Chapter 11

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This time, even Sarutobi couldn't hold back. He slammed the table and shouted angrily,

"Foolishness! This is the daimyo himself! How can you disagree?"

Uchiha Setsuna glanced at Toki, who quietly nodded.

Setsuna suddenly felt confident and said, "Daimyo? Daimyo is nothing!"

Everyone around looked at Setsuna in amazement. Was he insane? Disrespecting the daimyo like that?

But Setsuna proudly raised his head, "Sarutobi, don't forget, the relationship between the Land of Fire and Konoha is a two-system employment agreement! The original Hokage and the daimyo signed a cooperation deal. Since when does Konoha need the daimyo to appoint a Hokage?"

"The daimyo is nothing! In Konoha, we only notify him after we elect our Hokage. Who we choose as Hokage has nothing to do with the daimyo!"

The surrounding jonin were shocked. Especially those who had been trapped in the process of choosing the Fourth Hokage—they suddenly realized.

That's right! Since when did Konoha need the daimyo's approval to appoint a Hokage?

The First and Second Hokage were elected by the villagers themselves, and the daimyo was simply informed. The two sides signed a cooperation agreement. Why does the daimyo's approval matter now?

Danzo stroked his chin in deep thought. This situation only seemed to happen when Sarutobi was directly appointed Hokage by his teacher…

Danzo's mind sharpened as realization hit him. Damn! I was tricked by my own teacher!

Even the Second Hokage didn't have the authority to appoint the Hokage directly. It was just that the prestige of the Senju was so overwhelming that everyone overlooked the fact that Hokage elections were necessary!

If Hokage depends on elections, then public opinion is in my favor!

He thought about how he manipulated the situation with Sakumo Hatake, pushing him to suicide, and became more confident. He slammed the table and shouted excitedly,

"Uchiha Jonin is right! Sarutobi, your Hokage position wasn't attained the proper way!"

Sarutobi trembled, barely able to contain his desire to strangle his foolish ally.

The Uchiha clan clearly wanted to rid themselves of their role in the Konoha Police Force, and Danzo couldn't even see that simple trap. If Danzo were sold as Hokage, he'd probably help count the profits.

Sarutobi coldly glared at Toki, who had remained silent the entire time, and asked,

"Patriarch Toki, is this your stance too?"

At this moment, Toki's demeanor was leisurely. If he had a cup of tea and a stool, it would've seemed like the insults being thrown at Konoha's leadership didn't concern him at all.

Toki looked at Sarutobi with a strange expression and said,

"My stance? What do you mean?"

Then, in a deliberately emphasized tone, he added,

"Sarutobi Patriarch, I'm simply here to attend Konoha's high-level Jonin meeting. I am also a Jonin, and I have the right to speak in Konoha, correct?"

"Since there's no Hokage in Konoha right now, why not hold an election? Shouldn't Hokage in our village be democratically elected?"

"Let's vote. Self-nominations and letting the daimyo appoint someone—it doesn't seem appropriate, does it?"

"We are one of the Five Great Villages. The Hokage is such an important position. How can any random person take it, Sarutobi Patriarch?"

Toki deliberately emphasized the word "patriarch," giving Sarutobi no respect, despite him having been Hokage for three generations.

Sarutobi's forehead veins pulsed.

"Fine! Fine!"

He glanced around at the other Jonin, who were all pretending to be oblivious, and a hint of murderous intent flashed in his heart.

"In that case, we'll hold open elections!"

Nara Shikaku sighed. This was why he didn't stand up to take advantage of the situation.

Despite everything, Sarutobi had a strong support base among the ninjas. Together, the rest of them weren't as influential as he was alone. If this had happened during his first reign, he might have lost through voting.

But since the Second Hokage, the Senju had actively recruited civilians into the village to dilute the influence of the ninja clans on the Hokage elections.

Especially under Sarutobi's leadership, a large number of civilians had been moved into Konoha.

Now, civilians outnumber ninja clans by more than ten to one.

And Sarutobi, beloved by the civilian population, would undoubtedly win any election if he participated.

After all, no matter how intense Konoha's wars were, this civilian group had never suffered. That's why Sarutobi's reputation remained so high.

The reason ninja clans joined the village in the first place was to protect their clansmen from harm.

Now, these clans had to risk their lives to protect a civilian population that had no ties to them, and the older generation within the clans was beginning to regret this arrangement.

If it weren't for the fact that forming a ninja village had become a necessity in the ninja world, many clans would have left to establish their own territories.

At this moment, Sarutobi sneered and looked at Toki. He said,

"Alright then. Starting tomorrow, the Hokage election will begin. Anyone who wishes to recommend themselves or others should register."

Danzo, overjoyed, immediately coughed twice and said,

"Count me in."

Sarutobi's eye twitched in anger. This idiot had no sense of judgment when it came to anything related to becoming Hokage.

But Sarutobi wasn't worried—Danzo wasn't a competitor at all.

Turning to Toki with a smile, Sarutobi sneered,

"What about you, Patriarch Toki? Earlier, you said you supported Elder Danzo, didn't you?"

Toki touched his chin, then squinted with a sly smile.

"Oh, not at all. Our Uchiha clan won't be participating in the Hokage election. But I do have someone to recommend."

A sense of dread crept into Sarutobi's heart.

"Oh? And who might that be?"

Toki smiled and said calmly,

"Tsunade!"

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