69novels Page 64
Page 64
Although this ascension to power was rather lackluster, lacking even a proper ceremony, it was a decision made by the daimyo, and Nara Shikaku and the others could not change it.
Because of the special status of the Daimyo, even if the highest leader of the Land of Fire does not have the Daimyo's approval, the Hokage cannot be elected.
Of course, if the Hokage appoints the leader and the Jonin votes for trust, then it's basically a done deal. The Daimyo can't possibly ignore the support of the current Hokage and most of the Jonin in the village.
Furthermore, the current Hokage election system is relatively simple because the Hokage has a lot of power, and as long as the current Hokage designates a successor, the village generally accepts it.
It started with the second generation; he was the one who appointed Hiruzen Sarutobi. Although there were doubts after he returned, he still managed to take over, and this was definitely inseparable from the support of Mito Uzumaki.
Otherwise, Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't have been able to rise to power. Even with Tobirama Senju's dying wish, it might not have worked out, as there were still many unruly members in the Uchiha clan at that time.
For example, there's Uchiha Setsuna.
In reality, the selection process for Hokage was gradually perfected starting with the Fourth Hokage.
As for Danzo's incident, it was due to the special circumstances of wartime, coupled with the fact that the current Hokage, Tsunade, was unconscious, so he was taken advantage of. Afterwards, Danzo's title as Hokage was not recognized.
Of course, this is now, not in the future. Under the current Hokage election system, the Hokage has a lot of influence, and the village's higher-ups, especially the major ninja clans, are unlikely to support the Uchiha.
As for Tsunade...
The current situation is very special, and it's hard to say anymore.
Orochimaru, Minato Namikaze, and Tsunade—these are basically the only candidates for the Fourth Hokage, and Hiruzen Sarutobi would definitely choose Minato Namikaze.
Although Bai Mu was pondering these matters in his mind, he actually responded to Tsunade by shrugging and saying, "See? You know it yourself."
Tsunade rolled her eyes and replied, "I know, but I don't intend to give him a specific opportunity. Besides, who is the old man going to choose? Orochimaru or Jiraiya?"
As she spoke, she frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "Could it be that guy Minato Namikaze?"
Candidates must have made significant contributions, and in this war, weren't there only a few who made outstanding contributions?
If I hadn't been involved, Minato Namikaze and Orochimaru would be obvious, but now that I'm involved, I can say that, based on the battle achievements I've gained, my chances of winning are very high.
Of course, this is on the premise that there is no behind-the-scenes manipulation, but the reality is that it is impossible for there not to be.
"It doesn't matter who you choose, because the Fourth Hokage can only be you."
Since Bai Mu has already decided to hand over the position to Tsunade, the position of Hokage cannot be changed. Even if Hiruzen Sarutobi tries to push Minato Namikaze, he will not succeed.
"Let me make it clear beforehand that Konoha still cannot afford internal strife. Also, there's something I need to say: Danzo can be killed, but if we can avoid killing the old man, we should."
Tsunade's feelings were very complicated. She still hoped that Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't be killed. A Hokage who was overthrown in a coup and killed would have a profound impact on Konoha.
Besides, with this kind of process, you can't guarantee that no one will follow suit in the future. Just force him to step down, since it's a decision made unanimously within the village anyway.
And isn't there an excuse?
Heavy casualties during the war, poor command, and the ceasefire agreement with Iwagakure—these are all reasons enough for Hiruzen Sarutobi to step down.
Bai Mu said softly, "I'll say it again: it depends on whether he knows what decency is. If he does, it'll be easy to handle; if he doesn't, he'll just have to accept it."
As soon as Bai Mu finished speaking, Esdeath added, "Don't worry, Bai Mu is doing all this to help you get ahead, so don't ask for too much."
"I'm not asking for anything, I just don't want internal strife. We're still surrounded by powerful enemies, and isn't there that guy Uchiha Madara? I'm just worried about something unexpected happening."
Tsunade stated frankly that her concern was that internal strife would weaken the village's fighting strength. She added, "Didn't you also mention that Madara Uchiha is secretly plotting the Eye of the Moon Plan? We can't afford to have internal conflicts."
Chapter 74 The Troubling High-Ranking Officials of Konoha
"Uchiha Madara?"
Esdeath sneered dismissively and said arrogantly, "No threat whatsoever."
Tsunade rolled her eyes, too lazy to even bother arguing with Esdeath. There was no point in arguing, and besides, who really had the final say?
It's not you, it's Bai Mu, so why should I care about you?
Bai Mu didn't intend to say anything about this scene. Instead, he was thinking that Tsunade, as the Fourth Hokage, should be even more outstanding than she was during the Fifth Hokage era.
Strictly speaking, Tsunade's intelligence is not particularly outstanding. While she wouldn't be considered brainless, some of her actions don't demonstrate any particular intelligence.
After all, when Pain attacked Konoha, Nagato was already preparing to retreat, but she insisted on talking back, saying that our great nation was also suffering, which directly caused Nagato to turn into a red-hot monster and even arranged for him to use the Super Shinra Tensei.
To be honest, Tsunade has done quite a few baffling things, but to say her political skills are terrible? That's definitely not an exaggeration. At the very least, in terms of governance, she's certainly not bad; she ranks among the best of all the Hokage...
It's just that some of their actions are baffling, especially what I just mentioned, where they insisted on verbally attacking Pain, which caused Nagato to turn into a red-hot character. You know, Pain was about to leave, but they still had to come and talk back. What's the point?
