Five days later.
The Hokage Building was much more crowded than usual.
Clan heads, Jonin, and senior shinobi from across Konoha had gathered for the Hokage election.
At the front of the hall sat Hiruzen Sarutobi, with the village elders seated beside him. Not far from them stood the three candidates who would compete for his position.
Orochimaru.
Minato.
And Fugaku.
Quiet conversations filled the hall as everyone waited for the meeting to begin.
"My support is fully behind Orochimaru-sama," one shinobi said in a low voice, keeping his eyes on the pale Sannin. "Think about it. His age, experience, and reputation. He's the one who deserves to become Hokage."
"Yeah. Compared to Lord Orochimaru, Minato is still too young."
The second shinobi glanced toward Minato.
There was something about Minato that made people feel comfortable around him. His friendly expression and easygoing nature stood in sharp contrast to Orochimaru's colder, more commanding presence.
"I still don't understand why Lady Tsunade and Lord Jiraiya aren't running," another shinobi added. "I've always felt the Hokage selection should be between the Sannin."
Similar conversations could be heard throughout the hall.
From their words and the way they discussed the candidates, it was clear that many of them were civilian shinobi who wanted one of the Sannin to take the position.
The clan side of the hall was much quieter.
The reason was simple.
Civilian shinobi discussed the candidates as individuals, and their opinions were scattered in different directions.
The clans were different.
Their clan heads and elders had already discussed the election beforehand. Most of them had already decided which candidate they intended to support.
That was also why the clans held considerable influence over the Hokage selection.
An individual's vote was only one vote.
A clan's decision could represent many.
More Jonin continued to arrive as the hall slowly filled.
Then something unusual began to draw attention.
The Uchiha section.
Fugaku left and sat at the front with Shisui beside him.
Behind them stood only a handful of Uchiha Jonin.
At first, nobody paid much attention.
Then one shinobi looked toward their section again.
His eyebrows slowly drew together.
"Where are the other Uchiha?"
The question was little more than a murmur, but the shinobi beside him followed his gaze.
"No idea."
He looked toward the corner of the hall.
"Even the Inuzuka have more Jonin than the Uchiha."
A few nearby shinobi turned their heads.
Another looked toward the Uchiha section before glancing across the hall.
"Forget the Inuzuka. Look at the Hyuga."
The others followed his gaze.
The difference was obvious.
The Hyuga section was packed with Jonin.
Compared to them, the Uchiha presence looked almost embarrassingly small.
There were five times as many Hyuga.
Perhaps even six.
Whispers slowly began spreading through the hall.
"Didn't the Uchiha have more Jonin?"
"They did."
"Then where are the rest?"
Fugaku could feel the gazes landing on him.
He didn't turn around.
His back remained straight, and his eyes stayed fixed toward the front of the hall as if the whispers around him meant nothing.
But he was well aware of what everyone was doing.
They were counting.
Not just the Uchiha Jonin.
They were measuring the clan's strength.
For a moment, Fugaku's thoughts returned to the morning.
He had asked Grand Elder Setsuna to send more Uchiha Jonin to the election so they could cast their votes.
Toyama had cut him off before Setsuna could even answer.
First, we're not shinobi anymore. This election isn't worth a dime to us.
Then came the second insult.
Second, you already know you're going to lose. And you're still going anyway?
Toyama had laughed.
Clan Head Fugaku, I don't know if you actually enjoy being humiliated, or if this is just some strange kink of yours.
Fugaku's jaw tightened slightly at the memory.
Toyama had then given him his final piece of advice.
Do yourself a favour and skip the election. Save the whole clan some face.
At the time, Fugaku had wanted nothing more than to tell the brat exactly what he thought of that suggestion.
Even now, remembering it made his blood run hot.
That brat doesn't understand anything.
Just being a candidate already puts the Uchiha in a higher political position than the other clans.
Fugaku's eyes moved toward Hiruzen.
The Third Hokage noticed his gaze.
For a brief moment, the two exchanged looks.
Hiruzen gave him a small nod.
Fugaku returned it with a faint smile.
And if he received the support of the elders and the Hokage, no one could claim the Uchiha had lost their standing.
His gaze moved across the hall once more.
The whispers were still there.
The curious looks hadn't disappeared.
But Fugaku no longer cared.
Cough. Cough.
"I think everyone has arrived, so let's begin."
Homura's voice carried easily across the hall, calm and measured.
The murmuring slowly died down.
One by one, the shinobi turned their attention toward the elders.
Homura looked across the crowded hall before continuing.
"We have all gathered here today for something that matters greatly to this village."
He paused for a moment, allowing his words to settle.
"Today, we place our trust in the next generation and in the person who will guide Konoha toward the future."
His gaze briefly moved toward Hiruzen.
"The Will of Fire has always been about that."
"Each generation carries the flame passed down by those who came before them. And when the time comes, that flame is passed to the next generation, so they can carry it further and make it burn even brighter."
Several shinobi listened quietly.
Homura continued.
"When our First Hokage-sama founded this village, he opened a path for every individual to one day reach this position."
His eyes swept across the different clans gathered in the hall.
"Through their own will, their reputation, and the trust they earn from the people of this village."
He paused.
"This position does not discriminate between clan or individual."
His voice became slightly firmer.
"Man or woman."
"If you carry Konoha in your heart and have earned the trust of its people, then you are worthy of standing for this position."
