Moreover, he greatly disliked the Third Hokage. Tsunade is one of the disciples of the Third Hokage. How could he possibly support the disciple of the Third Hokage?
The others, hearing his opinion, were not surprised at all. Over the past year, the Uchiha clan and the Hyuga clan had grown close.
Especially since Uchiha Ryosuke helped the Hyuga clan resist the unreasonable demands of the Hidden Cloud Village.
Later, rumors spread that back then, it was Hyuga Hiashi's younger brother who had prepared to sacrifice himself to quell the anger of the Hidden Cloud Village.
Although the relationship between the Hyuga main family and the branch family was not very good, after all, he was his biological younger brother. Hyuga Hiashi would not just watch his younger brother die innocently, right?
Such a favor to Hyuga Hiashi was enormous.
Not to mention that they had fought against the Hidden Cloud Village together, which counted as a shared hardship and battlefield camaraderie.
Fugaku's face showed a slight smile, and he was happy inside. He was very glad that the Hyuga clan could stand on their Uchiha clan's side. The Hyuga were a major clan in the village, and their words carried significant weight.
At this moment, Shikaku felt even more troubled in his heart. Such a major clan had also joined the ranks of those supporting the Uchiha clan. This greatly influenced the direction of the Fifth Hokage election.
As the host, he naturally couldn't openly express support for Lady Tsunade.
He could only turn his gaze to Yamanaka Inoichi. Yamanaka Inoichi sensed Shikaku's gaze and naturally understood. He stood up and said, "Our Ino-Shika-Cho trio supports Lady Tsunade in becoming the Fifth Hokage."
His words surprised the people present a little. Even the Ino-Shika-Cho trio had stood up to support Lady Tsunade?
They were members of the Guard Force. Was this opposition to the Uchiha clan?
Shikaku also glanced worriedly at Uchiha Fugaku's reaction and saw that he was still calm and composed. There wasn't the slightest bit of displeasure on his face, and Shikaku felt relieved.
It seemed that the Uchiha clan still wouldn't cause trouble for their trio. Fugaku certainly wouldn't cause trouble for the trio because of this.
Back when the power was divided, they never intended to make the trio submit to the Uchiha clan. It was just to change the Uchiha clan's image in the village.
And also to weaken the relationship between the trio and the Third Hokage.
Now, it was time for him to make a statement.
"For this Fifth Hokage election, our Uchiha clan does not intend to participate, so everyone does not need to nominate me anymore."
Everyone present, except Tsunade and Shizune, was shocked and confused.
Whether they supported the Uchiha clan or Tsunade, the Uchiha clan suddenly gave up? Hadn't this clan always wanted to seize the Hokage position?
Ever since the death of the Second Hokage, they had always had this thought.
This clan's thinking actually had its reasons. Because many powerful geniuses had emerged in their clan. Whether it was Uchiha Shisui or Uchiha Itachi, they were top-tier, while at the same time, other factions in the village had declined, with no successors.
Shikaku also couldn't believe such words. "Clan Leader Fugaku, are you serious?"
Fugaku nodded in response. "Of course, it's true."
He certainly wouldn't joke about such a matter.
Everyone's expressions changed drastically. This was actually real. They truly couldn't understand.
Even Hyuga Hiashi was a little puzzled by the Uchiha clan's decision—it was beyond his expectations. What exactly was this clan thinking?
Perhaps only Tsunade at the scene understood that the young man had fulfilled his promise. Giving up the Fifth Hokage position—her efforts had not been in vain.
Shikaku was the first to recover from the shock.
It seemed that the Uchiha clan had been so composed before because they believed they were certain to win the position.
But looking at it now, they had never intended to participate in the first place. So, these election matters had nothing to do with them, which was why they had been so indifferent.
Shikaku also hadn't realized this, making him seem a bit dull. But that no longer mattered. This was personally acknowledged by the Uchiha clan. Their voluntary withdrawal could also prevent internal strife within the village and contribute to its unity.
"Since the Uchiha clan does not intend to participate in the election, does anyone else have a candidate?"
The clan leaders present looked at each other. It was obvious that besides Tsunade, there was no one else they could choose. There might be some capable individuals, but compared to Tsunade and the Uchiha clan members, they were lacking in every aspect—whether in combat strength, qualifications, or other comparisons.
Those who supported the Uchiha clan saw that they had withdrawn from the election, so they naturally gave up on nominating someone else.
They couldn't force the Uchiha clan to run for the position—they didn't have that ability.
Seeing the quiet conference room, Shikaku naturally knew they had no better candidate. He also knew that even he himself was no match for Tsunade or Uchiha Fugaku, let alone others, so now he could make the announcement.
"Since no one has other candidates, then the only remaining candidate, Tsunade, will naturally become the Fifth Hokage. I will send someone to deliver this news to the Daimyo's office. Once the Daimyo approves it, Lady Tsunade will officially become the Fifth Hokage. Does anyone have any objections?"
Everyone remained silent. Clearly, they had no objections. Rather, they were still a bit dumbfounded. The Uchiha clan actually didn't participate in the election.
But this was the reality. The Uchiha could do whatever they wanted—as long as they were happy.
Very soon, the news of Tsunade's election as the Fifth Hokage spread throughout the village.
Hearing this news, the villagers were also very surprised.
'Tsunade-sama actually won?'
After all, recently, the ones stirring up many matters were the Uchiha clan, yet they hadn't sent anyone to compete. This was unbelievable.
It sparked discussions among the villagers.
"Did you hear? Tsunade-sama is about to become the Fifth Hokage. Once the Daimyo approves it, she will officially take office."
"That doesn't seem surprising. Tsunade-sama has enough prestige to succeed in the election."
"That's not the main point. The main point is that the powerful Uchiha clan actually didn't participate. Isn't that too strange? Do you know what's going on?"
"I don't know. But this kind of thing doesn't really concern us commoners. The Hokage selection isn't something we can decide."
"As long as the elected Hokage can lead Konoha to prosperity, that's all that matters. Tsunade-sama will definitely make the village thrive."
"You have a point. Matters in the ninja world are not for us commoners to decide."
The news spread quickly in the village but also calmed down soon. After all, the common people still had their own lives to worry about. They didn't have that much time to dwell on this.
———
In the Hokage office, Tsunade sat in the chair that once belonged to the Third Hokage.
Her heart was filled with emotions. At one point, she had never considered becoming Hokage.
Being Hokage was a hassle among hassles. But given the current situation, as a member of the Senju clan, she had to step up.
Now that she was in this position, she would naturally do her best to lead the village, especially in preparing for the great disaster of the Ten-Tails in the future.
She needed to find time to discuss with Uchiha Ryosuke how to handle it.
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