That person was—
Danzo Shimura.
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned slightly.
"Danzo… weren't we discussing important matters earlier?"
Without waiting for permission, Danzo Shimura walked in and sat down beside Hiruzen. He crossed his arms, closed his eyes briefly, then let out a cold snort.
"You know exactly what I mean."
His tone was sharp and unrestrained.
"Such a major incident has occurred. Orochimaru is clearly the culprit. But tell me, Hiruzen—wasn't it you who allowed the tiger to return to the mountains? Wasn't it you who left behind such a hidden danger?"
The atmosphere in the room instantly froze.
The council members exchanged uneasy glances.
Danzo had just walked in and directly pointed his spear at the Hokage himself.
What was he planning?
Hiruzen's expression darkened slightly.
"I did make a grave mistake," he admitted in a low voice.
"Orochimaru was my student. I cannot deny my responsibility."
Danzo opened his eyes and sneered.
"I'm glad you understand that."
"As Hokage, you are already responsible for the enormous losses the village has suffered. And since all of this stems from your own negligence, your guilt should be even greater."
Utatane Koharu frowned.
"Danzo, what exactly are you trying to say?"
Danzo's voice became steady—calculated.
"It's simple."
"Resign. Take responsibility for your mistakes and hand over your authority to a more suitable successor."
The words fell like thunder.
Homura Mitokado's expression changed immediately.
"Danzo! Now is not the time to say such things!"
"Konoha is in ruins. Reconstruction hasn't even begun. We face both internal instability and external threats. Instead of finding solutions, you're trying to settle political scores?"
Danzo snorted.
"The current impasse exists precisely because of Hiruzen's incompetence."
"Is that not the truth?"
"The Hokage is the leader of the village—the one responsible for its safety. If the wrong person holds that position, Konoha will sink even further into disaster."
No one was naïve.
Everyone understood Danzo's true intention.
He wanted the Hokage's seat.
This situation was not unprecedented.
After the Third Shinobi World War, Hiruzen had resigned due to heavy casualties. At that time, Danzo supported Orochimaru, while others supported Minato Namikaze.
The outcome was well known.
This time, however, Danzo was no longer content to remain in the shadows.
He wanted the position openly.
The room fell silent as all eyes turned to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
What would he decide?
Hiruzen spoke calmly.
"Danzo, I have never shirked my responsibilities."
"If resignation is necessary, I can accept that."
"Hokage-sama!"
"Let me finish."
Hiruzen's voice suddenly hardened.
"Even if I abdicate, I will never allow Danzo Shimura to become Hokage of Konoha."
Danzo's eyes widened.
"What did you say?"
Hiruzen looked at him coldly.
"I will ask you one question."
"During the plan to destroy Konoha—when the battle reached its most brutal stage and our shinobi were fighting to the death…"
"Where were you, Danzo?"
The room became suffocatingly quiet.
"And where were the members of Root?"
Danzo's jaw tightened.
"Root operates in the shadows. Direct battlefield combat is not our responsibility."
Hiruzen let out a mocking laugh.
"Do you even believe that yourself?"
"ANBU also handle special operations. Yet when the enemy reached our gates, every ANBU ninja stepped forward and fought."
"Danzo, I know exactly what you want. You seek power. You want to expand Root's influence and dominate Konoha from behind the scenes."
"Konoha will never be entrusted to someone like you."
Danzo trembled with suppressed anger.
"Hiruzen, you—"
"And you accuse me of allowing the tiger back into the mountains," Hiruzen continued. "Yes, I failed to eliminate Orochimaru when I had the chance."
"But let me ask you something else."
"When Orochimaru was a candidate for Hokage—who supported him?"
"Who secretly cooperated with him in forbidden jutsu experiments?"
"And even after he defected, who continued to maintain contact with him?"
"Wasn't that you, Danzo Shimura?"
The accusation landed heavily.
Danzo fell silent.
The others avoided eye contact.
