In the 36th year of Konoha, as the last aftershocks of the Second Great Ninja War completely dissipated, the ninja world finally welcomed a long-lost peace.
Despite Konoha fighting on two fronts against the villages of Wind and Rain, incurring not insignificant losses, these were rendered somewhat trivial when compared to what Konoha gained from the war.
The spoils of war as a victor were only one aspect; the immense prestige Konoha garnered in the ninja world by single-handedly defeating the simultaneous attacks of Rain and Wind elevated the title of the leading village among the Five Great Ninja Villages to a new height.
In the eyes of the ninja world, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, truly lived up to his name as the "Ninja God," successfully extending the power Konoha had established during the eras of the First and Second Hokage.
Especially after Hanzo of the Salamander announced that the Hidden Rain Village would become a subordinate force of Konoha, it solidified Hiruzen Sarutobi's position as the strongest Kage of the current generation and Konoha as the strongest ninja village.
To ordinary people, these titles might seem insignificant, merely providing a topic for boasting or sounding impressive.
But this was not the case.
The stronger a ninja village, the more military funding its country's Daimyo would allocate to it annually.
This military funding would eventually reach every ninja. As ninja is a high-risk and high-consumption profession, this money was often quickly spent by ninja on resources that could enhance their strength or quality of life, inadvertently stimulating the village's economy.
Villages with more active economies were more likely to attract the attention of far-sighted merchants or nobles.
Through commercial cooperation and mission commissions, they deepened their cooperation with the strongest ninja village, while also bringing substantial economic income and various intelligence to the village.
Over time, this seemingly invisible advantage would form a virtuous cycle, slowly propelling the entire village forward.
Taking Konoha as an example, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire sent a letter stating that starting next year, the military funding allocated to Konoha by the Land of Fire would increase by thirty percent compared to previous years.
Thirty percent of billions in military funding was no small sum.
Correspondingly, after winning the war, the number of people who came to Konoha to open shops and accept missions increased significantly.
Shop rents, business taxes, mission bounties...
The Third Hokage and the two elder advisors were overwhelmed with work daily. Hiruzen Sarutobi, in particular, had not had time to play with his beloved crystal ball for a long time.
Out of necessity, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, citing exhaustion, convened a meeting for the Jonin to vote on the next Hokage successor.
In accordance with the principles of fairness, justice, and openness, after comprehensively considering the strength, completion rate of high-level missions, personality, and loyalty of all active Konoha ninjas, Hiruzen Sarutobi directly announced the list of four Hokage candidates.
The names of these four outstanding young generation ninjas who had performed exceptionally in this war – Sakumo Hatake of Konoha's White Fang, the Legendary Sannin Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya – were presented to every attendee.
"This is too difficult to choose!"
This thought spontaneously arose in the minds of every Konoha ninja eligible to participate in the Jonin voting meeting.
Sakumo Hatake was highly valued by the Third Hokage. Since taking over as the captain of the ANBU, he had never made a single mistake. Furthermore, in this war, he had led the Konoha army in the Land of Wind and secured victory for Konoha.
With all these merits accumulated, Sakumo Hatake was indeed qualified to be the Fourth Hokage of Konoha.
However, these Konoha Jonin hesitated to cast their votes for Sakumo Hatake.
First, let's consider Tsunade.
As a disciple of the Third Hokage and the granddaughter of the First and Second Hokage, she possessed a natural advantage in terms of status. As the strongest medical ninja in Konoha, she had saved countless Konoha ninja lives on the battlefields of the Land of Wind and Rain.
Although there was no precedent for a female Kage in any country, if Tsunade were chosen as Hokage, it seemed not entirely unacceptable.
Then there were Jiraiya and Orochimaru.
Like Tsunade, they were also disciples of the Third Hokage, so their status and qualifications were beyond question. What was even more commendable was that both of them had mastered Sage Mode, just like the First Hokage. In time, who could say that these two young talents would not reach the same level of strength as the First Hokage?
If either one of them succeeded as the Fourth Hokage, how powerful would Konoha become then?
However, before these Jonin could agonize for too long, Sakumo Hatake, one of the candidates, stood up and stated his intentions.
He first expressed his gratitude for the Third Hokage's trust and high regard, and then subtly indicated that he was busy with his upcoming marriage and had no intention of participating in the election for the Fourth Hokage.
This refusal instantly stunned the Jonin. Before they could say anything, Tsunade, with a serious expression, declared her refusal.
Tsunade stated that she was merely a medical ninja with little combat ability and could not lead the Konoha ninja in the front lines.
Furthermore, after this war, Tsunade had keenly realized the impact of the lack of combat effectiveness of medical ninja. She expressed her desire to place Konoha's medical corps and hospitals under her command, and to do her utmost to train a group of powerful medical ninja for the village.
Once battle broke out again, Konoha's powerful medical team would save more comrades from death.
Her reasoning was sound and difficult to refute, leaving the Jonin dumbfounded.
Fuyuko Mao stood up generously from beside Tsunade and bowed to everyone present.
"Esteemed seniors, this junior is Fuyuko Mao!"
"As Jiraiya-kun's wife, I announce on behalf of Jiraiya-kun that he will not participate in this election for the Fourth Hokage."
