During the meeting, Sarutobi Hiruzen recommended himself to return to the role of Hokage, while stating that he would just be a transitional leader.
Danzo was about to explode with anger. He felt betrayed, used like a weapon without even realizing it. He had thought he was on the same side as them.
Mitokado Homura responded: "I agree with Hiruzen retaking the position of Hokage. Only Hiruzen can handle this situation."
Utatane Koharu also agreed: "I also support Hiruzen resuming the position of Hokage. What does everyone else think?"
Nara Shikaku, Akimichi Choza, Yamanaka Inoichi, Hyuga Hiashi, and other clan leaders all expressed their support for Sarutobi Hiruzen to resume the position of Hokage.
Sora and Orochimaru didn't say a word.
Sora himself didn't care who became Hokage. If Danzo hadn't provoked him for no reason today, Sora wouldn't have bothered getting involved with them.
After all, the time Yahiko would stay in Konoha was now counting down.
It could be said that if Uzumaki Miyuki wasn't pregnant and about to give birth—needing time to stabilize her body after delivery—then after today's incident, Sora would have slammed the table and left.
As for Orochimaru, he simply found the whole thing boring.
Why had they even called him to this kind of meeting?
Ever since Orochimaru heard what Sora said about Uchiha Madara's plans, he felt that these village politics were like children playing house.
No matter who became the village leader, he just wanted it to end quickly so he could return to his research.
In the entire conference room, except for Sora, Orochimaru, and Danzo, everyone else expressed their support for Sarutobi Hiruzen as Hokage.
As for the opinions of Sora and Orochimaru, no one bothered to ask.
And thankfully, neither Sora nor Orochimaru wanted to speak up now.
Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu announced: "Since there are no objections, Hiruzen will temporarily take over the position of Hokage until the next Hokage is ready!"
After the meeting, Sora deliberately positioned himself in front of Danzo. He looked at Danzo coldly with his Three Tomoe Sharingan and threatened: "If you trouble me out of spite again, I won't hesitate to show you what real trouble is. You should know I have this ability—or you can test me to find out."
Danzo looked at Sora with a cold expression and said, "Don't forget, this is Konoha!"
Sora sneered and said: "Yes, this is Konoha, and we both know everything about it. When it really comes down to it, will either of us care whether we're in Konoha or not? By then, it will be kill or be killed. You won't give up, will you?
But... I'm confident I can eliminate you. Are you confident you can eliminate me, Danzo?"
Danzo's cheek twitched slightly.
He remembered Sora's posture and overwhelming chakra when he activated Sage Mode in front of him that day.
Eliminate Sora... Danzo truly couldn't think of any way to get rid of Sora now.
Sarutobi Hiruzen saw Sora standing in front of Danzo, the two of them speaking in hushed tones.
Sarutobi Hiruzen felt a little guilty about Danzo's situation after what had happened.
If it weren't for Danzo, if Sora had really stepped forward as a candidate for Hokage, although he, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura would have prevented Sora from becoming the next Hokage, his plan to resume being Hokage might have been delayed.
After all, if he had immediately proposed himself as Hokage after stopping Sora—just as he had done when rejecting Orochimaru, who was recommended by Danzo—it would have given people the impression that he was power-hungry.
So when Sarutobi Hiruzen saw Sora and Danzo talking, and noticed Danzo grinding his teeth in anger, he decided to help Danzo.
"Danzo, Sora."
Sarutobi Hiruzen walked up to Danzo and Sora and said, "I know there are conflicts between you, but Konoha is in an extraordinary period right now.
We all need to put aside our grudges, unite as one, and help Konoha overcome this difficulty."
Sora smiled at Sarutobi Hiruzen and said, "Congratulations to the Third Hokage for taking on the position again.
However, I need to take a break for a while.
I hope the Third Hokage will agree."
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded and said, "I understand.
In that case, Sora, you should take some time off."
Sora's request for a break had both advantages and disadvantages for Sarutobi Hiruzen.
The advantage was that Sora was now unpredictable.
Sarutobi Hiruzen needed to think carefully about how to utilize Sora, otherwise it could backfire and harm himself.
The disadvantage was that Konoha's current situation required a powerful shinobi like Sora to perform difficult missions.
First, he could boost the village's morale.
The Hokage was the backbone of the village, and powerful shinobi like Sora who were famous throughout the shinobi world provided confidence.
Second, he could deter enemy villages that were preparing to make their move. Although Konoha's Yellow Flash was unconscious, Konoha's Blood-Eyed Shura was still active.
However, since Sora had made the request himself, Sarutobi Hiruzen could only agree.
Sora and Orochimaru met and left the Hokage building together.
Danzo did not appreciate Sarutobi Hiruzen's help. He looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen with a hint of killing intent and turned around to leave.
...
Meanwhile, in the Uchiha compound.
Uchiha Fugaku sat in his seat with a gloomy expression, saying nothing.
Uchiha Fugaku had placed the clan's hopes on Namikaze Minato, believing he had a promising future. Unexpectedly, Namikaze Minato was now unconscious, with no certainty about when he would wake up.
The Uchiha clan would face difficult times in Konoha.
Because Namikaze Minato's coma meant that the bridge of communication between the Uchiha clan and Konoha's leadership had completely collapsed.
During the Nine-Tails attack, Sarutobi Hiruzen had refused to let the Uchiha join the battle, clearly showing his distrust. Moreover, Fugaku had not been invited to today's meeting, which obviously isolated the Uchiha clan.
Although he didn't know what kind of meeting it was, it was definitely important enough to have all the other clan leaders of Konoha in attendance.
Uchiha Fugaku suspected that the meeting must be about Namikaze Minato's coma and Konoha's next steps.
Furthermore, Danzo would definitely use Namikaze Minato's coma as an opportunity to further suppress the Uchiha clan.
What Uchiha Fugaku was really worried about now was that if Namikaze Minato remained unconscious for a long time, they would likely select a new Hokage.
And if the next Hokage was Sora...
Uchiha Fugaku's eyes flickered with concern.
If Sora became the Fifth Hokage, then the Uchiha clan could only choose to break away from Konoha and then rebuild elsewhere.
Soon, an Uchiha shinobi arrived to report to Uchiha Fugaku.
Uchiha Fugaku asked: "Have you found out? What was the meeting at the Hokage building about today?"
"Reporting to the clan leader, the meeting at the Hokage building today was about selecting the next Hokage."
Uchiha Fugaku's face changed drastically. Namikaze Minato had only been in a coma for seven days and they were already choosing the next Hokage?
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