After the battle, Sarutobi Hiruzen and his party secretly returned to Konoha.

Due to the short time, only a few people knew that the Hokage had gone out.

Among the people who knew that Hiruzen Sarutobi left the village, only a few knew why Hiruzen Sarutobi left the village.

"well."

Looking at the prosperous streets of Konoha, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who returned to Konoha in disguise, sighed softly.

The Third Ninja War ended, and Konoha gained a lot of benefits as the victor.

This was supposed to be the beginning of Konoha's journey to a new peak, but uncertainty arose because of his mistakes.

"Hiruzhan, go home and have a good rest. As long as we are here, Konoha will continue to be prosperous and strong." Seeing this, Mito Kadoyan comforted him.

He could understand Sarutobi Hiruzen's mood.

Soyousuke's battle plan was decided by Hiruzen Sarutobi despite the objections of the other three senior officials. However, such an accident occurred, and his heart must be filled with regret and guilt.

This time it was really dangerous. If Sosuke hadn't chosen to stop, most of them would have died at the border.

If it hadn't been for seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen's defeat so miserably, Mito Monen would have wanted to say something about Sarutobi Hiruzen, which would have almost led to a big mistake.

"Can Konoha be prosperous and strong with us..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen walked towards the Hokage Building with a complicated expression.

"It's still just afternoon. How can I have this time to rest? I'm going to the Hokage Building to handle business."

Everyone is at work at this time, so how can he, a person who made a mistake, go home to rest at this time?

Seeing that Sarutobi Hiruzen was going to the Hokage Building, Mito Kaden had no choice but to follow him.

The Hokage went to work on his own initiative, how could he, a consultant, go home?

When they reached the floor where the consultant's office was located, the two of them happened to bump into Xiaochun who was walking out of the office.

"En, Hiruzen, you're back." Koharu greeted the two of them as usual when he went to bed. He didn't think there was any problem with the two of them appearing in the Hokage Building.

After all, it was not a big hassle for them to leave the village this time, so there was no need to contact her in advance.

"What's going on with the Ninja sect? Have you completely lost your skin because of Soyousuke's death?" Koharu asked casually when he went to bed.

In her opinion, it was a sure thing that Hiruzen Sarutobi would kill Soyousuke. The only thing she needed to worry about was whether the Ninja Sect would want to break up with Konoha because of this.

"Um?"

Looking at the silent Sarutobi Hiruzen, Koharu was a little confused when he went to bed.

"Did something unexpected happen?"

"Ahem." Seeing Koharu running around in the minefield like crazy, Mito Kabuto coughed twice to attract Koharu's attention.

"Xiaochun, I have something to discuss with you. Let's go to the office to talk."

When Koharu was asked to continue talking, Mito Kaden was worried that Sarutobi Hiruzen would not be able to sleep at night.

"Okay." Xiaochun nodded as he went to bed.

Although she didn't know what happened, Xiaochun was not stupid when she went to bed, so she could tell that something bad had happened.

"Let's talk in my office." Just as Mito Katohan and Koharu were about to leave, Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke.

"It just so happens that I have something to talk to you about."

Mito Kadoen wanted to talk to Koharu alone, so that he could save some face for Hiruzen Sarutobi, but Hiruzen Sarutobi said so, so he could only nod.

Then the three of them went to the Hokage's office together.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was the first to push open the wooden door of the Hokage's office and sat on the only office chair in the office, while Mito Kado and Koharu were standing in front of the desk.

Sarutobi Hiruzen took out his pipe and lit it, took a deep breath and exhaled the thick white mist before saying, "I lost the battle."

When he went to bed, Koharu showed an extremely surprised expression, thinking that he had heard wrongly, and subconsciously looked at Mito Monochrome.

Seeing Mito Monobu nod with a helpless expression, Koharu turned to bed and was sure that she had heard correctly and that this was the truth.

"Hiruzen, it's okay. After all, you are not young anymore. Soyousuke is young and strong, which has the advantage." Koharu considered his words and comforted him after he went to bed.

"It has nothing to do with age. Soyousuke is very strong, far better than me." Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head and said.

If he just wanted to lose and was only a little behind Sosuke, he might still be able to use this reason to regain his respect.

Unfortunately, this was not the case. Sarutobi Hiruzen was almost crushed by Soyousuke, and he didn't even touch Soyousuke.

Therefore, Sarutobi Hiruzen does not want to find excuses to belittle Soyousuke. This is not only disrespectful to Soyousuke's strength, but also a denial of himself.

"Koharu, Soyousuke is far more difficult than you think. If you have to compare, I am afraid that only ninjas like the Shodaime-sama and Uchiha Madara can defeat him." Mito Kadenen explained.

