The Uchiha Clan's Sun

But that's assuming that Shimura Danzo can actually defeat Sarutobi Hiruzen!

"Okay! Ten minutes is enough! Then it's decided!"

Shimura Danzo didn't think much of it and immediately got up to take his leave. Although Uchiha Jin's conditions were harsh, they reassured him considerably!

Uchiha Jin smiled as he saw Shimura Danzo off, his heart filled with anticipation for tomorrow's election rally!

Chapter 270 The election begins, and undercurrents are brewing!

As night fell and dawn broke, the villagers of Konoha Village emerged from their homes in twos and threes as the first rays of sunlight appeared in the morning.

The Hokage Building had announced the election for the Fourth Hokage three days prior, and with the publicity efforts of Danzo Shimura and Hiruzen Sarutobi over the past few days, almost everyone in Konoha knew about it.

Although no one organized it, the villagers of Konoha spontaneously gathered at the Hokage Building, eager to know the results of the Hokage election as soon as possible.

However, it was clearly impossible for them to enter the plaza in front of the Hokage Building. That was where the village's ninjas gathered, and ordinary villagers could only gather in batches on the outer perimeter, watching the Hokage Building from afar and waiting for news.

The members of the Konoha Guard arrived at various key transportation routes in Konoha Village much earlier than the villagers, guiding the villagers to safe and spacious places and directing the ninjas to the plaza in front of the Hokage Building.

The entire Hidden Leaf Village is at a standstill today because of the election for the Fourth Hokage!

Soon, it was nine o'clock in the morning. The plaza in front of the Hokage Building was packed with people, and a huge ballot box was set up on the roof of the Hokage Building, with the heads of the various clans of Konoha standing on both sides.

As the head of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Jin naturally stood at the front of the group, while Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had lost his position as Hokage, stood opposite Uchiha Jin as the head of the Sarutobi clan, with the two separated by several meters.

Uchiha Jin and Sarutobi Hiruzen exchanged a glance from afar, their expressions both somewhat complicated.

Just then, a figure wearing a Jonin vest and sporting the Sarutobi clan's signature beard pushed through the crowd and approached Hiruzen Sarutobi, whispering something to him.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression changed drastically, and just as he was about to say something, Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, Minato Namikaze, and Danzo Shimura arrived together on the rooftop of the Hokage Building.

"Be careful and observe the situation! Keep a close eye on everyone!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi knew it was too late to do anything now, so he could only give a few instructions before frowning and standing back in his original spot.

Mitokado Homura, dressed in a formal navy blue kimono, strode to the microphone at the edge of the Hokage Building's rooftop, revealing himself to the crowd in the plaza below.

With a soft cough from Mitomon En, the sound, carried by a microphone, echoed throughout the entire village from the speakers set up in every corner of Konoha.

Immediately, the previously noisy crowd quieted down, and their eyes instinctively turned towards the Hokage Building.

"Gentlemen, we gather here today to witness the birth of a new chapter in the history of Konoha!"

"Where the leaves dance in the air, the fire burns eternally..."

"Today, we are not gathered here by our own personal will, but for the future of Konoha—for the Konoha Village that was founded by the First Hokage, protected by the Second Hokage with his life, and continued to this day by the Third Hokage's tireless efforts!"

"The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, dedicated half his life to the village and has now retired with honor. Today, we solemnly convene the election ceremony for the Fourth Hokage to decide the future direction of Konoha!"

"In this era of dramatic changes in the ninja world—the Hidden Cloud Village is eyeing us covetously, the Hidden Stone Village is lying in wait in the shadows, and the power structure of the Hidden Sand Village and the Hidden Mist Village is also undergoing violent upheavals—Konoha needs not just a leader, but a successor capable of carrying on the 'Will of Fire'!"

......

Mitokado Yan's voice was solemn and dignified, and very infectious, gradually making everyone present serious and attentive.

After a lengthy opening address, Mitokado Homura, under the expectant gaze of everyone, began to discuss the key points of this election.

"In this election, through the joint nomination by the Jonin team, the Elder Advisory Group, the heads of various Konoha clans, and the heads of various departments of Konoha, two candidates have emerged victorious..."

"One of them is... Konoha's 'Yellow Flash'—Minato Namikaze!"

Mitokado Yan turned to the left and gestured.

Minato Namikaze walked to Homura Mitokado's side, bowed slightly downwards, and his golden hair shone like flames in the sunlight.

"At just over twenty years old, he has already made outstanding contributions! During the Third Shinobi World War, he single-handedly turned the tide of the battle at Kannabi Bridge, and even got the enemy ninja village to issue an order: 'Anyone who encounters the Yellow Flash may abandon the mission without punishment!'"

