Chapter 613: Chapter – 606 The Only Hokage Candidate
"Did you all hear what I heard? Yesterday, Danzo-sama personally lead some shinobi, and managed to rescue the daughter of the Patriarch of the Hyuga Clan, as well as the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi…"
"Yes, I heard about it too, it happened last night…"
"Mm-hmm, it is said that the two of them were rescued from Orochimaru's secret base… If that cunning snake hadn't escaped at the last moment using that kid as the hostage, he would have been killed by Danzo-sama…"
"Sigh, it's a pity… if only…"
"Shhh…!"
On the streets, at the tea shops, in the alleys, and at many other places, people were gathered in groups of two or three and discussing the recent events.
The topic of discussion was obviously what happened just yesterday night… Where Shimura Danzo, personally led a team of Konoha Shinobi and he not only rescued the eldest daughter of the patriarch of the Hyuga Clan as well as that kid, but he also killed countless rogue Shinobi under Orochimaru then captured his base, and thus returned after gaining a major victory over Orochimaru.
What's coincidental is that the two children that were kidnapped by Orochimaru were rescued by Danzo on the night before the day on which the Vote of Confidence is supposed to be held. So some witty people can obviously understand the implication of this rescue operation… Especially since the news of the rescue operation was immediately made public through various means.
Considering that the Kyuubi's Jinchuriki was rescued and brought back to the village, such an important piece of information should have been kept secret from everyone in order to avoid attracting the attention of the Akatsuki Organization, but such an obvious thing, that should have happened, did not happen… Not only the information was not kept a secret, but it was in fact made public in just one night and was spread all over the Konoha Village.
As a result, in just one night Shimura Danzo's popularity soared all over the village, and in the hearts of Konoha Villagers, the admiration for Danzo suddenly skyrocketed, and he became the main subject of the talk of the town.
Up until a few days ago, the Konoha villagers had only heard that there existed someone by the name of Shimura Danzo on the advisory board of Sandaime-sama… As for what kind of person he was, what all things did he do for the village, what he sacrificed for the village, and so on, such details were a complete mystery for everyone.
In fact, not just the ordinary Konoha Villagers, but even most of the Konoha Genins and Chunin, as well as some Jonin were also unfamiliar and unaware of the kind of existence Shimura Danzo was…
And among the people who were aware of the kind of existence Elder Danzo was, they only knew that he was the leader of some secret Anbu unit that used to go by the name of 'Root'… other than this information, they knew nothing else about Shimura Danzo.
So, basically, Shimura Danzo was a big mystery for everyone as no one knew anything about him.
Obviously, this was because Shimura Danzo had always lived in the shadows of Konoha Village, so his prestige in the hearts of Konoha Villagers was not that high, as such, even if Sandaime Hokage is forced to step down by the means of a Vote of Confidence, taking over the position of Hokage won't be so easy for Danzo… After all, two of the three Legendary Sannin, Tsunade-hime, and Jiraiya are present in the village.
The prestige of Tsunade-hime and Jiraiya far surpasses Danzo, and this is the reason why Danzo enacted the rescue operation of the two children.
Undoubtedly, under vigorous propaganda, this self-directed and self-enacted last-minute rescue operation has had a very good impact on Danzo's reputation.
People of Konoha are currently emotionally frustrated due to repeated defeats and the loss of loved ones, so they desperately need some good news about Konoha's victory in order to vent out their suppressed emotions… Shimura Danzo 'coincidently' brought such a victory to the village, and as a result, he immediately won the hearts of many Konoha Villagers…
…
Hokage Office.
Sandaime Hokage clasped his hands behind his back and stood in front of the glass window looking at the reconstructed village with a thoughtful expression on his face.
Because of the good planning, the layout of the reconstructed village is more reasonable than before, and various areas have been spread out… Although this increased the total cost of reconstruction, it is still worth it, after all, in a little over a month, the entire village was reconstructed back to a prosperous and bustling state.
