Chapter 126: The Hokage Election in Progress

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The next day.

At Ichiraku Ramen.

"Boss, one bowl of tonkotsu ramen, please."

Sasame hopped onto a stool as he spoke, then added, "And get Naruto a bowl of his favorite chashu pork rib ramen."

"Coming right up!" Teuchi smiled. "Just a moment, sir."

Sasame glanced around. The shop was doing well, nearly full—though Ichiraku Ramen wasn't very big to begin with.

After saving a seat for Uzumaki Naruto, he casually asked while waiting, "Boss, do you have any other family names?"

"Huh? No, why do you ask?" Teuchi replied, stirring the ramen without turning around.

"I just thought you had an extraordinary presence—maybe you were descended from some great clan or something," Sasame said offhandedly.

Teuchi laughed heartily. "You flatter me too much, sir."

"Old man!" A voice called from a distance.

"Eh? Big Bro's here too?" Naruto climbed onto the stool. "Morning!"

"Naruto, your ramen's already being made," Teuchi said warmly.

He was one of the few ordinary people who had never once discriminated against Naruto for being the "demon fox."

That's right—he wasn't a shinobi, nor was he an Uzumaki.

"Thanks, Big Bro," Naruto knew exactly who had ordered for him.

"Are you heading to the hospital later?" Sasame suspected Naruto hadn't heard about what happened to the Uchiha clan.

After all, no one ever bothered to chat with him.

"The hospital?" Naruto blinked. "Are you sick, Big Bro?"

"Not me," Sasame shook his head. "It's Sasuke. He's in the hospital right now."

"Sasuke?!" Naruto's eyes widened, and he immediately tried to bolt.

"Hold on, he's fine. Eat first," Sasame pressed a hand on his shoulder.

"Oh…" Naruto exhaled in relief. "How'd he get hurt? Did he trip on his way home last night?"

Is Sasuke really that clumsy in your mind?

Tripping over nothing like some romance novel heroine?

"Don't say that in front of Sasuke," Sasame hesitated, then leaned in and briefly explained what had happened the night before.

Naruto would find out eventually anyway.

And if he didn't tell him now, Naruto might blurt something out in front of Sasuke and earn himself a world of hatred.

"How… how could that happen?" Naruto's smile vanished instantly.

As an orphan himself, he understood Sasuke's pain better than anyone.

"Big Bro, I'm not eating. I'm going to see Sasuke." Naruto jumped off the stool and rushed out.

Sasame opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing more.

Naruto moved fast, fueled by worry for Sasuke. But after a while, he suddenly stopped.

From a nearby restaurant, he overheard snippets of conversation.

"Tragic, really. The mighty Uchiha clan wiped out overnight."

"Word is they kidnapped and killed the Hokage's son first."

"Good riddance! Those arrogant bastards were always a pain—punishing people over the smallest things!"

"Yeah, the Konoha Military Police made everyone's lives miserable."

Naruto clenched his fists.

Again with the gossip!

He took a deep breath and sprinted straight to Konoha Hospital.

"Sasuke!" Naruto pushed open the door and saw Uchiha Sasuke in a hospital gown.

"Quiet. He's still unconscious," a nurse reminded him.

"Sorry," Naruto whispered, stepping closer to the bed.

Sasuke's eyes snapped open. His emotions had been too turbulent, his body unable to handle the strain, so he'd passed out.

But it didn't last long.

He woke up.

Staring at the unfamiliar ceiling, it took him a few seconds to remember.

Then last night's memories flooded back.

Sasuke shot up, ignoring Naruto entirely, and dashed out of the room at full speed.

The nurse didn't even realize what had happened until he was gone.

"Sasuke!" Naruto scrambled after him.

The two raced through the village until they skidded to a halt in front of the Uchiha compound.

Sasuke stood frozen, staring at the empty buildings, the lingering scent of blood in the air.

It was real. Not a nightmare.

