The Fourth Hokage Position Is Still Up for Grabs! Even the Third Hokage Can't Stop Me, Danzo!

The meeting hall fell so silent that a pin could have dropped.

Everyone froze. Hundreds of eyes snapped toward the old man leaning on his cane, as if drawn to him by a magnet.

Shimura Danzō!

What had he just said?

"I object"?

Sarutobi Hiruzen's face darkened instantly. He had just finished his farewell speech and was about to watch his most prized student ascend to the Hokage Position. This should have been the most glorious finale of his political career.

But Danzō—once his closest friend and lifelong political rival—had chosen this moment, with everyone watching, to slap him with the loudest rebuke imaginable.

"Danzō! Do you know what you're saying?"

The first to recover was the advisor Utatane Koharu. Anger crossed her well-kept face as she snapped at him in a shrill voice.

Mitokado Homura also thumped his cane against the ground with a dull thud. "Danzō, this is no place for your antics! The appointment of the Hokage was unanimously approved by the village leadership and the Daimyo!"

But "Danzō" paid no heed to his two old companions' accusations.

His one uncovered eye slowly swept over the hall, inch by inch.

It passed over the Jonin whispering in shock, then the leaders of the great clans, their faces full of doubt. At last, it settled on the young man in the white Hokage robes, who was supposed to be the sole star of the day.

Namikaze Minato.

Despite the sudden turn of events, the smile on Minato's face didn't fade. It remained warm, though a hint of gravity had entered his blue eyes.

"Lord Danzō," Minato said, bowing slightly. His tone was humble but firm. "You're one of the village's elders. I'm willing to hear what you have to say."

His words immediately drew everyone's attention back to him and eased the tension in the hall.

What a deft way to turn the tables by yielding!

Sarutobi Hiruzen, seated at the head of the hall, nodded to himself, somewhat relieved.

"Hmph." Danzō gave a cold snort. His cane tapped against the floor as he stepped out from the corner and walked to the center of the hall.

"Namikaze Minato, no one can deny what you accomplished in the Third Shinobi World War. Your title, the Yellow Flash, was enough to strike fear into the hearts of any enemy."

He began by praising Minato, leaving everyone unsure what to make of it.

But then he abruptly changed tack, his voice turning cold and cutting.

"But the decisiveness to kill on the battlefield doesn't mean you have the wisdom to govern the village! A blade without equal isn't necessarily fit to wield the pen that represents the Hokage's authority!"

"Konoha is beset by internal and external threats!"

Danzō's voice rose sharply, crashing over the crowd like thunder.

"Outside, the legendary shinobi Uchiha Madara has returned. His strength is unfathomable—he could match an entire nation on his own! Inside, spies from other villages have infiltrated us, and undercurrents are swirling!"

"At a time like this, Konoha doesn't need a 'hero' who only knows how to charge into battle. It needs a leader who can hold down the fort, see through every complication, unite the clans, coordinate the various divisions, and bring everyone together—someone willing to do whatever it takes to unite the village in the face of external threats!"

His uncovered eye fixed on Minato as he challenged him, each word deliberate. "Namikaze Minato, answer me this: if protecting the village meant you had to personally sacrifice a hundred innocent villagers, could you do it?"

The question was viciously devised!

The meeting hall fell silent once more.

Everyone looked to Minato, waiting for his answer.

If he said "yes," he would confirm Danzō's accusation that he was "ruthless" and lose the people's support.

If he said "no," he would prove himself "too compassionate" to face the cruelty of what lay ahead.

It was a trap from every angle!

Minato's blue eyes narrowed slightly. He fell silent for a moment, then replied, his voice clear and resolute:

"I wouldn't let myself be faced with such a choice."

"As the leader of this village, my duty is to protect every person in it. If it really came down to making a sacrifice, I would be the first to step forward."

His answer was flawless, and it embodied the resolve of the Will of Fire.

Many of the shinobi in the hall looked impressed.

Sarutobi Hiruzen also breathed a sigh of relief and was about to speak in Minato's support.

"Naive!"

Danzō bellowed, striking the floor hard with his cane!

"Foolishly naive! The Hokage's life is far too important to sacrifice lightly! With an outlook like yours, you'll only drag Konoha into an abyss of no return!"

He abruptly turned to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, seated in the highest place, and bowed deeply.

"Your Excellency! In my capacity as the leader of Root, I swear on the lifelong honor I bear as a Konoha Ninja: Namikaze Minato is absolutely unfit to be the Fourth Hokage! I beg you to reconsider!"

Now he'd finally shown his hand.

He had kicked the decision straight to the highest authority!

Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression changed completely. "Danzō! You've gone too far!"

The Daimyo of the Land of Fire, a well-fed-looking middle-aged man with a thin moustache, looked troubled.

He glanced at Namikaze Minato, whose upright bearing made him the people's clear choice, then at Shimura Danzō, whose hardline stance represented the village's dark side.

As he hesitated, he recalled a "confidential letter" he had received from Root three days earlier.

Its contents were almost identical to what Danzō had said today.

The description of Uchiha Madara's return had especially left him unable to eat or sleep in peace.

"Ahem..." The Daimyo cleared his throat and spoke slowly. "Lord Danzō's concerns aren't without merit."

His words sent a wave of commotion through the hall!

Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart sank.

It was over.

The Daimyo was wavering.

"Hiruzen," the Daimyo said, looking at the Third Hokage, his tone laden with meaning. "The threats Konoha faces are indeed extraordinary. The choice of Fourth Hokage concerns the safety of the entire Land of Fire. We really do need to... consider it with the utmost care."

"Everyone has seen Minato's achievements. But it's also true that he lacks experience."

"In my view, perhaps we should... postpone today's succession ceremony."

Postpone!

The two words struck everyone's heart like a pair of heavy hammers.

A postponement meant uncertainty.

It meant a huge question mark had been placed over Namikaze Minato's succession!

"W-what..." Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu stared in shock. Neither of them had imagined things would come to this.

Sarutobi Hiruzen clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. He glared at Danzō's impassive face, wishing he could rush over and tear it apart.

Danzō simply stood there, the faintest curve at the corner of his mouth.

He had won.

At least in the first round, he had won.

In a distant cave.

Lin Feng watched everything in the Water Mirror and crossed his legs with satisfaction.

"Nicely done."

Black Zetsu emerged from the shadows nearby, giving a raspy laugh. "What a splendid performance. Sarutobi Hiruzen must be furious enough to burst a lung."

"This is nothing yet." Lin Feng picked up a cup of tea from who-knows-where and took a light sip. "It's only the first step: bringing Konoha's transfer of power to a standstill."

"The real show is still to come."

Lin Feng set down the teacup, his gaze turning distant.

The Water Mirror's image shifted, focusing on a corner of the hall.

The head of the Uchiha Clan, Fugaku Uchiha, sat there with an impassive face. But deep in his dark eyes, an unusual glint flickered.

To an ambitious man, every upheaval was an opportunity.

"Lord Madara, you mean..." Black Zetsu seemed to have guessed what he had in mind.

"One Danzō isn't enough."

Lin Feng tapped his fingers lightly against the stone table.

"We need to add fuel to the fire."

"I'm going to make Konoha's stagnant waters boil over completely."

"Black Zetsu."

"Here."

"Go and deliver the second order to my puppet." A smile curved Lin Feng's lips, enough to make the entire Ninja World tremble.

"Tell him to find Fugaku Uchiha and say..."

"Uchiha Madara admires his talents and is willing to support him in fighting for what should have belonged to the Uchiha all along—the Hokage Position!"