This is a very special day, at least for the villagers of Konoha, because today they will witness the next generation of Hokage taking power.
The sky was blue, without a cloud in sight.
In front of the Hokage Building, crowds of people gathered together, filling the nearby streets and alleys.
The warm weather in early summer made the people who were rubbing shoulders feel even hotter, but no one complained or moved. Even their expressions were surprisingly consistent, either solemn or expectant.
At this moment, all Konoha villagers, whether they were ninjas or ordinary people, just focused their gazes upward to watch the Hokage handover ceremony.
The scene was so quiet that you could hear a needle drop. Minato stood on the top of the rooftop of the Hokage building, looking at the teacher opposite who slowly took off the Hokage hat and walked towards him step by step.
Subconsciously, I swallowed.
The solemn atmosphere made Minato's eyes look a little nervous, which was rare, and memories from the previous period vaguely appeared in his mind.
The fourth Hokage Rairo intends to abdicate and is preparing to hand over the responsibility of the next Hokage to his disciple Minato Namikaze.
When this news first came out, it was a few months ago.
The war had just ended and the peace agreement was still being signed.
The ninjas were either licking their wounds, cheering for the victory of the war, or enjoying a long vacation. Not many people paid attention to this piece of gossip whether it was true or false.
It wasn't until time slowly passed and the call for the handover of Hokage became louder and louder that the ninjas gradually realized that their fourth generation master really didn't want to be Hokage anymore.
Otherwise, this kind of news would not have spread like wildfire.
Some people were surprised, some sighed, some were reluctant to give up, and some - persuaded.
High-level officials in Konoha, such as Uzumaki Makoto, Orochimaru, Fugaku, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Shikaku, all expressed their opinions to Lei Luo, expressing that they did not want him to step down as Hokage.
But Lei Luo was very determined this time. He did not consider anyone else's opinions and gave a categorical rejection. Then, Minato was pushed to the forefront.
Regarding the matter of Namikaze Minato succeeding the fifth generation, the villagers of Konoha have different opinions. Some people think that he is strong enough. As the disciple of the fourth generation, it is natural for him to become the fifth generation.
But some people think that Minato is not qualified to inherit the position of Hokage. The basis is that Minato does not have many significant achievements. On the contrary, he has to bear the main responsibility for the defeat of Qilitan.
Minato in the original time and space single-handedly reversed the war situation in Konoha Iwagakure. Needless to say, his reputation and achievements need not be detailed, but in this time and space...
Even though Minato was stronger than himself in the original time and space, the enemies seemed to be cheating, and he didn't have much chance to show off.
Not to mention the Fourth Mizukage, a strong man on the same level as Lei Luo, but also masters such as Hayakura, Scorpion, and Uzumaki Nagato. It is undoubtedly a daydream for Minato to win easily.
To be honest, even Minato himself thinks that he is not qualified yet...
"Minato, I will leave the location of the Fifth Generation to you."
"do not let me down."
His thoughts were interrupted by the calm voice. Minato came back to his senses, raised his head, and met Lei Luo's gaze, biting his lips unconsciously, with mixed feelings in his heart.
Subconsciously stretching out his arm, Minato took the Hokage hat handed over by Lei Luo. Minato hesitated for a moment, and finally slowly put it on his head.
Naruto, his childhood dream was also the reason why he followed Lei Luo in the first place...
Why do you feel that this position is so heavy and...hot now?
"Okay, don't think too much."
Lei Luo noticed something from Minato's face, so he comforted him softly, patted his disciple on the shoulder, and raised his hand forward.
"Go say hello to everyone."
Minato took a deep breath and decisively dispelled all the lingering thoughts in his mind. He nodded slightly to Lei Luo, his expression instantly became firm, turned around, and slowly walked towards the rooftop guardrail.
He raised his right hand high and raised it fiercely.
What greeted Minato was the cheers of mountains and tsunamis.
…
"Lei Luo, you are only in your thirties this year, right?"
After the handover ceremony, Minato officially took office as the Fifth Hokage. The people dispersed and discussed the major events that happened today in the streets. The entire Konoha Village seemed to become noisy.
As for Lei Luo, the moment he walked out of the door of the Hokage's office, he saw Orochimaru in a loose white coat, leaning against the wall, as if he had been waiting for a long time.
"To be precise, he is thirty-one years old."
With a casual reply, Lei Luo waved to Orochimaru, who stepped forward in tacit understanding, and the two walked side by side in the corridor inside the Hokage Building.
"Don't you think it's a little too early for you to abdicate at the age of thirty-one?"
"Minato is only in his twenties this year. Such a young Hokage... looks very similar to you back then."
Orochimaru's tone is very strange. At first it sounds like an understatement, but upon closer inspection, there is an indescribable emotion and...sourness?
"What? Are you envious of Minato?"
He glanced at Orochimaru and saw that there was no change in his expression. His eyes moved slightly to the side of the Hokage's office, as if he was observing the new owner behind the desk. Lei Luo said calmly:
"If you want to be the Hokage, you can. The second village in the Kingdom of Sichuan and the fourth village in the Kingdom of Earth have vacant leadership positions. Oh, no..."
After a pause, Lei Luo slowly shook his head.
"Now it should be called Sichuan Province and Tu Province."
"I don't want to go far away. Compared to those places, Konoha is better. Whenever I see those familiar people or things, it always makes me relax my tired body and mind."
Orochimaru decisively rejected Lei Luo's proposal and shrugged his shoulders. Thinking of the meaning given to the name of Hokage, he couldn't help but smile.
"I'd better be my dean of scientific research. At least I can come over and visit from time to time."
"Hokage...it's not what I want after all."
The blazing white light cast from the roof reflected on Orochimaru's face, making him look paler than before. What was revealed in his bright yellow vertical pupils were emotion, sigh, and a trace of self-deprecation.
.
At this moment, Lei Luo surprisingly understood Orochimaru's mentality. He knew that Orochimaru must have been very upset when he saw Minato ascending to the position of Hokage, but after briefly communicating with himself, he quickly became relieved.
What caused this change?
Lei Luo felt that it should be the vision... and the pattern.
The Kingdom of Fire is no longer the Kingdom of Fire in the original work.
Although Konoha is still a ninja village on the surface, and in a broad sense there has been no fundamental change, the various information spread from the outside will naturally change the thinking of the people living here.
Among them, they include world view, outlook on life, and values.
Even a wise man like Orochimaru will be affected subtly, just like a frog emerging from the bottom of a well and really raising his head to look up at the stars.
No one can keep their thinking undisturbed in the face of drastic changes.