At this time, Jiraiya and Tsunade-hime arrived at the Hokage office, but unlike Sandaime's thoughtful expression, both Jiraiya and Tsunade-hime had gloomy expressions on their faces.
Whoosh…
Before either of the three could speak anything, suddenly, an Anbu arrived in the office, and reported, "Hokage-sama, the voting has begun…"
Sandaime nodded lightly, and waved his hands, "I heard it… you may leave…"
The Anbu quickly bowed to Sandaime, and disappeared from the Hokage office…
After the Anbu Shinobi was gone, Tsunade-hime questioned with a frowned expression, "Sarutobi-sensei… are you just going to leave him as is?"
The 'him' in Tsunade-hime's words is obviously Danzo who is the root cause of the Vote of confidence farce that is currently being held in the village.
Sandaime sighed lightly, and said with an exhausted tone, "The position of Hokage not only carries power, but it also carries the responsibility of safeguarding the village, as well as expectations of too many people… Since Danzo is so hell-bent on becoming the Hokage, let him try…"
Jiraiya asked, "But Sensei… would it really be appropriate to hand over such power in the hands of someone like Danzo?"
Sandaime turned his attention to Jiraiya and said with an unhappy tone, "Isn't all this happening because either of you is unwilling to carry on this responsibility?"
As soon as Sandaime pointed out this fact, Jiraiya turned his head and started to whistle nervously…
Even before Danzo started to manipulate public opinion against him, Sarutobi Hiruzen had already decided to carry on the blame for the destruction of the village on his shoulders and wanted to step down from the position of Konoha's Hokage… He wanted to let Tsunade-hime succeed him as the Godaime Hokage.
Tsunade-hime, or better yet, Senju Tsunade is the best candidate to take over the position of Konoha's Hokage whether in terms of prestige, strength, or background… As the granddaughter of Shodaime Hokage, she can succeed as the Konoha's Hokage without any problem… but it's a pity that Tsunade-hime refused to become Hokage.
Because Tsunade-hime's younger brother Nawaki and her lover Dan died because they wanted to become Hokage, as such, Tsunade-hime has a deep aversion towards becoming Hokage…
Sandaime was sort of helpless because of Tsunade's choice, and he could only turn to Jiraiya, but Jiraiya also refused without any hesitation.
He, who prefers to be free and unbound by any chains obviously wouldn't want to be tied down by the chains of responsibility that the Hokage has to carry… moreover, Jiraiya also carries the guilt of not properly guiding Nagato, and as such blames himself for all the act of terrorism caused by the Akatsuki Organization… And because of this, he also refused to succeed as Konoha's Hokage.
Since both his disciples refused, Sandaime was left completely helpless… he looked at both his disciples standing in front of him with a headache and felt more tired.
Even he knows that he is getting old, and as such, whenever he would face any problem that he is unable to solve, Hiruzen would subconsciously think of Konoha's Yellow Flash, that man who could have become the greatest Hokage Konoha could have had, unfortunately, died too young.
Helpless, tired, and exhausted, Sandaime could only sigh, "Sigh…" at the situation and think of the past days…
Time passed minute by minute and the three people present in the Hokage Office fell into silence. No one spoke anymore and they were quietly waiting for the final result of the voting…
After a few hours, several people, including Shimura Danzo, Utatane Koharu, Uchiha Fugaku, Hyuga Hiashi, Nara Shikaku as well as other Patriarch of the major Shinobi Clans came to the Hokage Office.
Struck…
Danzo strokes his crutch on the ground to attract the attention of the three present in the Hokage office, and then declared, "Hiruzen, the result of the Vote of Confidence has come out… And unfortunately, the number of votes in your favour is far less compared to the votes against you… As such, you must step down from the position of Konoha's Hokage…"
Utatane Koharu didn't want the matter to escalate too much, and as such, she took over the conversation from Danzo, then said, "Hiruzen, from here on… you are no longer Konoha's Hokage, and a new Hokage will be selected for the Village in your place. Of course, considering your experience and qualifications, and everything you have done for the village, you will be given a position as an Elder in the advisory board…"
Sandaime nodded lightly, "I see… if that's the decision of the majority, then it can't be helped."
