Chapter 680: The Defeat News Exposed
Chapter 680: The Defeat News Exposed
Kakashi arrived at the Southern Forest a little later than usual, as he was reading the newspaper while having his breakfast.
By the time he arrived, Yuriko and Teuchi had already begun their training under Yu Sheng Mu Yue's guidance.
Teuchi usually ate at home or at the Uchiha Clan Compound's breakfast shop, and his route might not have taken him through the marketplace, so Kakashi guessed that Teuchi probably hadn't heard about the new edition of the Konoha Times yet.
Otherwise, with Teuchi's personality, he would have been shouting about it on the streets.
Kakashi approached Yu Sheng Mu Yue, who was teaching Teuchi the Lightning Flash technique, and said, "Teacher Mu Yue, I just heard some unpleasant rumors on the streets over there."
Kakashi quickly informed Yu Sheng Mu Yue of the news he had heard on the streets.
Usually, Kakashi would not interrupt Yu Sheng Mu Yue's teaching.
However, Kakashi felt that this news was significant and needed to be conveyed to Yu Sheng Mu Yue as soon as possible, to prevent Konoha from being caught off guard.
If the news turned out to be false, they could quickly clarify it and hold the rumor-monger accountable, tracing the source of the rumor.
If the news was true, they could also take faster action to minimize the impact.
Although the rumor sounded absurd, Kakashi felt that it was likely to be true.
This news could explain something that had been puzzling Kakashi—why the sudden election of the Fourth Hokage.
Enma had given the reason for his decision to step down as aging and wanting to give the younger generation a chance.
However, Enma was not particularly old, and this was not an ideal time for him to retire, especially after winning a major battle.
If there had been a defeat at the hands of Son Ryouka, everything would make sense.
"The Hokage lost to Son Ryouka? Is that true? How did they even fight?" Teuchi scratched his head, looking perplexed.
Teuchi knew about the conflict between Konoha and the Shinshu, but he was only aware that Konoha wanted to force Son Ryouka to commit suicide, and then the negotiations broke down.
He hadn't expected things to escalate to the point where the Hokage and the Shinshu leader were fighting.
"It's true," Yu Sheng Mu Yue revealed, seeing no need to hide the truth now that the news had reached Konoha and Kakashi's ears.
"However, you don't need to discuss this further. Just act as you normally would."
This matter had actually been discussed in high-level meetings, as they could ensure secrecy on Konoha's side, but they couldn't control the Shinshu's actions, and the exposure of the news was inevitable.
Kakashi's expression confirmed his suspicions; he had felt that Enma's sudden decision to step down was not that simple.
"It seems that Son Ryouka's strength is not to be underestimated," Kakashi couldn't help but ponder.
Konoha had initially taken a hardline stance against the Shinshu, trying to force Son Ryouka to commit suicide, but then the situation mysteriously died down.
Connecting all the dots, the answer became clear: Son Ryouka's strength exceeded Konoha's expectations, forcing them to change their approach.
Unconsciously, Kakashi glanced at Yu Sheng Mu Yue.
When it came to strength that could make the Five Great Shinobi Villages change their attitude, the first person Kakashi thought of was Yu Sheng Mu Yue.
Although Yu Sheng Mu Yue had not yet reached Senju Tsunade's level, he was currently the strongest in the Shinobi World, aside from Son Ryouka, whose strength was still unknown. Yu Sheng Mu Yue had the power to single-handedly destroy a ninja force.
"Sensing the spatial dimension is the first and crucial step in successfully executing the Lightning Flash technique..." Yu Sheng Mu Yue continued to instruct Teuchi after the reminder.
Kakashi quickly refocused and began to practice his sword techniques and Lightning-attribute chakra nature transformation.
Meanwhile, on the other side, in the Shadow Lord Building, Yu Sheng Mu Yue's Shadow Clone was approached by an Anbu.
"Please head to the high-level meeting room immediately," the Anbu swiftly conveyed his purpose.
Yu Sheng Mu Yue's Shadow Clone nodded and hurried to the high-level meeting room with the Anbu.
"As we expected, the Shinshu didn't keep the news a secret. Various rumors about my defeat by Son Ryouka have already spread throughout the Land of Fire and even reached Konoha."
Once everyone had arrived, Enma wasted no time and immediately addressed the issue.
"It's happening faster than we anticipated. Did the Shinshu intentionally spread the news?" Mizuhoto Monen spoke in a low voice.
News dissemination takes time, and in the underdeveloped communication era of the Shinobi World, it's not easy for information to spread quickly in a short period.
However, Mizuhoto Monen was more concerned about Son Ryouka's attitude towards the situation.
Even if the news was exposed, it would only cause Enma to lose face; Konoha wouldn't suffer any real losses.
