The conference hall remained deathly silent.
No one had expected Hiruzen to go this far.
Jiraiya.
Tsunade.
Orochimaru.
The three of them stood frozen.
Compared to everyone else...
They were even more shocked.
Because until this moment...
None of them had known Hiruzen intended to make such a decision.
"What are you saying, old man?"
Jiraiya was the first to break the silence.
He took a step forward.
"Have you gone senile?"
Tsunade finally came back to her senses.
She walked straight toward Hiruzen.
Her brows were tightly furrowed.
"What kind of decision is this?"
Her voice carried both anger and disbelief.
Even Orochimaru frowned.
"Sensei..."
"Stepping down as Hokage is one thing..."
"But this..."
He slowly looked around the conference hall.
Nearly every Clan Head wore a shocked expression.
Many Jonin were staring at Hiruzen in disbelief.
Only two people remained calm.
Elder Kiyo.
And Grand Elder Setsuna.
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed slightly.
Did they already know...?
His gaze shifted toward Homura and Koharu.
Neither of them looked surprised.
Instead...
Their faces were filled with regret.
That alone was enough to give him his answer.
Shikaku slowly stood up.
"Hokage-sama..."
"You can't do this."
His usually calm voice had become much heavier.
"It won't only erase everything you've accomplished during your years as Hokage..."
"It will damage Konoha's reputation as well."
He looked around at the other Clan Heads.
"What will the other hidden villages think when they hear about this?"
Several Clan Heads silently nodded.
Even those who disagreed with Hiruzen on many matters couldn't deny Shikaku's concern.
Hiashi was the next to speak.
"Hokage-sama."
His voice remained respectful.
"If this happens..."
"Konoha will become the laughingstock of the entire shinobi world."
The atmosphere grew even heavier.
Hiruzen quietly listened to everyone.
Only after they had finished did he slowly raise his hand.
"I've already made my decision."
His calm voice echoed through the hall.
"Someone has to answer to the Fire Daimyo."
"And someone has to bear responsibility."
He looked at every shinobi gathered before him.
"If that person must be me..."
"So be it."
A faint smile appeared on his tired face.
"For Konoha..."
"I can bear this burden."
Silence.
No one spoke again.
Not because they agreed.
But because they understood...
Hiruzen had already made up his mind.
Even if every person in the hall opposed him...
He wouldn't change his decision.
At that moment...
Elder Kiyo slowly stood up.
Every gaze immediately shifted toward him.
He looked at Hiruzen for a long moment before speaking.
"...Very well."
His voice was calm.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
It wasn't a victory.
Nor of mockery.
It was sympathy.
Looking at Hiruzen now...
Even he couldn't help feeling a little pity.
"The Fire Daimyo never intended to destroy Konoha."
His eyes slowly swept across the conference hall.
"There is no benefit for the Capital in weakening its own military."
He paused for a moment.
"But..."
"That doesn't mean Konoha is free to do whatever it wishes."
His expression gradually became serious.
"Every action..."
"Has consequences."
"Whether you accept them..."
"Or not."
The hall remained silent.
Elder Kiyo's gaze finally settled on Hiruzen, Homura, and Koharu.
"As for whether those shinobi truly belonged to Konoha..."
He slowly shook his head.
"I believe..."
"You already know the answer in your hearts."
His eyes swept across the gathered Clan Heads.
"And so does everyone standing in this hall."
He let out a quiet sigh.
"There is no need to insult everyone's intelligence."
Homura immediately stepped forward.
"Elder Kiyo, we—"
Before he could continue...
Elder Kiyo calmly raised his hand.
Homura fell silent.
"This matter ends here."
His voice left no room for argument.
"I will personally relay everything that has happened today..."
"To the Fire Daimyo."
The conference hall fell silent once more.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
Everyone understood...
Konoha's fate was no longer in their hands.
It now rested with the Fire Daimyo.
"Thank you for your understanding, Elder Kiyo."
After a long silence, Hiruzen finally spoke.
"From this point onward..."
"Everything depends on the Fire Daimyo's decision."
His weary eyes slowly swept across the shinobi standing before him.
"But..."
Hiruzen's voice echoed through the silent hall.
"Konoha cannot remain without a Hokage."
He slowly looked across the gathered shinobi.
"So..."
"In the presence of Elder Kiyo, the Fire Daimyo's envoy..."
"Elder Homura will now introduce the candidates for the position of Hokage."
With that, Hiruzen quietly sat back down.
All eyes turned toward Homura.
Homura slowly stood up.
He glanced around the conference hall before speaking.
"After careful discussion..."
"The Elder Council has selected three candidates."
"They are the shinobi who earned the greatest achievements during this war."
The moment those words were spoken...
Many people's eyes instinctively moved toward Orochimaru and Minato.
No one found it surprising.
Among Konoha's younger generation...
Those two had achieved the greatest military accomplishments.
Homura opened the scroll in his hand.
"The first candidate..."
"...Orochimaru."
Everyone's attention shifted toward him.
Homura continued.
"During the war..."
"He fought against both the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki and the Fourth Raikage."
"And successfully prevented the enemy from breaking through our borders."
Several Jonin nodded quietly.
