At that very moment, at a small ramen shop near the Hokage Building, Toyama and Elder Kazuto sat side by side.
Now and then, their gazes drifted toward the Hokage Building, as though they were waiting for something interesting to happen.
"Two extra-hot ramens."
The shop owner placed two steaming bowls in front of them before turning toward another customer.
"Our order still hasn't come!" someone called from farther inside the shop.
"It's on the way!" the owner shouted back as he hurried off.
Toyama and Kazuto picked up their chopsticks and began eating.
Slurp.
Toyama took another mouthful and nodded appreciatively.
"This is really good."
Kazuto glanced at him.
"Yes. Those kids are quite fond of this place."
His attention soon drifted back toward the Hokage Building.
"He came this morning, you know."
Slurp.
"I was there," Toyama replied casually, continuing to eat.
A slight smile curved across his lips.
"I even suggested that he shouldn't go. Might have saved himself some face."
"Heh."
Toyama scoffed.
"Still the same old problem. That idiot believes in the Hokage."
Kazuto heard the contempt in his voice and gave a small nod, though his expression remained troubled.
"Still... I thought if he had more Jonin behind him, he might have received more support."
His voice was quiet.
Toyama stopped eating.
He looked at the elder and noticed the conflicted expression on his face.
Phew.
"Elder, let's think about this logically."
Kazuto, who had lowered his head slightly, looked back at him.
"How many Jonin do we have in total, including the elite Jonin?"
"Sixty-seven."
The number came to Kazuto immediately, as though he had memorised it.
Toyama nodded.
"And how many does Clan Head Fugaku have?"
"Twenty-five... perhaps thirty."
Toyama smiled.
"Even if we add all of them together, we're nowhere near half the number of Jonin the Hyuga have."
He picked up his chopsticks again.
"So what support are you talking about?"
Kazuto remained silent.
Toyama's smile widened.
"This candidacy is nothing more than an insult. They're trying to make the Uchiha dance like monkeys before throwing them out of the game."
"Heh."
He took another bite of ramen before continuing.
"It's like having a Hyuga from the Main House nominate a branch-family member to become an elder."
Kazuto said nothing.
Toyama's eyes shifted toward the Hokage Building.
Hokage candidate, my foot.
Inside the Hokage Building, the voting had begun.
Homura looked toward the three candidates standing before the hall.
"We'll start with seniority."
His eyes settled on Orochimaru.
Both Fugaku and Minato gave a small nod.
"Those who wish to cast their vote for Orochimaru may raise their hands."
One by one, hands began to rise.
Several village Jonin raised their hands. A few smaller clans followed, their representatives quietly showing their support. Even shinobi from clans such as the Hayate and Aburame families raised their hands.
As the votes continued, the number steadily grew.
Within a few minutes, nearly one-third of the shinobi in the hall had raised their hands for Orochimaru.
Orochimaru's eyes moved across the room, taking in the number of supporters.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
At the front of the hall, Hiruzen, Homura, and Koharu exchanged surprised looks.
They had expected Orochimaru to receive support, but not this much.
Despite rarely putting himself in the public eye, he had clearly built a considerable amount of trust among Konoha's shinobi.
Koharu and Homura exchanged another uneasy glance.
Danzo, however, looked delighted.
His eyes gleamed as he watched the votes accumulate.
If only those Root Jonin could have been used... Orochimaru's chances of winning would have been even higher.
Unfortunately, the pressure from their clan heads, combined with Jiraiya and Tsunade's influence, had forced many former Root members to return to their clans.
Orochimaru's gaze shifted toward Jiraiya and Tsunade.
The two stood nearby.
Tsunade was looking up at the ceiling as if she had suddenly become fascinated by it.
Jiraiya, meanwhile, was looking toward Minato and casually whistling.
Orochimaru's eye twitched.
These bastards.
He had known about their positions beforehand, but knowing it and watching them refuse to support him were two different things.
"Alright. The votes have been recorded."
Homura's announcement finally made Jiraiya and Tsunade look toward Orochimaru.
They froze.
Orochimaru was still staring at them.
A cold smile had appeared on his face.
For a moment, neither of them knew what to say.
Then Orochimaru slowly ran his tongue across his lips.
A bead of sweat appeared on Jiraiya's forehead.
Tsunade's expression stiffened.
Oh, shit.
Both of them cursed silently.
Homura cleared his throat and moved on.
"Now, those who wish to vote for Fugaku Uchiha may cast their vote."