But aside from all that, Tsunade did indeed return to take over when Konoha was leaderless. Even though Naruto's talk-no-jutsu contributed to that, he was the protagonist after all, and the protagonist's spotlight had to be shown.
No one else can persuade me; I can't convince anyone else.
But I can do it, and this is a common trope in shonen manga. As for Tsunade's governance ability, what kind of Konoha did she take over?
It was a complete mess, and Tsunade took over it and smoothly transitioned it to the new generation. That was no easy feat, considering that Konoha during the Third Hokage's era was plagued by internal strife.
After Tsunade came to power, she purged the older generation, promoted newcomers, and resolved the internal strife among the older generation of Konoha.
Of course, judging from some of her actions, one can only say that, as she herself has, she is too fond of gambling.
Having a strong gambling addiction is not a good thing. If you win, you win big, but if you lose, you lose everything, and you might even lose your life.
However, when Pain attacked the village, Tsunade insisted on criticizing that point, which left a stain on her record by having Nagato destroy Konoha. This did indeed make Tsunade's political record less than perfect.
Otherwise, considering Tsunade's achievements, she truly deserves the title of the best Hokage of all time. Taking over amidst internal and external troubles, she enabled Konoha to overcome its most difficult period, which is indeed her best achievement.
However, regarding Tsunade's talk-no-jutsu, from her own perspective, the war took away all her loved ones, so it's only natural for her to complain. Besides, you don't have God's perspective, so you don't know that Pain has such a skill. Moreover, it's not like you, Nagato, are the only one who suffers from the death of your loved ones, while Tsunade doesn't suffer from the death of hers.
Of course, Bai Mu didn't care much about these things. Anyway, the person he chose had to be in charge. Otherwise, why would he choose someone else to be the Fourth Hokage?
If I'm not going to choose someone else, then Tsunade is the most suitable candidate. They're all on my side, so who else would I choose?
Moreover, who in Konoha is qualified now?
Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Minato Namikaze.
And that's all.
But Jiraiya goes without saying. Orochimaru is always prone to making mistakes, and Minato Namikaze is obsessed with love, putting love above all else. Bai Mu could never choose someone like that.
Tsunade is the most suitable candidate, both in terms of public and private matters, and is the best choice for Hakubaki.
“Esdeath, don’t talk about her, you yourself have a lot of problems,” Alice Lise couldn’t help but mock.
Do I have a lot of questions?
Esdeath pursed her lips and retorted, "Why do I have so many questions? Don't forget, you're just a princess, you know?"
I am now the emperor of the new empire, while you are still just a princess. How can you compare to me?
Alice Lise: "..."
Okay, okay, you insist on saying it this way, don't you?
She was naturally dissatisfied with Esdeath's explanation, and glared at her angrily, her anger evident.
"Alright, stop fooling around. You guys, just focus on yourselves. Let's set off tomorrow. We're not in a hurry. We need to give those old men time to come up with schemes to deal with us..."
Break all laws with one force!
Bai Mu has plenty of methods.
Whether it's a conspiracy or a calculated move, there are multiple ways to deal with it, and the most important thing is overwhelming power.
Regardless of the Third Hokage's faction, it's meaningless how they use their moves; in the end, it all comes down to fists.
Hiruzen Sarutobi is indecisive. Even after losing his son, he still wouldn't have the courage to fight back, let alone what he would do.
An assassination plot!
This is a big no-no.
He didn't dare reveal the truth.
Otherwise, wouldn't the entire Hidden Leaf Village be in complete chaos? Especially the various ninja clans, they can't possibly be without temper, not to mention who you assassinated?
He is the head of the Uchiha clan!
Regardless of how Hakubaki became the clan leader, once Fugaku Uchiha stepped down, Hakubaki became the new clan leader. As the Hokage, you secretly dispatched ANBU to carry out assassinations, and during wartime no less...
Honestly, it was a major taboo; you could say it was a complete loss of reason.
This, in a way, shows that the combination of Shiro and Tsunade really put him under tremendous pressure, forcing him to resort to such methods.
Tsunade had no objections; she just wanted things to get done quickly. Esdeath and Alice Lise, needless to say, were only thinking about helping Shiramaki.
Therefore, whatever Bai Mu says goes; nothing else matters.
……
Konoha, Hokage's office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat at his desk, smoking his pipe, smoke billowing around him, looking distressed and extremely agitated.
Sitting opposite him were Danzo, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu; the entire group led by Sarutobi Hiruzen was present.
Of course, their expressions weren't much better; like Hiruzen Sarutobi, they were extremely worried.
"You all know what happened at the front. The Fourth Raikage is dead."
Upon seeing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi broke the silence.
The problem is very serious now.
Because the Fourth Raikage died.
The Cloud Village has completely collapsed.
They have withdrawn from the battlefield.
The people who accomplished all of this were Uchiha Hakubaki and Tsunade.
Like the sun soaring into the sky!
Hiruzen Sarutobi is only known by these four words now. The achievements of Hakubaku and Tsunade are enough to illustrate the severity of the current situation. Who else in Konoha can keep them in check?
Orochimaru?
Minato Namikaze?
He has military achievements, but they cannot compare with those of Bai Mu and Tsunade, simply because those two are too dazzling. Moreover, Hiruzen Sarutobi knows very well that everything Tsunade has done is very likely aimed at the position of Hokage.
After all, Tsunade was very straightforward and didn't hide anything; she almost explicitly stated that it was time for a change of dynasty in Konoha.
But Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't want to retire. Instead, he felt he could still persevere. Although it was true that he was getting old, it didn't mean he was too old to take care of himself, right?