Chapter 11: Yamanaka Chujiu's Master Plan

After sending off Shisui Uchiha, Yamanaka Chujiu stayed in the Death Forest until dark, only then cleaning up the scene before slowly walking home.

He had spent the entire afternoon deep in thought; the more deeply he thought, the more he could feel the power of Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Sarutobi Hiruzen controlled departments such as the Anbu, Mission Department, Administrative Department, Intelligence Department, Barrier Squad, Sealing Squad, and the Ninja Academy of Konohagakure, and the power in his hands was even greater than before he had abdicated.

Especially now that the Fourth Hokage had sacrificed himself, the Third Hokage had naturally taken back the power of the Hokage, and he was only one step away from a successful restoration.

Taking this step was very simple.

Sarutobi Hiruzen only needed to put on the Hokage Hat, wear the Hokage Haori, ascend to the balcony of the Hokage Building at nine in the morning, and loudly announce:

"I, Sarutobi Hiruzen, have returned!"

The restoration of the Third Hokage was just that simple.

But did Sarutobi Hiruzen dare to do so?

He did not dare.

Such a hasty restoration would inevitably trigger resentment throughout the village; even the civilian ninja who had previously supported him would feel as if a thorn had been stuck in their hearts, an indescribable discomfort.

The reason people's hearts were not convinced was that Sarutobi Hiruzen was too old!

The Third Hokage himself had said: Only by obtaining the recognition of everyone in Konohagakure can one become Hokage.

This statement was correct.

But he did not say that to gain recognition in the Ninja World, the prerequisite was that your strength had to be strong enough to prove to everyone that you could fight ten people at once and were the invincible, strongest ninja.

One must first be able to fight and kill, and only then can one handle human relationships and worldly affairs.

Back when he had just become the Third Hokage, at the peak of his strength, Hiruzen was still not strong enough and suffered from the doubts of the ninja clans and the villagers.

It was not until his three students shone brilliantly in the war, achieved legendary battle records, and earned the title of "Konoha Sannin" that things changed.

The Konoha Sannin proved the strength of Sarutobi Hiruzen, and the throne of the Third Hokage was finally stabilized.

As time passed, Sarutobi Hiruzen, approaching sixty, was once again questioned by the people.

The ninja brought up the old account of the White Fang of the Leaf's suicide, were dissatisfied with the command of the Third Shinobi World War, and opposed the policy of waiving reparations from Sunagakure and Iwagakure.

Sarutobi Hiruzen announced his abdication, pushed Minato Namikaze to the position, and quelled the boiling public opinion and doubts.

But the Third Hokage's restoration after Minato's sacrifice proved that he did not know why he had been forced to step down in the first place.

It was not because the Third Shinobi World War was fought poorly.

No matter how poorly Konohagakure fought, it was still the victor of the war, and as the defeated parties, Sunagakure and Iwagakure suffered far heavier losses than Konohagakure.

The White Fang of the Leaf suicide incident was not the key either; in which temple are there no ghosts who died unjustly?

The White Fang of the Leaf suicide did indeed have a bad influence, but didn't Sunagakure sell the war hero Pakura to Kirigakure, and didn't Iwagakure even expel its own jinchuriki?

Sarutobi Hiruzen gave up spoils and reparations for the sake of peace, which caused strong dissatisfaction among Konoha Ninja, but for the sake of peace, the First Hokage Senju Hashirama even gave away seven Tailed Beasts to other villages.

All five great ninja villages had done many absurd things; were the Fourth Kazekage and the Third Tsuchikage forced to step down?

Did anyone express dissatisfaction with the First Hokage's reckless actions?

When all is said and done, Sarutobi Hiruzen's predicament was that he could no longer hold the stage.

The villagers of Konohagakure, the Konoha Ninja, the ninja clans of Konohagakure, and even the enemies all felt that he could no longer fight and kill, which was why these messy issues were being dug up.

However, one had to admit that Sarutobi Hiruzen's luck was indeed too good.

