The Uchiha Clan's Sun

However, Orochimaru's words made Jiraiya feel somewhat ashamed, so after he finished his task as quickly as possible, he shut his mouth and stopped talking, trying his best to minimize his presence.

Fortunately, Minato Namikaze's support rate was not low. After Jiraiya spoke up, those who supported Minato Namikaze also stood up and expressed their opinions.

"Lord Jiraiya is right, Lord Minato is absolutely qualified to become the Fourth Hokage!"

"That's right! I was saved by Lord Minato many times on the battlefield. If it weren't for Lord Minato, I would have died long ago!"

"The name of the Yellow Flash of Konoha is already renowned throughout the ninja world. I recommend Minato Namikaze to become the Fourth Hokage of Konoha!"

......

"Hmm," Mitokado Homura snorted softly upon seeing this, then looked at Namikaze Minato and asked, "Minato, what do you say?"

Upon hearing this, Minato Namikaze stood up, bowed to everyone present, and said, "Thank you all for your support! Becoming Hokage has always been my dream, and I will definitely live up to your expectations!"

"Excellent!" Mitokado Homura nodded in satisfaction and said, "Then let's confirm Minato Namikaze as the candidate for the Fourth Hokage. Does everyone have any objections?"

Mitomon En scanned the room and, after waiting a while without anyone objecting, the matter was settled.

After a pause, Mitokado Homura spoke again: "Now that the first candidate has been confirmed, does anyone have any other candidates to recommend?"

A brief silence fell over the meeting room. Everyone looked at each other, but no one spoke.

There are only a few qualified candidates to run for the Fourth Hokage. Orochimaru and Jiraiya are not participating, Tsunade has left the village, and Minato Namikaze has already been selected, so there really isn't anyone else worth recommending!

Just then, Uchiha Jin felt a cold gaze fall on him, and when he turned his head, he met Shimura Danzo's sinister gaze!

Uchiha Jin gave Shimura Danzo a reassuring look and broke the silence, saying, "I recommend Shimura Danzo to be the Fourth Hokage. He said he would lead us to the moon!"

Chapter 242 Hiruzen Sarutobi in Action!

Upon hearing this, Shimura Danzo's face twitched, and he almost couldn't hold back and burst into a tirade of curses!

The second half of Uchiha Jin's sentence was completely unnecessary! That extra sentence made Uchiha Jin's recommendation seem more like a joke!

Especially considering that Uchiha Jin had made similar remarks to tease him at a previous impromptu meeting!

Moreover, when did he ever say he would lead Konoha to the moon?

That place is barren and looks even more impoverished than the Land of Wind! What's the point of fighting there!

Everyone in the conference room looked at each other, unsure whether Uchiha Jin was serious or joking!

Furthermore, is it really possible for the Uchiha clan to recommend Shimura Danzo to become Hokage?

Who doesn't know that among the Konoha high-ranking officials, the one who dislikes the Uchiha the most is Shimura Danzo? Who doesn't know that the Uchiha hate Shimura Danzo the most?

Mitokado Homura said in a deep voice, "Department Chief Uchiha Jin, please be mindful of the occasion. Don't joke around in this situation and waste everyone's time!"

Uchiha Jin said calmly, "Elder Mitomon, what makes you say that? I sincerely recommend Elder Shimura to become the Fourth Hokage!"

"In terms of seniority, Elder Shimura, like the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, was a disciple of the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju. It would be perfectly reasonable for him to become the Third Hokage!"

"In terms of contributions, Elder Zhicun has worked diligently for the village for decades, and he has been present at every major turning point the village has faced!"

"Even the former Third Hokage once said of Elder Shimura, 'I am a leaf bathed in sunlight, while you are a root buried deep in the ground!'"

"You know, a big tree won't die if all its leaves fall off, but if its roots rot, then there's really no way to save it!"

"This also shows how much the Third Hokage valued Elder Shimura!"

"Does Elder Shimura not deserve to run for the Fourth Hokage?"

As Uchiha Jin spoke, everyone present looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, who hadn't uttered a single word since the meeting began, with strange expressions.

If it weren't for the fact that the Third Hokage, whom Uchiha Jin mentioned, was sitting right here, everyone would have thought he was already dead, judging from Uchiha Jin's tone!

However, phrases like "I am a leaf bathed in sunlight, while you are a root buried deep in the ground" do indeed fit Hiruzen Sarutobi's style!

