The moment Shimura Danzō finished speaking, the room fell into stunned silence.
Uchiha Fugaku,
Uchiha Setsuna,
and Uchiha Yashi all stared at him as though he had just announced he intended to hug a kunai.
Setsuna was the first to snap.
"Danzō, did you wake up too early and forget to wash your face? Maybe go splash some water and listen to yourself again."
Danzō cast him a flat look.
"Are you the clan head? Or does the Uchiha now answer to you?"
"You—!"
Setsuna shot to his feet.
Yashi grabbed him quickly. "The Clan Head is here. Sit down."
With a cold snort, Setsuna reluctantly returned to his seat, fury simmering beneath the surface.
Uchiha Jin finally spoke.
"If you want the Uchiha's support, Elder Danzō, perhaps you should adjust your attitude first."
Danzō shook his head without hesitation.
"My attitude toward the Uchiha has always been the same. It will remain the same."
"I oppose your clan's temperament, not your existence. The Uchiha are prone to extremism. That is a threat to the village."
"For the sake of Konoha, I will never lower my guard against you."
The bluntness of it darkened every Uchiha expression in the room.
Hostility was no longer concealed.
Jin spread his hands lightly.
"In that case, what is there to discuss?"
"Between Minato and you, we would obviously choose Minato."
Namikaze Minato.
Danzō let out a faint, mocking chuckle.
"Hiruzen once told me the Uchiha had finally produced a clever man. He even worried about it."
"But now? It seems this 'clever man' isn't quite as clever as advertised."
Setsuna slammed his palm against the table.
"Danzō! Don't forget where you are. You are in Uchiha territory. Push your luck and you won't leave!"
Danzō didn't so much as blink.
"Am I wrong?"
"When matters involve a clan or a village, the truly intelligent speak of interests."
"Only fools act based on personal preference."
"If not for your rare anomaly"—his gaze flicked toward Jin—"I would not have come at all."
Jin raised a hand, silencing Setsuna again.
"Since you prefer directness, let's speak plainly."
"For this Fourth Hokage election, everyone knows Minato stands behind Sarutobi Hiruzen."
"Status? Hiruzen is the Third Hokage. You are merely an elder and advisor."
"Strength? He is hailed as the strongest Hokage of his era. You are a one-eyed, one-armed veteran."
"Influence? He controls ANBU, the Academy, mission administration, and holds the backing of Koharu, Homura, and Nara Shikaku. You have Root."
"The gap is obvious."
"No matter how one calculates it, Hiruzen can offer us more."
"So tell me—where does your confidence come from?"
Danzō did not flare up.
Everything Jin said was true.
On paper, Hiruzen overshadowed him completely.
But politics was never that simple.
"You are correct," Danzō said evenly. "Hiruzen's influence is vast."
"But because it is vast, the cake must be divided among many."
"He distrusts the Uchiha no less than I do. I merely draw the hatred openly, allowing him to wear a mask of benevolence."
"In that situation, how much can he truly give you?"
His eye sharpened.
"With me, it is different."
"If you support me, the Uchiha will eat until you are full."
"The difference between adding flowers to brocade and delivering coal in winter—you understand that."
Jin studied him carefully.
Under the sunlight, Danzō no longer looked like a shadow-bound conspirator.
For a brief moment, he resembled someone who could actually sit in the Hokage's chair.
Jin shook his head lightly.
"We've heard sweet promises before."
"Give us something concrete."
He wanted to see just how low Danzō's bottom line truly was.
Danzō did not hesitate.
"Hiruzen's offer to you consists mostly of minor posts and a few positions within border defense."
"Minato is nothing more than his proxy. When Minato ascends, policy will not change. Your status will not change."
"You will receive funds—but remain outside the core decision-making circle."
"Still suppressed. Still reactive."
He leaned forward.
"But if you support me…"
"My relationship with Hiruzen, Koharu, and Homura is already fractured beyond repair."
"When I become Fourth Hokage, the village administration will undergo a complete reshuffle."
"I will honor everything Hiruzen promised."
"And beyond that—"
He paused.
"I will grant the Uchiha a seat among the village elders."
"You will enter the true core of decision-making."
Silence.
Heavy.
Even Jin's composure faltered for a split second.
Fugaku, Setsuna, and Yashi stared at Danzō as if he had just torn off his own skin and laid it on the table.
A village elder's seat.
That was not a token post.
That was power.
Real power.
Jin slowly exhaled.
For the sake of becoming Hokage—
Danzō had truly sold even his last pair of undergarments.
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