The Fifth Hokage, Jiraiya?

At the edge of Konoha stood the Yamashita clan's compound.

Yamashita Masao sat inside, listening to a clan member's report. His brow knotted.

"Jiraiya as Hokage..."

He rose and paced the room.

The Yamashita clan had thrown in with Uchiha En. Their Jonin and Chunin had all joined the Konoha Military Police Force.

If Jiraiya took office and the leadership came after them, the Yamashita clan would be first in line.

"Clan Head, should we... sound out Lord Jiraiya's side first?"

"Sound them out?" Yamashita Masao stopped. "They'd have to be willing to give us the time of day."

He thought for a moment, then sat back down. "Don't do anything yet."

"Uchiha En never fights a battle he can't win."

"If he really had no way out, he wouldn't be this quiet."

The room fell silent for a while.

Elsewhere, at the Yuki Compound, home to another small ninja clan.

Yuki Yasuo sat beneath the eaves, holding a letter Uchiha En had sent him two days earlier.

It contained only one sentence:

"Until the assembly, hold your ground. If the sky falls, the Uchiha will hold it up."

He folded the letter and tucked it into his robes.

Someone approached him. "Clan Head, then should we..."

"Wait." Yuki Yasuo said only that one word.

He could not explain why, but he trusted that boy.

The boy who had said, "What matters isn't who holds the blade. It's who the blade is aimed at," would not admit defeat so easily.

At the Training Ground.

Might Guy had just finished a set of punches and was drenched in sweat.

A passing Jonin struck up a casual conversation. "Guy, I hear they're choosing a Hokage in three days. Lord Jiraiya's going to be the Fifth Hokage. Whose side are you on?"