"It's also possible that other powerful ninja villages, unwilling to be left behind, are fueling the rumors."
"Yu Sheng Mu Yue shook his head.
He didn't need to be told what he had or hadn't done. Mu Yue didn't specifically ask the Shinshu Ninjas to conceal the battle's outcome, but neither did he encourage them to publicize it.
"Mu Yue is right," Enma nodded in agreement. "Compared to Shinshu, the other Great Shinobi Villages are more likely suspects."
Due to Son Ryouka's restraint during the battle, Enma was still unable to determine whether Son Ryouka harbored any ill intentions towards Konoha.
The other Ninja Villages, however, were a different story. Having just suffered a defeat, they would undoubtedly be delighted to see Konoha humiliated.
"What should we do? Should we use the plan we discussed before?" Chojirou Kamizuru asked.
"Yes, we'll play it cool," Enma affirmed.
They couldn't afford to quibble; if word got back to Shinshu and Son Ryouka demanded a public rematch, he would be humiliated either way, with no chance of salvaging his reputation.
But admitting it outright wasn't a good idea either. While it might damage his personal reputation, it could also hinder Konoha's development, which would be a far greater sin.
So, they agreed to feign ignorance and act as if they hadn't heard the rumors.
This way, Enma's supporters could tell themselves that he was above responding to such gossip, or that the busy Enma might not have even heard of this minor incident, and use these arguments to counter any opposition.
"We'll accelerate the election process and streamline the procedures to quickly determine the Fourth Hokage," Enma said solemnly.
This was the real reason he had called the high-ranking officials together; feigning ignorance was a temporary solution, not a long-term strategy.
Only by electing a new Fourth Hokage and having Mu Yue, the widely-supported second Wood Style Ninja, take office could they effectively resolve the issue.
After confirming the specific plan, even though the news of 'Son Ryouka defeating Enma' was hotly discussed within Konoha, the village made no response. They neither explained nor tried to suppress the discussion, instead focusing their efforts on advancing the election process.
Under these circumstances, the voting results from the Chuunin and Genin soon came out.
The vote difference was so significant that the counting ninja had to double-check to ensure they hadn't made a mistake.
Mu Yue received enough votes to account for ninety percent of the total Chuunin and Genin votes! In other words, out of every ten Konoha Ninjas, nine supported Mu Yue to become the Fourth Hokage.
When the voting results were announced, Mu Yue's astonishing number of votes shocked Konoha.
People temporarily stopped discussing Enma and Son Ryouka's various secrets, and the village once again buzzed with excitement over the Hokage election.
"That's not right. According to the voting rules, Mu Yue has already won as the Hokage Advisor."
Someone combined the results of the two votes and discovered something absurd.
Even if Orochimaru received one hundred percent of the public votes, he would still lose to Mu Yue.
The voting weights of Jonin, Chuunin, Genin, and the public were not the same.
There were only over a hundred Jonin who voted, but they accounted for forty percent of the total voting weight.
Chuunin, Genin, and the public, despite their larger numbers, each only accounted for thirty percent.
Mu Yue's votes from Jonin and Chuunin combined already amounted to nearly sixty percent of the total weight.
Even if Orochimaru received the maximum weight in the remaining votes, the total would still be only forty.
Clearly, the election had already been decided, and Mu Yue would become the Fourth Hokage regardless.
Therefore, after seeking Orochimaru's opinion, the high-level meeting changed the election process.
The public voting continued, but it was only used to calculate the final vote count. The election results were immediately tallied, and the Daimyo and high-ranking officials of the Land of Fire were invited to confirm the final Hokage candidate.
Uchiha Fugaku and Zhi Shui didn't waste this golden opportunity. Seeing that everyone in the village believed Mu Yue would be the next Hokage, they gathered the clan elders for a meeting.
Since the number of attendees was small, they didn't go to the Minato Shrine but chose Uchiha Fugaku's study as the venue.
"Due to the war, Konoha has acquired many high-quality missions..." Uchiha Fugaku got straight to the point, revealing everything they needed to do next.
"Leave the Police Department temporarily to take on high-level missions?"
Uchiha Shouei habitually wanted to refuse, but the thought of the rewards from high-level missions stopped him from speaking immediately.
"Isn't this inappropriate? What about Konoha's security if we, the elite Uchiha, leave the Police Department? What if we can't return to the Police Department?" Uchiha Kyo asked.
"There's no need to worry about security. Normally, the Police Department doesn't require very strong Shinobi. Even temporarily assigning some Chuunin and Genin can handle the responsibility."
"Uchiha Fugaku replied.
"Then what about the position in the Police Department? If we don't suspend it but keep it as usual, and only change the patrol mission to a high-level commission, I think that's a good idea," Uchiha Kyo expressed his thoughts.
