Chapter 619: Overwhelming Votes

In the Hokage building, inside the conference room.

Around the massive conference table sat many uniformed Jonin of Konoha.

"Is there some big announcement today? There are so many people here?" A Jonin noticed the unusually large crowd in the meeting room.

In fact, not every meeting required all Jonin to be summoned; most of the time, only the notified Jonin would come.

Jonin with special assignments, like those from ANBU, attended fewer meetings.

"Ahem."

Once everyone had gathered, Sarutobi Hiruzen, seated at the head, coughed lightly to draw the attention of all the shinobi present.

"Following the Second Hokage's will, I have protected the village for decades. As time has passed, my hair has grayed, and my strength has waned.

The courage of yesteryear is no more; the wisdom of the past now requires new thinking to carry on. The position of Hokage is not a single person's glory, but the heavy burden of Konoha. It must be held by the capable to ensure Konoha's peace, to pass on the Will of Fire, and to protect the village's new saplings.

Therefore, I have made up my mind to step down from the heavy responsibility of Hokage in the coming days and pass on the title to a rising star."

After speaking, Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a soft breath, opened his cup, and drank some water to moisten his throat.

Usually, Sarutobi Hiruzen did not bother to speak so formally in meetings, but this time he was stepping down, so a sense of ceremony was needed.

"?!"

The shinobi in the conference room all showed expressions of shock and confusion.

Except for those who knew in advance, like Yuezuki, Mizukado, and Homura, the remaining Jonin were startled by Sarutobi Hiruzen's words.

Even Orochimaru, who knew that Sarutobi Hiruzen had lost a battle, was somewhat surprised.

Losing to a junior might indeed be somewhat embarrassing for a Hokage like Sarutobi Hiruzen, but it was not serious enough to warrant resignation and abdication.

Because Yousuke had held back, Konoha had not even suffered any actual losses. If Sarutobi Hiruzen just pretended nothing had happened, it wouldn't have much impact—provided Yousuke didn't widely publicize it.

"Did something happen?" Nara Shikaku's eyes flickered.

He didn't believe Sarutobi Hiruzen's reason of old age and declining strength. Sarutobi Hiruzen was indeed not young, but he wasn't that old either.

Onoki was six years older than Sarutobi Hiruzen and was still serving as the Third Tsuchikage.

"Hokage?" Tsunade glanced at Yuezuki subconsciously, then frowned.

Recently, Yuezuki's reputation in Konoha had been growing, and combined with his great achievements in the Third Shinobi World War, nomination was not impossible.

However, Tsunade didn't really want Yuezuki to become Hokage. If Yuezuki became Hokage, wouldn't he waste a lot of time on official duties? Would he then have the energy to cook well?

"Who will be nominated?" The Konoha Jonin looked curiously at the strong shinobi in the meeting room.

Yuezuki and the Sannin received the most attention, considered the four most likely candidates.

As for Minato, though he excelled in many aspects, with Yuezuki around, most people believed Minato Namikaze had no chance.

Moreover, with veterans like the Sannin around, if both Yuezuki and Minato Namikaze were nominated, then the Sannin would have to be nominated as well. That would make too many candidates.

Obito kept his mouth tightly shut, but his eyebrows couldn't help dancing with excitement. He couldn't wait to vote for his teacher, Yuezuki.

"Orochimaru is one of the legendary Sannin of Konoha, known throughout the shinobi world, and is a trademark shinobi of Konoha. He has diligently carried out missions, solving one high-difficulty commission after another, securing great benefits for Konoha and establishing a good reputation for the village."

After a brief pause, Sarutobi Hiruzen officially began introducing the nominated shinobi.

Hearing Orochimaru's name, the Jonin showed expressions of "as expected."

At the start of the Third Shinobi World War, the Sannin were already considered likely successors to the Hokage position, so no one was surprised or had any issue with Orochimaru's nomination.

"He has rendered distinguished service since the Second Shinobi World War, and his contributions to Konoha have been far-reaching and significant.

Based on Orochimaru's outstanding contributions to Konoha and the positive changes he may bring in the future, the high-level council, after careful consideration and extensive discussion, has decided to nominate Orochimaru as a candidate for the Fourth Hokage."

Clap clap!!

After Sarutobi Hiruzen finished his speech, thunderous applause erupted.

Orochimaru had performed well in two shinobi world wars; this nomination was well-deserved.