He wasn't much surprised by the results of the Vote of Confidence. After all Konoha Village was destroyed overnight, no matter how high his reputation may have been in the hearts of everyone, the responsibility of failure cannot be shirked… and he has to bear this responsibility on his shoulder.
As such, Sandaime calmly accepted the result of the Vote of Confidence…
Elder Koharu continued, "As one of the Elders of the advisory board, you naturally have the qualification to nominate a candidate for the position of the next Hokage… Do you wish to nominate someone?"
At the proposition of nominating a candidate, Sandaime glanced in the direction of Tsunade and Jiraiya, however, both of them avoided his gaze clearly indicating to not nominate them…
If Sandaime had died, then driven by a sense of responsibility, one of them may be willing to stand up and take the mantle of Hokage along with all the responsibilities that come with the position, but because he is still alive, so neither of the two is willing to tie himself or herself to the position of Hokage.
Obviously, this was also within Hiruzen's expectations, and he could only remain silent at this time… And seeing Sandaime standing silent, even Elder Koharu sighed and said nothing.
In fact, not just Sandaime, even she is also authorized to nominate a candidate for the position of Hokage, but similar to Hiruzen, she has also encountered the same problem. There are no suitable candidates who are willing to take the position of Konoha's Hokage.
Jiraiya and Tsunade-hime who are both suitable are unwilling to take that position, meanwhile, the Shinobi of the younger generation such as Kakashi, Asuma, and others lack the required strength and prestige required to become the Hokage in the current tangled situation of Konoha and the Shinobi World.
Seeing that both Hiruzen and Koharu fell silent, Danzo took a step forward and after noting everyone's expression, he stated, "I nominate myself as the candidate for the position of the Godaime Hokage!"
As soon as Danzo made his declaration, Uchiha Patriarch narrowed his eyes for a moment, but after a little deliberation, he chose to remain silent said expressed his neutrality.
Although Shimura Danzo has always been hostile to the Uchiha Clan, he is a weak old man after all. This time he has declared complete enmity with the major Hokage faction in order to take over the position of Hokage… As such, Fugaku believes that even if he becomes Hokage, he wouldn't dare to express open hostility to the current Uchiha Clan… especially not with the presence of Uchiha Shisui in the Uchiha Clan.
Similar to the Uchiha Patriarch, even the Hyuga Patriarch narrowed his eyes for a moment, however, similar to Uchiha Patriarch, he too remained silent… the reason being that Shimura Danzo rescued his elder daughter not long ago… as such, Hyuga Hiashi owes him a favour and can't question him, not openly at least…
And similarly, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Utatane Koharu, Senju Tsunade, as well as Jiraiya also remained silent… seeing everyone's silence, the Patriarchs of the other Shinobi Clans under the lead of the Nara Patriarch also remained silent and did not oppose Shimura Danzo's nomination of himself…
The result of this meeting turned out that in the silence of everyone, Shimura Danzo became the only Hokage candidate fighting for the position of Godaime Hokage.
.
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Read up to Chapter - 862 on P.a.t.r.e.o.n Page: p-atreon.com/Milta_translations
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Chapter 614: Chapter – 607 Changes in the Anbu Department
Kuroto leisurely walked through the bustling streets and paid attention to the conversation of the village folks… at this moment, there were several discussions going on all over Konoha about the results of the second Vote of Confidence that was held yesterday.
The second Vote of Confidence was held to determine whether Shimura Danzo is credible enough to become the Hokage…
According to the operative rules of Konoha Village, only after passing the Vote of Confidence will a candidate be allowed to take the position of Hokage.
This is nothing strange and that's why even if Shimura Danzo was the only Hokage Candidate for the position of the Godaime Hokage, he still had to go through the Vote of Confidence to be elected as the Godaime Hokage.
