Chapter 674: Abdicate and let others take over?

After the battle, Hiruzen Sarutobi and his group secretly returned to Konoha.

Due to the short timeframe, only a small number of people knew that the Hokage had left for a trip.

Among those who knew Hiruzen Sarutobi had left the village, only a select few knew why he had gone.

“Sigh.”

Looking at Konoha’s bustling streets, Hiruzen Sarutobi, disguised for his return, let out a soft sigh.

The Third Shinobi World War had ended, and Konoha, as the victor, had gained significant benefits.

This should have been the beginning of Konoha reaching a new peak, but due to his mistake, uncertainties had arisen.

“Hiruzen, go home and get some good rest. As long as we are here, Konoha will surely continue to prosper and flourish,” Homura Mitokado said, comforting him.

He could understand Hiruzen Sarutobi’s feelings.

The plan for the battle with Sōsuke was decided by Hiruzen Sarutobi, despite the opposition of the other three high-ranking officials. The unexpected outcome undoubtedly filled him with regret and guilt.

This time was truly perilous. If Sōsuke hadn’t chosen to stop, most of them would have died at the border.

If he hadn’t seen Hiruzen Sarutobi’s defeat was so severe, Homura Mitokado would have wanted to scold Hiruzen Sarutobi a bit; it almost led to a huge mistake.

“Can Konoha prosper and flourish with us here…?”

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked complex, walking towards the Hokage Building.

“It’s only early afternoon; there’s no time to rest. I’m going to the Hokage Building to handle affairs.”

At this time, everyone was at work. How could he, someone who had made a mistake, go home and rest at this hour?

Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi heading to the Hokage Building, Homura Mitokado had no choice but to follow.

Since the Hokage was actively going to work, how could he, an Advisor, go home?

As they reached the floor where the Advisor’s office was located, the two happened to run into Utatane Koharu, who was coming out of her office.

“Homura, Hiruzen, you’re back,” Utatane Koharu greeted them as usual, not finding anything unusual about their presence in the Hokage Building.

After all, their trip out of the village this time wasn’t a major issue, so there was no need to contact her in advance.

“What’s the situation with the Shinobi Sect? Have they completely fallen out because of Sōsuke’s death?” Utatane Koharu asked casually.

In her opinion, Hiruzen Sarutobi killing Sōsuke was a certainty. The only slight concern was whether the Shinobi Sect would want to break ties with Konoha because of it.

“Hmm?”

Looking at the silent Hiruzen Sarutobi, Utatane Koharu was a bit puzzled.

“Did something unexpected happen?”

“Cough, cough.” Seeing Utatane Koharu wildly dancing in a minefield, Homura Mitokado coughed twice to get her attention.

“Koharu, there’s something I want to discuss with you. Let’s talk in the office.”

If Utatane Koharu kept talking, Homura Mitokado worried that Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn’t be able to sleep at night.

“Okay.” Utatane Koharu nodded.

Although she didn’t know what had happened, Utatane Koharu wasn’t stupid and could tell that something bad had occurred.

“Let’s talk in my office.” Just as Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu were about to leave, Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke.

“I also have something to discuss with you both.”

Homura Mitokado had intended to speak with Utatane Koharu alone to save Hiruzen Sarutobi some face, but since Hiruzen Sarutobi had said so, he could only nod.

Then the three went together to the Hokage Office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was the first to push open the wooden door of the Hokage Office and sat down in the only office chair, while Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu stood before the desk.

Hiruzen Sarutobi took out his pipe, lit it, took a deep drag, exhaled a thick white cloud, and said, “I lost the battle.”

Utatane Koharu showed an expression of extreme surprise, thinking she had misheard, and instinctively looked at Homura Mitokado.

Seeing Homura Mitokado nod with a helpless expression, Utatane Koharu was finally sure she hadn’t misheard; this was the truth.

“Hiruzen, it’s alright. After all, you’re not young anymore, and Sōsuke is young and strong, which gave him an advantage,” Utatane Koharu said, choosing her words carefully to comfort him.

“It has nothing to do with age. Sōsuke’s strength is immense, far surpassing mine,” Hiruzen Sarutobi said, shaking his head.

If he had only narrowly lost, with just a small difference from Sōsuke, perhaps he could have used this reason to save face.

But unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Hiruzen Sarutobi was almost completely overwhelmed by Sōsuke; he hadn’t even touched Sōsuke once.

Therefore, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn’t want to make excuses or belittle Sōsuke. This would be both disrespectful to Sōsuke’s strength and a denial of himself.

“Koharu, Sōsuke is far more extraordinary than you imagine. If we had to compare, perhaps only Ninja like First Hokage and Uchiha Madara could surpass him,” Homura Mitokado explained.