But for some reason, everyone felt something was off.

Mitomon Homura's eyes flickered for a moment before he said, "I did not mean to question Elder Shimura's qualifications. Since you are not joking, then I accept your recommendation!"

After a pause, Mitokado Homura looked at everyone in the meeting room and said, "Kin Uchiha, the head of the Konoha Police Department, has recommended that the Konoha elders and the Hokage assist Danzo Shimura in the election for the Fourth Hokage. Does anyone have any different opinions?"

The crowd looked at each other, but no one spoke up.

It was just a position to be contested; it wasn't like Danzo Shimura was going to become the Fourth Hokage. Even those who were hostile towards Danzo Shimura didn't voice their opposition.

Everyone in the conference room shook their heads slightly, waiting for Mitokado Homura to complete the process and include Shimura Danzo in the list of candidates for the Fourth Hokage.

But after quite some time, Mitomon En still showed no intention of moving forward with the meeting.

Just as everyone was feeling puzzled, someone unexpected spoke up!

Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his right hand and declared in a powerful voice, "I object!"

With a whoosh, many people in the conference room were stunned, and an uproar ensued!

Since Hiruzen Sarutobi took over, Danzo Shimura has been Hiruzen Sarutobi's right-hand man and trusted retainer!

In Konoha, everyone knows that Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura are so close they're practically inseparable!

Shimura Danzo used the Hokage's name at will, and Hiruzen Sarutobi mostly turned a blind eye to Shimura Danzo's behavior, always favoring him no matter how big a mistake Shimura Danzo made!

When they heard the rumors that Danzo Shimura and Hiruzen Sarutobi had fallen out, they thought it was just a rumor. They never expected that Danzo Shimura and Hiruzen Sarutobi would actually fall out!

Now that Hiruzen Sarutobi has publicly opposed Danzo Shimura's candidacy for the Fourth Hokage, there is no longer any room for reconciliation between him and Danzo Shimura!

A glint flashed in Shimura Danzo's single eye as he spoke coldly, "Hiruzen Sarutobi, what do you mean by that? In your eyes, am I not even qualified to run for the Fourth Hokage?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Danzo Shimura and said without backing down, "In terms of seniority, contributions, and ability alone, you, Danzo Shimura, are indeed qualified to run for the Fourth Hokage. However, while you are qualified in terms of seniority, contributions, and ability, you, Danzo Shimura, also bear the sin that prevents you from running for the Fourth Hokage!"

Upon hearing this, Shimura Danzo narrowed his one eye, a bad feeling rising in his heart!

He had thought that Hiruzen Sarutobi would stop him from becoming the Fourth Hokage, but he never expected that Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't even give him the right to run for Hokage!

But now, Danzo Shimura has no way out!

Danzo Shimura spoke up: "Hiruzen Sarutobi, your words are baseless; don't try to slander someone's innocence out of thin air!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi sneered and said, "You want evidence? Heh, there's plenty! Not to mention anything else, just this battle at Kikyo Mountain Fortress was entirely caused by you!"

"In order to start a war, you first allowed the Cloud Village delegation to cause chaos in the village, allowing them to rescue the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki. Then you created an opening for the Cloud Village army, allowing them to enter the Land of Fire! You also arbitrarily mobilized border defense forces to besiege the Cloud Village army!"

"But what you never expected was that after entering the Land of Fire, the Cloud Village army would head straight for Mount Kikyo. Because you mobilized the border defense forces without authorization, a gap appeared in the border defense line, which allowed the Hidden Stone Village and the Hidden Sand Village to seize the opportunity, leading to the complete collapse of the border defense line. This led to the subsequent Battle of Mount Kikyo Fortress!"

"Although the village's ninjas fought a bloody battle and brought Konoha to final victory, this victory has little to do with you, Shimura Danzo! On the contrary, you, Shimura Danzo, are responsible for the nearly four thousand ninjas who were killed or wounded in this war!"

"The casualties of four thousand ninjas are nothing compared to what the entire Third Shinobi World War, which lasted for so many years, had resulted in!"

"With such grave sins, let alone running for the Fourth Hokage, in my opinion, you, Shimura Danzo, don't even have the qualifications to continue serving as an elder of Konoha or an assistant to the Hokage!"

