Chapter 369: Power Transfer, Sakumo Hatake Sets His Conditions

If he had been as stubborn as Danzo, he wouldn't have chosen to step down in the original storyline.

Even making Minato a puppet Hokage wouldn't have been an easy thing to pull off.

No matter how much of a figurehead the Hokage was, as long as they had some brains, they would eventually begin to grasp their own power.

Too bad Minato didn't get the chance—before he could truly shine, the Nine-Tails Night happened.

Had Minato been given a few more years, he would have slowly taken back some of the power.

By then, Minato wouldn't have just been a puppet Hokage.

The Third Hokage wouldn't have had a chance to make a comeback.

This also shows that in the original storyline, the Third Hokage was truly committed to stepping down.

"You object?"

The Third Hokage watched silently as Danzo raged before him. After a long pause, he said with a weary sigh:

"Danzo, I have grown old, and so have you. Eventually, we must accept that our time will pass, and the responsibilities of the village will fall to the next generation.

Wake up, old friend!

As long as Tsunade wants it, Orochimaru will have no chance."

"Besides, Orochimaru..."

Turning his back, the Third Hokage began to walk out of the courtyard. He took a few steps, paused, and sighed deeply:

"Besides, there is too much darkness in Orochimaru's heart. I cannot entrust the village to him.

Danzo, I am still the Hokage. The fact that I haven't intervened in many of your actions doesn't mean I'm unaware of them. I hope you understand that Tsunade will not be as lenient as I am."

"How could you do this?!"

"Sarutobi, why are you treating me this way?!"

Danzo struck the ground fiercely with his cane, shouting furiously at the Third Hokage's departing figure.

The Third Hokage shook his head slightly and left without hesitation.

There was still much work waiting for him in the Hokage office. He couldn't spend all day arguing with Danzo.

As for Danzo's concerns, the Third Hokage was convinced that even if Tsunade took over, with him around, she wouldn't go out of her way to deal harshly with Danzo.

Of course, that was assuming Danzo didn't stir up trouble.

As for Orochimaru, the Third Hokage could only silently apologize.

Whether or not Tsunade chose to become the Fourth Hokage, he could not entrust Konoha's future to Orochimaru.

Back in the Hokage office, the Third Hokage smoked for a while until the room was thick with smoke before he finally put down his pipe.

"Increase the number of personnel assisting Tsunade from the Anbu. They are to follow her orders—any orders. Also, hand over my official seal to Tsunade.

I need to head to the Daimyo's office immediately for discussions."

The conflict with the Mist Village could be seen as merely a dispute between two villages. But with Sunagakure joining in, it signaled the start of a new Great Ninja War.

The Third Hokage needed to meet with the Daimyo to negotiate funds and resources—everything necessary for war.

Without these, they couldn't sustain a war.

The two or three years of resources they had accumulated simply wouldn't suffice—they needed the Daimyo's full support.

This was why the Third Hokage decided to handle these negotiations personally.

He could have sent someone in his place, but he didn't trust anyone else to manage such an important matter. He wanted to ensure everything was taken care of himself.

"Understood, Hokage-sama."

The Anbu member took the Hokage's seal and made their way straight to the Logistics Department.

Once Tsunade had that seal, it would mean that, from today onwards, she could practically rule Konoha.

The seal delivered, the Anbu also conveyed the Third Hokage's intent.

Having sobered up a bit, Tsunade looked over the documents and spoke calmly:

"Understood. Leave the seal here. Also, bring me all the recruitment files for the Anbu from the past few years."

It was no secret that there were Root operatives within the Anbu.

Even if the Third Hokage knew about it, he wouldn't make a big deal of it.

He didn't want to utterly eliminate Danzo. Tsunade, however, thought differently.

Since the Anbu was supposed to be under the Hokage's direct control, it should be clean. No foreign hands meddling.

Now that the Third Hokage had handed over his seal, Tsunade had the authority to address these issues.

"Yes, ma'am."

The Anbu ninja wasted no time and went back to the Anbu headquarters to gather all the necessary documents.

Hearing about this, the Third Hokage nodded, smiling in relief.

"Perhaps a cleanup is a good thing."

At the very least, it might make Danzo behave himself.

For Tsunade to clean up the Anbu also meant that she wouldn't go directly after Danzo, bypassing the Third Hokage.

This was a signal—if Danzo didn't stir trouble, Tsunade wouldn't dig up past grievances.

No settling of old scores put the Third Hokage at ease. Now he could head to the Daimyo's palace without worrying that things would fall apart in the village the moment he left.

With Tsunade in charge and the Elders assisting her, the village would remain stable.

Even if Tsunade and the Elders didn't get along, she still needed their help for a while.

Takuya knew nothing about the shifting currents in the village. He woke up promptly at four in the morning, took care of his personal hygiene, and dressed in a crisp new uniform before making his way to the village gates.

For a full-scale war, at least several thousand ninja were needed.

In just two or three days, it was impossible to mobilize that many, so the initial deployment from Konoha consisted of only a thousand ninjas.

Even so, the thousand-strong group gathered at the village gates made for an impressive sight.

"I thought you'd sleep in."

Seeing Takuya approach, Sakumo Hatake, carrying his sword on his back, joked. Ever since letting go of some things, Sakumo's demeanor had grown much more relaxed.

"I would love to sleep more, but I'm afraid Tsunade would kick down my door."

Honestly, if he could rest more, Takuya would take it. But there was no time—they needed to hurry to the border.

Thinking of Tsunade's no-nonsense personality, Sakumo laughed heartily, while Takuya cringed.

No joke—Tsunade didn't care for formalities.

If she said she'd kick down your door, she'd do it—even if you weren't dressed, she'd drag you out.

"Good morning, Shikashige-senpai."

Takuya gave a slightly embarrassed smile and nodded respectfully to Nara Shikashige.

Regardless of allegiances, Shikashige was genuinely admirable.

Though his fame didn't match that of Sakumo Hatake, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio never sought the spotlight.

Nodding back, Shikashige spoke with admiration:

"I heard about your feats on the coastline. You did well. Not many could infiltrate an enemy village alone and cause such chaos. Only you, Takuya Yagami, could pull it off.

Lady Tsunade chose wisely—you truly are a genius."

"..."

Come on, that's ancient history, Takuya thought, feeling both amused and exasperated.

"He's the mentor I chose for Kakashi. If he didn't have absolute skill, he wouldn't be up to the task, right?"

Sakumo chuckled as he added.

You kept refusing, but when Tsunade asked for my help and I set a condition, how could you turn me down?

"Senpai, you…"

"I'm not cut out for it, so I'm entrusting Kakashi to you."

Straight to the point—it was a fair exchange.

Shikashige smiled knowingly. He'd heard about Takuya's reluctance to take on a student. Even when the Hokage himself assigned candidates, Takuya only wanted to lead a team, not mentor.

Sakumo had also turned it down several times.

But this time, there seemed to be no escape.

Tsunade had asked Sakumo to return, and while they hadn't discussed terms or rewards, Sakumo wasn't just anyone.

Not negotiating didn't mean he didn't want something—after all, appearances mattered.

The public uproar over his retirement required something in return for him to come back.

Having Takuya take Kakashi as a student provided the perfect reason.

I've arranged something for your son; now, it's your turn to help me.

Retirement? Not an option. Even if it wasn't for your sake, you'd have to consider your son—so you have to come back.

"Senpai, you're really putting me in a spot here."

Takuya sighed, looking skyward.

"Haha..."

Sakumo and Shikashige both burst into laughter.