Before the new Daimyo's inauguration, there was something even more important for all the ninja of the Sand Village.
That was the nomination and selection of the Kazekage candidate.
Another day passed.
In the early morning, a large sun slowly rose at the edge of the desert.
Along the wide riverbanks, willows swayed and oases stretched out.
The bustling docks, however, had tightened security, with work proceeding under the watchful eyes of patrols of Sand Village ninja.
Today was a big day for everyone in the Sand Village.
"Is everyone here?"
The Third Kazekage, dressed in a white Kage robe, stood in the Kazekage's office and asked the Anbu beside him.
"Elder Ebizo is still presiding over matters in the capital, and Karura is escorting the former Daimyo's ninth son. Besides them, fourteen Jonin are currently on missions outside and cannot return to the village for now. These sixteen votes have already been transferred to others to cast on their behalf."
"The remaining one hundred and thirty-one people have all been gathered in the conference room by Elder Chiyo."
The Anbu ninja knelt on one knee and reported to the Third Kazekage.
"Then let's begin."
The Third Kazekage's eyes flickered slightly, and he turned to leave the Kazekage's office, quickly arriving at the conference room.
Over a hundred Jonin were kneeling neatly on cushions resembling futons.
Some looked solemn, while others whispered amongst themselves.
These individuals formed a crucial part of the Sand Village's combat strength, the core force that allowed the Sand Village to maintain its position among the Five Great Ninja Villages, and an important bridge connecting the Sand Village's management to its grassroots ninja.
Qingshui's expression was calm as he sat in the front row.
Those around him were either very old Jonin or individuals holding important positions in various departments within the Sand Village, whose status was slightly higher among Jonin.
Of course, the status of these individuals didn't create a significant gap in standing compared to other Jonin.
This was a transcendent world where strength trumped all; as long as one was strong enough, their status would naturally be higher.
Not to mention, Qingshui was the protagonist of this event.
Thus, his seat was at the very front among all the Jonin.
Facing him was Rasa, whose expression was complex, and slightly behind him was Pakura.
Everyone had already implicitly agreed that the strength of these three surpassed that of the other Jonin.
In fact, Ebizo, Karura, and Chiyo should also be included, and if necessary, even the One-Tails Jinchuriki, Bunbuku, who had been hiding in a temple and remained reclusive, could be counted among this group.
However, Ebizo and Karura were occupied, while Chiyo, as an elder and advisor, was currently seated on the platform, preparing to assist the Kazekage in presiding over the Jonin meeting.
As for the One-Tails Jinchuriki, Bunbuku, he hadn't made a public appearance in several years.
With his increasing age and the Sand Village's past deficiencies in Sealing Jutsu, coupled with his lack of a powerful bloodline, Bunbuku's body had become severely weakened by the Tailed Beast Chakra years ago, reaching a point where he could go berserk at any moment.
When Qingshui had just graduated from the Ninja Academy, to prevent extensive damage from a Tailed Beast going berserk, Bunbuku was moved to a temple outside the Sand Village, guarded by Anbu.
Aside from a disciple, Hōichi, who attended to him daily, Bunbuku's only contact was with the Anbu and the high-ranking officials of the Sand Village.
Although Chiyo had invented the Great Funeral Seal, a powerful Sealing Jutsu capable of sealing Tailed Beasts, this year, greatly reducing the probability of a Tailed Beast rampage, Bunbuku's body had, after all, been corroded by the Tailed Beast's Chakra for many years.
And he wasn't like the Uzumaki Clan, who possessed naturally strong bodies, vigorous vitality, and massive Chakra reserves; his life force had already been severely depleted.
According to Chiyo's diagnosis, as long as he didn't exert himself, Bunbuku could live for another six or seven years.
If any accidents occurred in between, or if the Sand Village decided to send the One-Tails Jinchuriki to the battlefield, this time would be further shortened.
Previously, the Sand Village had been selecting ninja with better physiques and larger Chakra reserves to serve as Tailed Beast containers until a suitable Jinchuriki was found.
However, with Uzumaki Ayane, a pure-blooded Uzumaki, now present, the Sand Village wasn't very concerned about this aspect. They only needed to transfer Shukaku into Uzumaki Ayane's body before Bunbuku could no longer hold on.
