"Revoking Nawaki's right of succession without evidence would indeed be inappropriate. However, the suspicions surrounding Nawaki are too great, and he cannot inherit the position of Hokage either.
How about this? Let Nawaki lead the Anbu in investigating this case. If he can uncover the truth and clear himself of suspicion, then he will naturally inherit the position of Hokage!"
Upon hearing Advisor Homura's proposal, Nawaki readily nodded. "No problem. Even if it weren't for the position of Hokage, as my teacher's disciple, I have a responsibility to find the murderer!
I believe that with the Anbu's capabilities, we'll catch the murderer sooner or later!"
As he spoke that last sentence, Nawaki deliberately stared at Danzo. The other man, however, showed no change in expression as he asked, "But what if the Anbu cannot solve the case anytime soon? Would the position of Hokage remain vacant indefinitely?
Although this place has been sealed off, if Hiruzen remains out of sight for too long, the outside world will eventually notice something is wrong. Just as Nawaki said before, Konoha will fall into turmoil then. We need a Hokage to stabilize the situation!"
Koharu, standing nearby, quickly echoed him with a cordial expression. "Danzo has a point. This matter cannot be delayed for too long, so we should set a deadline for the investigation!
If the Anbu can solve the case within the agreed time, then Nawaki will naturally still become Hokage. But if there are no leads by then... then, for the sake of Konoha as a whole, we can only reopen the election and select a new Hokage from among the other successors!"
The Konoha higher-ups present reacted differently upon hearing Koharu's proposal. Those aligned with Danzo were secretly delighted, thinking they had made the right bet this time. If