Chapter 126: The Hokage Election in Progress

The next day.

Ichiraku Ramen Restaurant.

"Boss, give me a bowl of pork bone ramen," Natsume said as he hopped onto a high stool. "And order a bowl of Naruto's favorite char siu pork rib ramen for him, too."

"Sure thing!"

Teuchi smiled. "Please wait a moment, sir."

Natsume glanced around. The restaurant was doing good business and almost fully occupied.

However, Ichiraku Ramen Restaurant was not very big.

After saving a seat for Naruto Uzumaki, Natsume took advantage of the waiting time and asked with a smile, "Boss, do you have another family name?"

"No, sir. Why do you ask?"

Teuchi was cooking the ramen and didn't look back at him.

"I thought you have an extraordinary air about you, sir. Maybe you're the descendant of some great clan," Natsume explained casually.

"Hahaha."

Teuchi let out a hearty and happy laugh and said, "You're really overpraising me, sir."

"Uncle!"

A voice came from afar.

"Hey? Big bro is here too," Naruto Uzumaki climbed onto a high stool and said, "Good morning."

"Naruto, your ramen is already being made," Teuchi said with a smile.

He is one of the few ordinary people who never discriminated against Naruto because of his Demon Fox identity.

That's right, he is not a ninja and doesn't have the Otsutsuki family name.

"Thanks, big bro."

Naruto Uzumaki naturally knew who had ordered it.

"Are you going to the hospital later?"

Natsume suspected he hadn't heard about the Uchiha clan incident.

Because no one would chat with him.

"Hospital?"

Naruto Uzumaki was stunned for a second and asked, "Is big bro going to see a doctor?"

"Not me."

Natsume shook his head and said, "It's Sasuke. He's in the hospital now."

"Sasuke?!"

Naruto Uzumaki's eyes widened, and he instinctively wanted to run.

"Don't be in a hurry. He's okay. Have your meal first," Natsume said, pressing on his shoulder.

"Okay."

Naruto Uzumaki let out a sigh of relief and asked, "How did he get injured? Did he fall on the way home last night?"

Is Sasuke really that ridiculous in your eyes?

Falling on flat ground?

He's not a damsel in a romance story.

"Don't say this in front of Sasuke," Natsume hesitated for a moment and whispered to him about what had happened last night.

Anyway, he would find out sooner or later.

If he didn't say it, and later Naruto Uzumaki asked Sasuke Uchiha directly, it would cause bad feelings.

"How could this happen?"

Naruto Uzumaki's smile froze instantly.

As an orphan, he knew best what it felt like, so he could understand Sasuke Uchiha.

"Big bro, I'm not eating. I'm going to see Sasuke," Naruto Uzumaki jumped off the high stool and left in a hurry.

Natsume wanted to say something but stopped himself. In the end, he didn't say anything more.

Because he was worried about Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki walked very fast.

But after walking for a while, he suddenly stopped.

He heard some people chatting in a nearby restaurant.

"How pitiful! Overnight, the most powerful Uchiha clan has been completely wiped out."

"I heard it's because they kidnapped and killed the Hokage's son beforehand."

"Good riddance, huh! Those arrogant guys are so annoying! They punish people severely for the slightest thing!"

"True! The Konoha Police Force always makes everyone complain."

Naruto Uzumaki subconsciously tightened his fist.

Again!

People all over the place are gossiping.

He took a deep breath and rushed to Konoha Hospital quickly.

"Sasuke!"

Naruto Uzumaki pushed open the ward door and saw Sasuke Uchiha in a hospital gown.

"Keep your voice down. He's still not awake."

The nurse reminded him.

"Sorry."

Naruto Uzumaki walked to the bedside as he spoke.

Sasuke Uchiha suddenly awakened the Sharingan[b]awakened the Sharingan[/b]. Overwhelmed by intense emotional upheaval and his body failing to cope, he fainted.

Not long passed.

He woke up.

Looking at the strange ceiling, he was in a daze for a few seconds.

The memories of last night flooded back.

Sasuke Uchiha immediately got up, ignored Naruto Uzumaki, and burst out at his fastest speed, leaving the ward.

The nurse didn't even realize what had happened.

"Sasuke!"

Naruto Uzumaki quickly got up and followed.

The two chased each other and finally stopped in front of the Uchiha Clan Residence.

Sasuke Uchiha looked dazed, staring at the empty room filled with the smell of blood.

It was real, not a dream.

The Uchiha clan no longer existed.

He was the only one left.

No, there was also Itachi Uchiha.

Suddenly, a one - tomoe[b]one - tomoe[/b] emerged in each of Sasuke Uchiha's eyes, and a cold and gloomy aura spread out.

"Sasuke, your eyes?"

Naruto Uzumaki had just arrived when he saw those eyes glowing with a scarlet blood color.

"Shut up!"

Sasuke Uchiha suddenly exploded with emotion.