Now, the Third Kazekage even planned to arrange the marriage between Uzumaki Ayane and Sada, hoping to quickly produce offspring with Uzumaki blood.
The latter was quite resistant; Sada didn't want to give up an entire forest for one tree. With his looks and his position as a Sand Village Jonin, he could "dig up" most of the "trees" in the forest.
These matters were not for Qingshui to worry about.
As the Third Kazekage slowly walked into the conference room and took his seat at the head of the table, the room fell silent.
"Fellow Jonin, the reason I have gathered you here today is to hold a meeting to nominate the village's Jonin, Qingshui, as a Kazekage candidate.
The process for nominating a Kazekage candidate is identical to the process after a candidate is selected in the Kazekage election. It will be decided by a vote from the Kazekage and the village's numerous Jonin. If the nominee receives more than two-thirds of the total votes, they will then proceed to the capital to gain the Daimyo's approval, upon which they can become a Kazekage candidate.
If there are any objections, please voice them within three minutes."
The Third Kazekage looked at the Sand Village Jonin below and spoke.
There was no need for anyone to explain Qingshui and his accomplishments to these Jonin, who held a certain status within the Sand Village.
Even Sand Village villagers who paid a little attention to current events mostly knew Qingshui's name.
Since the successful completion of the canal two years ago, Qingshui's name had been frequently mentioned during that period.
As the youngest genius Jonin and a disciple of Elder Chiyo and Ebizo, two elders whose status was second only to the Kazekage, Qingshui truly entered the awareness of Sand Village ninja at that time. He accumulated his first bit of prestige through the canal construction project and assembled his first team with the help of comrades in the Puppet Force.
At that time, he was merely a highly promising new star within the village. Even Chiyo had not anticipated that in just two years, Qingshui would be qualified to be chosen as a Kazekage candidate, securing the position of the Fourth Kazekage.
It was only last year, when Qingshui successfully awakened Separation Release and had that sparring match with the Third Kazekage on the training grounds, that people realized this genius had already grown enough to contend for the Kazekage position, possessing combat strength at the pinnacle of the Ninja World.
However, at that time, most Sand Village ninja generally believed that Rasa, being the Third Kazekage's direct disciple and older, was more competitive. No matter how talented Qingshui was, it would still take several more years for him to possibly contend with Rasa.
So, from that point on, some people began to invest in Qingshui.
Some of these people disliked Rasa, some believed it wasn't yet time for the Third Kazekage to retire and that Qingshui could eventually surpass Rasa, while others simply hedged their bets.
But no one expected Qingshui to rise so quickly.
Even if your strength improves rapidly, you still need time to build your own faction, win over Jonin, gain votes, and accumulate enough merit and prestige, right?
Even if your teachers are Chiyo and Ebizo, two powerful elders who hold multiple positions in the Sand Village and can help you avoid many detours, in peacetime, that would still take several years, wouldn't it?
Yet Qingshui once again changed their perceptions.
The emergence and popularization of new Puppetry and Breathing Styles earned Qingshui a great deal of prestige and support.
In the field of Puppetry, he had become an indispensable figure for any Puppet Master, just as one cannot study physics without encountering Newton, Einstein, and Maxwell.
His reputation among Puppet Masters was at its peak.
And the introduction of Breathing Styles and the Advanced Swordplay Class made almost all Jonin in the Sand Village indebted to Qingshui.
Because Breathing Styles genuinely improved their strength.
Furthermore, the Chakra Energy Vehicles and various production lines brought about by the new Puppetry also greatly increased the Sand Village's mission quota and increased ninja income.
Though, the number of missions these ninja had to undertake also increased.
Anyone with eyes could see that Rasa, with his limited abilities, couldn't contend with Qingshui.
If the Third Kazekage, the leader of the Sand Village, were to play favorites, and Rasa himself were to exert more effort and rise to the occasion, there might still be a slight chance.
But now, it seemed the Third Kazekage had already made a decision, choosing Qingshui, who could bring more value to the Sand Village.
Otherwise, without the Kazekage's approval, this meeting to nominate a Kazekage candidate wouldn't even have started.