So naturally, the Vote of Confidence was held and all the Shinobi above the rank of Special Jonin were allowed to vote… after the voting was completed, the result of the Vote of Confidence was calculated…
But when the result of the voting was announced, everyone was taken aback and some couldn't help but laugh… The result of the voting was something that nobody, or perhaps only some had expected.
The result was funny because Danzo, despite being the only candidate competing for the position of the Godaime Hokage was still defeated by a very big margin, which is completely ridiculous… And this defeat of Shimura Danzo has become a hot topic of discussion in the village today.
Listening to the funny comments of several drunkards, Kuroto couldn't help but chuckle lightly.
From the moment he chose to become the 'Root', the shadow of Konoha, he had drifted so far away from the light, that the position of Hokage is no longer within his sight.
Although the Konoha Shinobi were dissatisfied by Sandaime Hokage and at his inability to protect the village, which led to the destruction of the village and over two thousand deaths, they still didn't want someone like Shimura Danzo, who hasn't left a very good impression on the most to become the next Hokage of the Village.
Many people can see that for a very long time, Shimura Danzo has been doing his best to build his momentum, but in such a short period of time, it is impossible for him to reverse the negative impression he has left on the most Konoha Shinobis he has interacted with so far.
Moreover, there was also a question ringing in the minds of everyone… where was Shimura Danzo on the night the Akatsuki Organization attacked Konoha…?
Where was Shimura Danzo on the night Kyuubi attacked Konoha?
It is said that no matter how many acts of goodness one does, just one wrong action is more than enough to ruin them in the eyes of people… and of course, this doesn't work the other way around… so how can Danzo, who has done so many wrong actions over the years reverse all those actions with just one act of goodness?
The result of the Vote of Confidence has clearly proven this… And as such, Danzo was not elected as the Godaime Hokage…
Of course, Konoha must have a Hokage, and since Sarutobi Hiruzen had already resigned, so the next Hokage, or better yet leader had to be selected…
And obviously, because Danzo was the only Hokage candidate, so despite failing the Vote of Confidence, he was able to take over the power over the village using the support of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.
As per Daimyo's instructions, Shimura Danzo is appointed as the temporary Hokage Agent for a period of one year, and he has to show visible results in this one year. Until then, the power of Konoha will be distributed among the Temporary Hokage and the Advisory board consisting of Village Elders.
As for whether Danzo can officially succeed as the Godaime Hokage, it will depend on what all things he did in this one year, and if he is able to win in the next round of Vote of Confidence that is going to be held a year later from now.
So, despite failing to become Hokage, Danzo still managed to gain some power over the village.
After becoming the temporary Hokage, Danzo made several changes one after another, obviously, these changes were not for the benefit of the Village, rather they were to consolidate his power and authority over Konoha.
Among the several changes made by Danzo, he removed some of the most senior shinobi from the Anbu department who are considered Sarutobi Hiruzen's subordinates. These shinobi are mostly the squad leaders including Hyuga Kuroto, Uchiha Shisui as well as several others…
Because he has been removed from the Anbu department, Kuroto is now on his way to the Anbu Base, to complete the follow-up procedure related to the handover of his position as the squad leader of Team-Ro.
When he received the notice of being ousted from the Anbu department, Kuroto was the least bit surprised, because he had long since anticipated this situation.
Most of the senior Anbu shinobi like him, Shisui, and several others that are removed by Danzo were all personally recruited by Sandaime Hokage during his reign over Konoha, so obviously, they are all considered Sandaime's supporters and are loyal to Sandaime Hokage. Unless the person taking over the village is truly 'succeeding' Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sandaime's loyal and trusted subordinates will obviously be removed or transferred into other departments.
Moreover, Kuroto is also very happy that he no longer has to fulfill his duties as an Anbu, after all, the identity of Anbu is not only no longer helpful to him, but in fact, it is quite burdensome and tiring these days, as he has to spare a lot of time and energy to complete the Anbu missions assigned to him, which he will no longer have to if he leaves the Anbu department. As such, leaving the Anbu department is not necessarily a bad thing for him.
