Chapter 53: The Council Begins [Asking for Votes]

"Grandpa, good morning."

The next day, a cold wind suddenly rose and snowflakes drifted down.

Shisui rose early and, treading through the accumulated snow, exercised his body by the pool in the courtyard; seeing Sima Yi walk out of the door, he immediately stopped, exhaled a breath of warm air, and called out a greeting.

Sima Yi smiled and nodded in response; after washing up, the two sat quietly in the room enjoying breakfast.

"Grandpa, soon I'll be going to the jonin council with Clan Head Fugaku. Do you have any instructions?"

After the meal, Shisui looked at Sima Yi with some expectation in his eyes.

"Listen more, watch more, speak less. Don't hold too many expectations; let things take their natural course."

Sima Yi did not care much about the outcome of the council; if it went smoothly, they would act a bit later and could prepare more thoroughly, and if it did not go smoothly, they could equally seize the opportunity.

Shisui memorized this carefully and nodded in reply: "Understood, Grandpa. Then I'll head out first."

He rose to take his leave and, with complicated feelings, arrived at Fugaku's residence.

Fugaku had likewise risen early, but his complexion was not very good—he had been even more exhausted these past few days than before.

The conflict between the clan and Konoha, the conflicts among the clan elders, and the various matters of the annual gathering all required him to preside over and resolve.

"Clan Head, Brother Tie Huo."

Shisui crossed the front courtyard and came to the corridor to bow; Tie Huo was already seated to the side, waiting early.

"Mm. I should have let you rest properly. The clan's affairs have been hard on you."

Seeing Shisui arrive, Fugaku nodded in acknowledgment.

He had originally planned to bring Yatsui and Tie Huo to the council, but Shisui's request had actually helped him a great deal.

With Yatsui voluntarily withdrawing, even if something happened at the council, it would not immediately reach the Great Elder's ears—and perhaps it might let him think calmly for a night.

"Everything is for the Uchiha!"

Shisui lowered his head and replied in a firm voice.

"Clan Head, it's about time. Let's set out," Tie Huo also called a greeting, then prompted from the side.

Fugaku rose, and the two followed close behind; braving the wind and snow, they walked together toward Konoha's core area—the Hokage Building.

Walking from Konoha's outskirts to the core area, quite a few people recognized them along the way.

Some bowed, some avoided them, some ignored them.

To those who bowed, Fugaku likewise nodded in response; those who avoided or ignored them were all disregarded by him.

When they arrived, quite a few ninja had already gathered in the council room.

The Hyuga Clan, the Nara Clan, the Yamanaka Clan, the Akimichi Clan, and other powerful clans each sent two or three people; the Kurama, Hatake, and other smaller clans sent only one person each, sitting quietly to the side.

The rest were all civilian ninja who had made a name for themselves in this great war, elected to participate in this jonin council.

After Fugaku and his two companions arrived, the slightly noisy council room gradually quieted, and everyone's gaze fell upon them.

Since the war ended, troubles concerning the Uchiha had been ceaseless, and everyone had heard quite a few rumors; their emotions were complicated, but most made the same gesture—indifference.

Fugaku and his two, however, kept their expressions unchanged and, meeting the crowd's complicated gazes, sat at the front of the council room.

Tap tap tap—shortly after the three sat down, the sound of footsteps and a cane striking the floor came once again from the quiet council room.

Everyone's gaze shifted, but upon seeing who it was, they all looked away one after another.

They saw Danzo walking slowly alone, leaning on his cane; his cold gaze swept over Fugaku and the other two, then he walked straight past and sat in the front row near the center.

Next, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu each arrived with two younger clan members and sat together with Danzo.

By this point, there were nearly sixty people in the council room, yet the very front center still had two empty seats—everyone was waiting. "Ho ho ho, am I late?"

The voice arrived before the person; a light, unhurried tone carrying a hint of laughter entered the council room.

