Chapter 107: Jiraiya Ascends as Hokage, Yet His Heart Is Full of Doubt!

After speaking, Hiruzen Sarutobi left the meeting room directly.

Shizune, Water Gate, and Jiraiya naturally followed behind Hiruzen Sarutobi; only after they departed did the attending Jonin begin to leave.

But.

Unlike previous elections for a new Hokage, nearly everyone present wore no smile at all.

This could be understood.

Although these civilian Jonin still chose the Hokage faction, the sudden rumors in the village had made their hearts skip a beat.

Added to this, the fact that nearly all ninja clans had abstained from this Jonin meeting cast a shadow over everyone’s mind.

Does the village still have a future?

Even if they resented the ninja clans, they could not deny that ninja born of clans were elites.

A Fifth Hokage not backed by all the ninja clans—even if they had placed Jiraiya in the position—could he truly hold it?

Uncertain.

Precisely because of this, everyone appeared deeply troubled.

“Clan Chief…”

“The Hokage’s gaze at Itachi just now was strange—did we make the wrong decision?”

“Did our Hyuga clan truly choose neutrality?”

The Hyuga clan spoke up in unison.

All eyes turned to Hyuga Hiashi; their hearts were filled with unease.

And yet, regarding this,

Hyuga Hiashi felt a twinge of guilt, but having made his decision, he had no right to regret it now.

After a brief pause, he spoke slowly: “I trust my choice. The Uchiha faction won’t give up so easily. I sense something major will happen during tomorrow’s Hokage ascension ceremony.”

“Let’s go!”

“We’ll know who wins and who loses tomorrow.”

After speaking,

Hyuga Hiashi led the way out of the meeting room; the other Hyuga clan members naturally followed suit and departed.

As they walked down the streets, the village’s atmosphere was eerily strange.

Even though a new Hokage had been elected, not a single villager wore a smile—this had never happened in Konoha’s history.

Watching the numb villagers on the streets, Hyuga Hiashi grew even more certain his abstention had been the right choice.

The village had lost its cohesion.

He still remembered when Minato Namikaze became Hokage—the entire village had lit lanterns and celebrated, with many shops even offering discounts.

But this time?

It felt like a storm was coming.

…

Meanwhile, on the other side:

Hokage Office.

Jiraiya leaned against the window, staring at the lifeless village, his heart in turmoil.

“Old man!”

“The Uchiha faction’s silence is suspicious—it’s making me deeply uneasy.”

“Are your plans really safe?”

In response to Jiraiya’s question, Hiruzen Sarutobi continued smoking.

Clearly,

he too felt a quiet unease, but he had no choice—he had to push forward, no matter how hard it was.

Looking at Jiraiya’s anxious face, he sighed and spoke slowly: “Jiraiya, we must walk this path to the end.”

“That’s true,” Jiraiya said with a sudden smile.

Yes.

Even though they knew the Uchiha faction was acting strangely, they had already burned their bridges.

Even if the Uchiha side was suspicious, could they afford to give up?

No.

Facing the increasingly dominant Uchiha faction, the Hokage faction had no cards left—only by placing Jiraiya as Fifth Hokage could they restart the game and still have a chance to compete…

Otherwise,

they could only choose to burn their boats—or else wait for death.

After a quiet sigh, he spoke slowly:

“I hope tomorrow passes smoothly.”

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not answer.

Though he wanted to comfort himself, he was deeply uneasy.

After all, he had clashed with Uchiha Jin for a long time—he knew the man wouldn’t surrender so easily.

On the contrary,

the calmer the opponent appeared, the greater his scheme must be.

But the problem was:

He couldn’t figure out where Uchiha Jin would strike to break the deadlock.

He couldn’t figure it out.

In his view, the Uchiha’s best move would have been to defeat Jiraiya in today’s Jonin meeting and seize the Fifth Hokage position by force…

But unfortunately,

the Uchiha faction had abandoned the easiest path—so what the hell was Uchiha Jin thinking?

And it was with this uneasy heart that he waited until nine o’clock the next morning.

Before the Hokage Tower.

Countless numb villagers and ninja stood like walking corpses in the streets and alleys before the Hokage Tower, their eyes filled with unease, suspicion, and dread as they stared at the tower’s rooftop.

Hyuga Hiashi and several clan elders sat inside a teahouse, their position offering a clear view of the Hokage Tower’s rooftop.

Clearly,

they too were waiting.

They wanted to know what the Uchiha faction was secretly plotting.

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt the same.

Dressed in the Hokage robe, his face beneath the Hokage hat remained grim and unreadable.

Beside him, Jiraiya was the same.

He too wore a pristine Hokage robe; the only difference from his teacher was that on his back was written “Fifth Hokage,” while on Hiruzen Sarutobi’s robe, it clearly read “Third Hokage.”

“Ninja. Villagers.”

“Today is a good day. This old tree of mine has withered—it is time to pass on the Hokage position.”

“But fortunately!”

“Our village’s new sprout has grown. Jiraiya’s ability and achievements are sufficient—he will lead the village to greater glory.”

“Where the leaves of Konoha flutter, the fire shall never die.”

“…”

After his speech, Hiruzen Sarutobi removed his Hokage hat and solemnly placed it on Jiraiya’s head.

His eyes held reluctance and sorrow—he had worn this hat his entire life.

But,

while each Hokage might have multiple robes, each had their own unique robe, yet there was only ever one Hokage hat—the one before them.

Jiraiya’s expression was complex.

The instant the Hokage hat settled on his head, he instantly felt the crushing weight of responsibility.

But,

he stood on the Hokage Tower rooftop, gazing down at the dense crowd of Konoha villagers, and solemnly declared himself the Fifth Hokage, promising to lead them toward a better life.

After two dry sentences, he fell silent.

There was no choice!

Unlike Hiruzen Sarutobi, he lacked the gift of oratory.

But even so,

a chorus of cheers rose from below—even though no one truly felt joy, they still owed him the proper respect.

But,

the two men on the Hokage Tower rooftop had no interest in savoring this moment; instead, their minds raced, wondering what the Uchiha faction was doing.

He was already Hokage—why hadn’t those bastards moved yet?

Could it be…

They’ve truly given up!

As the two pondered this, an Anbu hurried to their side.

“Third Hokage! Fifth Hokage!”

Things are dire!