Orochimaru gazed at the bustling, enthusiastic crowd in the venue, his thoughts drifting back to the day he vied with Minato for the position of Fourth Hokage.
That was shortly after the end of the brutal Third Great Ninja War. Everyone was desperate to escape the shadow of the conflict, and the public's fervor was at an all-time high.
At that time, with the war just concluded, both Minato Namikaze and Orochimaru were commanders on the front lines. In terms of strength and prestige, Orochimaru surpassed the rising star, Minato. But Minato enjoyed immense popularity among the common people.
However, the support of the populace held no real power, as they had no votes.
Just as Orochimaru was brimming with confidence, reality dealt him a heavy blow. The ballot count revealed that Minato's votes far exceeded expectations. Afterward, Orochimaru discovered that many of the votes came from the Sarutobi clan, and he understood that the one pulling the strings was none other than the Third Hokage.
But today, the situation was different.
Orochimaru tilted his head slightly, his gaze sweeping past Minato standing behind him. A smile played on his lips. Everything was within his grasp.
The Third Hokage stood at the center of the stage, his eyes moving from Uchiha Kawasaki to Tsunade's group, finally settling on Naruto, who stood behind Tsunade.
Although it was unexpected that Tsunade hadn't withdrawn from the election, as long as Naruto remained close to her, everything was still proceeding according to his plan. Today, Uchiha Kawasaki was destined to gain nothing. As for Kakashi standing behind Orochimaru, that was the best possible outcome the Third Hokage could accept.
Once everyone had assembled, the Third Hokage walked to the front of the stage. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he stood before the microphone. The entire venue fell silent.
Present were not only the villagers of Konoha but also representatives from various other villages, all attending in an official capacity. Some were there to commission missions, others to conduct business. The esteemed guests, including the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, were seated in the upper balconies.
"I declare the trust vote for the Fifth Hokage officially open!"
His words sent a wave of excitement through the villagers on the outskirts, but the center of the venue remained quiet. Following the Third Hokage's announcement, a massive ballot box was carried to the front of the stage. Several aisles were cleared to allow voters to approach.
Although proxy voting was permitted, most clans chose to vote in person to display their strength, with members casting their ballots one by one. Others, acting more discreetly or with ulterior motives, approached quietly with multiple ballots in hand, their true number of votes remaining a secret.
The top of the ballot box was inscribed with sealing formulas. Not even a member of the Hyuga clan could see through it with their Byakugan.
The ballots had been distributed a week prior. Each one had to be clearly marked with the chosen candidate and signed with the voter's name. Finally, to prevent any tampering, each person had to leave a small chakra imprint. If someone couldn't make it back in time, they had to declare their chosen candidate in advance, and the Anbu would meticulously record it. Even after a Hokage was chosen, the ballot box would be securely sealed and stored. It was the fairest system possible.
According to the rules, all active and retired Jonin had the right to vote. However, the total number of Jonin in all of Konoha was only a few hundred. While it might seem like all the teachers of the "Konoha 12" were Jonin, that was only because they were exceptional individuals. Most Genin teams were lucky to be led by a Special Jonin; more often than not, it was a Chunin at the helm.
For many Jonin, leading a Genin squad was a complete waste of time and energy. They would rather use that time to take on more missions. Because Jonin were so scarce, the Hokage candidates focused their efforts on the established ninja clans. Only those ancient, prominent families could consistently produce Jonin. Many of these Jonin were retired and well advanced in years, but their votes were extremely influential.
At this moment, it was a contest of which family had the deeper foundation.
Kawasaki didn't send many people up. He had just a few individuals deposit all their ballots into the box at once. The Hyuga clan did the exact opposite, sending up a long procession of Jonin in a clear display of their influence. As for who they actually voted for, no one knew.
Tsunade, who had barely campaigned, had a surprisingly long queue of medical-nin lining up to vote for her. Unless it was wartime, medical-nin rarely went to the front lines, so their numbers remained stable. Furthermore, the number of Jonin-level medical-nin was far greater than most people imagined.
Normally, the exact number of Jonin in a village was a closely guarded secret. But Konoha, as one of the Five Great Shinobi Countries, believed in openly flexing its military might. Rather than covertly trying to prevent spies from other villages from infiltrating and gathering intelligence, it was better to be transparent and let them see for themselves. Look, this is the power of Konoha.
With four channels open for voting, the process was completed in less than half an hour. Now it was time for the vote count. Kawasaki, Orochimaru, and Tsunade all struck nearly identical poses, crossing their arms over their chests. They all looked as though they had the situation under control, but the reasons for their confidence were vastly different.
Kawasaki didn't know what schemes the others were plotting, but just as he finished scanning the crowd, his system began to chime incessantly.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for significantly altering the life path of Asuma Sarutobi.]
[You have obtained: Fire Style: Burning Ash x1 (Can be exchanged for a similar jutsu)]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for significantly altering the life path of Kurenai Yuhi.]
[You have obtained: Falling Cherry Blossom Vision Technique x1]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for significantly altering the life path of Anko Mitarashi.]
[You have obtained: Incomplete Cursed Seal x1 (Can be exchanged for a similar item)]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for significantly altering the life path of Sai.]
[You have obtained: Super Beast Scroll: Eagle x1]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for successfully recruiting Sai.]
[You have obtained: Painting Talent or Existing Talent Replacement x1]
The continuous stream of system notifications gave Kawasaki a headache. He took a look at the rewards; it was a mixed bag. Taking care of Hidan earlier had directly changed the fates of Asuma and Kurenai, but he hadn't seen the couple since, which was why the notification was delayed. The same went for saving Sai's brother; the trigger had only just now activated.
But how did Anko get involved? What happened to her? Kawasaki was a little confused, ultimately attributing it to a ripple effect caused by the changes to Orochimaru's path.
The jutsu from Asuma and Kurenai were a bit underwhelming. Kurenai's was understandable, since the Uchiha clan was still around. But Burning Ash... For the son of a Hokage, his signature Fire Style was surprisingly weak. For an Uchiha like Kawasaki, who was a master of fire jutsu, it was practically useless.
After a moment's thought, Kawasaki exchanged it for Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation x1.
Anko's "Incomplete Cursed Seal" left Kawasaki scratching his head. The description read: Perceive Orochimaru through continuous pain.