As Mitokado Homura's introduction began, the ninjas in the crowd below showed expressions of admiration, and many others showed excitement.

"He is not only a genius tactician, but also a role model for the younger generation—he represents the future of Konoha!"

As soon as Mitokado Homura finished speaking, enthusiastic applause rang out, and many people excitedly shouted Namikaze Minato's name!

This also demonstrates Minato Namikaze's high prestige.

After the applause subsided, Mitokado Homura turned to the right and said, "And the other one... is the one known as the 'Darkness of the Ninja World'—Shimura Danzo!"

Danzo Shimura also walked to the other side of Homura Mitokado. Underneath his wide robe, his right arm, wrapped in bandages, was particularly eye-catching.

The applause stopped abruptly, and the atmosphere instantly became eerie.

Compared to Minato Namikaze's title of "Yellow Flash," Danzo Shimura's title of "Darkness of the Ninja World" is really not very appealing!

It's not that Mitokado Homura wanted to target Shimura Danzo. In any case, this is the election for the Fourth Hokage, which is a matter of Konoha's reputation. At this time, belittling Shimura Danzo is also belittling Konoha!

Mitokayana is still able to distinguish between primary and secondary issues.

That's just how Shimura Danzo is; you can't exactly introduce him as the 'Root of Konoha,' can you?

"As a disciple of the Second Hokage, Danzo Shimura fought alongside the Third Hokage for decades and was one of Konoha's greatest protectors! He commanded the 'Root' and used ruthless methods to deter enemies from making any rash moves..."

"He has no flashy reputation, but he has absolute 'control'! His belief is—'If the bright leaves cannot protect the leaf, then the roots in the shadows must be even stronger!'"

......

Mitokado Homura went to great lengths to give Shimura Danzo a presentable introduction.

"Although your beliefs differ, both of you are working for the prosperity of Konoha!"

"However, the name Hokage is not only a symbol of power, but also represents responsibility, wisdom, and leadership. Today, we are not simply choosing a leader, but choosing the future path of Konoha!"

"Therefore, I urge all Jonin with voting rights to carefully examine your inner thoughts. The future of Konoha is in your hands!"

"Now, I hereby declare the election for the Fourth Hokage to officially begin!"

Chapter 271 Crush!

After finishing speaking, Mitokado Homura raised his hand to the microphone, turned to look at Namikaze Minato and Shimura Danzo, and asked, "Do you two have anything to say?"

Danzo Shimura's single eye swept a sinister gaze across the crowd below, and he said, "No need, just vote!"

Danzo Shimura knew that the key to winning or losing this election did not lie with the chuunibyou and genin below, or the ordinary people further away. The jonin who truly held the power of discourse would not change their minds because of a few nice words, so there was no use in saying anything more now!

Of course, the most crucial point is that the Jonin who have the right to vote basically know what kind of person Shimura Danzo is, and their impression of him won't change just because of a few words.

On the contrary, Minato Namikaze's image is much more approachable, and he is more likely to win people's hearts with his words!

Therefore, Danzo Shimura directly refused the opportunity to speak, in order to prevent further complications.

"I don't need it anymore!"

Minato Namikaze originally wanted to say a few words, but Danzo Shimura directly refused, making it difficult for him to speak further.

However, today's election ceremony was just a formality, and it was good that it ended quickly, so Minato Namikaze did not try to win any more votes.

"Let's begin the vote!"

Upon seeing this, Mitomon Yan immediately stepped back a few paces and stood next to the ballot box.

Uchiha Jin stepped forward first, followed by the Konoha clan leaders who lined up in an orderly fashion behind him.

To save time, and as an unspoken rule, Jonin with clans usually have their Jonin trust votes cast by their clan heads, while ordinary Jonin guarding the frontier or on missions have their Jonin trust votes cast by the Jonin squad leader, Nara Shikaku.

Of course, ordinary Jonin who don't want to queue at the Hokage Building can also voluntarily hand over their Jonin trust votes to Jonin Team Leader Nara Shikakuyo for voting.

In fact, there was a lot of room for manipulation in this "voluntary" process. However, since this was the first Hokage election in Konoha's history, and time was short, neither Hiruzen Sarutobi nor Danzo Shimura did anything to tamper with it.

That's right, this is indeed the first time in Konoha's history that a Hokage election has been held!

Hashirama Senju was the first Hokage of Konoha, a popular choice. In addition, his original rival, Madara Uchiha, was provoked by Tobirama Senju and chose to give up. Therefore, Hashirama Senju directly took over the position!

The situation of Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage of Konoha, was more special. When Hashirama Senju was the First Hokage, Tobirama Senju handled most of the Hokage's affairs. Hashirama Senju was more like a mascot, while Tobirama Senju was the true Hokage!