In order to continue holding power, he specifically chose Minato Namikaze to be the Fourth Hokage, and happened to select a powerful ninja who was highly obedient, possessed a broad perspective, and had explosive charisma.

Minato Namikaze's strength was not necessarily superior to Orochimaru's; both of them were super-model ninja, one undefeated, one immortal, and the result of a battle between them would certainly be a draw.

But one couldn't help but admit that Minato's fighting style was cool!

Whether one is strong or not is a temporary matter; whether one is cool or not is a lifelong matter.

When a high-speed ninja like Minato Namikaze encountered a Jonin whose strength was a notch below his, killing them was as simple as killing a chicken.

This was not just a stronger combat performance, but also a greater deterrent to the enemy!

After the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze took office, although Sarutobi Hiruzen was still the one holding power and all policies remained unchanged, everything became better.

The Uchiha stopped making trouble, the villagers and ninja stopped questioning, and even the arrogant Fourth Raikage stopped causing chaos.

Everyone knew that no matter how big a loophole Sarutobi Hiruzen created, the young Minato Namikaze could cover for him.

Moreover, Sarutobi Hiruzen was truly old; as long as they endured for a few years, he would have to retire, and that much time could be given.

As a result, Minato Namikaze died, and the restored Third Hokage even expelled Orochimaru.

Konohagakure had lost hope, people's hearts were scattered, and the team could no longer be led.

The Hyuga Clan became alienated, the Uchiha Clan resisted and was eventually wiped out, and the result was that everyone watched Sarutobi Hiruzen go to his death, with no one reaching out to help.

Nagato said: "Those who do not understand pain have no qualification to talk about peace."

Speaking realistically, this statement made sense.

The Third Hokage's restoration succeeded, and Root grew explosively into a monster specialized in internal strife, running rampant within Konohagakure.

Everyone felt the skin-deep pain, and only then did everyone know who the common enemy was, thereby forming a consensus to let Sarutobi Hiruzen die.

Since he could not stop the restoration, Yamanaka Chujiu decided to go the opposite way, using the Uchiha's resistance to stimulate the Third to restore power faster, thereby condensing the consensus against the Third in advance.

Then, he would guide that consensus to converge on supporting Orochimaru, forming a Fifth Hokage group with him at the core.

When Orochimaru, who was also a student of the Hokage, grew up, the corrupt Third Hokage group would naturally be replaced.

Yamanaka Inoichi was so shocked after hearing Chujiu's plan that he was completely stunned.

He pointed at his younger brother with a trembling hand: "How could you have such rebellious thoughts?"

"That is Lord Third Hokage, he is the Hokage!"

Yamanaka Chujiu narrowed his eyes and looked at his older brother, asking: "So what if he is the Hokage?"

"Is the Hokage a god? Does becoming Hokage mean one will never make mistakes, cannot be questioned, and cannot be overthrown?"

"Admit it, brother! You cannot endure Konohagakure under the rule of the Third Hokage!"

"The Konohagakure you yearn for is the Konohagakure that was bathed in the radiance of ideals when the First Hokage was in power!"

"It is the Konohagakure that continued to prosper under rational planning during the reign of the Second Hokage, or even the Konohagakure full of hope during the reign of the Fourth Hokage."

"It is just not the Konohagakure under the rule of the Third Hokage, where everyone is shrouded in the shadow of failure, threatened by something called the 'Execution Line', and even ten-year-old children have to go to the battlefield!"

"Open your eyes and look, big brother!"

"The Senju Clan of Konohagakure no longer exists, and Konohagakure's ally, the Uzumaki Clan, no longer exists either!"

"Ninja clans like the Hatake Clan, Kurama Clan, Shiranui Clan, Gekko Clan, and Kato Clan are either down to a single survivor or have already vanished."

"Big brother, do you think our Yamanaka Clan won't end up on such a dead end?"

Yamanaka Inoichi's face turned livid, and after a long while, he squeezed out a sentence: "I will meet Uchiha Mikoto tomorrow."