Rasa no longer had a chance, and whether Qingshui would secure the Kazekage candidate position was no longer in doubt.
No Jonin is foolish; they naturally knew what to do.
No one wanted to be marginalized in the future. Even the small number of people who had grievances with Chiyo and Ebizo would not cast dissenting votes at this time.
With the overall situation decided, they didn't even abstain; instead, they cast affirmative votes, hoping for reconciliation in the future.
Casting this vote might not guarantee reconciliation, but not casting it would make reconciliation much harder in the future.
Qingshui was only in his teens now, ensuring that this faction would not weaken for several decades and might even gain control of the Sand Village.
No matter how powerful Chiyo and Ebizo were, they were only elders, not the Kazekage, so they couldn't control them.
But if their disciple became Kazekage, it would be different.
As long as there wasn't an irreconcilable conflict, even at some cost, they hoped to resolve it.
No one wanted to become a marginalized figure, or even be targeted, for the rest of their lives, along with their disciples and descendants.
As the saying goes, when you are strong enough, everyone around you is a good person.
The first person to vote was Sasori.
He had been promoted to Jonin a week prior after completing an S-rank intelligence verification mission, making him the most recently promoted Jonin present, and thus the first to vote.
He was also the youngest of the Sand Village's hundred-plus Jonin.
Becoming a Jonin at thirteen and a half, just a few months younger than Qingshui at the time, placed him among the top three in Sand Village history.
Sasori held his ballot, nodded to Qingshui, and cast an affirmative vote.
After him was Oyakata En.
The Chinoike Clan had been out of touch with the current Ninja World for a long time. Even though Oyakata En possessed Elite Jonin-level strength, he was only promoted by the Third Kazekage after undergoing certain training and completing some difficult missions.
He naturally also cast an affirmative vote.
One Jonin after another cast their votes into the "affirmative" slot.
A few Jonin in the middle cast two or even three votes; this was because they were voting on behalf of Jonin who couldn't return to the village in time and had already obtained their opinions.
If contact couldn't be made, that vote was passively counted as an abstention.
Before long, the clear box representing "affirmative" was full, while there were only two solitary votes representing "abstention."
These represented two Jonin who couldn't send their replies in time.
As for "opposed," there were currently no votes.
Soon, it was Pakura's turn to step forward.
She winked her beautiful eyes at Qingshui and dropped her ballot into the nearly full clear box.
In truth, at this point, there was no need to continue voting.
The total votes had long since exceeded two-thirds.
However, the necessary procedures still had to be followed.
Rasa's face was impassive as he cast Karura's vote into the "abstain" slot. Then, a struggling expression appeared on his face. He looked up at the Third Kazekage, who was sitting quietly on the high platform, then turned to Qingshui, who was watching him. Finally, he stiffly pushed his vote into the "affirmative" box, then returned to his original position without looking back and closed his eyes.
From that moment on, he truly lost, because even he himself made a move that could be seen as surrender.
Rasa could only convince himself by arguing that Qingshui would bring more benefits and value to the Sand Village than he would.
"Qingshui, it's your turn next."
Elder Chiyo, standing below the platform, said to her disciple.
"Then I won't be coy."
Qingshui naturally cast his vote in favor.
The final outcome was already set, so there was no need to put on a show; it would just seem too deliberate.
"Ebizo and I also vote in favor. Bunbuku's vote is an abstention, Third Kazekage, it's your turn."
Chiyo placed the three votes in their respective spots, then turned to look at the Third Kazekage.
"I also agree."
The Third Kazekage stepped down from the platform, his expression solemn as he cast his vote.
"Let's start counting."
"Do we even need to count? Out of a total of 148 votes, there are zero opposing votes, four abstentions, and 144 votes in favor. The Jonin confidence vote passes and takes effect immediately."
Chiyo swept her gaze across everyone in the meeting room, then looked at Qingshui.
"I announce that once the new Daimyo takes office and the final procedure is complete, Jonin Qingshui will automatically be granted the position of Kazekage candidate for the Sand Village, possessing absolute succession rights to the next Kazekage, and holding decision-making power over all village affairs, second only to the Kazekage!"
I wish all my brothers good luck pulling a full Susanoo Kakashi card in their next 100 draws!
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