Having reached an agreement with Hyuga Kuroto, Sandaime Hokage released the details about the next stage of the Hokage Election.
"The next stage is going to be the Vote of Confidence? What about the fight between Hyuga Kuroto and Uchiha Fugaku?" such a question rose in people's minds as they read the notice pasted on all the notice boards.
This was a surprise for many, and obviously, not everyone was willing to accept such a decision.
The Uchiha Clansmen are of course angry with such sudden changes.
Obviously, none of them except for a few–the ones who are aware of the reality–believe that Hyuga Kuroto would be able to defeat their patriarch in a fight, so they have regarded their Patriarch as the next Hokage of Konoha.
But of course, they are also aware of the fact that Sarutobi Hiruzen and the rest of the Hokage Faction don't want Uchiha to ascend to power, and now that Hatake Kakashi has been defeated by Fugaku, the people of the Hokage Faction don't have many options, so they are using unfair means and bending the rules of the Hokage Election just so that they can defeat the Uchiha!
Dissatisfied with the sudden changes, Fugaku burst into the Hokage Office, "Sandaime-sama… what is the meaning of this?"
Hiruzen raised his head and looked at Fugaku in confusion as he asked, "What do you mean Fugaku? I am afraid I don't understand what you are talking about."
Fugaku glared at Hiruzen, and roared in anger, "Don't try to play a fool… you perfectly understand what I mean! Why was the second stage of the battle cancelled… and now the Vote of Confidence? I will never agree to this!"
Hiruzen *Oh-ed* as if he just understood, and smiled as he explained, "Fugaku… you see… the Vote of Confidence… it is part of Konoha's tradition and the very foundation of Konoha's power system. Only the person who has won the Vote of Confidence will ascend to the position of next Hokage."
Fugaku shook his head and pointed out, "But did we not reach an agreement in the previous Konoha Council meeting and set new rules for elections? Everyone had agreed to it… so how can you change it all of a sudden without informing the Council?"
Sandaime did not deny Fugaku, and nodded, "Yes… you are correct… The first stage of the Election was going to be a test of strength."
Fugaku immediately questioned, "So then how can you?"
Answered Hiruzen, "However, it was never stated that there will be a battle between the winners of the first stage." And added after a pause, "Moreover, the purpose of the battle was to test the strength of candidates… which both you and Hyuga Kuroto passed… your strength is recognized… so naturally, the next stage is the Vote of Confidence."
"No that can't be… everyone agreed with the new rules… the candidates who won in the first round were supposed to fight for the position of Hokage!" retorted Fugaku… but there wasn't much confidence in his words.
Hiruzen shook his head, "No… that's not the case…" and added, "Perhaps someone exaggerated some things, leading to mass confusion. Only the first battle between the candidates was decided, and there was no decision in regard to the battle between the candidates who won the first round…"
Fugaku was at a loss, "How can this be…?"
Noting Fugaku's expression, Sandaime spoke in a serious tone, "Fugaku… you must understand that Hokage Election is not Chunin promotion exams… To become Hokage, strength and wit are of course, important… but these are not the only conditions… Unless someone is recognized by the people of Konoha, they cannot become Hokage… after all, to be Hokage means to be accepted by the people of Konoha as their leader… therefore, the Vote of Confidence is extremely important and no aspirant can cross this stage."
Fugaku said coldly, "Sandaime-sama, this was not agreed upon…"
Feeling Fugaku's cold gaze, Hiruzen narrowed his eyes, and spoke, "As I have said… some things just cannot be changed… and if you still doubt my words, you check the records of the previous Council Meetings. There was only a promise of including the aspect of combat in order to test the strength… there was no decision in regards to the Vote of Confidence."
Seeing Hiruzen's confidence, Fugaku frowned and recalled the details of the previous Council Meeting, 'Damn it, it seems that he had planned this from the beginning!'
It was indeed as Hiruzen has said, although the Hokage Faction had agreed to include the aspect of strength, there was no mention of how much part it will play in the elections.
Feeling that he overlooked such an important detail, Fugaku was annoyed.
But it couldn't be helped… That was the first time Fugaku had openly challenged the authority of the Hokage Faction, so obviously, he was extremely tensed and overlooked some of the important details.
Because of his carelessness, a loophole was left, now Sandaime has taken advantage of the loophole to bend the rules of the Hokage Election, and this infuriated him.
Noting Fugaku's anger, Hiruzen knew he couldn't stimulate him too much, and said, "In any case, the Vote of Confidence is going to be held, and that's final… nothing is going to change this. I believe that as the Patriarch of the Uchiha Clan, you should have no problem against Hyuga Kuroto, right?"
Fugaku gave Hiruzen a cold look, then left the Hokage Office without saying a word.
As the door of the Hokage Office was closed, Hiruzen finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Although he appeared calm and collected facing Fugaku, deep down, Hiruzen was extremely nervous… But be that as it may, as the leader of Konoha, he couldn't show weakness in front of Fugaku.
Fortunately, Fugaku is still the man he has known for years. Even if angry and dissatisfied, he still chose to compromise.
Of course, Fugaku's compromise is not without reason. He believes that even in the vote of confidence, Hyuga Kuroto–who is only a member of the branch division of the Hyuga Clan–shouldn't be able to put much of a fight against him–who is the patriarch of the strongest Clan! Therefore, even if the fight between him and Hyuga Kuroto has been cancelled, he will still win the Election.
And so the two sides started to build momentum for their respective candidates.
The Uchiha Clansmen started to campaign for the Patriarch. It was a sight to behold as the proud and arrogant Uchihas lowered their heads in front of the other clans and asked for their support in the Vote of Confidence.
Of course, the Uchihas weren't the only ones campaigning for political support, the Hokage faction was also doing everything they can to make sure Hyuga Kuroto wins the election.
In the midst of these campaigns, one of the main protagonists, Hyuga Kuroto was not present at all as he had long since left the village without alerting a soul, and made his way to Ancor Vantian.
Kuroto isn't worried about the Hokage Election, ever since Sandaime Hokage struck a deal with him, Kuroto knew that the position of Hokage is his… when it comes to political manoeuvrings, there is hardly a single soul in Konoha who would be able to win against Sandaime Hokage. Therefore, the position of Hokage is going to be his.
Of course, Kuroto isn't much interested in the position of Hokage at this time, his focus is on his projects, the Hokage Election is just a side quest, not the main quest of the storyline.
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