You guy, your head is full of nothing but yourself

A moment later, the Hokage's secretary carried the ballot box forward, dumped the paper slips onto Hiruzen Sarutobi's desk, and began counting them one by one.

On the desk, two placards were placed on either side: one marked "Support" and the other "Oppose."

Once the secretary finished tallying the votes, he turned, bowed slightly, and spoke to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Lord Hokage, the votes for and against Lady Tsunade's proposal are equal—forty for each."

"Oh?"

Hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at the Jonin seated before him. Wherever his gaze landed, many of the Jonin lowered their heads slightly.

The lingering prestige left behind by the First Hokage and his teacher still holds sway...

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a leisurely puff of his pipe. Though he felt a flicker of irritation, he suppressed it.

The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, had dominated his era, his Wood Style unparalleled under the heavens.

The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, though he died a somewhat stifling death, was still recognized throughout the ninja world as a master of forbidden techniques and a pioneer of research.

With both men having passed away not long ago, their influence remained potent. It was only natural that every ninja in Konoha held them in high regard and would blindly support their granddaughter, Tsunade.

But... why eighty?

He looked up and scanned the office once more, then locked his gaze onto Uchiha Sakuya, who sat at the very back.

In the current Konoha, excluding the Jonin who were away on missions, there were ninety-three Jonin remaining in the village.

Twelve of them were permanently stationed at the Konoha Barrier Team to guard the village's great barrier, meaning eighty-one Jonin were present for this meeting.

If only eighty people had voted, then the one who hadn't... could only be one person.

"Sakuya, why didn't you vote?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi forced a smile as he asked Uchiha Sakuya.

Among the current Uchiha clan, there were twelve individuals with the Three-Tomoe Sharingan. The youngest and most gifted among them was the very man before him, Uchiha Sakuya.

He had awakened his eyes at six, achieved the Three-Tomoe at thirteen, and at only fourteen, he was already a renowned elite Jonin in the ninja world—the top combat power in Konoha, second only to the White Fang of the Leaf.

Although his teacher had left behind a final testament to remain wary of the Uchiha clan, Sakuya was Kagami's nephew and one of the few calm-headed Three-Tomoe users in the clan. That alone was enough for Hiruzen Sarutobi to treat him with considerable favor.

"Why bother voting?"

Facing Hiruzen Sarutobi's inquiry, Uchiha Sakuya's expression remained unchanged. "A topic like this is childish and laughable; why go through the trouble of a redundant vote? Hasn't Lord Hokage already vetoed it in his heart?"

"Ha... as expected of Sakuya."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded in satisfaction.

Another reason he favored Uchiha Sakuya was that the boy was sufficiently intelligent.

Like the White Fang, he was a ninja who possessed both high strength and high intellect.

Sometimes, a single look was all it took for them to grasp the meaning behind his thoughts.

"Hey, you Uchiha brat, what is that supposed to mean!?"

Hearing this, Tsunade immediately glared back, her eyes flashing with anger. "What do you mean the old man already vetoed my proposal in his heart!"

"Now, now, Tsunade, don't be angry, don't be angry."

Seeing Tsunade flare up, Jiraiya habitually stepped in to play the peacemaker. But Tsunade loathed his "I'm doing this for your own good" attitude most of all. Seeing him intervene only fueled her rage further. She ignored him entirely, her furious eyes locked onto Sakuya, looking as if she wouldn't let it go until he explained himself clearly.

"I also believe Lady Tsunade's words make a lot of sense."

Beside Tsunade, a purple-haired man stood up and addressed Uchiha Sakuya. "Sakuya-kun, you are still young; you don't understand what a medical ninja means on the battlefield."

He looked around the room and continued, "Some time ago, when I was leading a Genin squad on a mission, we were ambushed by a squad of ninjas from Amegakure. My team suffered heavy casualties. My younger sister, the most outstanding Genin in the squad, bled to death on the way back because we couldn't stop her bleeding in time. If the new system Lady Tsunade advocates had been implemented in my squad, I believe such a tragedy would never have happened!"

"That's right, Dan!"

Hearing his words, Tsunade felt a surge of joy and immediately shot a triumphant look at Sakuya, her expression clearly saying, "Look at what others think, and then look at yourself."