When Koharu went to bed, his pupils suddenly shrank, and he instantly understood the horror of Soyousuke's strength.

Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara are the only legendary ninjas recognized in the ninja world. This legend is not something that the legendary three ninjas can touch. It is a ninja legend that is truly engraved in the history of various countries.

She finally understood why Sarutobi Hiruzen was silent when he was on other floors.

How can you say that your teammates thought you won, but in fact they lost miserably?

After going to bed, Koharu was worried and didn't want to talk. Mito Monobu didn't know what to say, and the atmosphere became a little silent for a while.

"I want to pass the position of Hokage to Mu Yue." Sarutobi Hiruzen said after a moment of silence.

He felt that he had been disqualified as Hokage and was not suitable to be Hokage anymore.

Mito Monohan said that Shimura Danzo was mainly responsible for this incident, but Sarutobi Hiruzen knew in his heart that even if it was Shimura Danzo's fault, he could not escape his involvement.

If he hadn't been extra tolerant to Shimura Danzo and ignored some of his mistakes, how could Shimura Danzo dare to do such a thing.

So Sarutobi Hiruzen was going to change his plan and pass the throne to Mu Yue in advance.

However, in order not to affect Mu Yue's cultivation, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt that he could really retire later and continue to shine at the top after abdicating, so as to share some of the pressure with Mu Yue.

"Why is this so?" Mito Monoyan quickly advised.

Sarutobi Hiruzen made a mistake, but in Mito Kaden's view, Sarutobi Hiruzen did not need to abdicate for this mistake.

In the battle with Soyousuke, not a single ninja in Konoha died, and the losses were only theoretical.

"Mu Yue is still too young. It would be better if he sits in the assistant position for a few more years. Hiruzen, you can't underestimate yourself because of one defeat."

"That's right, Konoha is in a critical period of development. Rather than a new Hokage, it needs you, an experienced Hokage, to be at the helm." Koharu continued as he went to bed.

She did not want Hiruzen Sarutobi to abdicate now, both publicly and privately.

"Young as young as you are, Mu Yue has the ability to convince others. As for the issue of experience, how can you get experience if you don't do it? Besides, we are watching," Sarutobi Hiruzen retorted.

The reason why he decided to pass the position was because Mu Yue's performance was too good. Even if he passed the position to Mu Yue now, there would be no objection in Konoha.

"Hiruzhan, you can't go your own way again. You must fully consider everyone's opinions." Koharu was a little anxious when he went to bed.

This time, Sarutobi Hiruzen did not refute Koharu, but fell into deep thought. Indeed, the battle with Soyousuke was the consequences of his insistence on going his own way.

Will his persistence be correct this time? Sarutobi Hiruzen is not sure.

"Although Koharu's words are a bit extreme, they are indeed reasonable. Hiruzen, please don't make a decision easily and think about it carefully." Mito Kadenen also continued.

Sarutobi Hiruzen showed hesitation, but finally relaxed and said, "I'll think about it again."

Mito Kadoyan and Koharu, who went to bed, breathed a sigh of relief.

Sarutobi Hiruzen stayed in the Hokage's office handling matters until seven o'clock in the evening before going back.

"You're back. Thank you for your hard work. I'm going to heat some food for you." Seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen come back, Sarutobi Biwako stood up and said.

At six o'clock she and Asma had finished dinner.

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded, took off the Hokage hat and coat, walked to the room and prepared to take a set of regular clothes to the bathroom to take a bath.

He is still wearing the combat uniform worn for missions and battles.

"Leaving the village? Did something big happen?" Asuma heard the footsteps and walked over, just in time to see Sarutobi Hiruzen who had not yet entered the room.

The Hokage still knew very well that he needed to be in charge of Konoha.

Sarutobi Hiruzen paused, but did not answer Asuma's words.

What should he say? Your old father went to fight without knowing what he was capable of, and ended up being crushed?

It was because he was so willful at his age that he caused big trouble for Konoha.

Faced with an old and well-informed friend named Koharu, Sarutobi Hiruzen could admit his mistakes without hesitation.

Facing Mu Yue, the future Hokage he was optimistic about, Sarutobi Hiruzen was also willing to tell the truth.

But Asma is his son, or a son with whom he has a slight conflict. If this is revealed, will he still be respected by Asma in the future?

"This is a Konoha secret." Sarutobi Hiruzen replied.

"I can't say you told me earlier." Asma rolled her eyes.

Fortunately, he had just been worried about Hiruzen Sarutobi's abnormal appearance, so he had been brewing this secret for so long.

Sarutobi Hiruzen opened the door and thought of something when he was about to go in. He looked at Asuma and asked:

"What do you think of me as Hokage?"
To be continued...