The Uchiha clan was gone.

Only he remained.

No—there was still Itachi.

Sasuke's eyes suddenly burned crimson, a single tomoe spinning in each. A chilling aura radiated from him.

"Sasuke, your eyes—?" Naruto gasped as he caught up.

"Shut up!" Sasuke snarled, his emotions erupting.

"Sasuke…" Naruto stepped forward, his voice heavy. "I get how you're feeling, but—"

"Get it?! How could you possibly get it?!" Sasuke lunged, grabbing Naruto by the throat. "See this? This is the Sharingan! You'll never beat me again!"

"Sasuke, stop this." Naruto's heart ached at the sight of his friend's twisted expression.

The cold, aloof Sasuke from before had at least shown glimpses of real emotion.

Now, all that remained was darkness—a suffocating, malevolent aura.

"Dead. They're all dead. Every last one—killed by my dear brother!" Sasuke's laughter was manic, unhinged. "Hahaha! Do you get it? Can you?!"

Naruto broke free and punched him square in the face. "Snap out of it!"

The fight erupted.

From a distance, Sasame sighed.

With his newly awakened Sharingan, Sasuke's strength had indeed skyrocketed—enough to rival a standard chūnin.

But since when did Naruto fear chūnin?

With his monstrous chakra reserves, no Kyūbi interference, wind-style training under Sarutobi Seiji, and taijutsu drills with Rock Lee and Might Guy, Naruto was already exceptional.

He'd never gone all-out before, but now, holding back wouldn't subdue Sasuke.

The brawl lasted over ten minutes.

In the end, Naruto pinned Sasuke to the ground.

"Giving up won't solve anything."

Sasuke's crazed laughter had long faded, replaced by bitter frustration.

Why can't I beat Naruto even with the Sharingan?

What the hell is wrong with this guy?

"If your enemy's still alive, then take revenge," Naruto said, more mature than his original self thanks to Sasame's influence.

(Unintentionally, Sasame had a habit of saying strange, thought-provoking things.)

"You can't even beat me—so what's the point of wasting time here? Sasuke, train with me."

Naruto's words only spiked Sasuke's blood pressure higher.

The single tomoe in his eyes split into two.

The Sharingan's awakening and evolution thrived on emotional turmoil.

But not all emotions were the same.

In his past life, Sasame had always believed Sasuke didn't need familial trauma to grow stronger—he needed a rival.

Namely, Naruto.

Their bond transcended mere kinship, making it far more effective.

In the original story, Itachi had gone to absurd lengths just to trigger Sasuke's Sharingan.

As the reincarnation of Indra's chakra, was Sasuke really that weak?

Of course not.

He'd just been pushed the wrong way.

[Due to your actions, Uzumaki Naruto's fate has shifted. You have earned 77 Fate Points.]

[Due to your actions, Uchiha Sasuke's fate has shifted. You have earned 77 Fate Points.]

Is this the power of destiny's bond?

Watching the two reconcile, Sasame turned and left.

Activating Sage Mode, he slipped to the outer window of the Hokage's office.

Consider this practice for future escapes—familiarizing myself with the route.

Once Tsunade became Hokage, he'd probably be visiting her office often.

Inside the office…

"Hiruzen, you know me," Danzō said calmly, leaning on his cane. "I would never do anything to harm Konoha."

Sarutobi Hiruzen massaged his temples, exhaustion weighing on him.

These past few days had aged him a decade. His body screamed that it was time to retire.

His son and grandson were dead.

Now, rumors swirled that the Uchiha massacre had been his doing—that he'd ordered Itachi to kill his own clan as revenge.

And people believed it.

Because no sane person would think Itachi would slaughter his family without orders.

Orders from the Hokage.

"Danzō, take a few days off. At this rate, you'll collapse," Koharu said, shooting Danzō a sidelong glance. "Let us handle the rest."

