Sakumo Hatake had completely transformed his manner overnight, unsettling many Konoha jonin who were accustomed to reasoning with him.
"The White Fang has undergone a complete transformation."
Through chakra-based sound transmissions among jonin of various clans, they couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Compared to the previous Sakumo—who was gentle like jade, courteous, and a true gentleman—the current version suddenly becoming authoritarian, domineering, and uncompromising seemed far more convincing. This new side of him clearly possessed the leadership qualities necessary for ruling Konoha.
Therefore, although these jonin constantly criticized the White Fang's autocratic behavior through private transmissions to fellow clan leaders, their actual choices on ballots spoke differently—mostly in favor or abstaining, with virtually no outright opposition!
Especially those jonin representing clans within the Coalition of Ninja Clans who maintained close ties with the Hyuga Clan could glance sideways and immediately notice the collective decision being made by the Hyuga Clan representatives. They followed suit accordingly. After all, with the current situation in Konoha developing so rapidly and chaotically, going along with the majority just seemed safer—this way, if disaster struck, there would always be the Hyuga to take the first hit.
However, things weren't so simple for jonin aligned with the Hokage faction.
Though there were also internal disagreements inside the Ino–Shika–Cho triad alliance—for instance, the Yamanaka leaning toward appeasement while the Akimichi remained indifferent—the Nara clan, as strategic advisors, had deep mutual interests tied with the Sarutobi. Therefore, under strong advocacy from the Nara, the final decision of the entire Ino–Shika–Cho alliance became that all clan jonin would follow whatever course the Sarutobi decided.
Naturally, this solidified the division among factions supporting the amendment.
The first person to rise and approach the voting podium was Hyuga Soushu.
He made no attempt at concealment, boldly holding up his ballot with a clear mark indicating approval as he walked toward the ballot box on stage. All subordinate Hyuga jonin stood simultaneously, preparing to line up and cast their votes.
Deep inside, Sakumo Hatake felt a whirlwind of emotions, unsure what words could properly express his feelings.
Ideologically, all along, his adherence to the Will of Fire emphasizing mutual understanding had been fundamentally incompatible with Soushu Hyuga's militaristic approach.
Yet such differences in stance never affected the personal interactions between them. Especially during wartime, Soushu's decisive leadership helped avoid many unnecessary complications. His direct and decisive methods cut through enemy traps time and again—something Sakumo could never quite bring himself to do.
Although at times he expressed concerns over certain extreme actions taken by Hyuga Soushu, subtly cautioning him on several occasions, Soushu continued doing exactly as he pleased without changing, yet their friendship never deteriorated because of that.
Even now, Sakumo couldn't precisely define the nature of his relationship with Soushu.
Were they loose allies?
Fellow soldiers—or simply temporary partners united by shared interests?
None of that really mattered anymore. What was most important now was that the Hyuga Clan, led by Soushu, chose to abandon its excessive gains obtained previously under the Jonin Subdivision Bill, and took the very first stand publicly supporting him.
Actions often speak louder than intentions—a truth Sakumo knew all too well.
Therefore, as Hyuga Soushu approached the voting box to cast his ballot first, Hatake Sakumo also stood up and reached out to shake hands with him.
Everything was conveyed without words.
Immediately afterward, the group of Hyuga jonin, accounting for one-seventh of the total jonin council members, collectively cast their votes, providing strong support for Hatake Sakumo's amendment.
"The situation isn't just a little better—it's absolutely ideal!" Shirakawa Namiko smiled at Yechame Hamako beside her. "Looks like the outcome has already been decided."
"Indeed," Yechame Hamako nodded in agreement.
As he saw it, once the previously indecisive jonin from the Coalition of Ninja Clans witnessed the Hyuga Clan's unified move, they quickly followed suit. As a result, the balance of victory tilted even further toward the direction envisioned by Hatake Sakumo.
In this ebb and flow of momentum, the opposition naturally suffered setbacks.
"Let's go too!"
Shirakawa Namiko gently blew on her freshly inked ballot and stood up, heading toward the upper voting box.
Inspired by her action, Hatake Sakumo's supporters followed one after another in an orderly line to cast their votes, just like the jonin of the Hyuga Clan—they did not use any envelopes to conceal their ballots.
Soon, the undecided jonin could easily see the numbers—about two-fifths of the attendees had already cast their votes, and all of them supported Sakumo Hatake's amendment!
And that wasn't the end of it either. More civilian jonin who remained independent from any faction would continue stepping forward to vote. They might not be Sakumo's allies, but these civilian elites would never support the divisive Jonin Subdivision Bill—it trampled on their rights.
"What do you think?" Fugaku Uchiha turned around and looked at his fellow Uchiha jonin.
