Chapter 125 - Still Up to This Old Man
Afternoon
Hokage's Office
Within the towering structure that symbolized the height of Konoha's authority, the four figures who once represented its ruling power were—yet again—gathered together.
But unlike before, this time, among the four who had ruled Konoha for decades, two of them had willingly become Orochimaru's spies.
"I was only gone for two days… how the hell did the village end up like this?"
Facing the two elders who had stayed behind, Hiruzen Sarutobi dropped the fake smile he wore for the villagers and directly confronted them with visible irritation.
He'd already been forced to smile all day. His face was sore. His heart, even more so.
Everything that had happened recently had completely upended his expectations—and destroyed his original plans.
Originally, his idea was to reject the demands from the Three Great Shinobi Villages at the Five Kage Summit, refuse to hand over Hatake Kazane, and win compensation for Konoha.
Then, upon returning, he would publicly defend Kazane and Orochimaru to the villagers, restoring their reputations and earning their gratitude.
That way, Orochimaru would remain his loyal disciple. Kazane would be his beloved protégé. And he, Hiruzen Sarutobi, would continue as the benevolent, wise Hokage. Everything would be perfect while Danzo suffered.
But instead? Things had completely flipped.
Now he was being branded the cowardly Hokage, while Kazane and Orochimaru were hailed as heroes.
All I ever wanted was stability and peace for Konoha… Why can't they understand me?
Why is everyone against me now?!
Recalling how the villagers treated him on the way back, fury surged in Hiruzen's chest. The more he thought, the angrier he became—until he could no longer hold it in.
He snapped at Homura and Koharu: "Didn't I tell you to contain Orochimaru before I returned? Was that too much to ask?! You couldn't even handle that?!"
But Homura, who had already accepted the reality of their situation, felt only a sense of smug satisfaction as he watched Hiruzen lose control.
So, Hiruzen Sarutobi, you finally know what it feels like, huh?
Back then, we were both disciples of the Second Hokage. And I—master of space-time ninjutsu—was never weaker than you.
But after you became Hokage, even Danzo had Root under his command… and we? We were relegated to some token advisory role. "Elders" in name only. No office. No real power.
Had Hiruzen treated him this way in the past, Homura would've talked back without hesitation.
But now? Now he simply looked at Hiruzen with pity.
Let him strut for a few more days. He won't have many left.
"Sarutobi, we never meant for things to get this bad… but we had no manpower."
"Orochimaru commands a large force now—and he has the support of the Uchiha clan. With just the two of us, there was nothing we could do."
Homura quickly reined in his smugness and played the pitiful advisor.
The real game hadn't even started yet—he couldn't afford to tip his hand.
But as Homura delivered what he believed was a flawless performance, Hiruzen suddenly noticed something… off.
Normally, Homura always contradicted him. No matter what he said, there was always pushback.
Yet today, even after being berated so harshly, Homura hadn't snapped back. He hadn't even gotten mad. That was not like him.
And just now, the way Homura looked at him—Hiruzen recognized that look. It was the same calculating stare he himself used when scheming against others.
Then there was Koharu—normally a fiery personality. Yet today, after being scolded, she remained silent.
Something had definitely happened while he was away.
Still, even with his suspicions, Hiruzen said nothing. With few people left he could trust, and with the elders having no clear reason to betray him, he chose to play along—for now.
"Hmm… Since things are where they are, we should think of a solution."
"The village's support for Orochimaru becoming the Fourth Hokage is overwhelming. If this keeps up, they'll force you to abdicate soon."
At that moment, the usually silent Danzo finally spoke, drawing everyone's attention.
Danzo had his own agenda. Helping Homura here was a calculated move to earn favor.
The situation in the village was grim—but Danzo saw it as his opportunity.
And Hiruzen, sensing the odd behavior of the elders, chose not to confront them. Instead, he used Danzo's words as an excuse to change the subject.
"Then what do you suggest, Danzo?"
"I think the priority is the position of the Fourth Hokage. Jiraiya has already thrown his support behind Orochimaru."
"And at the last jōnin council, even Minato Namikaze opposed us."
"We can't support Minato anymore."
Danzo looked around at his three old comrades, his expression calm—but inwardly, he was feeling smug.
Once again, when it really matters, it's up to me to stabilize the situation.
"Then who do you suggest we support? If not Minato, who else is qualified to compete with Orochimaru?"
Hiruzen already knew where Danzo was going with this.
But in their current predicament, he had no better plan. Since Danzo was volunteering, Hiruzen figured he might as well let him go ahead and test Orochimaru's defenses.
If something went wrong, Hiruzen could still step in and protect him.
"There's still one man qualified—me. I'm the Hokage's advisor. I was a disciple of the Second Hokage. I've led Root and made countless contributions to Konoha. Sarutobi, no one else is capable of countering Orochimaru. My Root has over a hundred jōnin. They will stand with us."
Now that he needed support, Danzo had dropped the usual "Monkey" nickname and addressed Hiruzen seriously.
He was desperate. On his own, he couldn't defeat Orochimaru.
But if he could win Hiruzen's backing, combined with his own power… he might finally reach the position he had dreamed of for so long.
"What?! Danzo, you want to run for Fourth Hokage?!"
Although he had already guessed Danzo's intentions, Hiruzen still feigned shock—just as he was supposed to.
He put on a troubled expression, picked up his smoking pipe, walked to the office window, and took a deep, brooding puff—like he disapproved of the idea.
Homura and Koharu were stunned by Danzo's declaration.
But right after the shock, they felt a surge of delight.
If Danzo was going to run for Hokage, then the evidence they held—proof that Danzo had pushed White Fang to suicide—was about to become far more valuable.
Taking down a Hokage advisor was one thing.
Taking down a Hokage candidate?
That was an entirely different level.
Looks like Danzo is delivering our victory on a silver platter… We can't let this opportunity slip away.