"Dan Katō, is it?"

Sakuya looked up at him, then shook his head. "You still haven't grasped the fundamental issue here."

He scanned the room once more and spoke. "Changing the squad system to introduce medical ninjas may seem like a benefit for generations to come, but whether it is Tsunade or Dan Katō, you have both overlooked one critical issue: age."

"Age... you Uchiha brat, what on earth are you talking about!?"

"Age... I see. I was the one being too naive..."

Hearing Sakuya's words, Tsunade looked confused, while Dan Katō's face turned pale instantly. He sat back down, feeling powerless. Seeing him like this, Tsunade's confusion deepened, and she hurriedly pressed, "Hey, Dan, why are you also..."

"Senju."

Sakuya stood up and stared at Tsunade. "Do you still not understand? Let me ask you: what is the average age of the Genin squads in this village?"

"Thirteen years old."

Hearing this, a cold man with golden eyes, who had been sitting beside Jiraiya without saying a word, curled his lips slightly and spoke in a low voice.

"So what if they're thirteen!?"

Tsunade demanded.

Her naive words made Uchiha Sakuya pinch the bridge of his nose in a headache: "As expected of the young lady of the Senju clan, have you still not realized the situation even now? Let me ask you again, at what age did you create your medical ninjutsu?"

"I..."

Hearing this, Tsunade Senju's expression stiffened.

She had only pioneered medical ninjutsu at twenty-two, and it was only this year that she had barely managed to compile it into a manual, reaching a point where it could be taught to others.

"Do you expect those newly graduated genin to abandon established, systematic ninjutsu to learn your rudimentary medical techniques? Don't joke around."

Uchiha Sakuya sneered: "If this were a time of peace, that would be one thing, but Amegakure is currently restless and the Second Shinobi World War is intensifying. Every offensive jutsu those genin learn, every extra day they spend training their taijutsu, significantly increases their chances of surviving on the battlefield. If they actually listened to you and poured all their energy into learning this crude medical ninjutsu, I fear they wouldn't make any progress for months."

He stared at Tsunade, his tone dripping with sarcasm: "Old auntie of the Senju clan, do you know what it means for these genin to have no improvement for months in the face of the coming Second Shinobi World War?"

"I..."

"You aren't reforming Konoha; you are trying to dig up Konoha's roots!"

Uchiha Sakuya stated bluntly: "The villagers of Konoha, even your classmates and your own kin, could die violent deaths because of this proposal of yours. This is the most realistic and cruel truth hidden beneath your 'improved' medical ninjutsu!"

"I didn't! I, I just..."

Tsunade's face turned pale under his words, but she still instinctively retorted: "I was also doing this for..."

"For Konoha? Ha!"

As if he had heard something hilarious, a mocking expression appeared on Uchiha Sakuya's face: "I think you're doing it for your own future political career, aren't you? You've thought it out quite well—using the promotion of medical ninjutsu to expand your personal reputation and lay the foundation for succeeding as the Fourth Hokage. I can tell just by the fact that you call the Hokage 'old man'; he is only forty, so why call him an old man?"

At this, Hiruzen Sarutobi instinctively touched the beard he had just started growing.

It was indeed as Uchiha Sakuya said; he was still very young, and he should be able to sit in the position of Hokage for at least another twenty years.

"Alright, everyone, let's not argue."

Though he said this, he still kindly stopped the two of them: "Since we cannot reach a conclusion this time, why don't we..."

"I'm just used to calling him that!"

Tsunade didn't pay any attention to what Hiruzen Sarutobi had said, instead glaring angrily at Uchiha Sakuya: "Besides, what do you know about me? I'm not doing this for a political career, and the old man understands that, I am..."

"Show some respect, Tsunade Senju! This is the Third Hokage, not some 'old man'! Not if you still acknowledge yourself as the last descendant of the Senju clan in this world!"

Uchiha Sakuya stared at Tsunade and reprimanded her: "You deliberately call the Third Hokage 'old' to make everyone think he will step down soon, to make everyone think you are about to succeed as Hokage and turn Konoha into the private property of your Senju clan!"

Uchiha Sakuya sneered: "You really are someone who only has yourself on your mind."