https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-257-Ninekane-s-Life-Countdown-Begins-/12932158/
Chapter 258: Hokage Nomination!
Chapter 258: Hokage Nomination!
The Fire Shadow Tower!
Today was bustling with activity.
Almost all the Jonin in the village had gathered.
An essential part of the Hokage election.
The Jonin Trust Vote!
To nominate a candidate for Hokage, the majority of Jonin must agree, meaning at least seven out of ten must cast a trust vote.
This is a form of screening.
The Hokage chosen through this process will gain the support of most Jonin, at the very least.
At the very least, it's a default acceptance.
If some unknown cat or dog were to jump in, they wouldn't even have the qualifications to be nominated, let alone become Hokage.
This is one of the Jonin's powers.
The Jonin's status is elevated not only because they are part of the command layer but also because they can participate in the Hokage election and hold a decisive position.
Previously, Dong Ping was canvassing for votes because his vote, along with Yamazaka Koji's, carried significant weight and could influence many Jonin.
The strong hold a high position in the Leaf Village.
If he were to vote for someone, it would sway many others.
For instance, Kobayashi Heiji and Nobita Nobi, and other Jonin, would undoubtedly be influenced.
The meeting wasn't held in the third-floor conference room but in the Jonin Hall on one side of the Fire Shadow Tower.
The interior was designed as a circular, tiered classroom, and at the back were ten large targets lined up in a row.
Nearly two hundred Jonin were distributed in small groups throughout the vast hall.
Standing in front of the targets, hosting the event, was Kiba Nara.
The Jonin Commander!
He held this position.
Don't underestimate him just because he wasn't a senior advisor; this position held considerable power.
Managing all Jonin and assigning some Jonin missions, as long as the Hokage didn't intervene, was no small task.
Additionally, this position was considered a close confidant of the Hokage.
In the past, this position was held by White Fang.
"Today's Jonin meeting is for the Hokage nomination!"
Kiba Nara didn't waste time and directly stated the purpose of the meeting.
Ninja isn't a profession known for idle chatter, except for the Third Hokage, who liked to talk about the 'Flame Will'.
"Nominations will now begin!"
Kiba Nara made the announcement and passed the hosting duties to the Hokage.
By the way!
Nominations require qualifications.
Note that this is only in theory.
But in reality, whether you can become Hokage or not depends on whether you're from the Hokage lineage.
Anyway, the politics are incredibly complex.
Saimon Hashirama stepped forward without hesitation and spoke up.
"I nominate Orochimaru first!"
His gaze turned towards Orochimaru.
Orochimaru! He had returned today.
With peace agreements reached with the Cloud Village and Stone Village, Orochimaru and Jiraiya were naturally present today.
Both had a considerable number of supporters by their sides.
Standing beside Orochimaru was Miyamizu Shizuka, leading a group of new-generation powerful ninjas.
There was no choice; Orochimaru never considered background or status, only abilities. If you had the skills, he would promote you, and if you deserved a reward, he would give it. Thus, many followed him.
Whoosh!
A kunai was thrown and hit the first target.
Yes.
Jonin voting isn't done with paper and pen.
They vote with kunai! Each kunai represents one vote, and if more than half the kunai support a candidate, they pass the trust vote.
Simple and straightforward.
By the way, the kunai were distributed before the meeting; they weren't expected to bring their own.
A well-made kunai was worth over ten thousand ryo, and even a mediocre one could cost a few thousand ryo—enough to buy several bowls of ramen.
Thud, thud!
Amid the rain of kunai hitting the targets, Orochimaru's votes far exceeded half.
"Heh!"
Orochimaru chuckled, clearly unperturbed by the number of votes he had received.
Even though he was ruthless in battle, he was fair in his rewards and punishments, and this alone was enough to gain people's trust. Not to mention his charismatic personality, so it wasn't surprising that he had garnered so many votes.
"Tsunade is not present, so the nomination is invalid!"
