Laktozlu
3 days ago
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Silence! A deathly silence!
The two elders were completely dumbfounded.
Seeing Orochimaru utter such 'treasonous' words, yet not a single person in the entire venue stepped forward to refute him even slightly...
At this moment, their hearts were completely dead!
Even though they were extremely reluctant to give up power in their hearts, they understood very well that if they didn't declare their stance immediately, they might well become 'Rogue Ninjas' by tomorrow!
No way! There really was no way out!
Now that even Hiruzen Sarutobi had withdrawn, what could the two of them possibly do?
"I... resign!"
"I also resign!"
The two spoke one after another, clearly admitting defeat.
Finally, without waiting for anyone else to speak, they took their family members and left just like that.
There was no choice!
The current tide was not in their favor. If they stayed here and invited gossip, they might end up committing suicide with eight stabs in the back tonight.
Clearly, they knew very well in their hearts how many resources they had embezzled from all the Ninjas and major Ninja Clans during their many years of ruling Konoha. When they were in power, many things were naturally fine.
Now that they had no power in their hands, Danzo had been directly executed, and Hiruzen Sarutobi had also indicated he didn't want to cause trouble.
For them, just protecting themselves from here on out would be good enough!
Even... now they should be thinking more about how to avoid being liquidated.
...
Five minutes later.
Following the departure of the two elders, the powerhouses of the various Ninja Clans all gathered around.
Was Orochimaru a Rogue Ninja?
Why was Minato Namikaze walking together with him?
Haha!
No one cared.
Because everyone knew very well why Orochimaru became a Rogue Ninja.
Human experimentation? That was nonsense!
The Five Great Ninja Villages basically all had similar research. As long as the test subjects weren't from their own Village, no one would bother you about such things.
What about Orochimaru?
Although he researched Hashirama cells and the Uchiha Sharingan, the problem was that he was just an executor.
The higher-ups assigned tasks, and Orochimaru was just responsible for them!
Who gave them to him?
Danzo!
How did Danzo get the Sharingan? The perceptive people in the Village understood!
Hashirama cells, let alone that.
Without Hiruzen Sarutobi's approval, where would Orochimaru go to get Hashirama cells?
At the very beginning!
Orochimaru never thought about using the Village's Ninjas. It was only later, after Minato Namikaze failed to be selected, that he finally chose to give up and let things take their course. But even then, he never personally captured anyone; it was Danzo's Root that was responsible for capturing and providing them, and Orochimaru was merely responsible for the experiments.
But, in the end?
When the matter was finally exposed, Danzo, the mastermind, suffered nothing, and Hiruzen Sarutobi, the approver, also put on a pure and innocent facade.
In the end, after branding Orochimaru as a Rogue Ninja, the matter was just glossed over!
So.
Perhaps the ordinary Ninjas and villagers who didn't understand the Village might have some misunderstandings about Orochimaru, but those in power in the Village would not. In their view, Orochimaru was at most just a loser in a power struggle.
And that was only because Orochimaru was disheartened and couldn't be bothered to argue with the Village!
Otherwise...
Minato Namikaze wouldn't have ascended so easily, and the Konoha Higher-ups like Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't have been able to control the Village's power so easily.
To put it bluntly.
Don't look at Orochimaru as someone who doesn't care about bonds, with a cold and ruthless face.
But, in reality!
In this Ninja World, which was only slightly better than chaotic and disorderly, Orochimaru was actually already considered a good leader. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had so many people willing to work for him after his rebellion, and even after becoming a Rogue Ninja, there were still people willing to sacrifice themselves for him.
Similarly.
In the original work, when Orochimaru killed Hiruzen Sarutobi, this was also the reason why everyone didn't step in to stop it.
No one is a fool!
"Fourth Hokage, Lord Orochimaru!"
"Since Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others have resigned, we need to discuss how to handle the Village's affairs from here on out."
"However, I still suggest that Lord Minato take the position first and be responsible for the Village's operations for a period of time."
"As for afterwards..."
"Lord Orochimaru, you should take over as the Fifth Hokage!"
"Of course."
"A few rumors are not difficult to solve. Just open up some of Root's files and dump all the dirt on Danzo!"
"These things are not difficult to handle; just leave them to me!"
The first to speak was Shikaku Nara clan, who appeared very excited at this moment.
There was no choice!
Because Ino–Shika–Chō had previously supported Minato Namikaze, the impact on the three clans was very significant following Minato Namikaze's sacrifice. Now, apart from him and Inoichi Yamanaka barely having some power, the three clans basically had no position among the Konoha Higher-ups.
Now that Minato Namikaze had returned and Hiruzen Sarutobi had chosen to yield.
This was a good thing!
If he couldn't seize this good opportunity, then he wouldn't be worthy of the name Nara clan.
Even...
Even if it meant letting Orochimaru ascend to the Fifth Hokage, he was even willing to take the initiative to help him clear his name.
This alone was enough to show how miserably Hiruzen Sarutobi had bullied Ino–Shika–Chō during his reign.
If Ino–Shika–Chō were like this, other Ninja Clans, and even the Civilians, went without saying!
It was just that they lacked a leader before. Now that they had Minato Namikaze leading them, even though he was currently just an Edo Tensei body, they were still willing to stand on Minato Namikaze's side.
Don't ask why they didn't stand directly on Minato Namikaze's side just now, because anyone who could ask such a question only proved that their level was a bit too low!
Because Hiruzen Sarutobi was the one in power; abstaining and staying neutral was in itself a statement.
It was just that as Ninja Clans, they needed to prepare for the worst!
Even if the probability of Minato Namikaze failing was only 1%, they had to consider this layer and must leave a final retreat for their clansmen.
After all...
Normal people are not Uchiha; it's impossible for them to do that black-and-white thing!
That kind of method that leaves no retreat, I have to say that the fact the Uchiha could survive to this day is, in some sense, a miracle. Of course, from the side, it is also enough to see the strength of the Uchiha bloodline.
Otherwise.
If it were replaced by another clan with a less powerful bloodline, following the Uchiha's style of conduct, they would have been exterminated countless times by now!
"The Akimichi Clan, agrees!"
"The Yamanaka Clan, no objections!"
"The Aburame Clan, agrees!"
"..."
The various Ninja Clans expressed their stances one after another, and almost no one chose to refuse.
There was no choice!
Minato Namikaze's charisma was indeed too strong. Even though he had only been Hokage for less than a year, he still left everyone with unforgettable memories.
Now, even though the other party was just an Edo Tensei body, they still made their choice without hesitation!
Even the civilian Jonin who rushed over, and even a portion of the Anbu, now seeing that Hiruzen Sarutobi was willing to retire, they also made their own choices without hesitation.
Agreed!
Regardless of Minato Namikaze's current state, no one had any objections to him being Hokage!