Seeing that Fuyuko Mao had refused the succession of the Hokage for Jiraiya without even providing a reason, the Konoha Jonin slowly came to their senses. With blank expressions, their gazes fell upon Orochimaru, the last remaining candidate.
"Who else can we choose? Why did you call us here?"
Thus, the Jonin voting meeting, convened with the aim of selecting the Fourth Hokage successor, concluded successfully. Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin, was overwhelmingly chosen as the next successor to the position of Hokage of Konoha.
...
The desert of the Land of Wind.
The vast sandstorms had long since smoothed over all traces of the previous great battle. Orochimaru stood on the battlefield where Konoha and Sand ninjas had previously clashed, slowly forming hand seals for the Summoning Jutsu.
"Summoning Jutsu - Kurama!"
"BOOM!"
The Nine-Tails joyfully swept a large patch of sand on the ground with its tail and cackled at Orochimaru, saying:
"Hahaha..."
"Orochimaru, I didn't quite believe it when your body mentioned it before, but I didn't expect you to actually do it."
"It's quite ingenious of you to think of this way to get me out of Konoha!"
Orochimaru waved his hand, brushing away the sand that had been swept onto his face. Looking at the Nine-Tails frolicking in the sand, he chuckled:
"Kurama, I summoned you to accompany me on my journey through the ninja world. Don't just focus on playing!"
The Nine-Tails grinned and nodded.
"Don't worry!"
"Since you'll keep your word, I won't disappoint you either!"
"Tell me! Whose idea was it this time?"
Orochimaru looked at the Nine-Tails speechlessly.
"You make it sound like I'm a bandit. Even if I need to find someone, it's just something that happens naturally during this journey. How can it be considered plotting against someone?"
"Tch!"
The Nine-Tails snorted disdainfully, looking at Orochimaru with contempt.
"Stop pretending. I know you too well!"
"After being fooled by you so many times, I know what you're up to the moment you open your mouth!"
Orochimaru feigned shock, clicking his tongue in admiration.
"Kurama, I truly underestimated you!"
"Your current intelligence far surpasses that of Jiraiya and Tsunade combined!"
The Nine-Tails wagged its paw, looking thoroughly annoyed.
"Even though it sounds like you're praising me, I feel like you're cursing me!"
Orochimaru spread his hands and said sincerely:
"How could I! You're overthinking it!"
The Nine-Tails huffed twice, shook the sand off its body, and looked into the depths of the desert.
"This is the Land of Wind, where that stinky tanuki's temple used to be."
"Orochimaru, are you here because you want to find him in the Hidden Sand Village?"
Orochimaru nodded gently and stepped into the depths of the desert.
"Indeed!"
"I want to obtain the secret of Magnet Release from Shukaku!"
The Nine-Tails paused, then trotted a couple of steps to catch up with Orochimaru, asking with confusion:
"Magnet Release? What's the use of such a common kekkei genkai?"
"With my Yin-Yang Release chakra, if you train diligently, your future achievements will surely not be inferior to Hashirama Senju's."
"What's so valuable about the abilities of Shukaku, a fellow with only one tail, that you're interested in?"
Orochimaru glanced at it and slowly shook his head.
"Kurama, do you know what lies beyond kekkei genkai?"
The Nine-Tails twitched its ears and pondered with a frown. Its distressed expression revealed its nature as a poor student.
"Beyond kekkei genkai..."
"What is there?"
Orochimaru didn't expect it to answer.
"Kekkei genkai is born from the combination of two different chakra natures, creating a brand new power within a ninja's body."
"Wind + Earth chakra natures combined can form Magnet Release; Fire + Wind combined can form Scorch Release; Fire + Water is Boiling Release; Fire + Earth is Melting Release..."
"Do you see the pattern here?"
The Nine-Tails pouted, looking disdainful.
"Isn't it just combining two natures? I can even combine Yin and Yang natures to release a Tailed Beast Bomb!"
"Do you want to learn? If you beg me, I can reluctantly teach you!"
Orochimaru ignored the creature that didn't treat him as an equal and continued:
"Beyond kekkei genkai lies kekkei tōta, formed by the combination of three chakra natures."
"The currently known user of kekkei tōta in the ninja world is the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki's Dust Release, Wind + Earth + Fire."
Seeing that Orochimaru didn't respond to its offer, the Nine-Tails let out a bored "Oh."
"Oh, and then what!"
"So you want to learn how to develop your own kekkei tōta?"
Orochimaru's eyes flickered, and he gently shook his head.
"More than that!"
"A mere kekkei tōta is not enough for me to ask for your personal assistance!"
"Kurama, as you know..."
"I am just an ordinary ninja. In terms of bloodline, I have no connection to Indra or Ashura."
"It's almost impossible for me to reach the level of the Sage of Six Paths using the Sage Body or the Sharingan."
"Therefore..."
Orochimaru stopped walking and looked at the Nine-Tails with a serious expression.
"To possess the power of all creation, I must find another path."
"I want you to help me collect the innate kekkei genkai abilities of all the Tailed Beasts. Once I have mastered them,"
"Using your Yin-Yang Release as a foundation, I will develop my own..."
"Kekkei Mōra!"