The Hidden Sand Village deploying three thousand Ninja troops is almost their limit, while Konoha can easily field an army of ten thousand. The disparity in strength between the two sides is immense, and the reason for their strong stance is that the Hidden Sand Village has no other choice.
The Shadow of a Village died just like that, with no body to be found, and the meticulously planned operation became a laughingstock. Bow and apologize, then retreat directly? For the sake of face, they had to remain unyielding to the end.
They had to at least feign a strong stance, otherwise the morale within the Village would crumble.
The Hidden Sand Village was gambling that Konoha wouldn't dare to start a war.
Even if war broke out, they weren't afraid. If they couldn't win, they would just disappear into the desert. Could Konoha really cross the vast sea of sand to pursue them?
The Hidden Sand Village was simply too poor, and they had nothing to lose. Their poverty made them unafraid of war.
They were well-practiced in this kind of extortion; it wasn't the first time, nor would it be the last.
The Third Hokage ignored the Hidden Sand Village's war extortion and launched a charm offensive, having Tsunade, Kakashi, and even Naruto—anyone who could talk to him—take turns persuading Jiraiya.
Jiraiya wasn't his most satisfying disciple, but now he was the most satisfying disciple. If he wasn't, he was now!
"Hey, the old man wants you to be Hokage, why do you refuse? Is it just because of the Mount Myōboku toad sage's prophecy?" Only Tsunade could ask so directly.
The two were drinking in a small tavern in the Village, without attendants, just the two of them.
Jiraiya was quite serious this time. In the past two days, Kakashi and Asuma had both talked to him. The Ino–Shika–Choji families, Hyuga, Inuzuka, Aburame, and other Ninja clans, as well as Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu, had all expressed their opinions. Danzo certainly disagreed, but this time he couldn't come up with any good reasons to object.
Everyone hoped he would become the Hokage, but he himself didn't want to.
He took a sip of sake at this moment, and the drink tasted a bit bitter.
"I really don't have that ability, and my personality isn't suitable... Like the old man, sitting in the office every day handling official business? That's really not what I want." A hint of fear appeared on Jiraiya's face; the thought of himself sitting obediently in an office handling official business was simply too terrifying!
He liked and was accustomed to a free and easy life and really didn't want to tie himself down to this Village.
He preferred to be a guardian, not a controller.
Tsunade understood his character well. She didn't want to do something she wouldn't want others to do to her. Tsunade herself didn't want to be Hokage, so she naturally didn't want to push Jiraiya into this fiery pit. After persuading him for a couple more sentences, she raised her wine glass, ready to continue drinking and change the subject.
Anyway, the Third Hokage asked her to help persuade him, and she did. If Jiraiya didn't agree, what could she do?
Suddenly, Naruto burst out from a hidden corner.
He jumped directly onto the table in front of the two and pointed at Jiraiya.
Naruto was very angry, and a hint of disappointment even appeared in his eyes as he looked at Jiraiya.
"Pervy Sage, why do you refuse to be Hokage? Aren't you one of the legendary Sannin? Is it a shameful thing to become someone like Third Grandpa and the Fourth Hokage? I'm going to beat you up!"
Naruto lunged forward, flailing his arms, and Tsunade quickly grabbed his clothes, while glancing outside the tavern to see Kakashi smiling sheepishly and waving at her.
What prophecy, what lack of motivation—those were all excuses.
Jiraiya's lack of self-confidence, his constant belief that he was a failure, was the key.
Everyone's persuasion had been useless. At this point, deploying Naruto was a last resort.
If Naruto's Talk no Jutsu had a 150% effect on Tsunade, it had a 200% effect on Jiraiya. Jiraiya thought of his disciple, Minato Namikaze, whenever he saw Naruto.
Neither Shikaku, the Third Hokage, Kakashi, nor Tsunade had as much effect as Naruto at this moment. Seeing Naruto's expectant gaze, his heart was greatly moved, and the words he had prepared to refuse finally showed clear signs of wavering.
He said he needed to think about it seriously, and then he left alone.
While Jiraiya was indecisive, Danzo had already begun to act swiftly.
He secretly went to the capital of the Land of Fire, returned a day later, and in the Third Hokage's hospital room, he presented an appointment letter personally signed by the Lord of the Land of Fire. The Lord of the Land of Fire agreed that Danzo Shimura would succeed as the Fifth Hokage after Hiruzen Sarutobi's retirement.
Danzo was very pleased and asked, "Hiruzen, there's no problem with the Lord of the Land of Fire's signature, is there?"
Homura Mitokado looked strange, not understanding how such a document came to be.
The Third Hokage lay in his sickbed, his eyes very cloudy. He knew perfectly well that his old friend must have used methods he was unaware of, and this was definitely not the Lord of the Land of Fire's true intention.
"I don't know what Ninjutsu you used on the Lord of the Land of Fire, but, Danzo, your actions have once again crossed the line."
Danzo didn't care at all: "What? You think I forged this? Then let's all go to the capital, and the Lord of the Land of Fire can personally state his decision. Is that acceptable?"
The Third Hokage pondered, unable to figure out what Ninjutsu Danzo used to change the Lord of the Land of Fire's will. Logically, there were also powerful Ninja around the Lord of the Land of Fire; did they just stand by and watch? Or were those Ninja also bribed by Danzo?
The Third Hokage was exhausted. After only a short period of thought, he felt dizzy and disoriented.
He didn't have the strength for a lengthy speech and could only shake his head: "I don't agree. This is an unlawful order. The appointment of a Village's Shadow is recommended by the Ninja Village, and the Lord of the Land of Fire only has the right to agree or disagree. This of yours..."
He pointed weakly at the document: "...is not in accordance with procedure."
Danzo threw the appointment letter in front of him: "The Lord of the Land of Fire's appointment, the reconstruction materials for the Land of Fire—are you going to reject all of these?"
When money and reconstruction were mentioned, Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu hesitated.
The Lord of the Land of Fire's appointment still carried some weight in their hearts.
Konoha lacked money, materials, and personnel in all aspects, and the Lord of the Land of Fire had all of these.
If Danzo's appointment as Hokage was rejected, would the Lord of the Land of Fire then not provide these things?
The Third Hokage pondered for a long time. In order to keep Danzo hanging, he could only temporarily take a step back. He said, "This appointment does not comply with procedure. I can step down, and after I die, you can go to the capital to hold a meeting to formally confirm the candidate for Hokage. During this time, you can temporarily act as Hokage."
Although it wasn't a direct appointment, an acting Hokage was still a Hokage. Danzo was satisfied with this and looked at the other two Advisors.
The two could only nod in agreement.
"Good, then I shall act as Hokage. Hiruzen, you can be an Advisor for now. Take good care of your health; the Village still needs your wisdom and experience." Having obtained what he wanted, Danzo left the hospital room triumphantly.
The Third Hokage was not a law-abiding, honest man. If you start it, I'll finish it. He immediately called Shikaku, and the two discussed in low voices for over an hour.
The Book of Array was still very clear. The Ninjutsu Danzo used to control Mifune was Kotoamatsukami. This Ninjutsu must be very strong, but since it could be detected by the Byakugan, there was no need to overly mythologize it.
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