Having made up his mind, Shihōin Naraku hesitated no longer. He nodded and said, "All right, all right. Since you're all against it, I won't step down for now."
"I'll carry on as the Sixth Hokage!"
"For now?"
Tsunade narrowed her eyes slightly. "This 'for now' of yours... about how long does that mean?"
"If you agree to this here and then go back on your word later, don't blame us for turning on you."
"Relax. Since I've said it, I'll keep my word."
Faced with doubts from Tsunade and the others, Naraku wordlessly curled his fingers and rapped on the table to express his displeasure.
"At the very least, I won't bring up stepping down as Hokage again before the Chunin Ninja Exams."
"The Chunin Ninja Exams?"
Tsunade froze, then immediately stared at him in displeasure. "Aren't those six months from now? That's exactly the same as the transition period you just mentioned!"
"You..."
"What I meant earlier was that if none of you had any objections, we'd start preparing for my resignation now, announce it as soon as the Chunin Ninja Exams ended, and have the candidate take over."
Naraku continued explaining, "What I mean now is that we'll set aside that plan for the time being and leave everything until after the Chunin Ninja Exams."
"This is the biggest concession I can make!"
Hearing Naraku's firm tone, Jiraiya knew he would not compromise any further. He quietly tugged at Tsunade, signaling her to stop arguing.
"One year!"
"One year at most!"
"I'll give you a year to prepare. I'll step down within a year at the latest, then deal with Ōtsutsuki Isshiki myself."
"A year is enough to get everything arranged. By then, even without me in the Hokage's seat, Konoha will still function normally."
"One year,