"Furthermore!"
The daimyo raised his voice for emphasis, and the applause stopped.
"I hereby award the deputy commander of the Eastern Front-Hatake Sakumo!"
"The 'Hokage Half-Sleeve,' a symbol of honor!!"
The moment the daimyo finished speaking, the ninja below erupted!
"Wow!!!"
"Lord Sakumo!"
"Holy shit! The Hokage Half-Sleeve! That means..."
"What are you saying, you little shit!?"
"Huh?"
"The Hokage position belongs to Lord Danzo!"
"But Lord Sakumo is so charming too..."
"Damn it!... It's so hard to choose!"
The Eastern Front ninja were practically climaxing!
They brazenly discussed who would become the Fourth right in front of Shinnosuke.
As if the Third would step down as soon as they returned to the village!
With the Hokage Half-Sleeve in play, what could a mere Third do about it!
This had the daimyo's seal of approval!
Shinnosuke looked utterly helpless in the crowd. Couldn't these people discuss this behind his back!
Did they like doing it in front of the husband?
No...
In front of the father, huh!
Sakumo smiled in response to the ninja's cheers and walked up onto the platform.
From a tray brought over by a servant, the daimyo took out a white sleeve with clasps at the top that could fasten onto the clothing at the shoulder.
The half-sleeve was white overall, with red embroidery in the middle depicting the spiral symbol of Konoha.
Red flames were embroidered along the bottom too, making it look like part of a Hokage robe.
Sakumo bowed slightly so the short, pudgy daimyo could slide the half-sleeve over his arm and fasten it to his shoulder.
Looking at the half-sleeve that resembled a Hokage robe, Sakumo was overwhelmed with excitement too. After all, what samurai pursued were ideals and honor!
This was probably the highest honor he could receive before becoming