And that's why he is here… after completing all the procedures, as soon as Kuroto walked out of the base, he encountered his four subordinates from the Team-Ro.
Kuroto noticed that Yuhi Kurenai, Gekko Hayate, Uchiha Itachi, and Uzuki Yugao seemed to be waiting for him, and as such, he asked with a casual smile, "Were you people waiting for me?"
"*Cough-cough*…" Hayate was the one who stepped forward, and said, "Captain… we too have decided to resign from the Anbu department…"
As Hayate stated, both Kurenai and Yugao nodded along with him, only Itachi was silent and expressionless…
Obviously, Danzo couldn't remove all the members of the Anbu department at once as it would push the entire Anbu department into chaos… so only the squad leaders like him and Shisui were ousted, meanwhile, others were either only transferred into other teams or left as they were, therefore, Kuroto's former subordinates aren't affected for the time being.
"If it is because of me… then you people don't have to resign from the Anbu…" said Kuroto with a calm face, "Although Sandaime-sama may no longer be Hokage, he is still the head of the advisory board… And there he would definitely need the support of his trusted and loyal subordinates… as such, the four of you should continue to work in the Anbu department…"
Having resigned from the Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen is now the head of the advisory board. The advisory board consists of three elders including Sarutobi Hiruzen, Utatane Koharu, and Senju Tsunade who took over that position following the death of former elder Mitokado Homura.
"But…" it seems that Kurenai wasn't completely satisfied…
But before Kurenai could finish her words, Kuroto interrupted her and said while looking in the direction of the Hokage Building, "Shimura Danzo-sama may have been appointed as the temporary Hokage agent, but I have a gut feeling that he won't be able to stay in that position for very long… so don't worry about the political mess, and leave it to concerned people…" then he took a pause and added in a low whisper, "Besides, even if I have resigned from the Anbu department, I would still need eyes and ears on the inside matters… And you people will become my eyes and ears… is that reason enough?"
Asked by Kuroto, the four members of Team-Ro nodded lightly, clearly expressing that all four of them are loyal to him…
Kuroto smiled slightly, and after giving a brief nod, he passed the four of them and left in the direction of the Hokage Building…
Looking at the back of Kuroto from the distance, Kurenai couldn't help but mutter to herself, "I have a feeling that he knows something… but as always, his behavior is a complete mystery…"
Hayate said, "Since captain has ordered us not to resign, then let's continue as is… our team is also not split or transferred or changed so we don't have to worry about these issues…"
Yugao nodded lightly, and then immediately added, "Yes, and since we don't have any task today, we should go to practice now… Moreover, Captain is also no longer part of Team-Ro, so we have to work on filling that strength gap… after all, we can't allow the reputation of Team-Ro to fall… else it would bring shame to the captain…"
At the thought of training, Kurenai immediately forgot what she was thinking, and nodded with an excited expression, "Yes, Itachi-kun, I also want your insight on this Genjutsu I have been trying to master…"
Itachi nodded lightly stating that he didn't have any problem, "In that case, we should go to our regular training field…"
Only Hayate was helpless, and said with a helpless expression, "Hey, you guys… it's a rare day off, shouldn't we rest for the day?"
As soon as Hayate spoke, he was subjected to the murderous gaze of a pair of ladies… In this situation, he could only gulp in nervousness and stated with an awkward smile, "Or, we can train… after all, it's a rare holiday, we shouldn't waste such a good opportunity…"
Both the ladies nodded, and Itachi smiled seeing Hayate's helplessness… as the team of four proceeded to the training field.
.
.
Read up to Chapter - 863 on P.a.t.r.e.o.n Page: p-atreon.com/Milta_translations
CREATORS' THOUGHTS
Alex_Clive
Alex_Clive
Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!
Creation is hard, cheer me up!
For P.A.T.R.E.O.N Support:
https://www.p atreon.com/Milta_translations
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