Utatane Koharu’s pupils contracted sharply, instantly understanding the terrifying power of Sōsuke.

Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara were the only two publicly recognized legendary Ninja in the Ninja World. This legend wasn’t something the so-called Legendary Sannin could compare to; it was a true Ninja World legend etched into the history of various nations.

She finally understood why Hiruzen Sarutobi had been silent on the other floors.

Your teammates think you won, but in reality, you lost terribly. How do you even explain that?

Utatane Koharu, worried about stepping on another landmine, didn’t want to speak. Homura Mitokado didn’t know what to say, and for a moment, the atmosphere grew silent.

“I want to pass the Hokage position to Muzuki,” Hiruzen Sarutobi said after a moment of silence.

He felt that he was no longer qualified as Hokage and was not suitable to continue in the role.

Homura Mitokado said that the primary responsibility for this matter lay with Danzo Shimura, but Hiruzen Sarutobi knew in his heart that even if it was Danzo Shimura’s fault, he couldn’t escape responsibility.

If he hadn’t been so lenient with Danzo Shimura before, overlooking some of his mistakes, how would Danzo Shimura have dared to do such a thing?

So, Hiruzen Sarutobi planned to change his strategy and pass on the position to Muzuki earlier.

However, to avoid affecting Muzuki’s training, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt that he could truly retire a bit later, continuing to contribute at the higher levels after stepping down, to share some of the pressure with Muzuki.

“It’s not that serious,” Homura Mitokado quickly advised.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had made a mistake, but in Homura Mitokado’s opinion, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn’t need to step down for this single error.

In this battle with Sōsuke, not a single Ninja from Konoha died; the losses were only theoretical.

“Muzuki is still too young; it would be better for him to stay in the Assistant position for a few more years. Hiruzen, you shouldn’t underestimate yourself because of one setback.”

“Exactly. Konoha is in a critical period of development. More than a new Hokage, it needs you, an experienced Hokage, to steer the ship,” Utatane Koharu added.

She didn’t want Hiruzen Sarutobi to step down now, both for public and private reasons.

“Young is young, but Muzuki has the ability to command respect. As for experience, how can one gain experience without doing it? Besides, aren’t we here to guide him?” Hiruzen Sarutobi retorted.

The reason he decided to pass on the position was because Muzuki had performed exceptionally well. Even if he passed the position to Muzuki now, there would be no dissenting voices in Konoha.

“Hiruzen, you can’t be so headstrong again! You need to fully consider everyone’s opinions,” Utatane Koharu said, a little anxious.

This time, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn’t retort to Utatane Koharu but fell into deep thought.

Indeed, the battle with Sōsuke was the bitter fruit of his stubbornness.

Would his persistence this time be correct? Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn’t sure.

“Although Koharu’s words are a bit harsh, they are indeed reasonable. Hiruzen, don’t make a hasty decision. Think it over carefully,” Homura Mitokado continued.

Hiruzen Sarutobi showed hesitation, finally relenting and saying, “I’ll think about it again.”

Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Hiruzen Sarutobi continued to handle affairs in the Hokage Office until seven in the evening before returning home.

“You’re back! You must be tired. I’ll go warm up your food,” Sarutobi Biwako said, standing up when she saw Hiruzen Sarutobi return.

She and Asuma had already finished dinner at six.

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, took off his Hokage hat and coat, and walked towards his room to get a set of casual clothes for a bath.

He was still wearing the combat uniform he had worn for the mission and battle.

“You left the village? Did something big happen?” Asuma, hearing footsteps, looked up just as Hiruzen Sarutobi was about to enter his room.

He was well aware that the Hokage needed to remain in Konoha.

Hiruzen Sarutobi paused but did not answer Asuma’s question.

How could he say, ‘Your old man overestimated himself and went to fight someone, only to be utterly crushed’?

Or that he, at his age, had been willful and brought a huge problem to Konoha?

Facing Utatane Koharu, an old friend who knew the truth, Hiruzen Sarutobi could admit his mistake without evasion.

Facing Muzuki, the future Hokage he favored, Hiruzen Sarutobi was also willing to tell the truth.

But Asuma was his son, and a son with whom he had a small conflict. If he were to say it, would he still be able to earn Asuma’s respect in the future?

“This is Konoha classified information,” Hiruzen Sarutobi replied.

“If you couldn’t say, you should have said so earlier!” Asuma rolled his eyes.

He had just been worried because Hiruzen Sarutobi was acting so unusually, only for him to finally say ‘classified information’ after such a long buildup.

