Chapter 268: A Bunch of Short-Lived Ghosts
Inside the Taobao Shop, Masahiko stared at the dice cup in front of him and remained silent for a while.
The three dice formed a "666" in a triangular shape; this was the result he had just rolled. However, to his surprise, Tsunade had also rolled the exact same number.
"If Tsunade loses, it's normal. If she wins, she'll have bad luck. What happens in a tie?" Masahiko pondered this question for a long time. Afterward, Tsunade would be busy fighting for the Hokage position for Nawaki and busy teaching Rin ninjutsu, so it was unlikely for an accident to occur. But this rise in her gambling luck...
"As expected, besides things like destiny in the Naruto world, is there also the power of being a bro-con? I have to be careful; anyone with a younger brother cannot be underestimated." After thinking for a long time, Masahiko arrived at this rather ridiculous conclusion.
"It seems Tsunade also saw that I am implicitly standing on Minato's side." Masahiko shook his head. The joy on her face when it was a tie was unmistakable.
"If I'm not helping either side, then I won't help. It just so happens I was feeling a bit torn anyway." Masahiko shook his head and put the dice cup away.
...
Konoha was thrown into chaos again.
The last chaos was the debate competition two years ago, but this time it truly had nothing to do with Masahiko.
Right now in Konoha, there were simply too many people qualified to compete for the Hokage position.
Setting aside Jiraiya, who was addicted to gathering material outside and could be considered to have automatically forfeited, and ignoring the eccentric Orochimaru—Masahiko didn't even know what he was researching recently, completely uncaring about the Hokage position—excluding those two, there were still as many as six or seven candidates competing for the Hokage position.
The one with relatively little hope was Shikaku Nara. His intelligence was there, but his strength was lacking, and his supporters were only the Ino-Shika-Cho clans. He himself didn't care much about the matter either.
Then there was Hiashi, the clan heads of the Inuzuka and Aburame, and someone Masahiko had almost forgotten: Dan Kato.
Having stayed at the Konoha Academy all this time, he had actually brought up many students with resounding reputations, which was also a sizable network of connections.
...
In the Taobao Shop, Masahiko looked at Kushina in front of him with a slight headache.
"Great-Grandpa, please just help him!" The usually tomboyish Kushina rare showed a little girl's demeanor in front of him.
"I wonder who it was that said back then they were going to abduct both Minato and the little fox back to the Land of Whirlpools."
Kushina's face turned red. She took two steps forward, grabbed Masahiko's sleeve, and swung it back and forth...
Masahiko didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Do you think you are still a three or four-year-old girl? You are already 22; it's almost time for you to get married..."
Saying this, Masahiko also felt a bit of emotion, a strong feeling of a daughter growing up and eventually leaving home.
"Great-Grandpa, you..."
Masahiko smiled, shook his head, and interrupted her.
"Right now, many people are supporting Minato. As far as I know, Hiruzen is putting all his effort into building momentum for him."
Although Minato was Jiraiya's disciple, he was still from a civilian background, which put him at a slight disadvantage in terms of background. However, his looks and affinity completely made up for it.
Borrowing a quote from Madara: I, Masahiko, am willing to call you the most handsome...
Although a bit absolute, it wasn't too far off.
Kushina hesitated. "But the Jonin meeting currently being held didn't notify Minato..."
Masahiko was startled. "A Jonin meeting?"
"I saw Elder Kagami Uchiha go to the Hokage Building from afar just now, and heard the instructions he gave to his clansmen..."
Masahiko didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "You even learned how to eavesdrop? Who did you learn that from?"
He had completely forgotten that two years ago, he had eavesdropped on the entirety of Konoha in one go.
However, he finally understood now. Kushina was looking for him to gather intelligence for Minato and see if the meeting was favorable to him.
"Sigh..." Masahiko felt slightly melancholic.
"Alright, I will make a trip!"
"Great-Grandpa, you are the best!" Kushina acted coquettishly like a little girl again.
Masahiko shook his head and used the long-absent Black Zetsu Will Mode. Spatial abilities could still be detected by people with sharp senses.
"Great-Grandpa, what is this?" Kushina was startled looking at the pitch-black Masahiko.
"An exclusive ninjutsu. Do you want to learn it?" Masahiko revealed a mouthful of white teeth... the white teeth in his mouth.
Seeing Kushina shake her head repeatedly, Masahiko smiled and sank into the ground.
In the top-floor meeting room of the Hokage Building, Masahiko hid within the left wall.
"No wonder they didn't call Minato. This is practically a gathering of old men." Masahiko saw clearly who was attending the meeting.
Although relative to him, these people were all juniors, their ages weren't young either. The youngest was in their early fifties; they were truly the older generation of Konoha.
"What are they trying to do?" Masahiko's eyes revealed curiosity.
As time passed, the seats in the meeting room gradually filled up. Sitting at the head seat, Hiruzen finally spoke: "I believe you have all guessed the purpose of calling everyone here this time. It is for the position of the Fourth Hokage."
He paused, then continued, "I know some among you may have sons or nephews who intend to compete for this position, but I implore everyone to support Minato Namikaze to become the Fourth Hokage!"
Inside the wall, Masahiko was stunned. Was it necessary to go to such lengths?
Some people seated also raised this question.
Danzo spoke with a solemn expression, "This involves Minato Namikaze's lover, Kushina Uzumaki. Perhaps some people still do not know, but she is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and she is also simultaneously the princess of the Land of Whirlpools. If Minato Namikaze does not become Hokage, his status will be vastly inferior to Kushina Uzumaki's, and it will very likely turn into him marrying into her family. I fear Konoha will simultaneously lose the Nine-Tails and the genius that is Minato Namikaze!"
"So what?" The person who said this was very confident. The current Konoha did not lack these two combat powers.
"Then the Land of Whirlpools will gain these two important combat powers!" Danzo immediately replied.
Inside the wall, Masahiko frowned slightly.
After Danzo finished speaking, the room surprisingly fell silent.
After a long while, Kagami finally couldn't stand it anymore. "Are you guarding against our ally? With Elder Masahiko around, could the Land of Whirlpools possibly act against Konoha?"
No one replied, and Kagami looked disappointed. "Hiruzen, do you think so too?"
Hiruzen didn't answer. Koharu Utatane spoke up, "Kagami, calm down. Elder Masahiko is, after all, over 110 years old. No one can live forever... Besides, this is, after all... Konoha belonging to the people of Konoha."
Kagami Uchiha looked left and right. Everyone had a thoughtful expression. He suddenly let out a long sigh, stood up, and walked straight out.
Inside the wall, Masahiko slightly closed his eyes, and his figure gradually disappeared.
On the ground in front of Kushina, Masahiko slowly emerged.
"Great-Grandpa, how is the situation?"
Masahiko hesitated, forcing a smile. "Rest assured, Hiruzen is canvassing votes for Minato!"
Kushina breathed a long sigh of relief. "Sorry for the trouble, Great-Grandpa!"
Watching Kushina walk away, Masahiko shook his head. Just now, there was a moment when he wanted to forcefully take Minato and Kushina back to the Land of Whirlpools.
But after a short while, he had figured things out again.
Thinking of those people in the meeting room, surprisingly, apart from Kagami, all of them had developed a rift with the Land of Whirlpools, or rather, with him. It was indeed a bit saddening. However...
"A bunch of short-lived ghosts! Saying I don't have long to live... in twenty years, let's see how many of you can still stand and talk to me!"
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