Zhi Shui understood; they wanted to earn the commission, but they also didn't want to give up the position in the Police Department.
"Let me clarify first, this is not my idea, but Teacher Yu Sheng Mu Yue's suggestion regarding the Police Department," Zhi Shui spoke up.
"Teacher Yu Sheng Mu Yue believes that the current strength of the Police Department is overqualified for maintaining public security, so he suggested releasing the powerful forces of the Police Department."
As soon as Zhi Shui said this, the study fell silent.
Uchiha Kyo revealed a smile, "Assistant Yu Sheng Mu Yue's words make sense. We Uchiha Jonin are indeed powerful, but patrolling in the village is a bit of a waste."
"I support Assistant Yu Sheng Mu Yue's idea."
He should have said it earlier; if he knew it was Yu Sheng Mu Yue's will, he would have been the first to support it.
Everyone in Konoha knew that Yu Sheng Mu Yue becoming the Fourth Hokage was a done deal.
With the potential to be the second God of the Ninja, and also being the Hokage with two Uchiha disciples, if the Uchiha Clan didn't follow Yu Sheng Mu Yue, who else would they follow?
"I also support it. I know Assistant Yu Sheng Mu Yue's abilities, and with the Police Department and the Uchiha Clan under Assistant Yu Sheng Mu Yue's leadership, they will definitely develop better." Uchiha Hachiro also quickly voiced his support.
He was an elder who stood on the same side as Uchiha Fugaku, but he never expected Uchiha Kyo to have such a flexible stance.
"I support it," Uchiha Shouei finally nodded.
At this point, whether he agreed or not, it wouldn't affect the overall situation.
When Zhi Shui brought up Yu Sheng Mu Yue, the situation was already settled.
The Uchiha Clan was too eager for a Hokage who could be a little closer to them, and Yu Sheng Mu Yue perfectly met the Uchiha's needs.
Unless Uchiha Shouei could prove that Yu Sheng Mu Yue becoming the Hokage would be harmful to the Uchiha Clan, standing in opposition to Yu Sheng Mu Yue would only damage his reputation within the Uchiha Clan.
At the Jonin meeting, more than twenty Uchiha Jonin cast their votes for Yu Sheng Mu Yue, and not a single one abstained or voted for Orochimaru.
"Well, since everyone agrees, let's discuss the specifics," Uchiha Fugaku continued.
Seeing this, Zhi Shui nodded in satisfaction.
After taking this step, the Uchiha Clan and the Police Department would no longer be bound, and the Police Department issue would be resolved.
As long as they could create a good image for the Uchiha Clan and improve their ideological education, the conflict between the Uchiha Clan and Konoha would naturally ease and disappear.
"Thank goodness for you, Teacher Yu Sheng Mu Yue," Zhi Shui silently thanked in his heart.
Yu Sheng Mu Yue had truly helped him too much; without Yu Sheng Mu Yue, he wouldn't have his current strength, and without Yu Sheng Mu Yue, he wouldn't have his current knowledge.
If it weren't for Yu Sheng Mu Yue's teachings, he would probably have to figure out a way to solve the problem on his own.
Because he couldn't think of asking for help, and he couldn't find anyone to help him.
...
After receiving Monkey Fly Hashirama's letter, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire quickly summoned the high officials and guards, and under the escort of elite ninjas, they headed to Konoha for a meeting.
The Hokage election was a significant event for both Konoha and the Daimyo.
As the top sponsor, the Daimyo certainly hoped that his ace fighter would be formidable.
"Third Hokage, I heard that you were defeated by that Son Ryouka. Is this true?" The Daimyo sat in the main seat, covering his face with a fan and curiously asked, revealing only his eyes.
He had attended the Youth Ninja Tournament and met Son Ryouka, and he felt he was a good person, but he didn't expect him to be so powerful.
Monkey Fly Hashirama: ...
"Daimyo, this is a meeting to elect the Hokage. Please wait until the end of the meeting to discuss unrelated topics," Mizuhoto Monen said sternly.
Even without mentioning his relationship with Monkey Fly Hashirama, just based on Monkey Fly Hashirama's identity as the Hokage, Mizuhoto Monen wouldn't allow the Daimyo to be so disrespectful.
The Daimyo was merely their nominal leader.
Seeing that the Konoha ninjas were displeased, the Daimyo smiled awkwardly and rephrased, "Then, do you have any recommendations?"
"I recommend Yuyu Mumu!" Monkey Fly Hashirama replied immediately.
"Yuyu Mumu," Water Gate was the second to speak.
The class leader of the Jonin class usually couldn't attend high-level meetings, but they could participate in the Hokage election meeting.
"Yuyu Mumu," Mizuhoto Monen followed.
"Yuyu Mumu," Chojirou Kamizuru quickly agreed.
(End of Chapter)
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