Fugaku had come with his father's approval, but in truth, every clan operated by its own rules. Even a clan leader couldn't dictate the will of the jonin assembly—particularly when he himself was merely an heir apparent with limited authority.
The assembled Uchiha jonin exchanged uneasy glances, clearly struggling to decide.
Judging from the current trend, whether the Uchiha Clan collectively abstained or unanimously opposed the amendment, Hatake Sakumo's proposal would still barely pass with a slight majority. In truth, their choice would not influence the final result.
Yet this also meant one thing—the Uchiha jonin collectively endorsing the amendment could not be the decisive force either. At best, it would boost Sakumo's confidence when facing off against the Third Hokage afterward—but wouldn't bring much in return.
Sighing inwardly, Fugaku Uchiha understood exactly what troubled his clansmen.
Therefore, instead of wasting more time persuading them, he simply filled in the support checkbox on his ballot right in front of everyone, then calmly stepped forward to cast his vote.
Hatake Sakumo, in turn, showed great respect by standing up to shake hands and exchange a few words with Fugaku Uchiha.
It was a promising sign.
So the Uchiha jonin soon made their choices one after another. The majority chose to support; a few jonin abstained, and there were absolutely no votes against.
"We've already passed the two-thirds threshold."
Sakumo Hatake, whose face remained expressionless, immediately felt relieved.
The situation had been decided!
What came after — well, it was just about how big or how small the win would look.
But this also determined who would hold the dominant voice when all cards were laid on the table.
However, the undecided jonin from the Hokage faction grew visibly uneasy.
Especially the Nara clan's jonin — they clearly understood what this meant.
"Maybe we should consider abstaining?"
The Yamanaka clan leader quietly asked the Nara clan leader sitting beside him.
Surrendering with partial loss was better than total defeat — that's how the Yamanaka leader saw it.
"Why so?"
The Nara leader feigned ignorance.
"You know exactly what I mean."
The Yamanaka leader refused to elaborate further.
After all, walls have ears. Speaking too plainly would only leave room for accusations. Besides, with the intelligence of the Nara clan, there was no reason they wouldn't understand his meaning.
"True strength shows when the wind blows hard,"
The Nara clan leader sighed softly without directly answering. Instead, he marked "oppose" on his ballot, then stood up and openly revealed his choice to all remaining undecided jonin.
He believed in standing firm — oppose clearly, and show it plainly. That was his stance.
The Nara jonin quickly followed suit. Ignoring entirely the decisions and opinions of the Yamanaka and Akimichi clans' jonin, they uniformly marked "oppose" and moved forward to cast their votes.
They too made no effort to conceal their voting choice.
Thus, the Nara jonin became the first significant faction to step forward en masse and vote against.
Then, under the leadership of the Nara clan leader, these Nara jonin immediately exited the venue.
Sakumo Hatake didn't even try to stop them.
The jonin of the Yamanaka and Akimichi clans exchanged glances, uncertain about what to do next. Finally, their collective gaze fell upon each of their clan leaders.
Such pressure made both leaders extremely uncomfortable.
Though they disagreed with Lord Sakumo's stance, deep down they knew that, despite doctrines like the Ninja's Three Taboos and the Will of Fire, ninjas still tended to measure their influence by strength and numbers. After all, no matter how beautiful one's ideals and ninja way sounded — no matter how eloquently expressed — in this cruel Ninja World, weakness remained an unforgivable original sin — an unshakable stain.
What changed now was that in the past, Konoha placed this original sin squarely upon rival factions, particularly the Uchiha Clan. Yet under Sakumo Hatake's wave of reform, the once completely correct Hokage faction had become the symbol of backwardness.
"Lagging behind means getting crushed. But failing to recognize one's own weakness lights the fuse of doom,"
Hyūga Soushu remarked casually to Hizashi Hyūga:
"Therefore, although 'ninjas' as a whole always claim to value endurance and humility, who among them can truly maintain consistent humility after obtaining power?"
"I believe Lord Sakumo perfectly embodies what Commander-in-Chief Soushu just described."
Yechame Hamako, whose seat wasn't far away, spoke up first.
"Of course, that's exactly why I support Sakumo-kun."
Hyuga Soushu nodded smilingly toward Hatake Sakumo on the stage before saying, "Even for the Hyuga Clan, going along with this amendment would mean losing some clout. But things built on inherent inequality are destined to collapse anyway — they're just asking for trouble. Since they bring us no real benefit, we might as well cut them loose."
"Nothing worth keeping," murmured the Yamanaka clan leader with a distant look.
Meanwhile, the Akimichi clan leader, who wore a simple-minded expression, silently continued chewing on his meat jerky.
They both got exactly what Hyuga Soushu meant.
