If Sarutobi Hiruzen could barely keep himself composed, still managing to maintain a calm, forward gaze—
Then those beside him—Shimura Danzō, Mitokado Homura, and others—had already turned sharp, blade-like eyes toward Nara Shikajō, filled with anger and disbelief.
Turning Koharu even lost control of her hand, knocking over the teacup on the table; the clear sound of porcelain shattering echoed sharply in the tense air.
Even Akimichi Torifū's expression was filled with shock.
Clearly, even the Akimichi clan had no prior knowledge of Nara Shikajō's decision.
Yet Shikajō simply sat there quietly, his eyes half-lowered, his gaze dark and unreadable—as if everything happening around him had nothing to do with him at all.
It was only then that Uzumaki Mito, who had been sitting beside the moderator's seat with her eyes closed in quiet repose, finally opened them.
With just a single calm glance sweeping over the room, the gathered jōnin instantly held their breath and fell silent; the uproar that had just risen died away as quickly as it came.
More than ten minutes later, all votes were finally tallied.
Uchiha Isshin received thirty-two votes, all from members of the Uchiha clan.
Sarutobi Hiruzen received forty-three votes.
Among them, the Sarutobi, Shimura, Koharu, and Mitokado clans contributed sixteen votes.
The Akimichi and Yamanaka clans combined for twelve votes; the Aburame clan gave six; the Inuzuka clan, five; and the allied Kazamatsuri and Ise clans, three in total.
And then there was... one vote from the Uchiha clan.
Senju Mori received sixty-seven votes in the end.
The Senju clan itself provided thirty-five votes for him. To Mori's slight surprise, even several of the elder council members had ultimately cast their ballots in his favor.
The Hyūga clan contributed seventeen votes; the Nara clan, seven; and smaller clans such as the Hatake and Gekko Clan, eight in total.
——
Out of all thirty-three votes from the Uchiha clan, compared to the thirty-two cast for their own clan head, the single vote given to Sarutobi Hiruzen was what truly drew attention.
But when the name of that voter was announced, the gathered jōnin all nodded in understanding—
Because that vote came from Uchiha Kagami's father.
In contrast, the Nara clan's sudden defection caught almost everyone completely off guard.
It wasn't that Sarutobi Hiruzen had been stingy.
After receiving the Nara clan's message, Hiruzen had indeed been displeased with their hesitation.
Yet, remembering how Nara Shikajō had been the first to step forward to support him when he returned to the village, Hiruzen had decided to swallow his pride.
That very night, he sent a letter to the Nara clan—responding generously and increasing his promised support.
At the time, the Nara clan hadn't intended to betray him; they were quickly appeased.
However, although Senju Mori's earlier visit hadn't managed to persuade Shikajō, it had left the latter with a deep impression of respect for him.
Upon hearing that Senju Mori had gone to the Uchiha compound the following day—and then seeing him this morning, speaking "so amiably" with Uchiha Isshin—Shikajō had suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
It's over!
Uchiha Isshin must have been convinced!
He's going to lead part of the clan to side with the Senju!
Once the Uchiha and Senju joined forces, who in all of Konoha could possibly oppose them?
Not to mention that Senju Mori already had the Hyūga clan's support—leaving Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was already at a disadvantage, with virtually no chance of victory at all.
Under this line of thinking—believing that Sarutobi Hiruzen had no chance of victory—Nara Shikajō decisively defected at the very last moment.
Before the votes were officially submitted, he directly changed all seven ballots from his clan's jōnin to bear the name Senju Mori instead.
Although those seven votes alone were not enough to alter the ultimate outcome, Nara Shikajō's action undoubtedly carried tremendous political weight.
First, the seven votes of the Nara clan had originally belonged to Sarutobi's side.
Thus, his defection effectively created a fourteen-vote swing, turning what would have been a narrow 60–50 victory for Senju Mori into an overwhelming 67–43 landslide.
This dealt a serious blow to the morale and confidence of Sarutobi Hiruzen's supporters.
Second, Nara Shikajō's decision sent a subtle but powerful message to every jōnin in Konoha—
that even Sarutobi's most trusted strategist had lost faith in him.
Under such circumstances… was he even worth supporting anymore?
The impact on Sarutobi Hiruzen was nothing short of devastating.
As for Nara Shikajō himself, his feelings were deeply conflicted.
His defection stemmed from a misjudgment of the Uchiha clan's stance.
Based on his positive impression of Senju Mori—and the scene he had witnessed that morning—Shikajō had assumed that Mori had secured at least some measure of Uchiha support.
Yet, ironically, this mistaken assumption led him to make the one decision that placed the Nara clan firmly on the winning side.
At the same time, however, his hasty decision—made in the heat of the moment—wounded not only his former ally Sarutobi Hiruzen, but also his longtime friend Akimichi Torifū.
Worse still, it introduced a faint crack within the long-standing Ino–Shika–Chō alliance of the Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi clans.
Though the final results proved him to be the only one who had chosen correctly, from another perspective, it was as if he had sold out both the Yamanaka and Akimichi clans completely.
Nara Shikajō's heart was a swirl of conflicting emotions.
But he knew that now was not the time for explanations.
He could only remain silent—his face calm and composed as ever, as if everything had gone exactly according to plan.
At that moment, as all eyes turned toward her, Uzumaki Mito slowly rose to her feet.
The near-boiling atmosphere of the conference room fell once more into utter silence, every gaze fixed upon her serene expression.
"The votes have been counted, and the will of the people is clear."
Uzumaki Mito's voice carried clearly to every ear in the room, heavy with solemn authority.
"I hereby declare that the successor to the Third Hokage of Konohagakure is—"
A brief pause followed, so complete that even the whisper of wind outside could be heard.
"Senju Mori!"
Before her words had even faded, a crimson Hokage hat appeared in her hands.
At its center, the bold kanji for "Fire" gleamed beneath the light, like a living flame.
Senju Mori took a deep breath and, with solemn composure, extended both hands to receive the hat that symbolized so much.
The moment his fingertips brushed its edge, a flicker of irrepressible light flashed in his eyes.
"Lord Tobirama… do you see this? The title of Hokage has at last returned to the Senju clan."
Gathering his emotions in a single breath, Senju Mori raised his arm—the deep red hat traced a graceful arc through the air before settling firmly upon his head.
Turning to face the one hundred and forty-plus jōnin below, his eyes blazed with confidence and resolve. A sure, radiant smile spread across his face as he declared in a resounding voice:
"A new era for Konoha shall begin with me!"
"From this day forth, I am the Third Hokage of Konoha!"