Everyone rose to greet him; they saw the Third Hokage wearing the Hokage's ceremonial robe, one hand behind his back and the other resting on a pipe, walking slowly toward them.

Behind him followed two people, one man and one woman, both wearing jonin chain armor; their gazes were sharp and their auras formidable.

The two were the Third Hokage's son, Sarutobi Shinzusuke, and his daughter-in-law, Sarutobi Yuki.

"Lord Third."

Everyone called out greetings; the Third Hokage smiled and brought the two straight to the elevated platform. He removed his hat, shook off the snowflakes, and looked at the crowd.

"This is the first snow of the year, covering the entire Village, colder than before. Withered leaves like us, too, should kindle a light for Konoha to dispel the cold."

The Third Hokage spoke as if somewhat wistful, while Danzo, hearing this below the platform, had a shift in his eyes.

"This year, many things happened in Konoha, but fortunately, with everyone's united efforts, we ultimately achieved victory. We successfully protected Konoha and protected the Village's companions.

However, we likewise lost many companions, but they will not disappear—they burned themselves to illuminate the Village, bringing light and warmth to the newly born leaves.

All for the future of the new leaves, for Konoha!"

"For Konoha!"

The entire room erupted; whether moved or not, whether in agreement or not, everyone applauded in response.

The applause resounded, lasting for a long time without ceasing.

The Third Hokage nodded with satisfaction but did not put his Hokage hat back on; instead, he left it on the platform, then took his seat with Sarutobi Shinzusuke in the two centermost seats of the front row.

Sarutobi Yuki was left standing alone on the platform; as the current head of the Jonin Division, she needed to preside over the entire council.

At the Third Hokage's gesture, everyone likewise sat down, then looked up at Sarutobi Yuki; they all knew that what came next was the true focus of this council.

Sarutobi Yuki, with her short hair, appeared very capable; under everyone's gaze, she took out documents one by one, and after a brief greeting, the council began directly.

The first agenda item was the battle report, relevant to everyone; though called an agenda item, in truth everyone only needed to listen to the results.

Among these, the wars between Konoha and the Land of Water, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Earth were basically over; only a portion of ninja needed to remain on alert at the former site of the Land of Whirlpools, the Land of Grass, the Land of Rivers, and similar places.

Only on the Land of Lightning's side, though there were no longer large-scale battles, friction continued incessantly, and a portion of troops needed to remain stationed in the Land of Hot Water on alert.

However, everyone knew clearly that there would be no large-scale warfare with the Land of Lightning; the present could already barely be considered a time of peace.

The second agenda item concerned the Education Department; with the war ended, the difficulty of the ninja academy graduation exams would increase, and at the same time, the chunin and jonin exams would also become harder.

But this likewise had little relevance to those present—everyone qualified to be here was a bona fide jonin.

The third agenda item concerned the system, mentioning that war pensions would be prohibited from being claimed in a lump sum for the next several years.

Although several consecutive agenda items were tedious, not many required a vote from everyone, all the way up to the eighth item.

"Since the Fourth Hokage sacrificed himself during the Nine-Tails' rampage, Lord Third has had to resume the role of Hokage. But this was ultimately a wartime temporary measure. Now that the war is over, shouldn't we select a Fifth Hokage for the Village?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire hall erupted in uproar!

Danzo's eyes bulged wide, and his breathing became somewhat rapid.

He was about to speak when he heard Koharu Utatane beside him speak first: "The war has just ended, and the Land of Lightning still shows signs of reigniting the flames of war. Konoha's situation is unstable. How can Rizhan leave at a time like this? Let's wait until the situation stabilizes before discussing the Fifth Hokage!"

As Koharu Utatane's words fell, Homura Mitokado also nodded in agreement.

Seeing this, even those in the hall who had some thoughts immediately changed their tune and agreed.

For a moment, the entire venue was filled with voices urging him to stay.

(End of chapter)