"During the Third Shinobi World War, many excellent shinobi emerged in Konoha, and Habu Yuezuki was the most outstanding among them. Even expanding the scope to the entire shinobi world, Habu Yuezuki was the most outstanding shinobi in the Third Shinobi World War.

Habu Yuezuki repeatedly turned the tide when Konoha forces were at a disadvantage, changing the course of battle. In the climactic battle that ended the war, he alone faced a joint surprise attack by multiple Kage without flinching, laying the foundation for Konoha's final victory."

After the applause stopped, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately began introducing the second nominee, Muyue.

"Seriously." Tsunade couldn't help but roll her eyes at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

He's only fifty-four, why is he thinking about retirement already? It wouldn't hurt to work a few more years.

Tsunade figured it would be Muyue and Orochimaru; Jiraiya shared her attitude and refused to become Hokage, so he shouldn't be nominated.

In that case, Tsunade thought Muyue, who had better connections and possessed Wood Release, would have a higher chance of being elected.

"Therefore, after unanimous discussion in the high-level meeting, we have decided to formally nominate Haryu Muyue as a candidate for the Fourth Hokage."

Applause!

After Hiruzen Sarutobi finished, the conference room instantly erupted in even louder applause than before.

Students and disciples like Obito and Asuma really gave it their all, almost using chakra enhancement.

Fugaku Uchiha and Yashiro Uchiha exchanged glances, and they also clapped quite enthusiastically.

For the Uchiha clan, Muyue becoming Hokage was truly a wonderful, great thing.

Not to mention anything else, just the fact that it would legitimize both Obito and Shisui as future Hokage candidates was very exciting.

With a Hokage as their teacher, and the two being promising enough themselves, even if they didn't produce a Hokage, they should at least become high-ranking officials.

"I choose Master Muyue! He can make us stronger." Obito said excitedly.

Without a doubt, he firmly supported Sage Muyue becoming Hokage.

"Jonin Obito, please be quiet. There's no need to voice your thoughts like that." Homura Mitokado reminded him.

The jonin assembly election for Hokage doesn't use a show of hands, but an anonymous ballot.

Otherwise, it would be too awkward during voting, watching your own subordinates and friends not vote for you but for your opponent.

Kakashi covered his face speechlessly, subtly moving his seat a little to the side.

"Those are all the candidates for the Fourth Hokage in this election. Voting will begin in five minutes." Hiruzen Sarutobi continued.

The atmosphere in the following meeting was somewhat silent, with few people discussing whom to vote for.

No special reason; it was simply that doing so could easily offend others.

After all, everyone present was an elite ninja. At this distance, unless you were whispering directly into someone's ear, you could roughly hear what was being said if you listened carefully.

Shisui and the others' faces lit up with joy when they learned their only opponent was Orochimaru.

Their biggest fear was Tsunade being nominated, and they had devised quite a few methods to steal votes.

If their only opponent was Orochimaru, there was no need for all that trouble. Given Muyue's current reputation in Konoha, even if he did nothing, he would likely defeat Orochimaru and be elected Hokage.

"Tsunade, who are you planning to vote for?" Jiraiya asked bluntly.

He had actually already left the Land of Fire, but Hiruzen Sarutobi contacted him a week ago saying there was something important, so he came back.

For Jiraiya, the topic of who to vote for wasn't something that needed excessive secrecy. After all, if he had any interest, it wouldn't be hard for him to get a nomination.

Given that he was like this, the nominated ninjas should be thankful for his rejection of the Hokage title, as it directly removed a strong opponent.

"Muyue." Tsunade replied briefly.

Muyue becoming Hokage was something she didn't want to see, but Tsunade wouldn't purposely vote for Orochimaru because of that. If Muyue happened to lose the Hokage position because of it, how could she face eating so many meals there?

Also, Tsunade thought Orochimaru was unsuitable to become Hokage. In her view, the current Orochimaru was a bit crazy—wanting to learn all jutsu, seeking immortality.

Letting such a ninja become Hokage would likely cause all sorts of trouble.

"And you?"

"I plan to abstain." Jiraiya replied.

He also believed Orochimaru was unsuitable to become Hokage, but Jiraiya felt that if he voted for Muyue, it would be too hurtful to Orochimaru.

So he simply decided to abstain, since that was allowed by the rules.

Five minutes passed quickly.

One by one, ballots were distributed to every jonin present.

That was a slip of paper with the names of two candidates written on it.