So when Hashirama Senju died, aside from some dissent within the Uchiha clan, Tobirama Senju smoothly took over as Hokage without ever having to go through an election!

As for the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi... well, he was directly chosen by the naturally evil white-haired Tobirama Senju. If there had been an election process, no one would say that he was illegitimate in his rise to power!

Therefore, the Jonin in Konoha Village are very interested in this Hokage election. As long as they don't have important matters to attend to, they all come in person.

The entire voting process involved hundreds of people and took almost half an hour to complete.

Next comes the vote counting.

"This is of great importance. All irrelevant personnel should leave. The secret service will take over the security duties from now on."

Suddenly, Shimura Danzo spoke, looking at the clan leaders of the small families who were still standing on the rooftop of the Hokage Building after casting their votes.

As for the ordinary Jonin, they all left after casting their votes, otherwise the rooftop of the Hokage Building wouldn't be able to accommodate so many people!

"Elder Shimura, this is against the rules! The vote counting process requires everyone to witness it!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi recalled the intelligence that his clansmen who had previously served in the Anbu had brought over, and sensing something was amiss, he instinctively voiced his opposition.

Before the election began, Hiruzen Sarutobi received news that Danzo Shimura had replaced the ANBU ninjas who were secretly guarding the area with Root ninjas.

Although it is still unknown what Shimura Danzo is planning, Hiruzen Sarutobi will certainly not do everything according to Shimura Danzo's plan!

Anyway, Shimura Danzo just needs to do something to stop him!

Shimura Danzo spoke calmly, "Clan Chief Sarutobi misunderstands. I'm not asking everyone to leave, but it's easy for something to go wrong if so many people gather on this small rooftop!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned upon hearing this, as he was truly unsure of Danzo Shimura's intentions.

Just then, Uchiha Jin spoke up: "Clan Chief Sarutobi, Elder Shimura's concerns are not without merit. Why don't we let some people leave first? The most important thing now is to reveal the results of this election!"

"As for fairness... just have Elder Mitomon read out the votes one by one in front of the microphone to verify it!"

As he spoke, Uchiha Jin gave Hiruzen Sarutobi a wink.

Uchiha Jin knew that Shimura Danzo wanted to clear the area to prepare for what might happen later, so he casually helped him out.

As for giving Hiruzen Sarutobi a wink... he just blinked because his eyes were a little dry; he didn't give any wink at all.

After a moment's hesitation, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally spoke, "Then let's do it this way!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't actually want to do this, but one of King Uchiha's words moved him: to reveal the results of this election as soon as possible and solidify Minato Namikaze's position as Hokage!

With Hiruzen Sarutobi's approval, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane naturally didn't say anything more and immediately arranged for most people to leave the Hokage Building.

Soon, the once crowded rooftop was reduced to just a dozen or so people besides Minato Namikaze and Danzo Shimura, the two main parties involved: Hiruzen Sarutobi, Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane, and the heads of large and medium-sized clans such as King Uchiha and Hiashi Hyuga.

As for Jiraiya and Orochimaru, neither of them liked such formal occasions, so they didn't show up from the beginning and were watching the whole thing from somewhere.

"Ahem, let's begin counting the votes!"

Mitomon Yan walked to the edge of the rooftop again, and after coughing, the two attracted everyone's attention before reaching into the ballot box and taking out a ballot.

"Minato Namikaze, one vote!"

Mitomon Homura showed the ballot in his hand to the two parties involved, Minato Namikaze and Danzo Shimura, and then loudly read out the names on the ballot.

Seeing that no one objected, Mitomon Homura placed the ballot in his hand into a box that had been prepared in advance.

These ballots are to be archived for easy inspection at any time, so they must be kept safe.

"Minato Namikaze, two votes!"

"Minato Namikaze, three votes!"

......

"Minato Namikaze, 136 votes!"

"Shimura Danzo, one vote!"

As Mitokado Homura took out the ballots one by one, everyone's expressions became somewhat strange, and Shimura Danzo's old face turned completely dark!

The difference is just too big!

Chapter 272 Whom Do We Help?

Although Shimura Danzo's face was dark, he remained relatively composed.

Since the ballots in the ballot box were mostly cast by ordinary Jonin based on the voting order, it's normal for Minato Namikaze to have an advantage.

Moreover, there are over a thousand Jonin confidence votes this time. Although the lead of over a hundred votes is significant, the outcome is still uncertain!

"Minato Namikaze, 321 votes!"

"Minato Namikaze, 322 votes!"

"Shimura Danzo, thirty-four votes!"