When Fugaku asked Aozora for his opinion, he immediately came up with three strategies.
The best one, he proposed, was to cast all Uchiha votes for Guai, then leak the fact that the Uchiha fully backed him.
Originally, Guai held a huge advantage over Hiashi. Retired ninjas, commoner ninjas, and even some clan members from the Hokage Faction would have voted for Guai.
However, with Torifu's emergence, many neutral and retired ninjas, as well as commoners, might switch their support to Akimichi Torifu.
Torifu would inevitably steal part of Guai's voter base, thus significantly narrowing the gap between Hiashi and Guai.
If the Uchiha cast all their votes for Guai, he would definitely win, causing rifts between the Hyuga Clan and the Hokage Faction. Worse still, if Hiashi found out the Uchiha had voted for Guai, he'd question the election's integrity, severely damaging the Hokage Faction's prestige.
After hearing Aozora out, Fugaku paused in thought before fully understanding his reasoning.
This time, instead of applauding enthusiastically as usual, Fugaku outright rejected Aozora's suggestion.
"A noble clan must never resort to underhanded tactics!"
That was Fugaku's firm stance.
Aozora initially didn't take it seriously. But when questioned by Torifu about his choice later, he realized how wise Fugaku's decision had been.
What he proposed—the best strategy—was a scheme; at times, it could bring massive advantages, but simultaneously place oneself in moral jeopardy.
If the Uchiha ballots had truly listed Guai's name, would he be able to lie to Torifu, who was close to him?
Would those lies fool someone as perceptive as Inoichi or Shikaku?
If he refused to lie, would the Ino-Shika-Cho alliance—the legendary trio—still want to work with a "calculating" Uchiha?
The Uchiha had already stood invincible—so why drag themselves into mud for such limited gain?
Aozora suddenly understood: For future growth, the Uchiha should no longer rely on schemes and machinations, but rather on grand strategies—what the ancients called yang mou (open, legitimate plots).
Besides, supporting Hiashi entirely could lead to something even more interesting.
Aozora's composed demeanor and sincere gaze immediately won over Torifu and the others.
Why would the Uchiha support the Hyuga? Did they also seek collaboration?
Before they could think deeper, a voice from the center of the plaza drew everyone's attention.
"The voting has ended. Now we begin counting the ballots!"
As Hiruzen Sarutobi announced this, two ninjas stepped forward, approaching the ballot box to start the count.
"Torifu Akimichi, one vote!"
"Torifu Akimichi, one vote!"
"Guai, one vote!"
"Hiashi Hyuga, one vote!"
"..."
One ninja called out each ballot while another marked strokes beneath corresponding names written on a blackboard.
The blackboard sat right in the center of the plaza, where every ninja could clearly see the election results with their sharp eyes.
Contrary to expectations, Torifu did receive the most votes, yet the gap between him, Guai, and Hiashi remained narrow.
On the blackboard, each of the three's names bore numerous tally marks, while the rest had only a few strokes beside their names—some even remained completely empty.
Ding and Choza looked tense watching the intense race, as did Inoichi and others. But Torifu remained unusually relaxed.
He even teased Aozora with a grin: "Check it out! I'm still a few votes short of beating you guys."
Aozora shook his head. "There's certainly a place among the Hokage Deputies for Torifu Akimichi, sir."
As soon as Aozora finished speaking, Torifu Akimichi's vote count began to pull away from the other two.
Torifu laughed heartily. "Aozora, did you awaken a bloodline limit of persuasive speech? You actually spoke it into reality!"
Aozora gave a soft smile and shook his head.
Torifu Akimichi had the backing of Ino–Shika–Cho and carried great prestige himself, so his lead was anticipated.
With Torifu ahead, the remaining Hokage Deputy seat would come down to Guai and Hiashi Hyuga.
Guai looked like an ordinary old farmer—calm and unshaken.
Hiashi Hyuga carried himself like a noble clan leader, his expression stern and commanding.
Their votes alternated in the lead, drawing everyone's attention.
