Chapter 172: Orochimaru's Choice 【37】
Chapter 172: Orochimaru's Choice 【37】
As the words of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, fell, the conference room fell into a brief silence.
The selection of the Fourth Hokage was an extremely serious and important topic—a transition of power that wasn't open to casual discussion. Each opinion had to be proposed with utmost caution.
"I propose that my disciple, Minato Namikaze, succeed as the Fourth Hokage."
In the midst of the quiet, Jiraiya slowly spoke up.
He glanced at Orochimaru.
Orochimaru sat there with a detached expression, offering no response to Jiraiya's gaze.
Feng Ye sat in a corner of the table, a teacup in his hand, which he brought to his lips, taking small sips as he observed the scene in the conference room.
The room was enveloped in silence.
The clan heads remained silent, with no hushed discussions among them.
"It's true that Minato is suitable to become the Fourth Hokage."
Finally, a second person spoke up—Mizumon Irie, the advisor sitting next to Hiruzen.
Following Mizumon's statement, Haruno Koharu expressed her support for Minato, and soon after, the elite jonin in the room began to voice their opinions as well.
However, a portion of them remained silent, their eyes turning towards Feng Ye and Orochimaru. Everyone was aware of the importance of these two individuals in this conference room.
Fugaku Uchiha's gaze was also fixed on Feng Ye.
The leaders of the other major clans likewise refrained from immediately declaring their stances.
And under the watchful eyes of everyone present, Orochimaru stood up, a faint smile playing on his lips as he said, "...I support Jonin Minato for the role of Hokage."
These words caused the room to fall silent once more.
The clan heads all turned to look at Orochimaru, and seeing that he didn't appear to be joking, they exchanged glances, sighed, and then voiced their own opinions.
As the clan heads expressed their agreement, Hiruzen looked at Orochimaru, and Orochimaru met his gaze. Their eyes locked briefly.
Orochimaru offered a slight smile.
It was a relaxed smile.
As if he had truly let go of something.
A fleeting hint of guilt and apology flashed in Hiruzen's eyes, but it was gone in an instant. He took a breath, stood up, and said, "It seems everyone is in agreement. In a few days, I will report to the Feudal Lord about Minato succeeding as Hokage."
As Hiruzen finished speaking, Minato also stood and began expressing his determination to lead Konoha to greatness and strength.
Feng Ye didn't listen.
He simply looked at Orochimaru.
"In the end, you didn't choose to go against your teacher's wishes..."
Feng Ye murmured to himself.
He could guess the reason behind Orochimaru's decision.
In this era, Minato's performance had indeed been more outstanding than Orochimaru's, garnering more support, including that of Hiruzen. If Orochimaru wanted to contest the position of the Fourth Hokage, he would have to go against his former teacher.
Orochimaru had given up.
Not in front of the Third Hokage, but in front of his former mentor.
...
Hokage Tower.
Top floor.
Orochimaru had left the conference room and made his way here, standing at the edge, taking in the view of Konoha spread out below—a village thriving once more in the aftermath of war.
"So, you gave up in the end..."
Feng Ye appeared behind Orochimaru.
Orochimaru didn't turn around, continuing to gaze at the village below as he said, "Teacher chose Minato, and I respect his choice, just as you respect mine."
From this point on, Orochimaru would become the truly terrifying and cold-hearted Snake Sannin.
"If you want to become Hokage, you could give it a try," Orochimaru turned around, and a glimmer of moisture in the corner of his eyes disappeared with the wind. He looked at Feng Ye and smiled faintly before his figure vanished.
Feng Ye glanced at the spot where Orochimaru had disappeared and then looked up at the sky.
"Hokage, huh..."
Feng Ye did not choose to compete for the position of the Fourth Hokage.
It wasn't because of his young age; such things could be overlooked with absolute strength. There were only two reasons for his decision: one was because Kakashi was Minato Namikaze's disciple, and the other was because he had obtained the Flying Thunder God Technique from him.
Although it wouldn't be difficult for Feng Ye to acquire the technique now, it wasn't considered a major favor, but he wouldn't go against Minato Namikaze becoming the Hokage.
Moreover...
He was aware.
That Minato Namikaze becoming the Fourth Hokage was just the beginning.
"I won't oppose you becoming Hokage, but I won't stand by your side either. If Konoha ultimately cannot accept my existence, then that will be the time I start purging this place." Feng Ye murmured as he gazed at the sky, and then his figure vanished.
...
Half a month later...
After receiving the approval of the Fire Country's feudal lord and completing the necessary rituals, Minato Namikaze officially became the Fourth Hokage, and his succession was publicly announced to the people of Konoha.
Only a small faction of die-hard loyalists to Orochimaru expressed their opposition, but upon learning that Orochimaru also supported Minato Namikaze as Hokage, even their voices died down.
Compared to the last time when Hiruzen Sarutobi became Hokage, and countless bloody conflicts erupted within Konoha, this time, the transition was smooth and uneventful, with almost no internal strife arising as a result.
On the day of Minato Namikaze's official inauguration as Hokage, Orochimaru did not show up. He was conducting experiments in his base and only paused briefly upon receiving this information.
"You should be satisfied with this outcome, Sarutobi-sensei..." Orochimaru said to himself. "However..."
"Konoha will probably not remain peaceful."
The current state of the village was distorted.
Danzo controlled the Root, the two advisors controlled the finances, and Hiruzen Sarutobi would not hand over complete control of the ANBU to Minato Namikaze, continuing to maintain his hold on Konoha.
It seemed like a balanced situation, but in reality, the slightest disruption to this balance would cause everything to collapse.
And Feng Ye...
Was that disruptive force.
Orochimaru had already seen this, but it no longer had anything to do with him. His current goal was singular: to attain eternal life.
[Author's Note]: It's not that I'm trying to force the plot to make Minato become Hokage to follow the original story, but after carefully considering the characters in Konoha, I ultimately couldn't find a reasonable plot for Orochimaru to become Hokage. As I've written, Hiruzen Sarutobi brought up the matter of a teacher's gratitude, and during this period, Orochimaru would have given up.
I'm trying my best to portray Orochimaru before his complete descent into darkness, I don't know if I've succeeded.
(End of Chapter)
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