"You deserve to spend the rest of your life in prison! You're responsible for those four thousand lives!"

Chapter 243: We may not distinguish between big and small, but we must respect hierarchy!

Danzo Shimura narrowed his one eye, a chill creeping into his heart as he looked at the 'righteously indignant' Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Hiruzen Sarutobi not only wanted to disqualify him from running for the Fourth Hokage, but he also wanted to kill him!

Hiruzen Sarutobi's feelings were also very complicated at this moment. At first, he only planned to use his position as acting Hokage to break the possibility of Danzo Shimura becoming the Fourth Hokage by taking advantage of the losses in the Battle of Kikyo Mountain Fortress. However, plans can't keep up with changes. Yesterday's attack by King Uchiha not only caught him off guard, but also made Hiruzen Sarutobi realize a very serious problem!

According to the information that Hiruzen Sarutobi obtained from Tenzo, Danzo Shimura promised the Uchiha and Hyuga clans the position of Konoha elder, and the Uchiha clan even participated in the assassination attempt against him. Kakuzu was an assassin hired by the Uchiha clan!

It can be said that Shimura Danzo has formed a deep bond with the Uchiha and Hyuga clans!

Having lost his Hokage authority, he has lost his sense of righteousness. Under these circumstances, Minato Namikaze, whom he supports, may not necessarily be able to compete with Danzo Shimura, who has the 'support' of the Uchiha clan, the first powerful clan in Konoha, and the Hyuga clan, the second most powerful clan in Konoha!

Even though Minato Namikaze surpassed Danzo Shimura in the Jonin trust votes and became the Fourth Hokage, the Uchiha clan had already reached an agreement with the Daimyo. Unless the Daimyo agreed, Minato Namikaze's position as the Fourth Hokage was illegitimate and he could not properly exercise the authority of the Hokage!

If the daimyo can stall for a little time, given Shimura Danzo's methods and the various intelligence gathered by Root, it would be very easy for him to bring down Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, the two elders of Konoha!

Then, if the Uchiha and Hyuga clans were to replace Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu as elders of Konoha, then everyone from top to bottom would be Danzo's people. Even if Namikaze Minato became the Fourth Hokage, he would just be a puppet sitting in the Hokage's office signing and stamping documents!

As the principal of the Ninja Academy who was expelled from the core decision-making level of Konoha, he had no power to resist in the process and could only wait for Shimura Danzo to settle accounts with him in the future, remove him from his position one by one and sweep him into the trash can!

Therefore, Hiruzen Sarutobi understood that he could no longer show any leniency towards Danzo Shimura, his former comrade-in-arms. This Jonin meeting was his last chance, and he had to nail Danzo Shimura to the ground once and for all!

Seeing the determination in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes, Danzo Shimura knew that this matter would be difficult to resolve peacefully, so he coldly said, "Hiruzen Sarutobi, are you questioning the village elders and the Hokage's advisors?"

"Who do you think you are now? You, a mere ninja academy principal, dare to spout nonsense at a Jonin meeting! You have no respect for your elders!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's face twitched. Although he had anticipated that Danzo Shimura might use his status to pressure him, he still felt an indescribable anger and resentment when he actually faced this moment!

Hiruzen Sarutobi gritted his teeth, pointed to the photos of past Hokage hanging on the conference room wall, and said, "There are no superiors or inferiors before the previous Hokage!"

"But we must respect hierarchy!" Shimura Danzo slammed his hand on the table and said in a deep voice, "The village's leadership must consider all aspects and view the issue from a holistic perspective when making decisions!"

"As the principal of a ninja academy, you should just focus on managing the academy's affairs. I have no need to explain anything to you, and you have no right to demand an explanation from me!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's face turned ashen; he was furious at Danzo Shimura's words!

Back when he was Hokage, although he would use his status to suppress Shimura Danzo when they disagreed, he never stopped acting like Shimura Danzo did and didn't even give him a chance to speak!

Everyone in the conference room stared wide-eyed at the sight, not daring to utter a sound, for fear of disturbing this wonderful show!

Uchiha Jin was also itching to get started. If he had known something like this would happen, he would have brought peanuts and melon seeds to the meeting!

what a pity!

"Ahem!" Just then, Koharu Utatane coughed lightly, coming to Hiruzen Sarutobi's rescue, and said, "Danzo, since you say Hiruzen has no right to question you, then surely I, as an elder of Konoha, have the right!"

