https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-634-Speaking-Frankly-Confronting-Someone-Directly-/12943366/
Chapter 633: Tsunade Withdraws!
Chapter 633: Tsunade Withdraws!
"We will now proceed with the Jonin trust vote!" Shikaku Nara announced.
Currently, the Leaf Village was in the midst of battle, with both Kumo and Iwa ninjas having infiltrated the Fire Country. Naturally, there was no time to waste on trivial matters.
Thus, the meeting proceeded directly to the main topic.
"Wait!" a voice interrupted, belonging to Jiraiya.
Under normal circumstances, such an interruption might have resulted in the speaker being thrown out. However, this person was Jiraiya, and the situation was different.
"I believe some individuals are not qualified to run for Hokage. After all, I've never heard of a Hokage who would turn against their allies," Jiraiya challenged, his gaze fixed on Touhei.
It was clear that even if he couldn't take action due to the village's resistance, he wasn't going to ignore the person responsible for destroying the Forest of Death right in front of him.
All eyes turned to Touhei.
The news of the Heavenly Castle's attack on the Forest of Death was no longer a secret, although it hadn't spread widely. Most Jonin had received the information.
Opinions varied among the Jonin regarding this matter, with many dismissing it as mere rumors.
But hearing Jiraiya speak of it directly was shocking, to say the least.
The Three Great Sanctuaries were renowned, and the idea of dreaming about forming a summoning contract with them was enticing. However, the difficulty of becoming their contractor was equally apparent, so most people could only dream about it.
No one expected that someone could destroy the sacred Forest of Death. It was truly unexpected.
Under the gaze of many, Touhei remained calm and unhurried as he responded, "Senior Jiraiya, the allies you speak of—are they the ones who like to stir up trouble behind the scenes, claiming to be allies but are merely your summoned beasts?"
He wasn't afraid of Jiraiya. Even without the backing of the Forest of Death, he wouldn't back down.
Simultaneously, he pointed out a crucial detail. The summoning contract with the Forest of Death was solely between Jiraiya and the Forest; it had nothing to do with the Leaf ninjas. How could they be considered allies?
If that were the case, anyone with the slightest cooperation with the Leaf Village would be considered an ally, and anyone could claim to be an ally of the Leaf.
Indeed, the Forest of Death was an ally of the Leaf Village, and this was a fact. This was evident from the presence of liaison frogs in the Leaf Village. However, the issue was that there was no formal alliance treaty between them.
In the eyes of the Forest of Death, such a treaty was unnecessary.
But now, Touhei's argument was well-founded and reasonable.
"But the Forest of Death has done so much for the Leaf Village. Even without a formal alliance, they should be considered friendly forces, right?" Jiraiya wasn't about to let Touhei off the hook.
In his heart, the Forest of Death held equal importance to the village, and its destruction filled him with anger. If not for the sake of the village, he might have considered taking Touhei down with him.
"If I'm not mistaken, I've also made significant contributions, even slaying the Third Mizukage. Am I not considered a friendly force?" Touhei's words left Jiraiya speechless, and he felt a sense of satisfaction.
Let you experience double standards! The Leaf Village's actions toward the Forest of Death were deemed justified, but when others retaliated, it was considered unforgivable. Now, Jiraiya could taste this bitterness.
"You..." Jiraiya was taken aback.
Touhei was correct; the Forest of Death had only assisted him personally and hadn't achieved much in terms of battle records.
But Touhei had an impressive track record, having fought against all four ninja villages and even slaying a Mizukage. The villagers might not know these details, but the Jonin, and the others were well aware, so if one were to compare contributions to the village, the Forest of Death couldn't even come close.
"Jiraiya, this is the Hokage election, not a time for your antics!" Enma Hayate spoke up, halting Jiraiya's escalating confrontation.
Jiraiya calmed down at that moment.
'Old Fox!' Touhei thought, slightly smirking.
If they wanted to stop him, why didn't they do it earlier? Why wait until now? It was obvious they wanted to embarrass and suppress him.
Trying to manipulate him was a futile dream. As long as he had no morals, they couldn't use morality to bind him.
The immediate priority was to confirm if the situation was as he had suspected—that he was being set up to 'become' the Hokage.
If that were the case, he couldn't blame himself for turning things around and causing trouble ahead of time.