Saimon Hashirama immediately declared.
This was normal.
Nominations indicate your status and qualifications, but when it comes to the actual nomination, it's not possible to force someone who doesn't want to be Hokage to take on the role.
So, with Tsunade not present and without prior indication of her willingness to participate in the Hokage election, it was only natural that she would be eliminated at this stage.
"Next..."
Saimon continued the process, but was interrupted.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I have no intention of becoming Hokage. I hope you will support my disciple, Naruto Uzumaki!"
Jiraiya suddenly spoke, uttering words that left many in shock.
Because that was the Hokage!
The Hokage position was the dream of almost every Konoha ninja, and now that Jiraiya had such an opportunity, he was directly giving it up. How could it not shock everyone?
Of course, people like the Four Founders and Kiba Nara remained calm.
They had known this all along, and even Jiraiya had been advised multiple times by Saimon, yet he remained unmoved.
As for why he chose to announce it here.
It was naturally to avoid being accused of any backroom dealings, just like Tsunade.
"Pfft, it's so obvious, there's no way there's any backroom dealing!"
Dong Ping, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, witnessed it all and couldn't help but scoff.
The behind-the-scenes dealings for the Hokage position were unknown to others, but how could he, as a time-traveler, not be aware of them?
It started with the First Hokage.
Madara Uchiha was also qualified, but Senju Hashirama insisted on a 'vote'. With Madara's domineering personality, how could he possibly win against the First?
Otherwise, if we're talking about abilities, despite Madara's domineering nature, his capabilities were truly beyond question. Regardless, he was definitely stronger than the First's one-track mind.
There was even less to say about the Third Hokage.
The Second Hokage simply appointed him, and the election was as black as it could get. They kept emphasizing there was no rigging, which made Dong Ping scoff even more.
Of course, these were things that could be done but not spoken about.
At the very least, on the surface, the Hokage lineage seemed to value the election process, as that was how they ascended to power. If the election were questioned, it would give the impression that their positions were illegitimate.
"Silence, since Jiraiya has withdrawn his nomination, the next candidate is Naruto Uzumaki!"
Saimon continued the process.
However, this time, not many people voted.
If it were Jiraiya, they would have definitely voted for him without hesitation.
But for Naruto Uzumaki... While it was true that he had a good personality and strong abilities, he couldn't compare to Orochimaru.
This was an election for the Hokage, not an idol contest.
So, youth wasn't an advantage; it was a disadvantage.
Perhaps this was why Jiraiya had to campaign for himself.
Without campaigning, he wouldn't have passed the Jonin trust vote.
At this moment, someone had to step forward, and that person was naturally Dong Ping.
Yes, he was going to be the scapegoat.
It wasn't to curry favor with Saimon and the others.
Instead, a certain red-haired female ninja nearby was threatening him with her eyes, saying, 'If you don't step up, I'll make you pay.'
Facing such a threat, how could Dong Ping endure it? So, he directly... voted.
Whoosh! The kunai in his hand sliced through the air and hit the target, indicating his stance.
He voted for Naruto Uzumaki.
His action naturally influenced Yamazuki Koji, who also voted.
After being influenced by the two, even Kobayashi Heiji, Nobita Nobi, and other civilian Jonin, who originally had a favorable impression of Naruto Uzumaki but hesitated due to his age, also took action.
Thud, thud...
Kunai after kunai hit the target.
This was a trust vote, and it couldn't determine who the real Hokage would be. As long as they trusted this candidate, they could vote.
In other words, they had no objections to this person becoming the Hokage.
So, they could vote for more than one person.
However, even so, Naruto Uzumaki's votes were far from a majority, let alone the required seventy percent.
He was too young.
And his rise to prominence was too short, so even with his glorious achievements, he was still far behind the Three Sages, who had an incredibly solid base of support.
Just then, an unexpected ally stepped forward.
(End of Chapter)
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