The results of the Jonin vote surprised the ninjas present.
But regardless of their thoughts, the voting outcome was already unchangeable.
In this Jonin voting round, Mokgetsu took an absolutely leading advantage.
After the meeting, Mokgetsu's friends came forward to congratulate him.
"Mokgetsu, now you're really going to make it big; the position of Hokage is within your grasp," Kushina exclaimed excitedly, giving Mokgetsu a firm pat on the shoulder.
In fact, a long time ago, back in the Ninja Academy, Kushina was also determined to become Hokage, Konoha's first female Hokage.
However, Kushina's desire to become Hokage wasn't driven by any particular reason; she simply considered it a grand ambition as she was someone who didn't settle for the ordinary.
"The exact results aren't out yet, so it's not certain," Mokgetsu shook his head and said.
He didn't think becoming Hokage was something to be overly joyful about, plus celebrating prematurely was not advisable.
"Indeed, you shouldn't be careless because of this, but we still need to congratulate you on gaining so much support in the Jonin vote," Namikaze Minato said with a warm smile.
Seeing his friend suppress the likes of the Sannin in the Fourth Hokage election caused Namikaze Minato to feel a bit emotional.
Once, when Mokgetsu was just a Chunin, he was already a well-known Jonin, and now Mokgetsu was about to become Hokage while he remained just the leader of a Jonin Squad.
However, Namikaze Minato didn't feel jealous or envious of Mokgetsu, only admiration.
Because as someone who knew Mokgetsu, he understood that all of this stemmed from Mokgetsu's own abilities and contributions to Konoha, not from any high-level connections.
If Namikaze Minato were to be placed in Mokgetsu's life, he doubted he could achieve Mokgetsu's level.
"I cast my precious vote for you, so throwing a big dinner to celebrate such a great advantage wouldn't be too much, right?" Tsunade said bluntly.
Mokgetsu nodded; an occasional big feast sounded nice.
Jiraiya, who was trying to jokingly comfort Orochimaru, instantly perked up when he heard this.
Going back to Konoha wasn't a problem, but if he hurried back and still missed out on a meal at Mokgetsu's, it would be too much of a pity.
"Ahem, Orochimaru, as senior figures, we must have magnanimity. Although you and Mokgetsu are currently competing for Hokage, it shouldn't affect your relationship privately," Jiraiya said with a serious face.
He wanted to join the meal, but Jiraiya felt bad about leaving Orochimaru behind, so he intended to bring Orochimaru along.
"Jiraiya, at what point did you have the illusion that you were capable of teaching me?" Orochimaru said calmly, then walked straight towards Mokgetsu, making a composed request to crash the meal.
The fact that he was trailing behind a junior in terms of votes did make Orochimaru feel a bit uncomfortable, as he had his pride.
But it wasn't much because that junior was Mokgetsu.
When he heard he was competing with Mokgetsu for Hokage, Orochimaru knew that this time he was definitely chosen to play a supporting role.
What could he use to win against Mokgetsu? Besides mission records, he had almost no area where he could surpass Mokgetsu.
In terms of strength, Mokgetsu could seriously injure the Fourth Kazekage with one punch, and he also developed the unique Wood Release of the God of Ninjas; in terms of battle achievements, Mokgetsu was the Konoha hero who ended the Third Ninja World War.
Understanding the gap between the two, Orochimaru didn't feel too disappointed.
Moreover, they were partners after all. Strictly speaking, Mokgetsu becoming Hokage was beneficial to Orochimaru, although not as good as him becoming Hokage himself.
"And me too!"
Jiraiya didn't expect the usually cold Orochimaru to also crave a free meal, and was momentarily stunned.
When he snapped back to reality, he realized the group had already walked a certain distance while chatting and quickly caught up to them.
Besides his friends, Mokgetsu also invited his students like Asuma and Obito to join for the dinner.
"The dishes cooked by Teacher Mokgetsu never get old, no matter how many times you eat them. If only the Sharingan could replicate this, then we wouldn't have to bother Teacher Mokgetsu and could enjoy them every day," Obito lamented the limitations of the Sharingan on the way back to the Uchiha Clan Land.
He had tried to use the Sharingan to replicate Mokgetsu's cooking technique exactly but couldn't make food as tasty as Mokgetsu's—only somewhat decent.
"The Sharingan isn't omnipotent. If only you would seriously study with Teacher Mokgetsu, you might be able to cook even better," Shisui replied casually.
"Then forget it; I'll learn to cook once my strength stops improving," Obito said.
He didn't want to waste time on cooking and end up being surpassed by Kakashi, only to be mocked and humiliated by him.
"But with Teacher Mokgetsu having such a big advantage, it's a shame for the clever strategies I thought up." Obito quickly shifted the topic back to the Hokage election.
"It doesn't seem entirely wasted; you can save them for when I run for Hokage," Shisui suggested.
"That would still be a waste," Shisui gently reminded, noting that reckless actions could backfire.
"Don't you think my ideas are good, Shisui?"
"Maybe a thousand years ago, it could have been considered an exceptionally brilliant plan," Shisui replied.
Obito: …
Once they returned to the Uchiha Clan Land, the two parted ways and went home.
Not long after Shisui returned home, Uchiha Fugaku personally visited him.
"Did you have dinner at Mokgetsu's place today?" Uchiha Fugaku asked.
He saw Shisui leaving with Mokgetsu and the others.
"Yes," Shisui nodded.
"It's quite likely that Assistant Mokgetsu will become Hokage; we need to seize this opportunity. If the village's trend starts to favor Assistant Mokgetsu, we must promote the idea of Assistant Mokgetsu," Uchiha Fugaku said swiftly.
"Then call the elders together for a meeting first and reach a consensus before a clan assembly," he added.
The Uchiha Clan isn't uninterested in entering Konoha's core decision-making, but they can't force their way in.
Mokgetsu has a very good reputation within the Uchiha Clan, and the Uchiha ninjas know that their two geniuses are Mokgetsu's disciples.
Now, with the hope that is Mokgetsu, Uchiha Fugaku doesn't believe those elders would oppose Police Department reforms.
Unless they don't wish for the Uchiha to improve, but if that were the case, Uchiha Fugaku would have to use his Clan Leader's power.
"Mm," Shisui nodded again.
Uchiha Fugaku's actions gave Shisui a new understanding of the power and status of the Hokage.
Previously, although Uchiha Fugaku looked out for him, he wasn't this proactive; now that Mokgetsu had a chance to become Hokage, Uchiha Fugaku suddenly became more enthusiastic.
Shisui didn't dislike Uchiha Fugaku for this; after all, Uchiha Fugaku was also working for the Uchiha Clan.
He thought that a Uchiha ninja like Uchiha Fugaku would rather betray the village than betray the clan.
PS:
The condition is quite terrible; if I keep writing, it feels like I'd ruin the plot I've planned. Plus, it's very late, so I just stopped at two thousand words.
Today is a holiday, hoping to recover a bit during the day, then write more to make up the shortfall of two thousand words.