"The village suffered such heavy losses in the Battle of Kikyo Mountain Fortress, you must give the village an explanation!"

Danzo Shimura glanced at Koharu Utatane and said indifferently, "What kind of explanation do you want? People always die in war. This time, Konoha suffered heavy losses. Do you think the other villages are having an easier time?"

"The Sand Village suffered a loss of three thousand ice-cold swords this time, and the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, was seriously injured. Even with the Sand Village's resources, it might not be able to recover in ten years! Is their loss small?"

"The Hidden Cloud Village also suffered losses of around three thousand men this time. The Fourth Raikage, A, was seriously injured, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki died, and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki was captured alive by us. Are their losses small?"

"Iwagakure also lost 5,000 ninja in this battle. The Third Tsuchikage Onoki's son, Kotsuchi, was seriously injured, and the Four-Tails Jinchuriki and the Five-Tails Jinchuriki died. Are their losses small?"

"Our Konoha achieved such a great victory at the cost of four thousand lives, securing at least fifteen years of peace. It was clearly a great victory, so why should I give the village an explanation!"

After a pause, Shimura Danzo changed his tone, shifting from a defensive stance to an offensive one, and said to Utatane Koharu, "Those ninjas who sacrificed themselves in this war made such a great contribution to the village; they are all heroes of the village, and they died a worthy death!"

"But the ninjas who sacrificed their lives in the Third Shinobi World War are a different story!"

"Our Konoha was clearly the victorious nation, but because of your weakness, you compromised with other villages, causing our village to fail to obtain the benefits it deserved. This resulted in a deficit in our village's finances, making it impossible to even pay the compensation for the ninjas who died in battle. We even had to threaten the ninja clans in the village to clean up your mess!"

"You have disregarded the sacrifices of the village's ninjas! You have made them bleed and weep!"

"You are all sinners of the village! You incompetent officials should just smash your heads against the Fire Shadow Rock to atone for your sins, instead of standing here spouting nonsense and arguing about who is responsible!"

Danzo Shimura unleashed his full power, leaving Koharu Utatane speechless!

Koharu Utatane was also surprised that Danzo Shimura was so powerful. After all, Danzo Shimura's attacks were always aimed at Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Hiruzen Sarutobi only needed to say "I am the Hokage" to suppress Danzo Shimura!

So, underestimating her opponent, Koharu Utatane was completely stunned by Danzo Shimura's attack!

Danzo Shimura glanced at Koharu Utatane with a hint of disdain, thinking to himself, 'Apart from Hiruzen Sarutobi, all the other high-ranking officials in Konoha are utterly useless trash!'

'And now, Hiruzen Sarutobi no longer has the right to speak with him!'

Thinking of this, Danzo Shimura felt a sense of pride!

Chapter 244 Am I excited?

"Shimura Danzo, don't change the subject!"

Seeing that Koharu Utatane had been rendered speechless by Danzo Shimura's few words, Hiruzen Sarutobi was very anxious and quickly spoke up.

Danzo Shimura glanced at him and said indifferently, "Principal Sarutobi, since when did it become your turn to speak!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi angrily retorted, "This is a Jonin meeting. Everyone here has the right to speak. It's not your one-man show, Danzo Shimura. Do you think I don't even have the right to speak?"

Danzo Shimura said expressionlessly, "Principal Sarutobi, you need to understand one thing: I'm not telling you not to speak, but rather that you should understand the situation before you speak!"

"I, an elder of Konoha and assistant to the Hokage, am currently responding to Elder Utatane's questioning. We are having a conversation, so what right do you have to interrupt?"

"Don't you even have the most basic manners?"

"If that's the case, I have to doubt whether you're truly capable of being the principal of the Ninja Academy! After all, the Ninja Academy is educating the new seedlings of Konoha, the future of the Land of Fire!"

"How can the principal of a ninja academy, who lacks even the most basic manners, possibly educate the next generation of the village?"

After a pause, Shimura Danzo looked at everyone in the conference room and raised his hand, saying, "Everyone witnessed what just happened. It was not a fabrication by me. Therefore, in my capacity as an elder of Konoha and the assistant to the Hokage, I propose the removal of Hiruzen Sarutobi from his position as principal of the Ninja Academy!"

"Shimura Danzo..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi gritted his teeth at the sight, but there was nothing he could do!