After Shimura Danzo and Uchiha Fugaku made their nominations one after another, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat calmly in his seat without offering an opinion. The mood in the room immediately grew more animated, and before long, many people had stood up to nominate their own preferred candidates for the Hokage Position.
However, most of the ninjas who spoke up were clan heads from the major families. Aside from Orochimaru and Uzumaki Kuming, the other nominees included Jiraiya, Minato Namikaze, and Dan Katō.
Some people also nominated Hatake Sakumo, but the suggestion was immediately met with ridicule. Sakumo had once failed a mission to save his teammates, and the incident had become a fatal stain on his political reputation. Until the ninjas changed the way they thought, that stain would not be erased anytime soon.
"All right. Since everyone has nominated the candidates they have in mind, let's vote."
"From among the candidates you've chosen, vote to select the next Hokage!"
Seeing the atmosphere cool and the voices and arguments gradually die down, Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke up. That was what he said, but the so-called vote was little more than a formality. What came next would reveal the true strength of each clan.
Generally speaking, the Hokage's successor needed the approval of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. But more often than not, the Daimyo merely rubber-stamped the decision. In other words, Konoha would settle the matter internally, inform the Daimyo of the successor's name, and let him go through the motions.
Only when the previous Hokage died unexpectedly without leaving any instructions might the Daimyo intervene.
As soon as Hiruzen Sarutobi finished speaking, silence fell over the meeting room once more. No one wanted to be the first to speak up. Seeing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Uzumaki Kuming with