Hearing Hyūga Hiashi's words, Uchiha Ran curved his lips slightly.
He had already made arrangements—three Mangekyō Sharingan users were stationed in secret, ready to suppress anyone who dared to break the rules and resort to force later.
First, to completely eradicate those stubborn ambitionists who dreamed of holding the emperor hostage to command the vassals, endangering Konoha's stability.
Second, to make it unmistakably clear to spies from every nation that Konoha was now under Uchiha control—the balance between offense and defense had been reversed.
Ran nodded and led his people toward the high platform.
At that moment, someone shouted loudly:
"Lord Fifth Hokage!"
"The Fifth Hokage is here—so handsome!"
"This is the Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Ran! The man who defeated Chiyo, slaughtered Cloud ninja, captured the Eight-Tails with one hand, and split a Tailed Beast Ball with his blade!"
"Wonderful! With someone this powerful guarding Konoha, the village's security will increase severalfold. We can finally live in peace!"
Voices overlapped endlessly. More than ninety percent of them were filled with excitement—because the one ascending to the Hokage seat was Uchiha Ran, an unfathomable combat monster.
From a certain perspective, Konoha's civilians had lived bitter lives.
Despite being the strongest ninja village, they were constantly paying reparations or forced donations. Most households could barely manage food and clothing, with no surplus for leisure or social life.
Under Hiruzen Sarutobi, ANBU also levied taxes under various pretexts. While it didn't starve the people, it severely restricted improvements to their quality of life.
People naturally yearned for better lives. Yet Hiruzen would always preach that suffering losses was a blessing.
Grievances had accumulated for years.
That was why the masses were willing to follow the Konoha Times and push this conflict forward—never underestimate the power of ordinary people.
Ran raised his hand and waved to the villagers.
This immediately drew a cold snort from Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Laugh while you can. Be smug while you can. You'll be crying soon enough."
At that instant, Ran glanced over at him.
Hiruzen stiffened, his heart jumping, and hurriedly lowered his head.
That reaction amused Ran.
So you really have something prepared… Let me see who jumps out first.
"All right, everyone, quiet down."
Nara Shikaku stepped forward, his expression serious.
"Next, I will preside over the Fifth Hokage Inauguration Ceremony. I now invite the Hokage candidates to step onto the stage."
Although he stood firmly on Ran's side, in this setting he had to appear impartial. Otherwise, the ceremony would turn into a farce.
Ran walked straight toward the stage, his gaze sweeping the surroundings.
Ordinarily, there would be one to three Hokage candidates—individuals with exceptional military achievements and prestige.
Excluding the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the only figures with sufficient merit were Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Ran. Since Shisui had no intention of competing, there should have been only one candidate.
But at that moment—
Jiraiya moved.
Dressed in a dark blue kimono, he slowly stepped onto the stage. His tall frame and broad back gave people an inexplicable sense of security.
The crowd immediately erupted into whispers.
"Jiraiya? One of Konoha's Three Legendary Sannin?"
"What's going on? Isn't he always traveling and writing? He never cared about power!"
"Heh… interesting. So the Third Hokage still hasn't given up."
Many sharp-minded individuals instantly understood what this meant. The looks they cast toward Hiruzen Sarutobi were filled with disdain.
Hiruzen acted as though he noticed nothing, smiling calmly at his disciple.
Nara Shikaku was briefly stunned, then recovered quickly.
"Very well. Let the two Hokage candidates shake hands, introduce themselves, and then we'll proceed to voting by clan representatives and civilians."
"The one with the most votes will become the Fifth Hokage."
He gestured for them to shake hands.
Jiraiya turned first and extended his calloused hand.
Ran glanced at it, then nodded slightly. A hand like that—at least it belonged to a true warrior.
"Jiraiya."
"Uchiha Ran."
They exchanged brief greetings, then turned to face the crowd.
Jiraiya's speech was almost identical to one Hiruzen had delivered before. The draft had been prepared by the Third Hokage himself and memorized word for word.
The crowd frowned.
Empty rhetoric. Lofty clichés. Not a single concrete proposal.
When he finished, applause erupted—from the families aligned with the Third Hokage.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Ran sneered inwardly.
Well prepared.
He was about to begin his speech when a deep, aged voice rang out:
"Wait."
The entire venue turned toward the source.
Homura Mitokado.
It was actually him.
This old lackey was truly willing to step forward for the sake of Hiruzen Sarutobi and Utatane Koharu.
The head of the Mitokado Clan went pale, collapsing to his knees with a dull thud.
"It's over… it's all over…"
Ran narrowed his eyes. He had expected interference—but not from this Hokage advisor.
Homura took a deep breath, stared straight at Ran on the stage, and pointed at him.
"Uchiha Ran! As a member of the Uchiha Clan, how do you have the right to inherit the Konoha founded by Lord First Hokage?"
"How do you have the face to call yourself Hokage?!"
Silence fell over the entire venue.
Then, the families supporting Ran exploded in fury.
"You old dog Mitokado! Say that again if you dare!"
"Uchiha Ran wiped out Danzo's Root and repelled the combined forces of Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure—without losing a single soldier!"
"Tell us—besides Lord First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, who else has achieved this?!"
In the chaos, someone even hurled an egg.
Splat.
It smashed against Homura's forehead, yolk and egg white sliding down his face.
He didn't even flinch.
Instead, he glanced toward a nearby building. Utatane Koharu stood there, smiling faintly and nodding encouragement.
Strength surged through him.
"Very well. Let's put that aside for now."
Homura wiped his face and continued loudly.
"Let's talk about Uchiha history. Didn't Uchiha Madara defect from the village?"
"And didn't he later return with the Nine-Tails to attack Konoha?"
"You all know this, don't you? You've all heard of it."
"That battle exhausted Lord Hashirama and led to his death. Konoha lost its strongest guardian."
"So tell me—are the Uchiha guilty… or not?"