The words "future Fifth Hokage" struck Danzō right in the heart.
Hearing it made him feel a satisfaction so deep, so utterly genuine, it was intoxicating.
"Ha… hahahaha!"
Danzō burst into raucous laughter, his voice brimming with arrogance—like the maniacal laugh of a villain in the climax of a film, his grand scheme finally complete.
The two advisors felt a cold chill rise within them.
Fifth Hokage?!
What is Danzō scheming now?!
Shock and fury welled up inside them, but Danzō paid them no heed. He walked forward with deliberate calm, positioning himself before the assembled clans and the minor lords of allied nations. Behind him, his Root operatives silently blended into the larger formation of Root, reinforcing the divide that was now plain to see—
On one side, the two advisors.
On the other, Danzō, Root, and the gathered clan leaders.
"This can't be…" The advisors' unease grew heavier.
Impossible. Since when did Danzō have such influence?
For dozens of clans to side with him—if Danzō had possessed this ability earlier, the Third Hokage's seat would never have been secure.
Danzō could barely contain his elation. He raised his voice, saying:
"The Sand have betrayed our alliance. Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, has unfortunately fallen in battle."
"But the village cannot go a single day without its Shadow. Therefore, a Fifth Hokage must be chosen at once."
The two advisors' hearts sank.
Danzō paused, his one eye sweeping across the crowd, carefully reading every expression. Seeing Koharu and Homura's faces dark as soot, he smirked and continued:
"Who would have thought? The Daimyō himself holds me in such esteem that he has entrusted me with the mantle of Fifth Hokage."
The advisors' blood ran cold.
Danzō had even won over the Daimyō? When had he ever been capable of such cunning?
"Still…" Danzō went on, feigning humility, "such a momentous decision as electing a Hokage should not be taken lightly."
"For fairness' sake, let us vote. Who here supports me? Who objects?"
His meaning was crystal clear. He all but declared himself Hokage outright.
Compared to Sarutobi's political finesse, Danzō's approach was crude and heavy-handed. But such bluntness had its own advantage—cutting through the mess, pushing the matter to a swift conclusion.
"I object." Naturally, the first voices of dissent were the two advisors. Homura was first to speak:
"Danzō, you are not fit to serve as the Fifth Hokage."
Usually, the two played whichever side benefited them—sometimes "The Third is right," sometimes "Danzō is right." But when it came to the Hokage seat, they were firm.
Danzō could not be Hokage. That had always been the consensus within Konoha's higher-ups.
They had known him for decades. They knew exactly what kind of man he was.
He lacked the caliber, and he lacked the qualification.
"We have a far more suitable candidate," Homura pressed.
"Lady Tsunade is the one best suited to become Fifth Hokage."
Even if the situation was dire, they had no choice but to insist.
"…Very well." Danzō's expression darkened.
"I," came another voice. It was Hattori, president of the great Shipping Company. Under the startled gazes of the two advisors, he declared, "Of course, I give my full support to Danzō-sama as Fifth Hokage."
"If financial aid is needed, our Shipping Company will be the first to provide it. We are Konoha's most loyal ally."
"You—!" Koharu and Homura's eyes widened in shock.
But with Hattori's statement, other daimyō soon followed.
"Our Land of Snow supports Danzō."
"Danzō-sama has the support of Hozuki Castle."
"The Land of Demons as well."
One ally might not sway much—but several? A dozen? That was another matter entirely.
While they could not directly dictate who became Hokage, their combined support—together with the Daimyō's backing—gave Danzō far more legitimacy than most.
Then came the voices of the clan leaders.
"The Hyūga Clan stands with him."
"So does the Akimichi Clan."
"…As do we."
The clans' statements carried even more weight. They represented Konoha's middle echelon.
As for the lower class civilians—there were none present.
By this point, only a handful of ANBU and the two advisors remained silent. In other words, the so-called "Konoha leadership."
The advisors saw the shift and immediately tried to change sides.
Too late.
Shhhk!
Root blades pierced their hearts from behind—so fast that few even registered the movement.
"Those who show disrespect to Danzō… shall die."
It was Fugaku's voice that rang across the courtyard.
The two advisors' mouths opened, but only choking sounds escaped. Lightning paralysis sealed their tongues.
They were not weak shinobi—but long years of comfort in high office had dulled their edge. Age had sapped their bodies. And least of all did they expect Fugaku to strike from the shadows.
One strike was enough.
As the ANBU moved to react, Root operatives had already placed blades against their throats.
"What a pity," Danzō said with mock sorrow. "I had long since grown weary of your meddling."
In truth, he cared nothing for their deaths. Anyone who stood in the way of his path to Hokage would be eliminated. His obsession with the seat of Hokage had long since twisted into madness.
It was his lifelong fixation.
"And so… the position of Fifth Hokage belongs to me, and me alone."
A faint smile tugged at his lips—half-apologetic, half-threatening: 'Sorry… but anyone who resists me will die.'
And so, Danzō Shimura was installed as the Fifth Hokage of Konoha.
If this broken village could still be called Konoha.
Unanimous approval—or rather, unanimous coercion—cemented Danzō's ascent.
The ceremony was meager, the robes secondhand.
But none of that mattered.
Danzō's trembling hands received the Hokage hat, inscribed with the kanji for "fire."
His heart burned hot in his chest.
Decades of ambition, finally realized.
Placing the hat upon his head, Danzō declared loudly:
"From this day forth, I am the Fifth Hokage!"
"Danzō-sama" Hattori spoke again as the ceremony concluded, whispering in his ear, "Allow me to present you with another gift."
And then Danzō saw him—Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, barely clinging to life after using the Dead Demon Consuming Seal.
"Hahaha!"
Danzō was ecstatic. At last, he could gloat to his old comrade.
Leaning down, he whispered with savage pride:
"Sarutobi… I, Shimura Danzō, am the Hokage."
The Third closed his eyes in sorrow. Danzō mistook it for unwillingness, and laughed all the harder.
"Take the Fifth Hokage away to rest!" he ordered.
Blinded by his triumph, Danzō never noticed Naruto's subtle words, nor the pity in the eyes of the clan heads, nor the scorn upon the faces of the minor lords.
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