The problem, however, was that switching sides wasn't so straightforward. After all, for a thousand years, the Ino–Shika–Cho triad had stood together through thick and thin, making it impossible for the Yamanaka leader to betray that blood pact. As for the ever-snacking Akimichi leader, he was a master of playing dumb — especially since the Akimichi clan still had an elder figure, Torifu Akimichi, from the same generation as Konoha's F4, who had been forced into retirement. Therefore, while the Akimichi clan wouldn't actually abandon the Ino–Shika–Cho alliance, they wouldn't hesitate to stir up a little trouble for Konoha's F4 behind their backs.
After careful consideration, the Yamanaka leader made his decision.
He marked 'abstention' on his ballot, held it up for the jonin from his faction to see, and then walked forward to cast it.
The Yamanaka jonin each had their own thoughts but soon began filling out ballots too. The Akimichi leader boldly drew a checkmark in the same box, imitating the choice of abstention.
You tricky old fox!"
The Yamanaka leader turned around after voting, saw the Akimichi leader's decision, and couldn't help chuckling as he said, "Since you already made your stance clear, why didn't you just stand up and say it outright?"
"I think we should just go for a nice barbecue," replied the Akimichi leader with a warm smile that barely masked his sharp wit. "How about grabbing a bite at Yakiniku Q later? It's been a while since we last got together for a meal."
"That works, but you're treating everyone from my clan!"
The Yamanaka leader gestured broadly to indicate all the Yamanaka jonin present.
"No problem! You guys have such tiny appetites anyway!"
The Akimichi leader readily accepted responsibility, then suddenly turned to Hyuga Soushu and said, "Clan Head Zongshu, I'd sincerely love the chance to share a drink and chat with you. If you could spare some time, would you do me the honor of joining me at Yakiniku Q to experience the culinary skills of our Akimichi clan?"
"No problem, but you'll have to invite everyone from my entire clan."
Hyuga Soushu smiled and motioned to include all the Hyuga jonin in his faction.
"No problem!"
The Akimichi leader slapped his chest proudly and added, "Sakumo-senpai, how about joining us for barbecue at Yakiniku Q later? The whole tab's on us!"
"Eh…"
Hatake Sakumo was genuinely taken aback. He couldn't quite figure out why the Akimichi clan had switched sides so quickly.
"Well then," Hyuga Soushu reminded gently, "since the Akimichi head made the offer, let's not let it go to waste."
"Alright!"
Sakumo Hatake quickly regained his composure and hastily announced, "The post-meeting Jonin Unit dinner will be held at Yakiniku Q—a popular barbecue joint! This time it's hosted by the Akimichi clan leader. Everyone can go voluntarily, and the expenses for the entire evening can be charged to the Jonin Unit account!"
"No, no," the Akimichi clan leader waved his hands repeatedly with a cheerful laugh. "Though the Akimichi house isn't particularly wealthy, we can easily afford a barbecue feast for such distinguished guests."
The atmosphere in the venue instantly became relaxed and lively.
Finally, those individual Jonins who hadn't voted yet quickly made their decisions—either supporting or abstaining—with absolutely zero votes cast in opposition.
This was clearly the tide of the times!
Sakumo relaxed completely.
He'd played this right!
"Now let's begin counting the votes!"
After the last attending Jonin completed voting, Sakumo opened the ballot box in front of everyone and began tallying the votes.
"A total of four hundred and seventeen ballots have been collected. Let's start by sorting these ballots according to voting intentions!"
After glancing around the venue, Sakumo's gaze settled upon Yamanaka clan leader. "I'd like to request Clan Head Yamanaka assist me with sorting these ballots."
The Yamanaka clan leader immediately accepted the task.
This action essentially served as an olive branch extended from Sakumo toward the Ino–Shika–Cho triad alliance.
Before long, the ballots were categorized based on voting preferences. Sakumo picked up the largest stack—the support votes—and recounted them carefully before loudly announcing, "The Revised Draft Act on the Direct Election of Hokage by Jonins has received 302 affirmative votes!"
The Jonin meeting hall burst into celebration at once!
This marked a tremendous victory!
Three-quarters of all Jonins had already decided. That proved Sakumo's proposal was the true voice of the people!
As for those more than one hundred non-affirmative votes, there were still...
"There are also seventy-seven abstention votes and thirty-eight opposition votes!"
Sakumo read out the remaining vote count in one breath, his heart surging with excitement, emotions difficult to contain!
"Comrades! The revised proposal has passed decisively with overwhelming approval!"
Sakumo thrust the legislative document high into the air, roaring with raw emotion, "This is Konoha's future!"
"For an even brighter Konoha!"
"Tonight—we drink till the last drop!"
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