Hiruzen Sarutobi opened the door to his room, and just as he was about to step inside, he remembered something, looked at Asuma, and asked, “How do you think I’ve done as Hokage?”

“Not very well. My suggestion is to retire early and let Muzuki-sensei become Hokage,” Asuma replied without thinking.

“Is that so…”

Asuma saw that Hiruzen Sarutobi actually showed a thoughtful expression and, after a moment, changed his words: “Of course, saying ‘not very well’ doesn’t mean you’ve done poorly. It’s just that I feel Muzuki-sensei would do even better as Hokage.”

Asuma evaluated objectively. Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn’t done badly; if he had, he wouldn’t have so many supporters in Konoha, nor would so many Ninja genuinely want to become Hokage.

“Muzuki has never been Hokage. Why do you feel that way?” Hiruzen Sarutobi asked.

He really should fully consider more people’s opinions.

“Because Muzuki-sensei does everything very well! Whether it’s teaching at the Ninja Academy, running training, or serving as a battlefield commander,” Asuma listed Muzuki’s various achievements.

“Is Muzuki-sensei not doing well as Hokage Assistant now?” Asuma retorted.

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head. Of course, that wasn’t the case. Muzuki felt very skilled to him, perhaps that was what it meant to be a prodigy.

It couldn’t be that he was trained by being a leader in the Ninja Academy, that would be too absurd.

“Then that’s it! Muzuki-sensei is so young and can do well as Hokage Assistant, so why wouldn’t he do well as Hokage?

Didn’t Second Hokage act as Hokage in all but name during his time as Hokage Assistant? It shows that an excellent Hokage Assistant becoming Hokage is completely fine,” Asuma said confidently.

“That’s two different things,” Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a wry smile.

Letting First Hokage handle political affairs alone? That would be ridiculous. Senju Hashirama had many strengths, but also many flaws.

“In short, if you ask me about Hokage, I can only say I would definitely choose Muzuki-sensei!” Asuma declared his stance.

“Then you should go find your Muzuki-sensei more often. Maybe he won’t have as much time to see you later,” Hiruzen Sarutobi said as he walked into his room to choose clothes.

Asuma’s eyes instantly lit up, and he quickly followed him in, asking, “Are you really going to pass on the position?”

He wasn’t sleepy when talking about this.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Asuma with a dark line forming on his forehead. Is your old man’s retirement really worth this much joy to you?

Just now, he said he hadn’t done badly.

“Stop guessing wildly. I don’t even know myself, and you’re already guessing,” Hiruzen Sarutobi said as he opened the wardrobe.

Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu were too firmly against it; he hadn’t made up his mind yet.

“Hehe, if you ask me, Dad, passing it to Muzuki is absolutely the right decision. Muzuki was promoted by you back then; that’s true discernment!” Asuma praised, changing his usual demeanor.

Hiruzen Sarutobi’s mouth twitched. He changed his tune so quickly! He was just arguing with him a while ago.

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi still ignored Asuma, packed his clothes, and went for a bath.

“Tsk.” Asuma, ignored, reverted to his normal attitude towards Hiruzen Sarutobi.

After his bath, Hiruzen Sarutobi began to eat.

Although Sarutobi Biwako didn’t eat, she sat at the table with Hiruzen Sarutobi, pouring him tea and water.

“What do you think of Muzuki?” Hiruzen Sarutobi asked after eating about half his fill.

“I won’t offer a casual opinion. I don’t know him very well, but from what I know, he is a teacher highly respected by his students,” Sarutobi Biwako said after a moment of recollection.

She hadn’t had much contact with Muzuki, only exchanging polite words, but Sarutobi Biwako had a very good impression of Muzuki.

After Asuma was taught by Muzuki, his strength improved faster, and he also became a bit more sensible.

Aside from Asuma, her personal experience, Sarutobi Biwako had also heard about Muzuki from other Sarutobi clan members, and it was basically all praise.

Among the students taught by Muzuki, whether they were Genin under ten years old or adult Jonin, all held Muzuki in great reverence.

Sarutobi Biwako felt that someone who could gain the recognition of so many people couldn’t be bad in any way.

“Mmm.” Hiruzen Sarutobi generally understood Sarutobi Biwako’s opinion of Muzuki.

Although she didn’t explicitly praise him, for someone with Sarutobi Biwako’s personality, that was already a very good evaluation.

P.S.:

This is yesterday’s update, there’s more today.

Perhaps my sleep has been too poor recently; yesterday, I was incredibly sleepy while writing and passed out as soon as I hit the bed.

When I woke up, I wasn’t satisfied with what I’d written in my daze last night. After revising and deleting two thousand words, it’s now this time.

My apologies, everyone.

【Xiao Ju bows in apology】