Chapter 171
It was… Danzo Shimura!
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned, "Danzo, weren't we discussing important matters earlier?"
Danzo Shimura casually sat down next to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
He closed his eyes and snorted coldly, "You know very well what I'm talking about!"
"Such a major incident has occurred, and the culprit is Orochimaru, but wasn't it you, Hiruzen, who let the tiger return to the mountains and left such a huge hidden danger?!"
Everyone's hearts instantly trembled.
Danzo Shimura appearing at this moment and directly pointing the spear at Hokage-sama, could it be that he intends to… Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression changed.
"Indeed, that was a grave mistake I made…"
"Moreover, Orochimaru was originally my disciple, so no matter what, I cannot escape responsibility…"
Danzo Shimura sneered, "It's good that you know!"
"To cause such immense losses to the Village, as Hokage, you are already duty-bound, and since all of this is due to your negligence and misdeeds, your guilt should be compounded!"
Utatane Koharu frowned, "Danzo, what are you trying to say?"
"It's simple…"
"Resign due to fault, and yield your position to a worthy successor!"
Immediately, everyone was in an uproar!
Homura Mitokado also changed his expression, "Danzo, now is not the time to be saying such things, is it?!"
"Konoha Village is in ruins awaiting reconstruction, troubled both internally and externally. Instead of finding ways to deal with the predicament, you're first pursuing accountability?!"
Danzo Shimura coldly snorted, "It is precisely because of Hiruzen's incompetence that the current predicament has arisen!"
"Isn't that the fundamental reason?!"
"The so-called Hokage is the leader of a Village, bearing the safety of the entire Village. If the chosen person is unsuitable, it will only cause Konoha Village to sink deeper into the mire!"
Everyone understood in their hearts that Danzo Shimura wanted to use this incident to exert pressure and force Hiruzen Sarutobi to abdicate.
As for the new Hokage candidate… of course, it would be him himself!
This matter was not without precedent.
After the Third Shinobi World War, due to the heavy losses suffered by Konoha Village, Hiruzen Sarutobi, as Hokage, had once abdicated.
However, at that time he supported Minato Namikaze, while Danzo Shimura supported Orochimaru, and did not personally run for election.
The result is well-known.
This time, Danzo Shimura clearly did not want to continue hiding in the shadows.
For a moment, everyone looked towards Hiruzen Sarutobi, awaiting his decision.
Hiruzen Sarutobi said in a deep voice, "Danzo, regarding your pursuit of my responsibility, I have nothing to shirk."
"If you want me to abdicate and yield my position to a worthy successor, I can accept that…"
"Hokage-sama!"
"It's alright, listen to me."
"However, even if I abdicate, I will never let you, Danzo Shimura, become the Hokage of Konoha Village!"
Danzo Shimura's expression changed drastically, "You, what did you say?!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi coldly snorted, "I only ask you one question…"
"During the Konoha Crush Plan, when the war was so brutal, and all the Konoha Ninja were fighting to the death…"
"Where were you, Danzo Shimura?!"
"And where was your Root underling?!"
This single sentence instantly left Danzo Shimuraspeechless.
"We in Root are inherently a force in the shadows; direct warfare is not our duty."
Hiruzen Sarutobi sneered.
"Do you even believe that nonsense yourself?"
"Anbu is also a department that handles special affairs, but when enemies reached our doorstep, which ANBU Ninja didn't fight to the death?!"
"Danzo, I understand your intentions. You merely want to preserve your strength so that you and Root can dominate and seize more power!"
"Konoha Village will never be handed over to someone like you!"
Danzo Shimura was furious, "Hiruzen, you…"
"What's more, you said I let the tiger return to the mountains, leaving behind a scourge like Orochimaru. This is true, but on the other hand…"
"The person who supported Orochimaru's candidacy for Hokage back then, who secretly conducted forbidden jutsu experiments with Orochimaru, and even remained connected to him after Orochimaru's defection…"
"Wasn't that you, Danzo Shimura?!"
For a moment, Danzo Shimura was speechless, and his expression grew increasingly grim.
Everyone secretly agreed in their hearts.
Even if Hiruzen Sarutobi had made mistakes, Danzo Shimura was certainly not a good candidate!
Hiruzen Sarutobi finally said, "I can resign due to fault, but that will be after the turmoil of this incident has subsided."
"Furthermore, I will not hand the Hokage position over to someone like Danzo!"
Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado exchanged glances.
"Then, Hiruzen, do you have a suitable candidate in mind?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Jiraiya, who was leaning against the wall in the corner.
Utatane Koharu understood immediately.
"Jiraiya, do you have such resolve?"
Jiraiya was momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter.
"Me? Being Hokage?"
"Let's just forget about it, I'm not cut out for that…"
"A wanderer like me is more suited to roam the four seas, gathering material everywhere. I have no objection to executing various missions, but you want me to stay in the Village, sit in the Hokage Office, and deal with countless documents?"
"Please find someone else!"
Homura Mitokado frowned, "Where else is there a more suitable candidate than you right now?"
"You are Hiruzen's disciple and Minato's teacher. In terms of background and lineage, you are unparalleled."
"In terms of strength and prestige, you are one of the Legendary Sannin; only you can deter that scoundrel Orochimaru…"
Jiraiya interrupted him.
"That's not how it is."
"Moreover, in terms of these things, isn't there still one person who has a more impeccable background than me, and equally possesses both strength and prestige?"
Utatane Koharu said, "You mean…"
"Tsunade?"
Homura Mitokado said, "She is indeed very suitable, but she has been away from Konoha Village for a long time, and no one knows where she went…"
Jiraiya scratched his head, "If Sarutobi-sensei truly intends to abdicate, and the Village urgently needs a successor, then this matter can be entrusted to me."
"I will go find Tsunade and persuade her to return to the Village to be the Hokage. How about that?"
Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado exchanged glances.
"Hiruzen, what do you think?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, "Tsunade is indeed very suitable. As for Jiraiya, he can continue to support her work from behind; this arrangement is the best."
"However, Jiraiya, are you truly confident you can persuade her to return?"
Jiraiya smiled, "That's my business, don't worry, Sarutobi-sensei."
Hiruzen Sarutobi said in a deep voice, "Good, then I will entrust this matter to you."
"But before that, we still need to deal with the current predicament!"
Just then.
"Hokage-sama, Jonin Baki from Hidden Sand Village requests an audience!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned slightly.
"Oh? He actually returned to Konoha Village?"
Kakashi's heart stirred, "He's probably here for Gaara…"
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded.
"Hmm, let him in…"
"It's time to settle this matter with Sunagakure!"
…Afterward, Konoha Village and Sunagakure entered a phase of peace talks.
And the series of events that followed led the entire situation to its destined conclusion.
First, of course, was the discovery of Kazekage Rasa's corpse.
This confirmed Orochimaru's betrayal and left Sunagakure completely in a tragic state of being leaderless.
At the Elder Council meeting of Sunagakure, the atmosphere was incredibly tense, as if they had returned to the eve of the Third Shinobi World War.
Ultimately, all the elders unanimously passed a resolution… to completely surrender to Konoha Village!
To restore their allied status!
This was merely a pleasant way of putting it; in essence, it meant that Sunagakure had completely become a vassal of Konoha Village!
But this was Sunagakure's only choice.
The Kazekage was tragically killed, the One-Tail Jinchuriki Gaara was captured, and they suffered heavy casualties in the war… At this point, they had no bargaining chips whatsoever.
Even so, they still had to consider Konoha Village's feelings, whether they could forgive their betrayal and once again accept this so-called "alliance."
Fortunately, Konoha Village also suffered considerable losses. Taking the larger picture into account, they accepted Sunagakure's "alliance."
The two sides once again shook hands and made peace, declaring the complete end of the war.
Gaara was returned to Sunagakure.
Of course, this was the result of a huge price.
Konoha Village was not foolish enough to reconcile without complaint after being betrayed by an ally.
Sunagakure already had a harsh environment and weak national power. After this war, and the subsequent cession of interests, atonement payments, and so on, its economy plummeted, completely losing the qualifications and ability to expand outwards.
Thus, dependence on Konoha Village was their only option.
Baki stayed in Konoha Village for over half a month.
Acting almost as the interim Kazekage, he engaged in various negotiations with Konoha Village. The final outcome was certainly not perfect, but it was the limit of what he could achieve.
On the day of their departure, he, along with his three disciples—Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro—bid farewell to the people of Konoha Village.
This included Naruto and the rest of Team 7.
After Gaara awoke, it took him a long time to gradually accept the fact that he had been completely defeated by Naruto.