"Thank you for your high regard, Lord Hokage."
"If possible, it would be better for someone more mature and steady, like Master Tsunade or Master Jiraiya, to be the Fifth Hokage."
"Although my strength is not bad, I am ultimately a bit young and lack experience in handling matters. I don't know if I can handle the heavy responsibility of being the Kage of a village."
"If I could gain a few more years of experience, it would not be a bad thing."
Kageyama Kogetsu stood up and bowed, presenting an image of modesty, stability, not greedy for power, and thinking for the sake of Konoha.
Seeing Kageyama Kogetsu's public statement, Danzō's expression softened a bit, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief...
He had almost thought that Kageyama Kogetsu was playing the "mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind" trick on him.
If that were the case, he would rather expose their conspiracy and let them both go down together than be the fool!
Not only would he lose the position of Hokage, but his intelligence would also be insulted. It was simply unbearable!
Now it seemed that Kageyama Kogetsu was not playing tricks on him. The word "wait" was used very cleverly.
Compared to the two juniors, Tsunade and Jiraiya, he was undoubtedly more mature and steady!
Sarutobi Hiruzen was quite satisfied in his heart and said with a chuckle, "It's very good that you are modest and cautious, but you don't need to be self-deprecating."
"Minato was also very young when he became Hokage. Although his reign was short, he did a very good job."
"If there are things you don't understand or are not sure about, just ask the elders for their opinions more often."
"Perhaps the elders' opinions can't help you make Konoha develop rapidly, but they can help Konoha maintain a stable development speed."
"I believe the elders will do their best to help you."
"Danzō, don't you think so?"
Being called out, Danzō's expression froze, and he was furious in his heart, but he could only give a positive response.
"If Kogetsu becomes the Fifth Hokage, I will definitely do my best to assist him."
"That's good. What are your opinions?" Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze turned to the Jonin Commander and the other five department heads.
"I support Lord Hokage's idea," Nara Shikaku was the first to state his position.
"I support," Sarutobi Shinnosuke followed suit.
"I support."
...
Everyone expressed their support.
Of course, they had no right to object. The Konoha leadership was in agreement. No matter how much they objected, the position of Hokage would not fall to them.
"Homura, Koharu, arrange the relevant matters. The meeting is adjourned," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, standing up.
"Alright," the two elders nodded.
Less than half an hour after the meeting was adjourned, the news of the official election of the Fifth Hokage had spread throughout Konoha.
No matter how heated the discussions had been before, they were just speculation. Now that it was confirmed, it immediately sparked even more heated discussions.
As one of the candidates for Hokage, Kageyama Kogetsu suddenly became very busy...
Compared to the ordinary people who knew nothing, the well-known ninja clans of Konoha probably knew Tsunade and Jiraiya's thoughts.
If the two of them had really been interested, they would have stood up during the election of the Fourth Hokage. Namikaze Minato might not have been able to become the Fourth Hokage at such a young age.
So, although there seemed to be three candidates, in the eyes of the well-known ninja clans of Konoha, there was only one.
When was a better time to show goodwill than now?
Kageyama Kogetsu warmly received the visits from the heads of the various ninja clans, but he did not show much enthusiasm for the position of Hokage, maintaining a calm and composed attitude of letting nature take its course.
After a busy day, Kageyama Kogetsu didn't even have time to go to work at the Police Force, and he had to attend an appointment in the evening.
...
The center of the Forest of Death.
Upon seeing Kageyama Kogetsu, Danzō couldn't wait to start probing...
"Kogetsu, you're not plotting against me, are you?"
Kageyama Kogetsu spread his hands and smiled, "How could I? For the time being, I really have no intention of taking the position of Hokage."
"This time, I will let nature take its course and will not exert any effort."
"If you still can't become Hokage under these circumstances, Elder Danzō, then forgive me for being blunt, but your ability is indeed too poor. You can't blame me."
"I hope you do as you say."
Danzō nodded slightly. If he still couldn't become Hokage under these circumstances, he really couldn't blame others.
"Definitely. Let's go."
Kageyama Kogetsu's figure instantly disappeared, giving Danzō no time to speak.
Danzō did not return to Root, nor did he go home. He went directly to visit Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu.
Seizing on Kageyama Kogetsu's statement at the meeting, Danzō said that it would be more appropriate for Kogetsu to become the Sixth Hokage in a few years.
At that time, he would be more experienced, more mature and steady, in his prime, and his strength would also be at its peak.
After that, Danzō played the emotional card with Homura and Koharu, reminiscing about the glorious years of the past.
Finally, Danzō gave the two of them and the families behind them many benefits, throwing out some authority and a large amount of interests.
In view of Kageyama Kogetsu's statement at the meeting and Danzō's various operations, Homura and Koharu secretly agreed to support him.
They would nominate Kageyama Kogetsu at the Land of Fire conference, but they would not fully support him, so that they could explain it away.
After visiting the two elders, Danzō did not rest and continued to visit Nara Shikaku, promising to give the three clans of Ino-Shika-Cho a large amount of interests, with the Nara clan receiving the largest share.
After that, Danzō repeated what he had said at the two elders' place, and finally brought out the attitude of the two elders supporting him.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was about to step down. Nara Shikaku did not want to offend Danzō completely, and with so many reasons, he agreed.
What about loyalty to Sarutobi Hiruzen?
Ninja clans had always put the survival and interests of the family first. Otherwise, the Nara clan would not have been able to continue to this day.
The Nara clan was like this, and so were the other ninja clans that had been able to continue to this day.
After visiting Nara Shikaku, Danzō still did not rest and continued to visit the Hyuga clan and other ninja clans without stopping.
Except for the Uchiha clan. Danzō reckoned that with the Uchiha clan's resentment towards him and their relationship with Kageyama Kogetsu, it was basically impossible to persuade them.
For the three clans of Ino-Shika-Cho and the Hyuga clan, the interests Danzō gave were carefully calculated. For the other ninja clans, it was a combination of threats and empty promises.
The Hyuga clan was a great clan, with a large number of Jonin in the Konoha ninja establishment, and even greater influence in the Land of Fire. He couldn't just make empty promises.
The combined strength of the three clans of Ino-Shika-Cho was the best among the large clans. As the Jonin Commander, Nara Shikaku had a say at the Land of Fire conference, so he couldn't just make empty promises either.
The other ninja clans did not receive such treatment. In any case, he would become Hokage first. Whether he could fulfill his promises would be decided later.
It would be best if he could. If not, he would just give them something to dismiss them.
If they were not satisfied and dared to cause trouble, he would strike hard!
Danzō was busy all night. When it was almost dawn, he did not go home to rest, but went to Root to arrange tasks.
When it was dawn, all the Root ninja in Konoha were dispatched to work around the clock, disguised as civilians to spread information.
The content of the information included but was not limited to: Danzō's background, his achievements, how strong he was, and what great sacrifices he had made for Konoha.
Besides the Root ninja disguised as civilians for propaganda, Danzō also used Root funds to hire eloquent civilians to help create momentum.
Finally, with the push of the ninja clans that had chosen to support Danzō, the momentum for a time really caught up with Tsunade, Kageyama Kogetsu, and Jiraiya.
Danzō was portrayed as a dark hero who was willing to make great sacrifices for Konoha. Konoha could not bully an honest person. It was time for the dark hero to come into the sunlight and enjoy the applause.
It had to be said that Danzō's propaganda plan was indeed not bad, with a kind of "who says you have to stand in the light to be a hero" flavor.
It could be seen that Danzō had really racked his brains to become Hokage!
Of course, if someone were to release Danzō's dark history, the result would be completely different.
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