With Senju Tobirama finally laid to rest, the election of the Third Hokage was immediately put on the agenda.
The Uchiha and Hyūga clans jointly issued invitations to all major clans in Konoha, calling for a formal meeting to decide the matter.
The Senju clan, naturally, received an invitation as well.
And they had no choice but to attend.
If they dared not show up, Uchiha Nan would dare—the very next day—to announce himself as the Third Hokage, passed ujinimously.
The conference chamber quickly filled.
Every clan head arrived on time, some bringing along a few senior figures from their families. Before long, every seat was occupied.
"Now that the Second Hokage has been laid to rest," Hyūga Takuma began, "Konoha cannot remain leaderless. It is time to select the Third Hokage and lead the village forward."
As soon as he finished, all eyes turned to Uzumaki Mito.
"Before his death," Mito said calmly, "Tobirama had already chosen a candidate for the Third Hokage."
No one looked surprised.
The news had already been spread throughout Konoha by Uchiha Nan himself.
"That person is—Sarutobi Hiruzen."
Silence.
An awkward, suffocating silence filled the room.
The idea of passing the Hokage title to Sarutobi Hiruzen had always been treated as a joke by the clan heads. No one had ever taken it seriously.
Yet here it was—spoken outright in a formal assembly.
Frankly, even if she'd said the position was being passed to Senju Tōma, people could at least swallow that. True or not, most would agree he was qualified.
But Sarutobi Hiruzen?
Don't make me laugh.
"Lady Mito," Hyūga Takuma said, frowning, "isn't Sarutobi Hiruzen… unsuitable? Is he truly capable of bearing the Hokage's mantle?"
His words were carefully chosen. He didn't want to embarrass her outright.
"I agree with the Hyūga clan head!"
"I agree!"
"Same here—"
The objections erupted immediately, forming a one-sided tide.
"Quiet. Quiet."
Mito frowned and raised her hand, suppressing the noise before speaking again, her tone unhurried.
"Regardless, this was Tobirama's decision. Since he chose Sarutobi Hiruzen, we should at least allow him to speak for himself."
She cast a subtle glance toward Hiruzen.
The stage is set.
Now it's your turn.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, seated beside Sarutobi Sasuke, felt his heart leap.
This was it.
His moment.
He had rehearsed this scene countless times in his mind. His speech had been refined over and over.
He'd been thinking deeply about Konoha's future—how to restore its strength, how to balance relations between villages.
And above all—
The Will of Fire.
Where the leaves dance, the fire burns eternal.
This was the Will of Fire he had realized from Tobirama's self-sacrifice.
Hiruzen resolved to turn the tide with a speech imbued with that spirit, to earn everyone's trust—even if just for a chance.
Turn the tables. Right here.
He encouraged himself silently and walked to the center of the chamber.
"Everyone… Konoha's future—"
"..."
Hiruzen launched into a passionate, impassioned speech.
Unfortunately—
Uchiha Nan had absolutely no interest in listening.
All the clan heads present were practical to the bone. Lofty ideals like the Will of Fire were fine to hear, but taking them seriously?
That was just naive.
Nan cast a glance at the man beside him.
Uchiha Inabi.
Inabi—this is your time.
That mouth you used on me—put it to work.
"Stay sharp," Nan muttered. "Don't embarrass us."
"You crawled out of corpses and blade edges."
Inabi returned a confident look.
Leave it to me.
Sarutobi Hiruzen?
Small fry.
Then—
"F**k!"
"In your dreams, Sarutobi Hiruzen!"
"I'll f**k your mother!"
"You're a nobody from a minor clan, a useless piece of trash who ran from the battlefield—what right do you have to stand here spouting bullshit?!"
"You want to be Hokage?"
"Let me tell you something—not a f**king chance!!"
Uchiha Inabi stormed forward, planting himself right in front of Hiruzen and unloading without restraint.
Hiruzen was completely caught off guard.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Uchiha Nan burst out laughing—loud, unrestrained, echoing through the chamber.
Inabi, you magnificent bastard.
I'll reward you with two jin of sweet potato liquor later.
He picked it up fast—too fast.
Just a bit of teaching and he nailed it.
Nan's arrogant laughter rang out, and one by one, the other clan heads joined in.
No one cared what Hiruzen had been saying.
They'd only been humoring Uzumaki Mito in the first place.
Everyone here understood perfectly—
The only clans with a real shot at the Hokage seat were Senju and Uchiha.
They had all been waiting for the Uchiha to state their position.
And now?
The stance was crystal clear.
No need to pretend anymore.
Laughter, mockery, ridicule flooded the room.
What right did Sarutobi Hiruzen have to talk about Konoha's future?
Hiruzen's face flushed crimson.
He stood frozen, utterly at a loss.
This was the first time in his life he'd suffered such humiliation—publicly, before the assembled leaders of Konoha.
Every single person here outranked him.
He wished the ground would open up and swallow him whole.
His eyes burned with hatred as he stared at Uchiha Inabi.
If looks could kill, Inabi would've been torn apart a thousand times over.
Evil Uchiha.
Just like Sensei said.
Such a twisted clan never should've existed in Konoha.
Hiruzen swore to himself—
One day, he would make the Uchiha pay.
Uzumaki Mito frowned, deeply disappointed.
That's all it takes to break you?
The Uchiha hadn't even started yet.
"I, the head of the Uchiha clan, have always regarded protecting Konoha as my duty."
"And I believe myself more suited to be the Third Hokage."
Uchiha Nan stood up at last, openly declaring his ambition.
"However—since Tobirama chose you, Sarutobi Hiruzen, you must possess something exceptional."
"I'll give you a chance."
"Defeat me."
"And I, on behalf of the Uchiha clan, will acknowledge you as the Third Hokage."
The laughter died instantly.
The main act had arrived.
The true battle for the Third Hokage had begun.
Hiruzen turned instinctively toward Uzumaki Mito, desperate for her to step in.
She had promised him.
She had said she would handle the Uchiha.
But disappointment awaited him.
In Mito's eyes, he was nothing more than a tool—a chess piece meant to test Uchiha Nan's strength.
She didn't even look at him.
Instead, she spoke coldly:
"Hiruzen. Accept."
"If you wish to become Hokage, you must possess the strength worthy of it."
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