If Hiruzen Sarutobi could still barely control himself, maintaining an unwavering gaze, the same could not be said for Danzo Shimura, Homura Mitokado, and others beside him.
They had already cast sharp, knife-like glances at Nara Shikatsune, their eyes filled with anger and disbelief.
Utatane Koharu even fumbled, knocking over her teacup, the crisp sound of shattering glass particularly jarring at this moment.
Even Akimichi Torifu's eyes were wide with astonishment.
Clearly, Akimichi Clan had been unaware of Nara Shikatsune's decision beforehand.
Nara Shikatsune, however, simply sat there quietly, his eyelids lowered, his gaze dark and unfathomable, as if everything happening around him had nothing to do with him.
It was then that Uzumaki Mito, who had been sitting by the presiding table with her eyes closed in meditation, finally opened them.
With just one calm glance, the Jonin immediately quieted down, the recently stirred commotion quickly subsiding.
After another ten minutes or so, all the votes were finally tallied.
Uchiha Isshin received thirty-two votes, all from members of the Uchiha Clan.
Hiruzen Sarutobi received forty-three votes.
Among these, the Sarutobi, Shimura, Mitokado Clan, and Mito Clan contributed sixteen votes.
The Akimichi and Yamanaka Clans together contributed twelve votes, the Aburame Clan six votes, the Inuzuka Clan five votes, and the Kazematsuri and Ise Clans, who were allied with Sarutobi, cast three votes.
And... one vote came from the Uchiha Clan.
Senju Mori ultimately received sixty-seven votes.
The Senju Clan itself provided him with a full thirty-five votes, and to Senju Mori's slight surprise, several clan elders also cast their votes for him.
The Hyuga Clan contributed seventeen votes, the Nara Clan cast seven votes, and smaller Ninja Clans like the Hatake and Gekko Clans contributed a total of eight votes... Among the Uchiha Clan's total of thirty-three votes, compared to the thirty-two votes the Uchiha Clan cast for its clan head, the single vote cast for Hiruzen Sarutobi was even more surprising.
However, upon hearing the name of the person who cast that vote, many Jonin present expressed understanding.
Because that vote came from Uchiha Kagami's father.
In contrast, the Nara Clan's last-minute defection came as a surprise to almost everyone.
It wasn't really that Hiruzen Sarutobi was stingy.
After receiving the message conveyed to him by the Nara Clan, Hiruzen Sarutobi, although having reservations about the Nara Clan's actions, still bit his tongue and accepted it.
He remembered that after he returned to the village, Nara Shikatsune was the first person to stand up and speak for him, actively supporting him.
That very evening, he sent a reply to the Nara Clan, readily agreeing to further concessions.
At that time, the Nara Clan had no intention of truly betraying Hiruzen Sarutobi and was successfully appeased.
However, Senju Mori's visit back then, while failing to persuade Nara Shikatsune, did leave him with a very high opinion of Senju Mori.
Upon hearing that Senju Mori visited the Uchiha Clan's territory the next day, and then seeing him and Uchiha Isshin "chatting happily" that morning, Nara Shikatsune suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
It's over!
Uchiha Isshin must have been persuaded!
He must be leading some clan members to side with the Senju!
Once the Uchiha and Senju unite, who in the entire Konoha can resist them?
Not to mention that Senju Mori also had the support of the Hyuga Clan, which already put Hiruzen Sarutobi at a disadvantage. How could he possibly have any chance of ultimate victory now?
With such thoughts, Nara Shikatsune, who believed Hiruzen Sarutobi had no chance of winning, decisively switched sides at the last moment.
Before the votes were officially submitted, he directly changed the votes of his seven Jonin to Senju Mori's name.
Although the final voting results showed that the Nara Clan's seven votes did not have the power to change the outcome, Nara Shikatsune's action undoubtedly carried extremely significant political meaning.
Firstly, these seven votes from the Nara Clan originally belonged to Hiruzen Sarutobi's side, so his defection directly created a huge difference of fourteen votes.
This transformed Senju Mori's narrow victory of 60:50 into an overwhelming victory of 67:43.
This greatly shook the confidence and psychological defenses of Hiruzen Sarutobi's supporters.
Secondly, Nara Shikatsune's choice also conveyed a very subtle message to all the Jonin of Konoha—even Hiruzen Sarutobi's most trusted strategist had lost confidence in him.
Under such circumstances, was he still worth supporting?
This blow to Hiruzen Sarutobi was undoubtedly devastating.
As for Nara Shikatsune himself, his mood at this moment was quite complex.
His defection stemmed from his "misjudgment" of the Uchiha Clan's attitude. Based on his impression of Senju Mori and what he saw that morning, Nara Shikatsune believed that Senju Mori had gained some support from the Uchiha Clan.
But this decision, made through a misjudgment, unexpectedly led the Nara Clan to the side of the victors.
And while achieving this victory, his hasty decision made at the last minute not only hurt Hiruzen Sarutobi, whom he had once supported, but also hurt his old friend Akimichi Torifu.
It even created a subtle rift in the alliance between the Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi Clans.
Although the final result proved that he was the only correct one, in a sense, the Yamanaka and Akimichi Clans were effectively sold out by him.
Nara Shikatsune's heart was filled with mixed emotions.
But he also knew that now was not a good time to explain, so he continued to remain silent, his face maintaining its usual calm and composure, as if everything was under his control.
At this much-anticipated moment, Uzumaki Mito slowly rose, and the nearly boiling conference room once again quieted down, everyone staring at Uzumaki Mito's calm face.
"The votes have been counted, and the will of the people is clear."
Uzumaki Mito's voice clearly reached everyone present, carrying a certain weighty significance.
"I hereby announce that the successor to the Third Hokage of Konohagakure is—"
A brief pause made the air almost solidify, and even the sound of the wind outside the window was clearly audible.
"Senju Mori!"
Before her words finished, a dark red straw hat already appeared in Uzumaki Mito's hand. In the center of the hat, the large character "fire" (Fire) shimmered under the light, like a burning flame.
Senju Mori took a deep breath, solemnly extended his hands, and received this extraordinarily significant hat.
The moment his fingertips touched the edge of the hat, a flicker of irrepressible light finally passed through his eyes.
'Clan Head Tobirama, do you see? The position of Hokage has, after all, returned to the Senju Clan...'
All his emotions were reined in the moment he turned around. Senju Mori's wrist flicked lightly, and the dark red straw hat drew a graceful arc in mid-air, settling steadily on his head.
Turning to face the gazes of over 140 Konoha Jonin below, Senju Mori, full of vigor and high spirits, a confident and assured smile gracing his face, declared in a loud voice:
"Konoha's new era will begin with me!"
"From today on, I am Konoha's Third Hokage!"
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