At this moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen had already handed over much of the Hokage's authority to Orochimaru. He had also revealed many of the village's secrets.
Looking at Orochimaru's still youthful face, Hiruzen felt a bit unwilling—but also somewhat at peace—as he gave a final reminder.
"If everything goes smoothly, once I return from the Land of Fire's Daimyo, you will become the Fourth Hokage."
"What about Minato?" Orochimaru, who had once also pursued the position of Hokage, didn't look particularly excited upon hearing the news. Staring at his now older teacher, his emotions were a bit complicated.
"Minato..." Hiruzen fell silent for a moment, closing his eyes as smoke from his pipe rose around him. "If not for you, he would've been an excellent choice for Hokage.
In fact, I truly struggled between choosing you or him. Minato is bright and optimistic—someone easily liked and trusted by others. His love for the village is unmatched.
Not just the regular villagers and shinobi—even the various clans, large and small, recognize his character and strength.
If he became Hokage, the village would likely enjoy a peaceful and stable period of recovery.
And you? The things you and Danzo did in secret... if they were ever exposed, your reputation would suffer a major blow.
But you handled it well. All the blame was pinned on Danzo. You also created the Technology Development Department and formed strong ties of mutual interest with many clans who possess Kekkei Genkai and secret techniques.
If you become Hokage, your position might be more secure than Minato's. You might even be able to finally deal with the Root division—our biggest hidden problem."
"Teacher, do you also think Root is a big problem?" Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, mocking the mention of Root from his former teacher.
After all, Root becoming what it is today was entirely the result of the Hokage before him—who shaped and allowed it to grow unchecked.
"I know what you're thinking." Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't open his eyes. His expression seemed to drift into memories. "Root was born out of necessity at the time. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ Nove1Fire.net
Tobirama-sensei died too suddenly. Although I was granted the position of Hokage, taking full control over the village's power, balancing the interests of each shinobi clan... I needed help.
First and foremost, I needed to control the Anbu, which reported directly to the Hokage. But the Anbu's inner workings and darkness—you, Orochimaru, should be very familiar with that.
Without a proper handover, gaining full control over such a large organization required some drastic measures."
"So Danzo and I discussed creating Root. We gave it the responsibility and authority to train Anbu members. During that time, with Danzo and I working together, we managed to take full control of the Anbu forces.
Back then, Danzo hadn't shown much ambition yet. Under his leadership, Root completed many extremely dangerous missions, gathered vital intel, and eliminated numerous threats to the village.
He even suffered multiple life-threatening injuries while carrying out those missions."
"So, what you're trying to say is... you want me to accept the existence of Root and Danzo?" Orochimaru listened to his teacher's words, his expression completely unchanged.
Although he was known as "Cold Lord" and had a cold and ruthless personality, that didn't mean he had no emotions.
It's just that among the people he cared about and poured emotions into, Danzo wasn't one of them.
Besides, when necessary, he could even sacrifice the emotional ties he had.
"I was just reminiscing about the past," Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head. "The foundation of Root was good in the beginning. But over time, Danzo became more stubborn and obsessive, and his twisted thoughts eventually corrupted his soul."
"When I realized the change, Root had already grown too big to control. It had merged its power with the Anbu."
"For a time, I couldn't even tell whether the Anbu was still directly under me, the Hokage, or if it had become Danzo's tool!"
"I did my best to limit Root's power and separate its duties from the Anbu, but Root's growth was inevitable."
"Its influence had already reached deep into many parts of the village. Even as Hokage, wiping out Root isn't something that can be done easily."
"Not to mention, most of Root's missions outside the village were high-risk, and they truly did resolve many problems for the village."
"Lastly, in the Land of Fire, Danzo had the support of nobles and the approval of the daimyo."
"I never intended to completely destroy Root or Danzo," Orochimaru said openly.
"I used to be part of Root, so I understand how they operate better than most. As long as Danzo doesn't cross my bottom line, I can tolerate his existence."
"That's up to you. It's your problem to consider. But if you do want to deal with Root or make big changes, then the time right after the war, when the village is rebuilding, is the best chance."
"I'll try to convince Danzo and the others to retire with me, to make room for Minato and Tsunade. But…" Hiruzen opened his eyes, and in the end, waved his hand weakly. Clearly, he realized that those old comrades probably wouldn't be willing to step down with him.
Although he had often considered stepping down, if it weren't for the internal opposition in the village and the constant pressure from the daimyo and nobles of the Land of Fire, he wouldn't have resigned so quickly and in such a disgraceful manner.
Rather than having an undignified exit later, it was better to be realistic now and support someone they liked while they still had some influence.
Neither of them mentioned Jiraiya.
They both knew very well that what Jiraiya sought was the Child of Prophecy foretold by Mount Myōboku—the one destined to bring peace to the ninja world.
If the village didn't need him, Jiraiya would probably still be wandering the ninja world, searching for that so-called true Child of Destiny.
Most likely, once the war ended, Jiraiya would leave the village again to continue his journey and search. Trying to tie him down with a position was nearly impossible.
And the reason it was only "nearly" impossible was because Tsunade might be the only one who could keep him using emotional ties.
But right now, her mind was entirely focused on reviving her lover and her younger brother. She probably didn't care where Jiraiya was.
After sending Orochimaru off, Sarutobi Hiruzen stood by the window. He knew Orochimaru would never allow Mitokado Homura and the others to boss him around for long.
If it were Namikaze Minato, things might be better.
But if they chose Minato, the forces backing Orochimaru could very well shake the foundation of the village.
With Kumogakure stirring, Kirigakure still at war, and Konoha's ninja forces already stretched thin after the recent major conflict, they couldn't afford any internal turmoil right now.
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