No one questioned those achievements.
Homura moved to the next name.
"The second candidate..."
"...Minato Namikaze."
A faint smile appeared on Minato's face as countless eyes turned toward him.
Homura looked at Minato before continuing.
"Minato Namikaze and his team accomplished numerous extraordinary feats during this war."
"The Battle of Kannabi Bridge..."
"...was one of them."
His gaze slowly shifted toward Fugaku.
"During that battle..."
"Uchiha Obito..."
"A young shinobi of the Uchiha Clan..."
"Demonstrated the true meaning of friendship."
"And the Will of Fire."
The moment Obito's name was spoken...
Minato's smile disappeared.
His expression gradually became complicated.
A faint pain flashed through his eyes.
He still remembered his student.
Meanwhile...
Fugaku silently lowered his head.
Despite everything happening around him...
A trace of pride appeared in his heart.
Obito...
Was still an Uchiha.
Homura continued reading from the scroll.
"We also witnessed the sacrifice of Nohara Rin."
"A young kunoichi..."
"Who willingly gave up her own life rather than allow the enemy to use her against Konoha."
"Even in her final moments..."
"She proved that the Will of Fire could never be extinguished."
The hall remained silent.
Many shinobi unconsciously lowered their heads.
Finally...
Homura looked toward Minato once more.
"Despite witnessing the deaths of his own students..."
"Minato Namikaze did not allow their sacrifice to become meaningless."
"He defeated the A-B Brothers."
"And through his achievements on the battlefield..."
"He earned the title..."
"...The Yellow Flash of Konoha."
Silence filled the conference hall.
No one questioned Minato's qualifications.
His achievements had already become legendary, even before the war had fully ended.
At that moment...
Grand Elder Setsuna, who was standing beside Elder Kiyo, quietly looked at the scene unfolding before him.
"...What a hypocrite."
His voice was low.
Only Elder Kiyo, standing beside him, heard those words.
He glanced sideways.
"What do you mean?"
Setsuna let out a faint chuckle.
He looked toward Minato before replying.
"Minato Namikaze earned the title of Yellow Flash..."
"...before his students died."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Also..."
"Did you notice the difference in how the two candidates were introduced?"
Elder Kiyo remained silent.
He thought back to Homura's words.
Orochimaru's achievements.
Minato's achievements.
Then...
Obito.
Rin.
The Will of Fire.
The sacrifices of his students.
A thoughtful expression appeared on his face.
He slowly looked toward Minato once again.
Now...
It was obvious.
The village leadership wasn't just introducing the candidates.
They were quietly guiding everyone's opinion.
Just then...
Homura's voice echoed through the hall once again.
"The third candidate..."
"...Uchiha Fugaku."
The attention of the entire conference hall instantly shifted.
Even Elder Kiyo and Setsuna turned toward Homura.
Fugaku himself was visibly stunned.
He hadn't expected his name to be called.
Homura continued reading from the scroll.
"During the Third Shinobi War..."
"Uchiha Fugaku, together with the Uchiha Clan..."
"Successfully held back the Hidden Mist forces."
"Despite suffering from a severe lack of supplies..."
"And despite receiving almost no reinforcements."
Many Jonin quietly nodded.
Everyone remembered those difficult days.
Homura continued,
"Every shinobi here knows..."
"How Konoha was surrounded by enemies on every front."
"How desperately we lacked manpower."
"And how scarce our supplies had become."
He slowly looked toward Fugaku.
"Yet..."
"The Uchiha Clan chose to use its own resources to defend the village."
"They proved once again why they are one of Konoha's founding clans."
Silence filled the hall.
Even many shinobi who had never liked the Uchiha couldn't deny those achievements.
At that moment...
Hiruzen slowly stood up.
His eyes rested on Fugaku.
A gentle smile appeared on his tired face.
"Clan Head Fugaku..."
"For you to continuously place your trust in Konoha..."
"Even after being wronged time and time again..."
"...the village will always remain grateful for it."
Fugaku's eyes widened slightly.
He hadn't expected to hear those words from Hokage.
Hiruzen slowly turned toward the gathered shinobi.
His voice remained steady.
"A shinobi..."
"And a Clan Head..."
"Who has given so much to Konoha without asking for anything in return..."
He paused.
"I cannot think of anyone more worthy of becoming Hokage."
The conference hall instantly fell silent.
Every Clan Head looked at Hiruzen in disbelief.
Even Homura and Koharu couldn't hide the surprise in their eyes.
Then...
Hiruzen looked directly at Fugaku.
A faint smile remained on his face.
"I, along with the Sarutobi Clan..."
"...give my full support..."
"...to Uchiha Clan Head Fugaku."
His voice echoed throughout the hall.
"I believe..."
"...that after everything the Uchiha Clan has sacrificed for this village..."
"It is time..."
"...for the Uchiha to become Hokage."
The conference hall fell into complete silence.
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Author's Note:The political storm in Konoha has only just begun. A single decision has changed the direction of the village, and from the next chapter onward, you'll finally see how every faction, clan, and nation reacts to today's announcement. The real ripple effects begin now. Thank you, as always, for reading and supporting Uchiha: Rise of the Golden Hawk.