Homura raised his hand toward the three candidates.
"And today, three such individuals stand before us."
His gesture moved toward Fugaku.
"Fugaku."
Then toward Minato.
"Minato."
And finally, Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru."
The three candidates remained composed as the attention of the entire hall settled on them.
"Each of them stands here as proof of what they have given to this village."
Homura lowered his hand.
"And today, the village has chosen to place its trust in them."
For a moment, the hall remained silent.
Then—
Clap.
A single clap came from somewhere in the crowd.
Another followed.
Then several more.
Within moments, applause spread throughout the hall.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
The sound grew louder as more shinobi joined in.
Minato smiled and gave a small nod toward the crowd.
Orochimaru remained composed, his expression barely changing.
Fugaku simply stood straight, accepting the applause with a calm expression.
But beneath that calmness, his thoughts remained fixed on one thing.
Today would prove whether Toyama had been right.
Or whether the Uchiha still had enough influence to stand at the very top of Konoha.
"But before we move on to the Hokage selection, there are still some tasks our elders and our outgoing Hokage owe this village."
"...."
Homura's voice remained deep and steady as he looked across the gathered shinobi.
"We have responsibilities that must be fulfilled, so the next Hokage doesn't have to begin their term carrying the burdens left behind by the last generation."
Confusion rippled through the hall.
Some shinobi exchanged glances, while others simply waited for Homura to explain.
"For that, I'll let Hokage-sama speak for himself."
Homura turned toward Hiruzen.
"Thank you, Homura."
Hiruzen's eyes moved slowly across the rows of Jonin and clan representatives with a small and approachable smile.
"I may have already lost the title of Hokage, but there are still responsibilities that need to be fulfilled."
He paused for a moment.
"And I can't walk away from them simply because my time in that position is coming to an end."
"..."
The room settled into silence.
Everyone's gaze was on Hiruzen to see what he would say; they knew about the responsibility he spoke of.
"The first of those responsibilities, as you all know, is the compensation owed to our brave shinobi... and to their families."
His gaze settled on the side where the village shinobi stood.
"Honestly speaking, this war took far more from us."
"...."
His voice remained low, but the weight behind his words was unmistakable.
"Too many lives were lost. Too many difficult decisions had to be made."
Hiruzen's eyes lowered slightly.
"And there are decisions I made that I still carry with me."
A flicker of regret crossed his face.
"I told myself that once the war ended, I would find a way to make things right."
His face became uncomfortable, and a flicker of disdain appeared on his face.
"...."
"But fate has other plans"
"...."
"What I could not have predicted was the shamelessness of our enemies."
A few expressions in the crowd immediately hardened.
"Even after losing the war, they refused reparations outright."
His voice grew colder.
"Still,"
"They had the gall to demand that we make concessions simply to secure peace."
A few fists tightened.
Hiruzen noticed the reaction but continued.
"I cannot put into words how furious that made me."
His expression hardened.
"But I still couldn't act on that impulse." he released his grip and relaxed his hand.
The hall grew quieter.
He sighed
"Every night, the faces of the shinobi we lost kept surfacing in my mind."
His fingers slowly curled against the fabric of his robes.
"Their faces. Their names. The reports that came back from the battlefield."
His voice dropped.
"...."
"Every one of them reminded me of what another decision could cost."
For a moment, Hiruzen seemed lost somewhere beyond the walls of the Hokage Building as he was alone there.
"And in the end... I chose the path of cowardice."
Several shinobi looked at him.
"Yes, I signed a peace treaty without reparations."
His eyes remained fixed ahead, and he said in self-disappointment.
"I could have pushed harder. I could have demanded more."
He paused.
"But doing so might have meant sending more of our people back onto the battlefield."
The hall remained completely silent.
"I could not bring myself to gamble more Konoha lives for something that, no matter how important it was, could never bring the dead back."
There was no attempt to defend himself in his voice.
Only regret.
"I am deeply ashamed of that."
Hiruzen looked toward the village shinobi once again.
"I still haven't found the justice that those people deserved."
"..."
His words hung heavily in the air.
Everyone was looking at Hiruzen and thinking about the situation he told.
They could understand from his point of view how heavy the situation was for him.
"..."
"Still, none of that changes what we owe the fallen."
His voice became firmer.
"And it does not change what we owe every shinobi who put their heart and their life into protecting this village."
Hiruzen looked across the crowd.
"They believed in Konoha."
He paused.
"And their families believed that Konoha would keep its promise."
Several shinobi lowered their eyes.
"For that reason, the elders and I have made a decision."
Hiruzen glanced briefly toward Homura, Koharu, and the other elders before facing the crowd again.
"We will double the compensation for every fallen shinobi and every family affected by this war."
The words landed heavily.
For several seconds, the hall was completely surprised.
No one seemed to know how to react.
Clan shinobi stared at Hiruzen.
Civilian shinobi exchanged stunned looks.
Then the whispers began.
"Double...?"
"They're doubling the compensation?"
Hiruzen gave a faint smile.
"It is the least we can do."
His gaze softened.
"For their faith in this village."
He allowed a short silence before adding,
"And for how long they've had to wait for us to keep our promise."
The hall fell silent once more.
But this silence was different.
Shock slowly gave way to disbelief.
And for those who had spent months waiting for the village to fulfil its promise, something else began to appear on their faces.
Relief.
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