He recalled Anko's Curse Mark having a similar function, but Kawasaki still felt that something was off.
Kawasaki had no use for it, so he exchanged it for a complete version of the Curse Mark. He now possessed two of them.
It had to be said, the Curse Mark had been incredibly useful to Kawasaki on the battlefields of the Land of Water.
Sai's Super Beast Scroll was useful, at least, allowing for flight.
Once things here were settled, it was time to go collect the debt from Onoki.
Had Sai truly become so devoted to Orochimaru?
Kawasaki was a little speechless seeing Sai's artistic talent.
If it couldn't be exchanged, wouldn't it be useless?
Kawasaki opened the interface and saw only one valuable talent available for exchange: Genjutsu Mastery.
He frowned, considering. So this was what the system meant by 'optimization.'
It provided exactly what he lacked.
After Kawasaki chose to swap Archery Mastery for Genjutsu Mastery, the errors he had made when using genjutsu in the past surfaced in his mind, one by one.
It seemed his weakness in genjutsu could finally be addressed.
For the ballot counting, the Third Hokage would assign one person to announce the votes, while each candidate would send a representative to stand behind the counter to prevent any cheating.
The Third Hokage assigned a Jonin from the Sarutobi clan to count the votes.
Orochimaru's side sent Number One to stand behind the counter, the Uchiha Kawasaki camp sent Shisui, and Tsunade's was represented by Shizune.
When the vote counting began, the crowd below fell silent.
Sasuke stared intently at the stage. His understanding of the Hokage title was shallow, but he knew his father had always hoped for an Uchiha to become Hokage.
Naruto's childhood dream had been to become Hokage, but after experiencing the sweetness of family, the ambition had faded to the back of his mind.
He now had family, friends, and people who loved him; he didn't need to be Hokage.
After learning the Third Hokage's true nature, he had once despised the very word 'Hokage.' Later, he learned that his own father was the Fourth Hokage. As he grew older, he was able to view the title with a more peaceful perspective.
A while ago, Kawasaki had told Naruto that once the Fifth Hokage was chosen, he would let him meet his father.
So, Naruto now just wanted the election for the Fifth Hokage to end quickly.
He would be happy whether Senior Kawasaki or Lady Tsunade was elected. As for Orochimaru, Naruto wasn't familiar with him and had no real opinion.
But anyone who could heal Uncle Fugaku's and Itachi's eyes had to be a good person, right?
A massive display had been erected behind the plaza, showing the names of Uchiha Kawasaki, Orochimaru, and Tsunade. Next to each name was the vote count.
Before the counting started, three more boxes were brought out, smaller than the initial ballot boxes. The names of the three candidates were written on these boxes. As a vote was called for a candidate, the ballot would be placed into their corresponding box. If there were any disputes, the votes could be inspected on the spot.
After the start was announced, the Third Hokage returned to the high platform. He needed to exchange pleasantries with the Daimyo of the Land of Fire; after all, the Daimyo still governed the country. Appearances had to be maintained.
"...Orochimaru's recent research into limb cloning has greatly enhanced Konoha's combat strength."
"If this development continues, the future is boundless."
The Third praised Orochimaru from the platform.
The Daimyo added in agreement, "The food recipes provided by Orochimaru and Uchiha Kawasaki have earned our Land of Fire a great deal in foreign trade."
"And Lady Tsunade is Lord Hashirama's own granddaughter. Any of them becoming the Fifth Hokage..."
While the Third Hokage and the Daimyo chatted, the vote counter down below began: "One vote for Uchiha, one vote for Orochimaru, one vote for Orochimaru..."
"One vote for Tsunade, one vote for Tsunade, one vote for Tsunade..."
The counter had clearly reached the stack of ballots from the medical-nin. He called out Tsunade's name repeatedly.
Sitting behind them, Mitokado Homura's expression darkened. He had originally nominated Tsunade just to spite Uchiha Kawasaki. Now it seemed he had shot himself in the foot. The entire Jonin-level staff of the medical system had voted for Tsunade.
But it was fine. Homura lifted his head and glanced at the Third Hokage, who was chatting with the Daimyo. Fortunately, Hiruzen had made backup plans. No matter how Uchiha Kawasaki struggled, he was destined to fail.
At this thought, Homura's expression relaxed.
Sure enough, a short while later, the votes being called were all for Orochimaru.
On the display, Tsunade had only seventy-one votes, Kawasaki had one hundred and fifteen, and Orochimaru already had a full two hundred and sixty.
This overwhelming difference in votes made the outcome clear to everyone in the audience. But the counting wasn't over yet, so the identity of the Fifth Hokage could not be announced.
Tsunade crossed her arms, her brow slightly furrowed as she looked at the vote count, her thoughts unreadable.
A faint smile played on Orochimaru's lips, suggesting he was in a pleasant mood.
The counting on stage continued: "Orochimaru, Orochimaru, Orochimaru, Uchiha..."
But everyone understood it was almost over.
On the stage, Shisui and Kawasaki exchanged a look, and Kawasaki nodded.
Then, Kawasaki suddenly raised his hand.
An Anbu operative immediately appeared at his side. Kawasaki said something to him. The Anbu's face was filled with astonishment. After confirming Kawasaki's words several times, he quickly went to report to the Third Hokage.
The Third's eyes narrowed. He had no idea what trick Kawasaki was trying to pull.
However.
The position of Hokage will never go to an Uchiha!
"Lord Hokage, the Uchiha has withdrawn from the Hokage election."
The Anbu's first sentence left the Third completely stunned.
"What did you say? Say that again!"
The Third suspected he had misheard.
The Anbu understood the Hokage's surprise; after all, he himself had confirmed it with Kawasaki three times. "Lord Hokage, you heard correctly. Uchiha Kawasaki wishes to withdraw from this election."
After confirming it once more, the Third Hokage frowned and asked, "Did he say anything else?"
The Anbu shook his head.
The Third Hokage asked about the current vote count. Learning that Orochimaru had a commanding lead, he wondered if Kawasaki was simply trying to lose gracefully. Although he came up with a reason, a great sense of unease churned within him.
For the moment, the Third Hokage couldn't figure out what Kawasaki was planning. He could only wave his hand in irritation. "Go and make the announcement."
The Anbu acknowledged the order and departed. The Third's purpose for attending today was to announce the start of the election and to declare the final result. If he personally ran around handling the intermediate steps, it would be beneath his status. That was why the Anbu was sent.
Below, Mitokado Homura, as an Elder Advisor, picked up the microphone. The vote counting paused.
"We have just received news," Homura's voice boomed. "Honorary Elder Uchiha Kawasaki is withdrawing from the election for Fifth Hokage."
As soon as his voice rang out, a stir went through the entire venue. Some people saw the score on the display and felt it was a natural course of action. But others felt something was wrong. If he was going to withdraw, he would have done so earlier. What was the point of withdrawing now? The outcome was already obvious.
"Uchiha Kawasaki," Homura called out, "on behalf of the Third Hokage, I ask you: are you certain you wish to withdraw from the election for Fifth Hokage?"
The crowd was silent. Kawasaki nodded and replied in a clear voice, "Yes. I withdraw."