The moment the words left his mouth, every Uchiha Jonin in the hall raised a hand.
The reaction was immediate.
Homura and several other observers were caught off guard by how quickly the Uchiha votes appeared.
Fugaku's expression remained composed, but a trace of pride entered his eyes as he looked toward his clan's shinobi.
Then another second passed.
No more hands rose.
Another.
Still nothing.
Fugaku's expression slowly changed.
A small laugh came from somewhere among the other clan Jonin.
"Pfft."
The sound was brief, but it was enough.
Several Uchiha turned toward the source with anger in their eyes.
Fugaku felt something tighten inside his chest.
Why isn't even one other shinobi voting for me?
That was the only question running through his mind.
Then he remembered something.
His eyes shifted toward the side of the hall.
Hiruzen and the Jonin from the elder clans were watching him.
Their expressions were cold.
It felt as though a stone had suddenly dropped onto his head.
His face fell slightly.
Then Hiruzen spoke.
"As I said earlier, the elders and I have cast our votes for Fugaku."
Hiruzen raised his hand.
Homura and Koharu did the same.
The Jonin looked toward them.
Still, not a single one raised a hand.
Hiruzen lowered his gaze for a moment before speaking again.
"Well, I cannot force them to vote for someone they do not support. They have the freedom to make their own choice."
His eyes moved toward the Sarutobi Jonin.
"And, as you can see, they are still angry with me."
Fugaku heard every word.
The situation was becoming more humiliating by the second.
Then, unexpectedly, another hand rose.
Danzo.
The entire hall seemed to notice it at once.
Several clan heads turned toward him with uncertain expressions.
Danzo smiled.
"Well, I will also cast my vote for Fugaku. I would truly like to see him sitting in the Hokage's chair."
His words sounded supportive.
But there was something about his smile that made it difficult to believe he meant them.
Fugaku could feel the humiliation settling deeper with every passing second.
His jaw tightened.
The Sharingan in his eyes slowly rotated as he looked across the hall at the clan heads and shinobi who had refused to raise their hands.
His expression remained controlled, but the anger behind it was becoming harder to hide.
Then Toyama's words from that morning returned to him.
At least save yourself some face.
Fugaku's fingers curled slightly at his sides.
Homura noticed the change in Fugaku's expression.
He also understood that allowing the situation to continue could make things far more complicated than a failed Hokage candidacy.
If Fugaku was humiliated any further in front of the entire village, there was a real chance that the resentment would follow him even after the election was over.
And that was something Konoha could not afford, as they already had enough trouble with the Uchiha.
"Alright," Homura said, quickly breaking the silence. "The votes have been recorded. We will now move on to the next candidate."
His voice remained calm, but his decision was deliberate.
"Those who wish to support Jonin Minato may raise their hands now."
Minato straightened slightly.
A warm smile appeared on his face as he waited.
For a moment, only a few hands rose.
Then another.
And another.
The Nara were among the first to raise their hands. Soon, the Hyuga followed.
One clan after another began showing their support.
Then the village Jonin joined them.
Within minutes, hands filled almost the entire hall.
The difference was impossible to ignore.
Even the shinobi who had voted for Orochimaru moments earlier began raising their hands after seeing the overwhelming support Minato had received.
Homura's eyes widened slightly as he looked across the hall.
"This…"
He slowly turned his gaze from one raised hand to another.
Almost everyone had chosen Minato.
Almost everyone.
The Uchiha Jonin remained seated, their expressions growing darker with every passing second.
Tsunade raised her hand without hesitation.
Jiraiya practically jumped to his feet, waving his raised hand enthusiastically above his head.
"MINATO!"
Minato could only smile awkwardly at his sensei's enthusiasm.
Homura stared across the hall.
The result was already becoming clear.
Orochimaru had received a significant amount of support.
Fugaku had received almost none outside his own clan.
And Minato—
Minato had the whole village's support.
***********************************************************************
Author note:
The voting for the next Hokage has finally begun.
Orochimaru proved that he has more support than many expected. Fugaku, however, quickly discovered just how difficult it is for the Uchiha to gain the trust of the wider village.
And then there's Minato.
His support came from almost every corner of Konoha.
But with the election nearly decided, I have to wonder... was Toyama right about what comes next?
We'll find out soon enough.
Enjoy the chapter, and I'll see you in the next one!
Right now, P@treon chapters are available up to.
Uchiha: When the Hawks Strike [Chapter Four: The Bargain]
P@treon - Hear_tteeth [18 +]
Thank you for the support and patience.