetsu's qualifications could easily surpass Orochimaru, let alone Namikaze Minato.
Because of Mokgetsu's influence, Namikaze Minato's battle achievements weren't as impressive as in the original text, and even being nominated would subject him to criticism.
"That's your misunderstanding. Mokgetsu, I'm very happy that you recognize my abilities, but if even you can't handle being Hokage, it would be even harder for me," Namikaze Minato said earnestly.
After the high-level meeting ended, Sarutobi Hiruzen had summoned Namikaze Minato and told him about Mokgetsu's desire to nominate him as Fourth Hokage.
Mokgetsu's trust in him deeply moved Namikaze Minato, but he indeed couldn't compare with Mokgetsu in terms of capabilities.
"Since you've become Hokage, Mokgetsu, you need to confront yourself, and not be overly modest. So many people voted for you, which shows everyone trusts your ability."
Seeing that Namikaze Minato was serious in his lecture, Mokgetsu could only nod and agree.
People do not understand each other's joys and sorrows.
Compared to the affairs of the Hokage, Mokgetsu had other matters of greater significance to him to attend to.
Once again, Mokgetsu silently thanked Senju Tobirama in his heart.
Shadow Clones were truly handy, especially after obtaining the Yang Seal.
The teaching effect of Shadow Clones did not match the original body, but it was sufficient to handle Konoha's affairs.
Half an hour after the meeting ended, Sarutobi Hiruzen announced the confirmation of Mokgetsu as the Fourth Hokage, with the succession ceremony scheduled for a week later.
After all, the Hokage is the supreme leader of Konoha, unlike school teachers at the Ninja Academy where you can easily change someone; there were many matters to handle.
In fact, Sarutobi Hiruzen had already been preparing after the decision was made; otherwise, a week wouldn't have been enough.
The news that Mokgetsu was about to assume the role of Fourth Hokage quickly spread throughout the whole of Konoha.
"As expected, Mokgetsu is going to serve as Hokage.
"Although Lord Orochimaru is good, I still think Mokgetsu's assistant can better lead Konoha to prosperity and strength."
"What do you mean, Mokgetsu's assistant! It's our esteemed Fourth Hokage!"
"What's going on, gathering here and making noise?" A Uchiha Ninja on patrol in Konoha's streets stepped forward and scolded when he saw people gathered and clamoring.
The crowd immediately became silent, after all they were members of the Uchiha Police Department; they truly had the authority to lock people up.
"Dear Master, we heard that Mokgetsu will be inaugurated as Hokage soon, so we were happy and our voices spontaneously got a bit louder," someone gathered courage and explained.
"Mokgetsu is about to be inaugurated?!" The leading Uchiha Jonin showed a surprised expression.
A new era for the Uchiha was finally about to begin.
With this in mind, the Uchiha Jonin's mood improved significantly, and the gathered crowd didn't seem so obtrusive anymore.
"Keep your voices down a bit, so as not to disturb others," the Uchiha Jonin simply said before leaving with his group.
The people showed surprised expressions; just now some among them were prepared to be detained by these Uchihas on some pretext for a few hours.
They were not being paranoid, as there were indeed many such rumors.
There were rumors that the Uchihas, in a bad mood, might even detain a passerby simply for accidentally dropping something on the ground under the pretext of it being a disruption to Konoha's environment.
Other rumors claimed that the Uchihas looked down on all those outside of the Uchiha Clan, regardless of age, flipping stalls even if it belonged to the elderly if not set according to regulations.
However, regarding this rumor, many elders in Konoha held opposing views, claiming it wasn't fair to lump all Uchiha members together, as there were good Uchihas not employed in the Police Department.
In summary, there were many tales about the Uchiha in Konoha, but most carried a bad reputation.
"Maybe they're in a good mood today," the public thought to themselves.
Hyuga Clan district.
"Such a pity. In recent years, the Ninja from our clan are merely adequate at best, none of them have caught the eye of Mokgetsu's assistant," Hyuga Hiashi sighed.
Being part of a Dojutsu bloodline family with numerous Jonin, the Hyuga Clan had always regarded the Uchiha as rivals.
And the soon-to-be Hokage, Mokgetsu, had two disciples from the Uchiha Clan but none from the Hyuga, which was undoubtedly disadvantageous to them.
Hyuga Hiashi had never before worried about the Hyuga Clan's position in Konoha.
This was because the Byakugan held great strategic significance, with its powerful long-distance observation ability unmatched by the Sharingan.
Now things were different; Mokgetsu's development of the Observation Secret Technique was far superior to ordinary Perception Ninjutsu, and even very helpful in combat.
While the Observation Secret Technique wouldn't directly cause the Hyuga Clan to lose their jobs, its importance certainly wasn't what it once was.
"Hopefully, some outstanding children will be born soon,"
Hyuga Hiashi prayed; he did not want the Hyuga Clan to decline under his leadership.
The clans associated with Mokgetsu were excited about his Hokage succession, while those without ties to Mokgetsu had some concerns about the future.
...
Despite being Mokgetsu's competitor, Orochimaru didn't find out about Mokgetsu's succession until the evening.
He had been in the laboratory studying Hashirama Cells with the training team all day, so no one knew where to find him to notify him.
It was when Mokgetsu invited him to dinner that he finally heard the news.
"Congratulations, Mokgetsu-kun," Orochimaru said with a faint smile.
He had already laid down, as he had no intention of competing with Mokgetsu for Hokage; otherwise, he wouldn't have stayed in the lab all the time without taking action.
Orochimaru knew he couldn't win the contest, and might as well use the opportunity to showcase his sincerity to Mokgetsu.
"This Hokage election is truly well done," Tsunade said, nodding in satisfaction at the sumptuous meal on the table.
Indeed, it was Tsunade who suggested the celebration party for Mokgetsu's Hokage succession.
She had it all planned out; once Mokgetsu officially became Hokage, they could celebrate once again.
After Mokgetsu had been Hokage for a week, they could celebrate the one-week anniversary.
"One week is too much; it's at least one year anniversary," Shizune couldn't help but retort.
Only then did Tsunade realize she had subconsciously voiced her thoughts.
"You misheard, I said one year," Tsunade said, rubbing Shizune's cheek.
The chances were high that Mokgetsu wouldn't agree to a one-week celebration.
"It's a one-week, indeed; I heard it too," Obito stepped up and said.
"Hmm?" Tsunade raised her fist.
"Uh, on further thought, it might be one year," Obito retreated.
It wasn't that he ignored the ties of friendship, but that Tsunade didn't consider age when hitting.