To choose someone, draw a circle under that person's name; if you don't want to choose either and wish to abstain, draw a circle in the space between the two names.

Obito, Kakashi, and the others immediately circled Muyue's name as soon as they got their ballots.

The Uchiha jonin, led by Uchiha Fugaku, also quickly circled Muyue's name.

They were choosing Muyue, but also choosing the Uchiha's chance to enter the core power structure.

"Lord Orochimaru, sorry—it's not that you're no good, it's that Teacher Muyue is just too good."

Some jonin who had served under Orochimaru in the Third Great Ninja War but had also attended Muyue's special training silently drew a circle for Muyue.

"Assistant Muyue? My son seems to think highly of him. Maybe I'll pick him."

Some undecided jonin, remembering how their kids constantly praised Muyue at home, finally circled Muyue's name.

Many of them had rarely interacted with Muyue, but they had all heard some of his deeds.

After the ballots were counted, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane handed the data to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

A flash of surprise crossed Hiruzen Sarutobi's face, and he asked in a low voice, "Have you double-checked that there are no issues?"

"We checked a total of five times. There is absolutely no problem," Homura Mitokado replied.

Ballot counting is a very important task; it requires repeated confirmation by multiple ninja, plus supervision by two high-ranking officials like Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane to prevent problems.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Orochimaru with some reluctance in his eyes, but he still turned to the assembled jonin and said:

"Orochimaru received a total of twenty-eight votes."

The jonin in the hall all showed expressions of disbelief.

Twenty-eight votes meant twenty-eight jonin—which sounded like a lot, but there were over a hundred and sixty jonin at this meeting.

In other words, the number supporting Orochimaru was less than twenty percent of the total.

This was Orochimaru, one of the Sannin who had made his name in the Second Great Ninja War—such a miserable vote count took the vast majority of jonin by surprise.

Many had thought Muyue had an advantage, but not a huge one, because this was a jonin assembly.

Compared to the newly risen Muyue, the vast majority of jonin were more familiar with Orochimaru.

"Could it be that too many people abstained?" Some thought of that possibility.

If a high number of abstentions had reduced the total votes, then a low figure would make sense.

"Hanyu Muyue received a total of one hundred and thirty-nine votes." Hiruzen Sarutobi paused briefly and said.

An eerie silence descended on the meeting room in an instant.

The jonin who had voted for Orochimaru looked around in surprise, as if asking, "Why did all of you vote for Muyue?"

And the jonin who had voted for Muyue couldn't help looking around too: so many allies—an overwhelming victory.

This vote gap was already enough to lock Muyue into the position of Hokage early.

Although the chunin, genin, and civilians still hadn't voted, those two stages together only accounted for sixty percent of the weight.

Unless Orochimaru had extremely high popularity among civilians and ordinary ninja, it would be very hard to turn the tables.

Everyone here was a Konoha ninja; they knew well what Orochimaru's standing in Konoha was like. He had his supporters, but definitely not as many as Muyue.

Muyue had played too great a role in the Third War; with the war just ended, this was Muyue's absolute peak period.

Uchiha Fugaku's lips curled up, a rare excited smile appearing on his face.

A Hokage! Finally, a Hokage who might lean toward the Uchiha was about to emerge!

With Shisui and Obito, the two stars of the Uchiha, plus Muyue—a Hokage with strength who wouldn't target the Uchiha—how could the Uchiha fail to restore their glory?

"Teacher Muyue is Hokage!" A broad grin spread across Obito's face, and he shouted in his heart.

He had studied the Hokage election rules; although the final result was still far off, Muyue's vote count was rock-solid, with almost no possibility of an upset.

"History is being changed even further." Obito silently said a word of apology to Minato Namikaze in his heart.

The impact of their actions was growing—Minato Namikaze, who should have become the Fourth Hokage, hadn't even been nominated.

Obito thought that this was probably because Muyue survived, causing many battles that were originally handled by Minato Namikaze in the original history to be handled by Muyue instead.

After all, Muyue was stronger than Minato Namikaze.

However, if Obito had to choose a hundred times over, he would still find a way to change history.

Anyone could become Hokage; he just wanted everyone to live well.

This time, Naruto probably wouldn't become an orphan anymore, right?

PS: I've been busy and tired lately, and accidentally overslept again.

Thankfully, I'm finally done with work. I should be able to update normally before one or two in the morning tonight, right?