In the days that followed, Minato Namikaze left Konoha and set out on the road to the Fire Nation Daimyo's residence.
This was a mandatory step in the Hokage succession process, requiring the recognition of the Fire Nation's Daimyo.
Of course, it was merely a formality. The Daimyo would never refuse. As long as he wasn't a fool, he would understand that with Minato's strength, this was nothing more than a request for official acknowledgment.
The forces the Daimyo could muster were nowhere near comparable to a great ninja village like Konoha. Refusing could even result in someone else replacing him as Daimyo.
Naturally, with Minato Namikaze's personality, he would never resort to such measures, but that didn't mean the Daimyo wouldn't consider the possibility.
Kurogane Ren was also aware of Minato's itinerary and could only shake his head at it.
It could be said that this very procedure—required for Hokage succession—was what truly crushed Shimura Danzo's ambitions of becoming Hokage in the original timeline.
If a Hokage could simply declare their successor and complete the transition, then in the original story, Shimura Danzo would have already used Uchiha Shisui's Sharingan to cast Kotoamatsukami, controlling the Third Hokage and forcing him to hand over the position.
But it was precisely this process that dragged out the transition period.
The Kotoamatsukami from the Sharingan Shimura Danzo possessed wasn't as invincible as it seemed. While it could affect someone without direct eye contact, it could still be detected by the Byakugan. More importantly, even if it wasn't discovered, its duration wasn't long enough.
For instance, if Shimura Danzo used Kotoamatsukami to control the Third Hokage into handing over the position, before he could even reach the Daimyo's residence for approval, the Third Hokage would have already broken free from its effects.
And then what would the Third Hokage think?
Not only would the succession process collapse instantly, but Danzo's act of stealing Uchiha Shisui's Sharingan would also be exposed.
Perhaps, given their relationship, Shimura Danzo wouldn't be executed, but would the Third Hokage allow Shisui's eye to remain in his possession? Even if the Third Hokage were foolish, he would still know what choice to make.
So this process was practically Shimura Danzo's lifelong nemesis.
He even felt that it existed solely to hold Danzo back...
…
Time passed quickly, and soon it was the day Minato Namikaze would officially assume the role of the Fourth Hokage.
It had to be said that the Flying Thunder God technique was incredibly convenient. On the way there, without a mark, he had to travel on foot, but on the return, he used the technique to save a tremendous amount of time.
Minato had already received formal appointment from the Daimyo. Now, the Third Hokage stood atop the Hokage Building, looking down at the ninjas and civilians below—many familiar faces among them.
He began his speech, first acknowledging his own shortcomings, admitting that the war had brought great losses to Konoha under his leadership, and that he felt unworthy of the Hokage title. He spoke emotionally about the past.
Naturally, no one would truly step forward to criticize him or make things difficult.
Many in the crowd were even moved to tears as they listened.
Kurogane Ren watched the Third Hokage above and couldn't help but admire his charisma.
Although, among all Hokage, he wasn't particularly powerful and had quite a few blemishes to his name, he had still taken up the position in a time of crisis after the Second Hokage and led Konoha through that difficult era. He trained the Sannin and nurtured the Golden Generation for the village.
Kurogane Ren didn't harbor any dislike toward the Third Hokage. After all, the man was always quite generous when it came to mission rewards.
Moreover, his lack of energy made it easier for Kurogane Ren to conceal certain actions. In short, his rule was absolutely beneficial to him.
The conspiracy theories from his previous life had influenced him somewhat back then, but in this life, he didn't care about such things. As long as the man's existence benefited him, that was enough. Whether those conspiracies were true or not didn't matter.
"Third Lord, you have already devoted everything to the village," Minato Namikaze said at this moment, unable to hold back.
The Third Hokage chuckled softly and didn't respond directly. Instead, he changed the subject and began recounting Minato's achievements on the battlefield.
At once, the ninjas below perked up.
Especially when the Third Hokage mentioned the shared understanding among the Four Great Ninja Villages—that any ninja who encountered Minato Namikaze was permitted to abandon their mission and flee—such an outrageous privilege ignited the crowd.
Cheers erupted from below, everyone proud that their village had produced such a powerful ninja.
Finally, the Third Hokage raised his voice and declared, "From today onward, Minato Namikaze will succeed me as the Fourth Hokage of Konoha!"
As his words fell, an even louder wave of cheers exploded, echoing throughout the entire village.
Minato looked at the cheering crowd below and felt, for the first time, the immense weight of responsibility settling onto his shoulders.
He stepped forward and began his own declaration as Hokage.
"I will inherit the will of the Third Hokage and lead Konoha toward an even more glorious future!"
At that moment, the crowd was in an uproar!
Kurogane Ren clapped along as well. He didn't particularly care about Minato becoming the Fourth Hokage.
But not everyone felt the same.
In a corner, Orochimaru leaned against a wall, his upper body cloaked in shadow. As he watched the lively scene and listened to the Third Hokage's announcement, even though he had already known the outcome, his gaze grew colder.
The position of Hokage was now beyond his reach. It was time to shift his focus more fully onto the study of ninjutsu.
Looking at Minato atop the Hokage Building, he mused that life was short—perhaps he would live long enough to witness Minato's death.
For that, he needed to discover a way to extend his own life, to master every ninjutsu in the world, and grasp the ultimate truth of existence.
With a faint sneer, Orochimaru turned and left, his figure gradually merging into the shadows.
Elsewhere, Shimura Danzo watched the scene, gripping his cane so tightly it seemed ready to shatter.
He stared coldly at Minato. If it were the Third Hokage, who labored day and night, even if he continued in the role, he likely wouldn't live much longer.
But what about Minato? He was barely in his twenties. How long could he remain Hokage? Even with Hashirama's cells sustaining him, Danzo doubted he could outlive Minato.
He had worked so hard for that position—colluding with Hanzo, spreading rumors about Orochimaru's experiments, and building his own influence.
Yet Hiruzen Sarutobi had skipped over him, skipped over Orochimaru, and handed the position to Jiraiya's disciple—a mere blond brat!
Unforgivable!
He glared at Minato, thoughts swirling in his mind, before finally letting out a cold snort and leaving.
The departure of the two men went unnoticed. The scene remained lively, with cheers echoing endlessly, and most of the commercial districts even lowered their prices temporarily to celebrate Minato's ascension.
On this day, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, stepped down, and Minato Namikaze became the Fourth Hokage.