Chapter 232:
Letting his wife become Hokage?
Now that was truly an amusing idea.
For Orochimaru, there was more satisfaction in being the husband of the Hokage than being Hokage himself.
Besides, in his memory, Tsunade had indeed become Hokage in the original timeline, so it didn't seem far-fetched at all.
Why was Minato Namikaze the Fourth Hokage in the original storyline?
It didn't take much analysis to figure out.
Under normal circumstances, if Hiruzen truly abdicated, the Hokage position would naturally pass to his son or one of his disciples.
But at the time, his eldest son had died, and his second son, Asuma, was too young. This left only the legendary Sannin as viable candidates.
Of the three, Hiruzen's most cherished and talented disciple was Orochimaru. If Orochimaru had stayed on the "normal" path, his ascension to the Hokage seat would have been all but certain.