After all, he had come to the Leaf Village to make a statement, and now he was simply increasing the intensity and doing it sooner.
"This time, there are four candidates for the Hokage position: Jiraiya, Tsunade, Danzou, and Uchiha Touhei!" Shikaku Nara announced the names with some hesitation but eventually spoke them out loud.
Here he comes!
A glimmer of excitement flashed in Touhei's eyes.
Because he was a hundred percent certain that Danzou's candidacy was not a move by the Hokage faction, but a personal decision.
And it wasn't without a chance of success, either.
Normally, it would be impossible, but this time, Asuma was on his side.
Given their relationship, Asuma must have received Danzou's promise to cultivate him as the next Hokage.
With this natural alliance, it wasn't impossible for Danzou to rise to power.
After all, Asuma was the next generation's leader of the Hokage faction, and if he took the initiative to campaign, he could indeed rally support.
"Danzou, you..."
Enma Hayate, sitting at the head of the table, glared at Danzou beside him, as if he wanted to tear him apart.
Today's Hokage election was crucial to the village's future, and yet Danzou had taken this step without consulting anyone. If this weren't a public event, Hayate would have taken action.
"Hayate, shouldn't I also have the right to participate in the Hokage election?" Danzou asked, unfazed by Hayate's intimidating gaze.
Indeed, Danzou met all the requirements for candidacy, and as for the age issue, the village had never imposed any restrictions.
"...Of course!"
There was little Hayate could say in this situation, and he could only grit his teeth and nod.
He couldn't very well say that Konoha had set an age limit for Hokage candidates, could he?
"We will now begin the trust vote. The first candidate is Jiraiya!"
Shikaku Nara announced.
This caused a slight ripple in Touhei's eyes.
Because, if his memory served him right, Jiraiya also disliked the position of Hokage.
During the last election for the Fourth Hokage, if Jiraiya hadn't withdrawn, Minato Namikaze would have had no chance of becoming Hokage.
Additionally, Jiraiya had never returned to the village since, indicating his reluctance to take on this role.
But this time, Jiraiya showed no intention of withdrawing, which was indeed surprising.
The only explanation might be that it was related to Touhei.
Since Jiraiya had destroyed the Forest of Death and, according to the prophecy, would also destroy Konoha, he was now preparing to become Hokage to save the village.
Only by becoming Hokage could he gather the strength of Konoha to protect the village.
"In this Hokage election, I will support Jiraiya. Please cast your votes for him!" Tsunade spoke up as the voting began.
Her action caught everyone off guard.
Among those present, she had the highest chance of winning.
The Jonin trust vote was a basic operation, and in the end, the Daimyo would likely appoint her as the Hokage.
Why? Do you remember her title?
Tsunade the Princess!
In the Ninja World, not every woman could earn the title of 'Princess.' It was reserved for princesses or daughters of great aristocrats.
Tsunade had a blood connection to the Fire Country's Daimyo, so whether she became Hokage or not depended solely on her own will, not her ability.
That was true dominance!
If Jiraiya hadn't made up his mind to become Hokage, Tsunade would have undoubtedly stepped forward without hesitation.
But since Jiraiya was willing to take on this position and its responsibilities, she naturally wouldn't compete with him.
Yes, Tsunade truly had little interest in the position of Hokage.
Even in the original storyline, when she agreed to become Hokage, it was only to protect the village, not for power.
Now, with Tsunade's withdrawal, a significant competitor was eliminated.
Dong, dong, dong!
One by one, the kunai, representing votes, were thrust into the target, and the number had already exceeded seventy percent.
Jiraiya's Jonin trust vote was successful.
As for why it wasn't unanimous, it was because Danzou and Asuma had joined forces, causing some Jonin to choose not to vote.
If Tsunade hadn't opted to abstain and help campaign, Jiraiya might not have even passed the Jonin trust vote.
What a cunning move! This scheme almost caused Jiraiya's downfall.
Next was Danzou's turn for the trust vote.
Ninety percent!
Over ninety percent of the Jonin voted.
There was no choice; facing Danzou, a master manipulator with no bottom line, not voting meant facing consequences. It was understandable that he received such a high number of votes.
Finally, it was Touhei's turn to vote.
This was the moment to confirm whether the Hokage faction was planning to target him.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report