Although Mitokado Homura had no idea what Kawasaki was planning, he continued the announcement.
"Very well. Uchiha Kawasaki has withdrawn from the Fifth Hokage election. Now, only Orochimaru and Tsunade remain. Please continue counting the votes."
Tsunade gave Kawasaki a perplexed look, her brow furrowing even deeper.
Sasuke glanced at his father and older brother, whose expressions remained unchanged, and suppressed his own confusion.
Naruto scratched his head, equally confused. But he knew this wasn't the time or place to cause a commotion, so he swallowed his questions.
Although there were still two candidates in name, the vast difference in votes made it clear to everyone that the election was already decided.
Some clans were already considering how Orochimaru's style of leadership might differ from the Third Hokage's and how their own families would need to interact with him in the future.
Sure enough, after the last dozen or so ballots were counted, the ballot box at the front was empty. The vote counter opened it to confirm there were no votes left inside.
The numbers on the screen were frozen: Orochimaru with 376 votes, Tsunade with 113, and Kawasaki with 197.
Orochimaru had won by an absolute majority. His vote count was even higher than Kawasaki's and Tsunade's combined.
The Third Hokage had already descended from the Hokage Tower.
A hush fell over the crowd below as everyone awaited the Third Hokage's announcement.
The Third Hokage stepped up to the microphone, a smile on his face. "The results of today's confidence vote are in."
"I won't read out the specific numbers, as you can all see them for yourselves. Therefore, I declare—"
A clear voice cut through the air, interrupting the Third Hokage.
"Wait!"
It was Uchiha Kawasaki. He had stood up, halting the Third Hokage's speech.
The Third Hokage choked back his words, his old face flushing red. His eyes blazed with fury as he said in a low voice, "Kawasaki, what do you think you're doing?"
Kawasaki vaulted onto the stage, ignoring the ashen-faced Third Hokage beside him. He snatched the microphone and declared, "I suspect someone has cheated. I demand an immediate recount of the votes!"
"What...?"
His words sent shockwaves through the crowd, stunning everyone. A wave of murmurs and discussions swept through the audience.
"How could someone cheat in an election? Aren't there ways to check?"
"Well... you never know. Uchiha Kawasaki is an honorary elder of Konoha and the head of the Uchiha clan. He wouldn't make such a claim without reason, would he?"
"Could someone have really cheated?"
"I think the Uchiha are just sore losers..."
"Then why did Uchiha Kawasaki withdraw from the election in the first place...?"
The entire venue buzzed with suspicion and debate. The heads of the various shinobi clans exchanged glances, but they only saw confusion reflected in each other's eyes.
No one knew what Uchiha Kawasaki was truly after.
Orochimaru's expression remained neutral, unconcerned by the commotion.
On the stage, Minato, who was overseeing the votes, had already noticed something was amiss. He looked toward the Third Hokage. *Lord Third,* he thought, *is this how you made me win all those years ago?*
Minato felt a pang of disappointment, a flicker of guilt crossing his eyes as he glanced at Orochimaru. But he quickly pulled himself together. He had been given a new life; there was no point dwelling on the past.
Down below, a playful smile touched the corner of Tsunade's lips. She knew it. Kawasaki would never admit defeat so easily.
The Third Hokage's face was grim. "Kawasaki, what is the meaning of this? Are you questioning the integrity of the village itself!? No one can cheat in a confidence vote!"
Integrity? Heh.
Kawasaki tilted his head back, refusing to yield an inch. "As a candidate for the position of Fifth Hokage, I have the right to demand an on-site inspection of the votes."
Kawasaki spoke directly into the microphone, his voice carrying to everyone in the audience. The crowd gradually fell silent, their gazes turning in unison to the Third Hokage.
The Third Hokage stared at Kawasaki with icy eyes. Faced with thousands of stares, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and announce, "Fine! We will inspect the votes right now. Let's see you accept your defeat without complaint, Uchiha Kawasaki!"
Everyone in the crowd could feel the tense, confrontational atmosphere on the stage.
Anko had been watching, her heart swelling with excitement as her master was about to be elected Fifth Hokage. Then, just as it was about to happen, this unexpected complication arose.
Uchiha Kawasaki was demanding a recount!?
He was accusing someone of cheating!?
How could her master cheat!? It was impossible!
Anko was furious, glaring in Uchiha Kawasaki's direction. *You're the cheater! Your whole family cheats!*
...
Konoha Village. The plaza in front of the Hokage Tower.
Countless eyes were now fixed on the stage.
This time, Uchiha Kawasaki had completely dropped all pretense.
The various major powers had simply come to see who Konoha's new Hokage would be. No one had expected such an incident.
Although no one said anything aloud, they were all thinking how exciting this was. Regardless of the outcome, Uchiha Kawasaki's move alone had made their trip worthwhile. If the recount actually uncovered something, it would be even more entertaining.
A slight smile appeared on Kawasaki's face. *You amateurs. My efforts to rally support were never about the Hokage seat to begin with.*
*The Otsutsuki are coming to destroy the world, and you're all still fighting to become Hokage? Are you insane!*
Kawasaki leaned closer to the microphone. "For the sake of fairness, I would like to request that the granddaughter of the First Hokage, the princess of the Senju clan, Lady Tsunade, conduct the inspection."
As a candidate, Kawasaki could have inspected the votes himself. But he insisted on having Tsunade do it.
First, Tsunade was also a candidate and had the right to inspect the votes. Second, her respected status and immense popularity among the people meant her words would carry more weight than his. Third, Kawasaki simply wanted to spite certain individuals.
"Lady Tsunade, would you be willing?" Kawasaki asked with a grin.
Kawasaki hadn't told Tsunade about this beforehand, so she was a little surprised. However, she was also curious to find out what was going on. She readily agreed.
"I can do that!" With a determined stride, she walked onto the stage.
The Third Hokage's expression remained dark, and the advising elders seated backstage also wore grave looks. This was all happening in public. The Daimyo of the Land of Fire was present, as were spies from other shinobi villages.
If it was discovered that the Hokage election had been rigged, Konoha's reputation would suffer immense damage.
Once on stage, Tsunade exchanged a few brief words with Kawasaki before moving Orochimaru's ballot box to the center.
She flicked the box with her finger, and the lid flew to the side.
Kawasaki picked up the microphone and placed it next to her.
Tsunade grabbed a handful of ballots and began to read, "One vote for Orochimaru!" She then held the ballot up for Kawasaki to see. He nodded, and she placed it in a separate pile. She proceeded to the next ballot, following the same procedure.
When she got to the third ballot, Kawasaki interrupted her. "Hold on."
Tsunade paused, examining the ballot closely, but she couldn't see anything wrong with it.
Kawasaki announced loudly, "Lady Tsunade, please read out the name of the person who cast the vote."
Tsunade frowned, her eyes falling on the name written on the ballot. Suddenly, a flash of realization struck her.
Voter: Sarutobi Akira...
Tsunade then picked up the next ballot.
Voter: Sarutobi Ryuta...
The moment Kawasaki asked Tsunade to read the voters' names, the Third Hokage knew things were about to go south... But at this point, all he could do was pick up his pipe and take a long drag.
Orochimaru watched it all unfold with narrowed eyes. *My old master... up to the same old tricks, I see.*