The vote counting slowed further, yet Guai and Hiashi Hyuga remained neck-and-neck.
"Guai—one vote!"
Hiashi Hyuga's face paled slightly.
"Hiashi Hyuga—one vote!"
His complexion regained some color.
...
Aozora had exceptionally sharp eyesight; even without activating his Sharingan, he clearly saw Hiashi Hyuga's shifting expressions.
He knew that no matter the outcome, the Hokage faction wouldn't escape unscathed.
If Hiashi lost by such a narrow margin, even if he didn't openly complain, he would surely harbor doubts about the Hokage faction pulling the strings behind the scenes.
If Hiashi got what he wanted, maybe the Hokage faction could enjoy a few peaceful days.
But once he caught a whiff of power's fragrance, would he truly be content being a puppet deputy? A man with both status and strength would naturally seek more influence.
Even if Hiashi tried to consider the bigger picture, the entire Hyuga clan behind him would drive him onward.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, the ballot counting was reaching its final stage.
Aozora quickly scanned the blackboard and tallied the votes:
Torifu Akimichi: 98
Guai: 61
Hiashi Hyuga: 60
Others: 13
The ninja retrieving the ballots fumbled inside the box for quite a while before finally pulling out the last slip.
At this moment, veins bulged at Hiashi Hyuga's temples as he activated his Byakugan.
Under such close range, the ballot in the ninja's hand was plainly visible to him.
The moment the slip unfolded, Hiashi Hyuga's expression darkened—the name didn't start with *Hi*, *Gu*, or even *Qiu*. It started with *Shan*.
"Shanchuan Ping—one vote!"
On the blackboard, Shanchuan Ping's tally remained empty.
This single vote meant nothing to Shanchuan, but everything to Hiashi.
When a mark appeared beneath Shanchuan Ping's name, Shanchuan couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Meanwhile, the entire Hyuga contingent wore grim expressions, their pale white robes making them look genuinely unsettling.
When the results were clear, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other two elders exchanged glances, visibly exhaling in relief.
Without keeping anyone waiting, Hiruzen Sarutobi announced directly, "The winners of this Hokage Deputy election are… Torifu Akimichi and Guai."
As he made the announcement, Sarutobi deliberately glanced at Hiashi Hyuga, worried he might act disrespectfully in anger.
Hiashi Hyuga's face twisted through several emotions before he finally managed an ugly smile and slowly clapped his hands. His clansmen followed stiffly with equally lifeless applause.
Despite Hiashi Hyuga's inability to fully mask his feelings, Aozora still admired his composure.
Staying until the very end, Hiashi not leaving right away was already quite courteous toward everyone.
After the applause ended, Hiruzen announced the dismissal of the Jonin and summoned the higher-ups to the grand conference room on the third floor.
Aozora already understood that the meeting would discuss year-end work arrangements, so he gave up this excellent chance to impress the higher-ups.
Just as he was about to leave the plaza, Aozora saw Shanchuan Ping, still wearing a broad smile.
Before he knew it, he had walked over and asked, "Senior Jonin Shanchuan Ping, hello!"
Shanchuan Ping turned around to greet him, puzzled. "Do I know you?"
Aozora shook his head. "I'm just curious why you're so happy."
Upon hearing this, Shanchuan Ping happily shared, "I never thought someone would actually cast a vote for me!"
Aozora's expression subtly changed. "Didn't you vote for yourself?"
"Certainly not!" Shanchuan Ping replied indignantly. "The person I admire most is Lord Torifu. If I had known he would run, I wouldn't have nominated myself!"
Saying that, he laughed again.
"Who even has that good taste to vote for me!"
Aozora stood silently, watching Shanchuan Ping walk away.
He didn't know if it was just a coincidence, but he had no plans to make a big deal out of it.
But he would remember this Jonin Confidence Vote, and keep in mind every mistake and suspicious detail.
He believed that someday, those experiences would come in handy for someone from the Uchiha clan.
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