Jie Uchiha scoffed inwardly. 'He really is an old mad dog. He can't help but bark whenever he sees an Uchiha.'
"Father, this one-eyed grandpa is so pitiful. Not only are his eyes going bad, but his brain isn't working too well either."
"Grandpa Third Hokage once said that Konoha belongs to every villager, and it's where the Will of Fire burns."
"One look at him and you can tell he hasn't inherited Grandpa Third's Will of Fire."
Jie took a step back, hiding behind Fugaku Uchiha, and spoke in a low voice.
But who were the people gathered here? Every single one was an elite Jonin of Konoha. Furthermore, Jie hadn't bothered to hide his words, so everyone heard him loud and clear.
Pfft!
Someone couldn't help but laugh, abruptly cutting themselves off upon realizing the inappropriateness of the setting. They were all professional ninja, and absolutely wouldn't laugh under normal circumstances.
Unless they couldn't hold it in.
That stifled laughter stung Danzo's pride like a sharp knife. He was the Hokage's Assistant, the future Fifth Hokage! How dare someone from the Uchiha clan humiliate him like this? Even if the speaker was just a child, it was absolutely unforgivable!
"Lord Assistant, a child speaks without thinking. Please don't take it to heart," Fugaku said.
Looking at Danzo's face, which was as dark as the bottom of a pot, Fugaku felt a surge of deep satisfaction. He couldn't resist pouring a little more oil onto Danzo's fire.
The effect was immediate. Danzo's withered old face instantly flushed from dark to red; it looked as though he could no longer suppress his inner rage.
"You—"
"Enough, Danzo!"
Danzo was about to explode, but the Third Hokage immediately shut him down.
"It was just a child's passing remark. There's no need to take it so seriously," Hiruzen Sarutobi said.
Seeing Hiruzen's mild yet firm attitude, Danzo instantly understood. He had no choice but to swallow this loss today.
Hmph! With a cold snort, Danzo leaned on his cane and walked straight to his seat. 'Hiruzen, you will definitely regret this!'
'Is that it? Konoha's dignified King of Scapegoats only has this much combat power?'
Jie felt a sudden wave of disappointment. He had prepared a whole arsenal of toxic trash talk for Danzo to sample, and hadn't expected the old man to retreat so quickly. Having crossed over into this world, he truly felt lonely at the peak of the trash-talking art; as lonely as falling snow.
"You're Jie Uchiha, correct?"
Suddenly, a large face loomed right in front of Jie, startling him so badly he almost slapped it. Fortunately, he managed to suppress his bodily instincts just before striking out.
"Your words are absolutely correct. Konoha belongs to everyone, and you youth are the best inheritors of the Will of Fire."
"Wherever tree leaves fly, the fire continues to burn!" Hiruzen declared, standing up to survey the room.
His words were thick with infectious charisma, stirring a wave of excitement among the seated Jonin. It was so convincing that even Jie almost believed him.
'It's a real shame Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't go into a pyramid scheme with that eloquence of his!' Jie couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement as he watched the elite Jonin of Konoha get fired up by just a few words from the Hokage.
Following that minor interlude, no one raised any further objections to Jie's presence. The Jonin Meeting officially commenced.
"After a few days of consideration, I presume everyone has given some thought to candidates for the Fifth Hokage."
"Now, please share the candidates you have in mind so we can discuss them together," Hiruzen said, taking a puff from his pipe as he addressed the room.
After a brief moment of silence, someone finally spoke up.
"I nominate the Fourth Hokage's teacher, one of the Legendary Sannin, Lord Jiraiya, to serve as the Fifth Hokage!"
Jie glanced at the speaker—a white-haired, masked man. Hatake 'Fifty-Fifty'… no, its Kakashi Hatake.
To participate in such a high-level meeting at his young age, Kakashi truly lived up to his reputation as a genius.
In response to Kakashi's proposal, Hiruzen tapped his pipe and replied, "Jiraiya is currently away from the village, so we will not consider him for the time being. Are there any other candidates?"
With Kakashi breaking the ice, the seated Jonin began to voice their own recommendations. However, the pool of candidates everyone proposed kept circling back to just a few names: Shikaku Nara of the Nara clan, Hiashi Hyuga of the Hyuga clan, and Jie's father, the head of the Uchiha clan, Fugaku Uchiha.
In fact, the voices supporting Fugaku to succeed as the Fifth Hokage were the loudest among the candidates. After all, the Uchiha clan was still at the height of its power. The title of the number one clan in Konoha—and perhaps even the entire ninja world—was truly intimidating.
"I withdraw from the selection for Fifth Hokage."
Just as the decision seemed to be settling, Fugaku suddenly stood up and announced his decision to everyone present.
For a moment, everyone froze, as if doubting their own ears.
"Managing the Uchiha clan has already left me mentally and physically exhausted. I truly cannot bear the heavy responsibility of the Hokage's mantle. Please, select someone more capable."
Having said his piece, Fugaku sat back down. He closed his eyes and centered his breathing, adopting an attitude of complete indifference to worldly affairs.
Immediately following Fugaku's declaration, Shikaku Nara and Hiashi Hyuga also stood up in succession, withdrawing their names from the Hokage election.
'It makes sense that Shikaku Nara made this decision, but I didn't expect the Hyuga clan to do the same.' Jie nodded slightly. 'It seems those who survive to the end are never simple characters.'