Chapter 161: Acting Hokage

The next morning, inside the Third Hokage's office.

Having not slept all night, the Third Hokage took a sip of coffee and then lit the pipe to puff out of stress, barely managing to lift his spirits under the effects of nicotine.

As a ninja, the Third Hokage knew the harmful effects of smoking. Smoking dulls the nerves, slows a ninja's reflexes, and can lead to unpredictable consequences.

However, after the chaos of the previous night, all he wanted was to numb himself with smoking, to ease the pain and sorrow in his heart.

After letting out a long sigh, the Third Hokage opened the window and began to review the reports submitted by various departments. These reports detailed the number of buildings destroyed in the village last night, casualty reports, and the economic losses.

With a heavy heart, the Third Hokage finished reading the reports and sighed inwardly.

Since the battle had taken place outside the village, the number of buildings destroyed within the village was relatively low, and there weren't many civilian casualties.

In just a few weeks, the village's order could be restored.

But what the Third Hokage found hard to accept was the loss of one-fifth of the village's elite Jonin, as well as the deaths of the Fourth Hokage, his wife, and his own wife during last night's chaos.

That's right. After a night of searching with no trace of the Fourth Hokage and his wife, the Third Hokage had come to the conclusion that Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki had died.

If losing one-fifth of the Jonin was a blow to Konoha, then the loss of the Fourth Hokage and the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki was a devastating blow.

Minato Namikaze wasn't just any ordinary ninja. Without him, the war with Iwagakure would not have ended so easily, and the war with Kirigakure might still be at a standstill.

Though Kushina had not contributed much to the war, her very existence as the Jinchuriki was a significant deterrent.

Without Kushina, the mature Jinchuriki, Konoha had lost the means to intimidate with the Tailed Beast Bomb in the short term, and the previously calm borders would likely become unstable again.

At this moment, the door to the Third Hokage's office was suddenly knocked upon, and several figures entered.

These individuals were Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, and Danzo Shimura, the leader of Root. Like the Third Hokage, these three were part of Konoha's ruling elite, having held power for decades.

While the Third Hokage had stayed up all night, these three had also taken action on their own.

Seeing the troubled expression on the Third Hokage's face, Koharu Utatane sighed softly, "Sarutobi, I've already taken care of the villagers' resettlement. Haven't you found any trace of Minato or Kushina?"

Upon hearing this, the Third Hokage shook his head in grieve, "I've sent people to search all night, but we still haven't found Minato or Kushina, not even their bodies."

"Not even their bodies?"

Homura Mitokado frowned and then said, "Could it be that the attackers took Minato and Kushina's bodies? But if the attackers took them, why would they leave Naruto, the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki?"

"That's exactly what I'm puzzled about, but that's the reality."

The Third Hokage showed a helpless expression and continued, "Unless Minato was hit by the Nine-Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb before he could use the Reaper Death Seal. And I don't know why they didn't take Naruto."

At this moment, Koharu seemed to have thought of something and said, "Maybe we should start by analyzing the attackers' motives. They must have had a reason for attacking Konoha."

The Third Hokage took a puff from his pipe and, while exhaling smoke, analyzed, "The attackers didn't take Naruto, which shows they had no interest in the Nine-Tails, nor did they want to completely alter the balance between the Five Great Nations. Perhaps they simply wanted to kill Minato and Kushina."

"In that case, were the attackers enemies of Minato and Kushina?"

Koharu displayed a puzzled expression and then said, "But when did Minato and Kushina provoke such a powerful ninja? Someone who would go so far as to attack Konoha just to get revenge on the two of them. And if the culprit were a ninja from one of the other four great villages, they..."

"I have no idea," the Third Hokage interrupted with a helpless shrug, but he continued to analyze the situation internally.

There were suspicious aspects everywhere during last night's Nine-Tails incident, but when combined, they made it difficult to pinpoint a clear direction for investigation.

First, according to the Jonin reports from the scene, the ninja who attacked Minato and Kushina possessed space-time abilities.

This space-time ninja not only knew the exact time of Kushina's childbirth but also had the ability to control the Nine-Tails. They successfully diverted much of Konoha's forces using the Nine-Tails, giving them the chance to face Minato one-on-one.

Secondly, the space-time ninja was not Minato's equal and lost the battle, fleeing in haste.

However, after Minato used the Reaper Death Seal to seal the Nine-Tails, sacrificing himself in the process, the space-time ninja took the opportunity to erase all traces of Minato and Kushina.

As the Third Hokage and his two advisors were deep in analysis, Danzo Shimura, who had remained silent for a long time, finally spoke.

Leaning on his cane, Danzo, with a blank expression, said, "We can investigate the culprit later. Right now, there's a very important matter we need to deal with."

Hearing this, the Third Hokage and the two advisors turned their attention to Danzo.

Danzo, maintaining his stoic expression, continued, "The Land of Fire cannot go a day without a daimyo, and Konoha cannot go a day without a Hokage. Since Minato Namikaze is likely missing or dead, we should quickly choose a new Hokage. If we don't elect the Fifth Hokage soon, the village will inevitably fall into chaos."

After saying this, Danzo's gaze fell on the Third Hokage and the two advisors, his eyes full of anticipation. He was clearly eager to become Hokage himself.

Everyone narrowed their eyes at his words.

They knew that Danzo had always coveted the position of Hokage, but with the village still in chaos, his eagerness seemed a bit premature. Additionally, it was clear that his Root division had played no role in handling the crisis.

Homura cleared his throat and said, "Danzo does have a point. The village does need a Hokage to manage this chaotic situation. However, Jiraiya and Orochimaru aren't in the village right now, and there doesn't seem to be any particularly suitable candidates. Why don't we..."

At this point, Homura paused, and Koharu picked up the conversation, "Why don't we let Sarutobi act as the interim Hokage? Once the village has returned to order, we can then select the Fifth Hokage."

Upon hearing this, Danzo's face darkened as he looked toward the Third Hokage.

The Third Hokage stroked his beard, glanced at Danzo, and slowly said, "Since the village needs me, the former Hokage, to step in, I will temporarily serve as the acting Hokage."