176 Hokage Election, Jounin Voting

The blond-haired Minato watched the two flirt and sighed helplessly.

"I said, you two... this is the Hokage election. Should you really be this relaxed?"

Simu casually shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Whether I'm nervous or not doesn't change anything."

Minato sighed again.

"That sounds just like you."

This guy was always so laid-back—until it was time to be serious. Then, he became terrifying.

Minato glanced around.

"Where's Jiraiya-sensei? Wasn't he one of the candidates too?"

Simu scratched his head, looking a little awkward.

"He's probably still mourning Orochimaru."

"Ever since he found out Orochimaru died by my hands, he's been avoiding me."

Minato nodded thoughtfully.

"That makes sense..."

After all, Orochimaru was Jiraiya's best friend, and Simu was his best student.

It was only natural for Jiraiya to have mixed feelings.

He likely knew Simu had made the right choice, but emotions weren't that simple.

Perhaps, more than anything, he blamed himself for not being strong enough to change Orochimaru's path.

If Jiraiya had noticed the darkness in Orochimaru's heart earlier… maybe things would have been different.

Jiraiya sat in a tavern, gripping a bottle of sake. His unfocused, drunken gaze drifted over the distant crowd.

But it wasn't just his fault.

What about Sarutobi-sensei?

Did he truly not know that Danzo had leaked information about Simu to the enemy?

Or did he just turn a blind eye?

The weight of it all pressed down on Jiraiya like a mountain.

But no one cared about the burden he carried.

At least, not right now.

Because all of Konoha was focused on one thing—the election of their new Hokage.

"I now declare the Hokage voting officially open."

At Sarutobi Hiruzen's command, the massive crowd moved in an orderly fashion, guided by the assisting ninjas.

Twelve ballot boxes had been set up for the election.

Each villager would write the name of their chosen candidate on a slip of paper and cast their vote.

Each voter pressed their fingerprint onto their ballot for verification, preventing any tampering with the vote count.

After the general vote, it was time for the ninja vote.

Finally, the top three candidates would advance to the last round—the Jōnin vote.

The candidate with the most Jōnin support would become the new Hokage.

Simu and Kushina waited calmly as the votes were counted.

After about an hour, the crowd gradually settled, and the results were announced.

"The top three candidates are Namikaze Minato, Tsunade, and Hanyu Simu."

As expected, no Uchiha made the cut.

Standing among the Jōnin, Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Bakugo exchanged quiet sighs.

Despite the Uchiha clan's formidable strength, their reputation among civilians was too poor. Years of isolation and negative perceptions had taken their toll.

They hadn't even made it past the first round.

And even if they had… how many Jōnin would have supported them?

The top three names came as no surprise to the Jōnin.

Only Tsunade felt a hint of regret.

She would have preferred to give all her votes to her boyfriend, Kato Dan, whose desire to become Hokage was far greater than her own.

Unfortunately, most of her votes came from the Senju clan or commoners grateful to her grandfather, the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama.

The Senju name carried great weight, making her a natural choice.

But that didn't mean her supporters would also vote for Dan.

Minato glanced at Sarutobi Hiruzen, his former master, and sighed.

"The Third Hokage deliberately placed Simu's name last," he murmured.

The candidate order was supposed to be random, but Sarutobi Hiruzen had full control over the announcement.

Most people wouldn't notice, but this subtle manipulation could influence the Jōnin vote.

By calling Simu's name last, it gave the impression that he had the fewest votes.

Some Jōnin, eager to back the strongest candidate, might shift their support toward Minato instead.

Seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen's little trick, Simu simply shrugged.

"This doesn't really matter."

Kushina, however, clenched her fist after realizing what was going on.

"That old man is so sneaky!"

Minato touched his chin, deep in thought.

Did the Third Hokage have some special expectations for him?

Putting his name first seemed intentional.

Although Minato was well-liked in the village, his achievements were nowhere near Simu's.

After all, Simu had real accomplishments killing the Third Kazekage, defeating Hanzō of the Salamander, overpowering Ōnoki, and even subduing three tailed beasts.

In comparison, Minato's record, while impressive, fell short.

Would the commoner Jōnin really choose him over Simu?

And what about the clan Jōnin?

As a commoner himself, earning their support seemed unlikely.