"Sasuke..."

Naruto Uzumaki stepped forward with some pity and said, "I understand how you feel now, but you..."

"Understand? How can you understand?!"

Sasuke Uchiha instantly stepped forward and grabbed his neck. "See? This is the Sharingan[b]Sharingan[/b]! From now on, you'll never be my match!"

"Sasuke, don't do this."

Naruto Uzumaki looked at his ferocious face and felt a bit reluctant.

He had lost all his former charm.

Before, although Sasuke Uchiha had a cold face, you could feel his real emotions from his eyes and actions.

Now there was only gloom and coldness left, as if the whole person was emitting a black and ominous aura.

This chapter is not over!

"Dead, all dead, everyone is dead! All killed by my dear brother!"

Sasuke Uchiha grinned and burst into wild laughter. "Hahaha, get it? Can you even get it?"

He seemed crazy.

Naruto Uzumaki abruptly broke loose from his hold and punched him in the face, shouting, "Wake up!"

The fight between the two began.

Not far away, Natsume shook his head.

After awakening the One - tomoe Sharingan[b]One - tomoe Sharingan[/b], Sasuke Uchiha's strength had indeed been greatly improved.

He could be on par with an ordinary Chunin.

But would Naruto Uzumaki be afraid of a Chunin?

Thanks to his immense chakra and the lack of interference from the Nine - Tailed Fox, he learned Wind Release[b]Wind Release[/b] from Seinosuke Sarutobi and trained in Taijutsu[b]Taijutsu[/b] with Rock Lee and Might Guy. He had long been exceptional.

He hadn't used his full strength previously. In this situation, if he didn't, he couldn't subdue Sasuke Uchiha.

The fight lasted for more than ten minutes.

Finally, Sasuke Uchiha was pinned to the ground by Naruto Uzumaki.

"Self - abandonment won't solve the problem."

The wild laughter on Sasuke Uchiha's face had long vanished, replaced by an extremely complex look.

Why couldn't he defeat Naruto Uzumaki even after awakening the Sharingan[b]Sharingan[/b]?

What on earth was going on with this guy?

The intense unwillingness made the tomoe[b]tomoe[/b] in his eyes tremble again.

"Since your enemy is still alive, then seek revenge."

Having hung out with Natsume, Naruto Uzumaki was a bit more mature than he was in the original story.

Well, there was nothing he could do about it. Even if he didn't mean to, his Big bro always said some strange things.

"You can't even beat me. How can you waste your time here? Sasuke, come with me to train."

Naruto Uzumaki continued his Talk No Jutsu[b]Talk No Jutsu[/b].

Sasuke Uchiha, who was being pinned down, felt his blood pressure soaring.

One tomoe[b]tomoe[/b] quietly split into two.

Both the awakening and the advancement of the Sharingan[b]Sharingan[/b] required emotional stimulation.

But there were various kinds of emotions.

In his past life, Natsume thought that what Sasuke Uchiha needed wasn't the stimulation from his family, but the stimulation from his lifelong rival.

That was Naruto Uzumaki.

Their fates had long surpassed the so - called family affection, and it was undoubtedly the most effective.

In the original story, Itachi Uchiha spouted a lot of nonsense to make Sasuke Uchiha awaken the Sharingan[b]Sharingan[/b].

As the reincarnation of Indra's chakra, was he really that ineffective?

Obviously not.

It was just that they hadn't found the right way.

[Due to your actions, Naruto Uzumaki's destiny has changed. You have gained seventy - seven destiny values.]

[Due to your actions, Sasuke Uchiha's destiny has changed. You have gained seventy - seven destiny values.]

Is this the bond of destiny?

Watching the two reconcile, Natsume turned around and left.

He activated Sage Mode[b]Sage Mode[/b] and reached the outer window of the Hokage's office.

It was like a rehearsal for the future, getting acquainted with the escape route.

After all, after Tsunade became the Hokage, he might often go in and out of the Hokage's office.

" Hiruzen, you know me," Danzo said, leaning on his cane, looking calm. "I would never do anything that's bad for Konoha."

Hiruzen Sarutobi rubbed his forehead tiredly.

In these few days, he seemed to have aged more than a decade. He clearly felt the signals from his body.

It was time for him to retire.

His son and grandson had died unexpectedly one after another.

Now, there was a widespread rumor outside that the destruction of the Uchiha clan was because he wanted revenge, so he sent Itachi Uchiha to do it.

And this statement was quite popular.

Because normal people wouldn't believe that Itachi Uchiha would kill his father and wipe out the entire clan.

Unless it was an order from the Hokage.

As a ninja, he had to carry it out.

"Hiruzen, take a few days off. If you go on like this, you'll break down physically."

After Koharu Utatane glanced at Danzo Shimura, she said in a concerned tone, "Leave the rest to us."

"Have you found the source of the rumors?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand at her and then looked at the Anbu Ninja in front of him.