"Any leads on the rumor's source?" Hiruzen asked the ANBU before him.

"None yet. We need more time," the ANBU admitted. "Whoever's behind this is smart—spreading it in crowded places like bars. Too many potential sources."

"Keep investigating, but release the truth to the public. We can't let the villagers be misled."

Hiruzen did suspect Danzō.

Few had the means to spread rumors so quickly.

Likely an organization—Root, or perhaps a clan.

But he had no proof.

And Danzō was right about one thing: he wouldn't act against Konoha's interests.

Hiruzen sighed.

He was tired.

After a long silence, he said, "It's time to pass the torch. The Fifth Hokage seat has been empty too long."

Danzō nearly smiled.

Koharu and Homura exchanged glances.

By protocol, the Fifth Hokage should've been chosen long ago.

The Fourth, Minato, had been dead for nearly four years.

Hiruzen's return was always framed as temporary—until a suitable successor was found.

Yet "temporary" had stretched into four years.

And somewhere along the way, Hiruzen had grown reluctant to let go.

"Tsunade—" Hiruzen began.

"Hiruzen, this should be decided by the council," Koharu cut in. "We should recall Jiraiya and hold a proper vote."

Hiruzen studied her expression. Something's off.

But her suggestion was standard procedure.

Normally, the candidates would be proposed by Hiruzen, Danzō, Koharu, Homura, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade.

Then the jōnin would vote, followed by public approval.

If a candidate was present, they'd abstain from discussions.

(Like how Orochimaru hadn't participated in the Fourth's selection, since he was a nominee.)

Absentees were counted as abstentions.

Jiraiya had returned three years ago, searching for the mysterious wood-style user from his prophecy.

But his restless nature made staying in one place unbearable, so he'd left again to wander the world.

"Shall we propose candidates now?" Homura suggested. "I nominate Jiraiya."

Hiruzen nodded.

Jiraiya would make a fine Hokage.

He'd been Hiruzen's first choice years ago.

But the man was obsessed with his prophecies. Getting him to settle down would be… difficult.

"Tsunade, you're in as well," Hiruzen said.

"Fine." Tsunade didn't refuse.

Honestly, Hiruzen was pleasantly surprised by her recent changes.

The old Tsunade would've scoffed at the idea of being Hokage—hell, she'd barely functioned as a shinobi.

"And me," Danzō stated flatly.

"You?" Hiruzen raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you a bit old for this? Retire with me."

"I'm still in my prime," Danzō countered. "And Konoha has no age limit for Hokage."

"…"

Hiruzen nearly choked on his pipe.

The sheer audacity.

Then it hit him.

Wait. Has he already secured Koharu and Homura's support?

But even with two votes, Danzō couldn't win outright.

And he'd never pass the jōnin vote.

Compared to Tsunade and Jiraiya, his reputation was abysmal.

What's his game?

Before Hiruzen could ponder further, a knock interrupted.

An ANBU entered and knelt. "Hokage-sama, the Daimyō of the Land of Fire has arrived. He wishes to speak with you."

"…?"

Hiruzen's gaze snapped to Danzō.

He hadn't summoned the Daimyō.

The man never visited unannounced.

And now, of all times—during the Hokage selection?

This has Danzō's fingerprints all over it.

Technically, the Daimyō did have the authority to approve Hokage appointments.

Danzō sat perfectly still, feigning innocence.

From outside, Sasame smirked.

I underestimated the old schemer.

But the game wasn't over yet.

With his Mangekyō Sharingan, the Daimyō's arrival was a gift—an easy target for manipulation.

Then there was Orochimaru.

Currently backing Danzō, but that could change.

Sasame didn't plan to sway Orochimaru toward Tsunade—too obvious.

Better to distract him.

Keep him from attending the vote.

A no-show meant an abstention.

With Jiraiya guaranteed to support Tsunade, Danzō's advantage would crumble.

And Tsunade would take the hat.

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