With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Minato followed Simu and an impatient Tsunade toward Sarutobi Hiruzen.

The former Hokage looked over the three of them, his gaze lingering on Minato just a little longer.

Under normal circumstances, Sarutobi Hiruzen should have been very happy.

After all, the next Hokage would still come from his lineage.

Among the three candidates before him, one was his direct apprentice, and the other two were like his grandchildren.

By all accounts, he had already won.

But there was one problem, one of them had a philosophy completely different from his own.

Once again, he silently regretted the choices he had made in the past.

Still, his expression remained flawless radiating joy, satisfaction, and a sense of duty for the future.

Every emotion was carefully composed on the face of the Third Hokage.

"Minato, Tsunade, and Simu, you are Konoha's finest."

"No matter who becomes the Fourth Hokage, I will be proud. You will carry Konoha's flame forward, making it burn brighter and leading the village toward an even greater future."

"The Will of Fire must be passed down from generation to generation."

He continued speaking, delivering an impassioned speech.

But as Simu coughed lightly, Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly realized he had been rambling.

"Ahem!"

"Now, we begin the final round of the Hokage selection—Jōnin voting!"

With his solemn announcement, the meeting finally reached its most critical moment.

Jōnin Voting Begins!

This was the decisive moment, the final step in choosing the next Hokage.

Unlike the previous rounds, the Jōnin vote held the most weight.

Since the number of Jōnin was relatively small, the process was straightforward.

Konoha had just over 300 Jōnin in total.

With many stationed at the borders or out on missions, fewer than 200 were present.

As a result, the voting method was simple a show of hands.

"Begin counting the votes," Sarutobi Hiruzen announced, his voice steady.

The room instantly grew tense.

"The Shimura clan has 17 Jōnin, and we all support Minato Jōnin."

A Jōnin from the Shimura clan spoke first.

On the scoreboard, a 17 was immediately recorded under Minato's name.

Minato blinked in surprise, disbelief flickering across his face.

But he quickly understood Sarutobi Hiruzen's intent.

So this is his move? To stop Simu, he's willing to push me forward as a puppet Hokage?

As if responding to the challenge, Uchiha Fugaku stood up.

"We, the 34 Jōnin of the Uchiha clan, fully support Hanyu Simu as the new Hokage."

Despite the Uchiha clan facing suppression in many areas, their strength as ninja was undeniable.

With this, Simu immediately took the lead.

"We, the Aburame clan, cast 8 votes for Minato Jōnin."

"The Inuzuka clan supports Minato Jōnin as well."

"The Koharu clan votes for Minato Jōnin."

"The Mito clan votes for Minato Jōnin."

"I vote for Simu Jōnin."

"I'm voting for Simu Jōnin too."

"I cast my vote for Lady Tsunade."

"I vote for Minato Jōnin."

As the voting continued, the gap between Minato and Simu remained tight.

Sarutobi Hiruzen and his two advisors had controlled Konoha for years.

Nearly every ninja clan, big or small, had ties to them.

And now, those connections were being leveraged.

Under Sarutobi Hiruzen's influence, most of the ninja cast their votes for Minato.

The civilians were divided into three factions.

A small portion voted for Minato and Tsunade, but the majority supported Simu.

Despite being known as "Princess Konoha," Tsunade found herself sidelined.

"I knew this would happen," she muttered with a sigh, slumping into her chair.

Jōnin were different from commoners.

Ordinary villagers might have voted for her because of her Senju heritage.

After all, the first two Hokages had left a lasting impression, creating the belief that any Senju could lead Konoha to greatness.

But the Jōnin, especially those from the big clans, had no interest in seeing a Senju as Hokage.

Even though the Senju clan had been disbanded…

Even though Tsunade was merely an orphan of the Senju bloodline…

The Jōnin still refused to let a Senju take power.

For them, the best kind of Senju clan was one that remained disbanded.

Meanwhile, the Jōnin vote continued.

Although many commoner Jōnin supported Hanyu Simu, they made up only 40% of the total Jōnin.

In Konoha, becoming a powerful ninja required resources.

Clan-born ninjas had a natural advantage, learning secret techniques from a young age and receiving personal guidance from experienced family mentors.

If they showed promise, their clan would focus on nurturing them, ensuring their growth.

In contrast, civilian ninjas could only begin learning ninjutsu at the academy, already falling behind from the start.