"No, we need more time."

The Anbu Ninja replied, "The person is very clever. He spread the rumors in crowded places like izakayas. There are too many people involved."

"While you're investigating, release the truth to prevent the villagers from being completely deceived."

Hiruzen Sarutobi actually suspected Danzo Shimura.

Not many people could do such a thing.

Or rather, it was impossible for one person to spread so many rumors overnight.

There was probably a force behind it, such as Root or a ninja clan.

But he had no evidence.

And Danzo Shimura was right. He wouldn't do anything harmful to Konoha.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed.

He was physically and mentally exhausted.

After a long silence, he said, "It's really time to find someone to share the burden with me. The position of the Fifth Hokage has been vacant for a long time."

Hearing this, Danzo Shimura almost couldn't hold back his joy and burst out laughing.

Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado also exchanged a glance.

According to the normal procedure, the Fifth Hokage should have been selected long ago.

After all, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, had been dead for almost four years.

When Hiruzen Sarutobi resumed his position as Hokage, he announced externally that he would temporarily manage Konoha and step down when a suitable candidate was found.

But he had been in charge for four years.

There was no doubt that his mindset had changed.

"Tsunade..."

Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi opened his mouth, he was interrupted.

"Hiruzen, this matter should be decided jointly by the Konoha high - ups," Koharu Utatane said in time. "It's better to call Jiraiya back and let everyone vote to select a new Hokage."

Oh...!

Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately studied her expression. There was something wrong.

But her proposal did meet the requirements.

Normally, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura, Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade would first come up with a candidate. After that, the Jonin would vote, and finally, the result would be announced to gauge the villagers' reactions.

If the candidate was present, they would be temporarily excluded.

For example, during the selection of the Fourth Hokage, Orochimaru didn't participate in the discussion because he was a candidate.

Of course, those who were absent were considered to have abstained.

Jiraiya returned to Konoha three years ago due to the prophecy but failed to find the mysterious Wood Release master. Given his personality, he couldn't stand staying in one place for long and eventually went wandering in the ninja world again to find the Child of the Prophecy.

"How about we come up with candidates first?"

Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi's silence, Homura Mitokado spoke up again. "I propose Jiraiya."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded.

It wouldn't be bad for Jiraiya to be the Hokage.

He was originally Hiruzen Sarutobi's first choice.

It's just that this guy was so obsessed with the prophecy that it might be difficult.

"Tsunade, you should also participate," Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up and said.

"Yeah."

Tsunade didn't refuse.

Speaking of which, Hiruzen Sarutobi was quite surprised by her recent changes.

In the past, Tsunade was extremely slack, not to mention becoming the Hokage, even being a ninja.

"And me."

Danzo Shimura spoke calmly.

"What're you butting in for?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a puff of his cigarette and said, "You're getting old. Just retire like me."

"I'm still young."

Danzo Shimura retorted without changing his expression, "Moreover, Konoha has no regulations on the age of the Hokage."

"..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi twitched the corner of his mouth.

He might as well have pointed at him and said, "Ain't you got no shame?"

Suddenly, he narrowed his eyes slightly.

Something was off.

Could it be that he had joined forces with Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado?

However, two votes wouldn't guarantee a decisive victory.

Besides, Danzo Shimura wouldn't pass the Jonin vote.

Compared to Tsunade and Jiraiya, his reputation was abysmal.

What on earth gave him the confidence?

As Hiruzen Sarutobi was deep in thought, there was a knock on the door.

An Anbu Ninja entered, knelt on one knee, and said, "Lord Hokage, the Fire Daimyo has arrived and wishes to see you."

"…?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi instinctively looked at Danzo Shimura.

He hadn't invited the Fire Daimyo.

The Fire Daimyo wouldn't normally drop by.

And it just so happened to be the time when they were selecting a new Hokage.

The most likely scenario was that Danzo Shimura had secretly invited him.

Theoretically, the appointment of the Hokage needed the approval of the Fire Daimyo.

He also had the right to make suggestions.

Danzo Shimura kept his eyes down, looking like he was minding his own business.

Natsume, eavesdropping outside, couldn't help sighing as he realized he had underestimated Danzo Shimura.

However, the outcome was still uncertain.

With his Mangekyo Sharingan, the arrival of the Fire Daimyo was like a free meal.

Apart from that, there was Orochimaru.

He currently supported Danzo Shimura, but that might change later.

Of course, Natsume didn't plan to let him support Tsunade. That would be too obvious. So the best way is to lure the snake out of its hole[b]lure the snake out of its hole[/b] to make him too busy to participate, so his vote would be considered an abstention.

Plus, with Jiraiya definitely supporting Tsunade, Danzo Shimura would lose the advantage, allowing Tsunade to become the Hokage.

Combined Chapters 6 and 7 Update, 4000 words. An extra update for 400 monthly votes.

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