Every Hokage in history has had their own leadership style and long-term vision for the village.
It might sound a bit disrespectful to the First Hokage, but aside from ending the chaotic era of clan wars and ushering in the system of one village per country, his actual governance during his time as Hokage wasn't as effective as the Second Hokage's.
You could say that between the Senju brothers, one ended an era, while the other built the foundation that Konoha still stands on today.
The Anbu, the Interrogation Corps, and the Ninja Academy were all established under the guidance and leadership of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. These systems were quickly adopted by other villages as well.
The Third Hokage mostly expanded on what the Second had already put in place.
For example, the creation of the Root division, the Medical Corps, and the Technology Development Department.
When it came to the Fourth Hokage, everyone was waiting to see what new ideas he would bring.
But due to various complications—changes in personnel, shifts in leadership, the reestablishment of connections between the village and the Land of Fire, and renegotiations of power and resources—Orochimaru's energy had been stretched thin.
Just before Kagetsu was set to leave the village on a mission with his team, the first Jōnin Conference led by the Fourth Hokage Orochimaru was held in the meeting room of the Hokage's building.
All the jōnin currently in the village, along with the clan leaders and former top brass like Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had stepped down, attended the meeting.
After all, even if their past authority and influence were set aside, they still held the rank of jōnin.
"This plan… isn't it a little too extreme? The village can't handle this kind of upheaval right now."
After reading Orochimaru's proposal, Hiruzen's voice held a note of hesitation.
The proposal clearly reflected Orochimaru's personality and ambitions.
Logically, Hiruzen had come just to show support for his successor and help keep more conservative advisors like Danzo in check.
But Orochimaru's ambitions were so vast that even Hiruzen felt a chill run down his spine.
Though his later years as Hokage had been marked by indecisiveness and poor management, that didn't mean he lacked insight or skill.
He had simply lost his fire in the chaos of endless responsibilities and had become too cautious and hesitant in his decisions.
Although the document from Orochimaru only listed one goal, as Hokage, who was extremely familiar with the village's manpower, funds, and other intelligence, he immediately saw through the true cost of this plan.
It was a massive hole that even the entire Konoha village couldn't fill. If the plan wasn't so detailed and its future description so optimistic, his tone wouldn't have been as mild as it was now.
"This is absurd! Are you trying to completely ruin the village?"
The usually composed Danzo Shimura, who had been uncomfortable during this period, immediately spoke up without holding back.
"The Uchiha clan agrees."
Seeing Danzo's reaction, Uchiha Fugaku, the leader of the Uchiha clan, who had been having frequent conflicts with the Root recently, stood up and firmly spoke.
The Uchiha Jonin present in the meeting stood behind their clan leader, showing their support.
For the emotionally intense and highly emotional Uchiha ninjas, making Danzo uncomfortable was worth sacrificing some of their own interests.
And now that the Uchiha were staunch supporters of the Fourth Hokage's faction, they were enjoying the double advantage of supporting their faction and making the person they didn't like uncomfortable!
Seeing the Uchiha clan stand firm, even eager to make their stance clear, Danzo's face immediately turned dark.
"The Senju clan agrees."
Tsunade, somewhat impatient, raised her hand.
Orochimaru and Kagetsu had already discussed this plan with them, and after negotiations, they had given their approval.
So now, she was just attending the meeting as a formality on behalf of the Senju clan.
The two elderly Senju Elders behind her, despite facing the gazes of many jōnin and ninja clans in the meeting room, kept their eyes closed and remained silent.
After all, the Senju clan was practically on the brink of extinction.
Even if they stopped marrying villagers and chose to change their surname to integrate into the village, it would take years to restore their vitality.
In the plan, the Senju clan's Kekkei Genkai held great importance, so they had already entrusted everything to Tsunade to represent them.
They couldn't just let Tsunade fall into despair again and leave the village, like before.
"The Hyuga clan agrees." Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on NoveI(F)ire.net
Hyuga Hiashi, who inherited the position of Hyuga clan leader, calmly raised his hand.
Thanks to the Byakugan's unique abilities, the Hyuga clan had always held a high position in the village.
Of course, this was also because of their relatively peaceful attitude toward the village's politics.
No matter who becomes Hokage, they could never ignore or abandon the Hyuga clan's Byakugan. The Hyuga clan only needed to follow the Hokage's orders.
Moreover, just a few days ago, Orochimaru and Kagetsu had personally offered the Hyuga clan a tempting proposal. Or rather, an entry ticket to the future!
Thinking about the strange power within Hyuga's Byakugan, the power that could push the Hyuga Byakugan to evolve and transform, much like the Uchiha's Sharingan, Hyuga Hiashi's expression became stern, yet more resolute.
As one of Konoha's prestigious clans, the Hyuga clan may keep a low profile and remain humble among the villagers, but they knew well that everything they had was built upon their Kekkei Genkai and power.
If the Hyuga clan didn't follow Orochimaru, the clans who chose to align with him might soon surpass them under the influence of that power.
Hyuga Hiashi would never allow this to happen during his tenure!
If the Third Hokage were still in charge, then no matter how magnificent the future Orochimaru painted or how powerful Byakugan's potential seemed, Hiashi and the clan elders would still have hesitated.
Since Orochimaru is now the Fourth Hokage and has already started to take control of the village's power with a firm grip, he has more freedom.
Naturally, the Hyuga clan decided to keep everything as it was.
Whoever becomes Hokage, I'll support them!
"The Nara clan agrees."
Not long ago, Nara Kagetsu reluctantly took the position of clan leader of the Nara clan and also replaced Nara Shikakichi as the leader of the Jonin class. He weakly raised his hand.
After him, the Akimichi clan and the Yamanaka clan also followed and made their statements.
The three clans of Ino-Shika-Cho have always advanced and retreated together.
As long as the Nara clan, the brain of the three, makes a decision, the Akimichi and Yamanaka clans will not have any objections.
Although the Ino-Shika-Cho clans are loyal to the Sarutobi clan, this loyalty comes with the condition that there are no conflicts with the Hokage of the village.
Anyway, the Fourth Hokage is a disciple of Sarutobi Hiruzen, and Nara Kagetsu is a disciple of Orochimaru.
This is an internal matter among their masters and apprentices.
Kagetsu just wanted the meeting to end so he could go home; he had been too busy lately, feeling like he wasn't even acting like a Nara anymore!
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