Sometimes, who supported you didn't matter!
Uchiha Yi becoming Hokage was what everyone wanted, and no one could stop it.
But who didn't support him mattered a great deal.
There was no guarantee Uchiha Yi wouldn't settle scores once he became Hokage. Even if he didn't, the people beneath him might make life difficult for them. They knew how troublesome underlings could be.
Besides, Uchiha Yi becoming Hokage was inevitable. At this point, no one could stand in his way.
Did Hiruzen Sarutobi really want to step down as Hokage?
Probably not. He wasn't especially old, nowhere near the age when he had to retire. His strength was still at its peak, too. In many people's eyes, Hiruzen Sarutobi remained one of Konoha's very best. Apart from Uchiha Yi, there was probably no one stronger than him.
They didn't know Kushina Uzumaki had completely mastered the Nine-Tails' power, gained Wood Release, and awakened her Sage Body. Forget Konoha—even across the Shinobi World, those who could fight her were few and far between, let alone defeat her.
And then there was Hyuga Rinka. Her strength had surpassed Hiruzen Sarutobi's too.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had used the Nutrient Serum as well, but his progress still couldn't match Hyuga Rinka's. Even Tsunade, Nawaki, Minato Namikaze, and Uchiha Mikoto were steadily catching up to the older generation's strongest shinobi. Some had already surpassed them.
Of course, most people knew none of this.
As things stood, Konoha had quite a few people stronger than Hiruzen Sarutobi.
But everyone wanted Uchiha Yi to become Hokage and transform the Shinobi World. It wasn't just the people below: even Tobirama Senju, the leading opponent of the Uchiha and Hiruzen Sarutobi's own teacher, had begun criticizing Hiruzen and hoping Yi would become Hokage.
In fact, Tobirama Senju had been the