Their training was limited to basic techniques, and after graduation, they had to take on missions just to survive.

With little time left for self-improvement, only a handful could reach Jōnin level through sheer determination.

Those who did were truly remarkable.

Some received support from ninja clans during their journey, further tilting the scales in favor of clan influence.

This was why Sarutobi Hiruzen was confident in placing Namikaze Minato as Hokage.

By this point, more than half of the votes had been cast, and Namikaze Minato was tied with Hanyu Simu.

Yet, Sarutobi Hiruzen already wore a confident smile.

The remaining clans still to vote included the Yamanaka, Akimichi, Nara, Hyuga, and Sarutobi clans.

The Ino–Shika–Chō trio had always been loyal to the Hokage faction and closely tied to Hiruzen.

The Hyuga clan, having deep conflicts with Hanyu Simu, would never support him.

As for the Sarutobi clan, with Hiruzen as its head, their votes were already decided.

Over the years, under Hiruzen's influence, the Sarutobi clan's Jōnin numbers had surpassed even the Uchiha, reaching an impressive 38.

This was a major reason for Hiruzen's confidence.

Unlike her teacher, Tsunade watched Simu with concern.

She had mixed feelings about him.

On one hand, they shared a connection as fellow inheritors of the Shikkotsu Forest's teachings.

Their personal relationship was good, and Simu had even saved her boyfriend multiple times on the battlefield.

But on the other hand, he had killed Orochimaru with his own hands, the very act that led to her teacher's resignation.

"I just hope this kid doesn't do anything reckless."

Everyone knew Hanyu Simu's temper. If he lost the election, something big might happen.

"All 10 Jōnin of the Yamanaka clan support... Simu Jōnin."

The Yamanaka clan head stood up and cast their vote.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's grip on his chair tightened. His eyes widened in disbelief as he turned toward the Yamanaka chief.

But the latter avoided his gaze. Instead, Yamanaka Inoichi, standing beside him, offered a small, knowing smile to the Third Hokage.

Next, Akimichi Torifu stood up.

"The 11 Jōnin of the Akimichi clan also support Hanyu Simu."

"Torifu, you…"

Hiruzen's throat felt dry. His old friend, someone he had trusted, had turned against him.

Torifu, leaning on his cane due to his missing leg, looked at Hiruzen with a hint of apology.

"I'm sorry, Hiruzen."

Then, the Nara clan made their decision.

"The 11 Jōnin of the Nara clan support Simu."

With the backing of the three clans, Simu instantly gained 33 votes, pulling ahead.

"I didn't expect you to win over the Ino-Shika-Chō clans behind the scenes," Minato whispered.

His tone remained calm, his expression unchanged.

Simu, as always, looked indifferent.

To others, they were rivals. But to each other, the position of Hokage wasn't all that important.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's face darkened.

"In that case, I will cast the votes for the Sarutobi clan," he declared.

"Thirty-eight votes, all for Namikaze Minato."

With this, Minato took the lead again by six votes.

Only now did people realize just how many Jōnin the Sarutobi clan had.

"So scary … As expected from the clan that produced a Hokage," Simu remarked casually.

Sarutobi Hiruzen shot him a glance and said evenly,

"That leaves only the Hyuga clan."

In his heart, Hiruzen was already certain—Minato had won.

The Hyuga clan was closely tied to the advisory group. There was no way they would go against them.

Sure enough, Hyuga's clan head, Hyuga Hiashi, stood up.

"I cast my vote for Minato Jōnin on behalf of the 24 Jōnin of the Hyuga clan," Hyuga Hiashi declared.

With this, Minato secured a 30-vote lead over Simu.

The outcome was decided.

Just as Sarutobi Hiruzen was about to announce the result, a voice interrupted.

"Who said Hyuga Hiashi speaks for the entire Hyuga clan?"

The unexpected challenge came from Hyuga Hizashi, Hiashi's younger brother.

Hiashi's expression darkened.

"Do you realize what you're saying, Hyuga Hizashi?"

"Of course I do, dear brother," Hizashi replied with a faint smile.

He turned to Sarutobi Hiruzen and said firmly,

"Third Hokage-sama, on behalf of the 16 members of the Hyuga branch house, I vote for Simu-sama."

.

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TO BE CONTINUED

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