Hiruzen had made mistakes—but Danzo was hardly a righteous alternative.
After a long pause, Hiruzen spoke again.
"I can resign. But only after the chaos settles."
"And I will never hand the Hokage's hat to Danzo."
Koharu and Homura exchanged glances.
"Then, Hiruzen… do you have someone in mind?"
Hiruzen slowly turned toward the corner of the room.
Leaning casually against the wall stood Jiraiya.
Koharu immediately understood.
"Jiraiya… do you have that resolve?"
Jiraiya blinked, then burst into laughter.
"Me? Hokage?"
"Forget it."
"I'm not suited for that position."
"I'm a wanderer. I travel the world, gather information, and take on missions. You want me to sit in an office all day buried under paperwork?"
"Find someone else."
Homura frowned.
"There is no one more suitable at the moment."
"You are Hiruzen's student and Minato's teacher. Your background is impeccable."
"You are one of the Legendary Sannin. In terms of power and reputation, you stand at the peak."
"And if it comes to stopping Orochimaru… only you can."
Jiraiya shook his head.
"That's not entirely true."
"There is someone with an even cleaner record—someone equally powerful and respected."
Koharu narrowed her eyes.
"You mean…"
"Tsunade?"
Homura nodded slowly.
"She is indeed a perfect candidate. But she has been away from the village for years. No one knows her whereabouts."
Jiraiya scratched his head.
"If Sarutobi-sensei truly intends to step down, and the village urgently needs a successor, leave it to me."
"I'll find Tsunade and persuade her to return."
The council members exchanged looks.
Hiruzen nodded thoughtfully.
"Tsunade is indeed suitable."
"As for you, Jiraiya—you may continue supporting from behind the scenes."
"But are you confident you can persuade her?"
Jiraiya grinned.
"That's my job."
Hiruzen exhaled slowly.
"Very well. I entrust this to you."
"But before that…"
"We must resolve the current crisis."
At that moment, an ANBU appeared.
"Hokage-sama, Jonin Baki of Sunagakure requests an audience."
Hiruzen frowned slightly.
"So he has returned to Konoha."
Kakashi's eyes sharpened.
"Most likely for Gaara."
Hiruzen nodded.
"Let him enter."
"It is time to settle matters with Sunagakure."
The Aftermath
Soon, Konoha and Sunagakure entered formal peace negotiations.
Events unfolded rapidly.
First came the discovery of Kazekage Rasa's corpse.
This confirmed Orochimaru's betrayal beyond doubt.
Sunagakure was left leaderless.
Within the Sunagakure Council of Elders, the atmosphere felt like the eve of another great war.
After intense debate, they reached a unanimous decision:
Surrender politically to Konoha.
Officially, it was called "restoring the alliance."
In reality, it meant becoming fully dependent on Konoha.
They had no other choice.
The Kazekage was dead.
The One-Tailed Jinchuriki, Gaara, had been captured.
Their forces had suffered heavy losses.
They possessed no bargaining power.
Fortunately for them, Konoha had also suffered damage.
From a strategic standpoint, accepting Sunagakure's submission was preferable to continued hostility.
The two villages signed a new peace treaty.
The war was declared officially over.
Gaara was returned to Sunagakure.
But the price was enormous.
Reparations.
Territorial concessions.
Economic agreements heavily favoring Konoha.
Sunagakure's already fragile economy collapsed further.
Expansion became impossible.
Dependence on Konoha was now inevitable.
Departure
Baki remained in Konoha for over half a month.
As acting Kazekage, he negotiated tirelessly.
The final agreement was far from ideal—but it was the best he could achieve.
On the day of departure, he stood at the village gates with Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro.
Naruto and Team 7 were also present.
Gaara, having awakened after his defeat, had needed time to accept reality.
He had lost.
Completely.
Defeated by Naruto Uzumaki.
As the wind passed between the two villages, Gaara looked at Naruto in silence.
Something within him had changed.
And the next chapter of the shinobi world was quietly beginning.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)