Thank you to our new Patrons: Christopher Gärtner, Jose cabrera atzin, Luke Matthews, allen pellissery, mark74497, Charlie Puente-Duany, Anime fan123456 and DeathClan1980! Your support means the world to me <3 We are up to Chapter 765: The Three Elders on Patreon!
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)
I've also recently started a new translation, please check it out and show your support! It's called Douluo: Martial Soul White Tiger, I Am the White Emperor of Heaven! As always, Patrons will have unrestricted access to all of my stories including futures ones!
---------------------------------------------------------------------
In an instant, the conference room fell into an eerie silence.
Some were deep in thought, some were in shock, and others were ablaze with excitement over the power Kakashi had just displayed.
Did the ninja world have faith in gods?
The answer was a resounding yes.
Even ninjas who only believed in their own strength harbored at least a sliver of belief in the Sage of Six Paths, for according to vague ancient legends, he was the progenitor of chakra itself.
Moreover, the majority of those who worshipped deities were weak and helpless civilians. In this precarious world where life hung by a thread, even the civilians of Fire Country couldn't claim absolute safety.
Of course, there were also those who exploited religion for personal gain or ulterior motives.
The most infamous example was the Cult of Jashin in the Land of Hot Water, represented by Hidan of Akatsuki's Immortal Duo.
Honestly, what kind of twisted cult attracted only psychopaths? Even Ye Wen, secretly observing from the shadows, couldn't help but mutter his disapproval.
Yes, Ye Wen was spying, watching the drama unfold as a third-party observer.
How could Ye Wen, the mastermind behind these events, resist coming to see it all play out personally?
However—
Ye Wen's gaze softened with pity as he looked at Kakashi.
What kind of shattered soul would lead someone to worship him so fervently? At this moment, Kakashi's devotion to the Vast Sea God King had reached the level of a zealous believer, akin to a holy child of a religious sect.
"Everyone, in the past, I was considered an elite Jonin of Konoha. You all know my abilities well—they were far from matching the Hokage, let alone reaching this current level.
But yesterday, everything changed.
I met a god!
A god who loves peace, who could no longer bear to see the ninja world trapped in an endless cycle of killing. And so, He descended.
And I—I became His believer and apostle.
This time, I will correct the mistakes left behind by the First Hokage and lead the ninja world toward true peace.
Everyone, those who support me becoming Hokage, stand up. Let us together usher in a new era."
Kakashi's words carried immense persuasive power. Every ninja present, except Hiruzen Sarutobi, felt their hearts stir with excitement.
As one Jonin after another rose to their feet, Kakashi's ascension as the Fifth Hokage became an undeniable certainty.
Regardless of whether Kakashi's claims were true, the overwhelming power he possessed was indisputable—an absolute force capable of annihilating anyone in the room.
"Very good," Kakashi said with satisfaction, nodding.
Though Ye Wen had provided him with extensive knowledge of strategy, mastering its practical application wasn't something that could be achieved overnight.
And Kakashi's yearning for the vision of peace was so intense that he opted for the simplest, most direct approach: appealing to emotion and overwhelming with sheer power.
Surprisingly, in this world that revered strength above all else and was rife with subservience, Kakashi's method hit the mark perfectly.
At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart sank like a stone.
He never imagined that what he had intended to use as an obstacle to delay Kakashi's rise to Hokage had instead become Kakashi's greatest trump card.
Hiruzen's original plan was to temporarily stall Kakashi while recalling Tsunade and Jiraiya to counterbalance him.
If Kakashi had been content to serve as a compliant puppet, Hiruzen wouldn't have minded allowing him to become the Fifth Hokage, much like the Fourth. But now, the situation had changed—Kakashi had clearly positioned himself as his adversary.
As a seasoned political creature, Hiruzen fully understood the concept of "one ruler, one set of ministers."
Coupled with the mountain of damning evidence against him, once Kakashi officially took office, it would spell catastrophic consequences for the forces that once belonged to him.
"No, I need to think of something…"
Hiruzen lowered his gaze, his mind racing furiously to find a way to break this deadlock.
But suddenly, all eyes in the conference room turned to him.
Even without the Kagura Shingan talent of the Uzumaki clan, Hiruzen could clearly sense the intense malice emanating from those stares.
Instinctively, he tried to shift his body, only to realize he had already been immobilized by one of Kakashi's shadow clones.
He wanted to say something, but a glance at the scrolls on the table filled with incriminating evidence and his own family genealogy silenced him.
Damn it, how infuriating. How was he supposed to fix this mess?
And at this point, shifting the blame seemed utterly meaningless.
Only now did Hiruzen truly grasp the terrifying nature of absolute power. All his years of honing his silver tongue had rendered it useless in the face of such overwhelming strength.
At this moment, Kakashi spoke: "Third Hokage, the Jonin council has unanimously agreed that I will succeed you as the Fifth Hokage."
As he spoke, Kakashi landed directly in front of Hiruzen and removed the Hokage's hat from his head, placing it firmly on his own.
The next second, enthusiastic cheers erupted throughout the conference room.
After 55 years, the Hidden Leaf Village welcomed its fifth Hokage—the strongest Hokage the ninja world would ever see.
But Kakashi didn't lose himself in the hollow cheers. Instead, he immediately began addressing the mess left behind by Konoha's previous leadership.
Before, when he was solely focused on missions, he hadn't noticed. But after thoroughly reviewing the operations of the Hokage's office, Kakashi's expression darkened significantly.
Embezzlement, corruption, nepotism—it was everywhere.
But Kakashi, who had once been blind to anything other than his missions, wasted no time initiating a brutal purge.
This purge primarily targeted four major families: Sarutobi, Shimura, Mitokado, and Utatane.
Those familiar with the hidden dynamics of Konoha knew exactly what these four families represented—Konoha's Four Elders.
Resistance?
Snort.
Even the Uchiha clan couldn't withstand the concentrated might of the entire village. What chance did these four families have?
Furthermore, on the very first day of Kakashi's ascension as Hokage, these four pillars of Konoha's old guard were arrested and imprisoned.
The reasons? These politicians, who had monopolized Konoha's power for over two decades, had skeletons in their closets too numerous to count. Any excuse would suffice to lock them away.
The only real complication was Hiruzen Sarutobi himself. After all, he had once been Konoha's Hokage and the face of the village.
But so what? Having become a fanatical devotee of Ye Wen, Kakashi had only one obsession: realizing that beautiful vision. If not for Ye Wen's command, Kakashi wouldn't even want the position of Hokage.
Faced with Kakashi's overwhelming power, Hiruzen obediently submitted to being detained.
After all, discretion was the better part of valor.
Hiruzen had lived a long life and enjoyed nearly everything he could. If his resistance dragged his clan into trouble, it was something he absolutely didn't want to see.
Locked away in his dark cell, Hiruzen finally came to a profound realization: he had made countless mistakes over the years. When he died, he would have no face to show his teacher, the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, in the afterlife.
The other two Hokage advisors, softened by years of comfort, were equally powerless. Though they tried to resist using their status, they were swiftly subdued.
The most defiant, however, was Shimura Danzo.
------------------------------------------------------
Support my writing journey: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow