Chapter 552: Vote of Confidence

Chapter 552: Chapter 552: Vote of Confidence

Only now did Kagami take a closer look at Kakashi. He noticed that Kakashi’s demeanor had subtly changed. Compared to before, there seemed to be an additional edge of sharpness about him!

"Is it because he’s been training in the Flying Thunder God Technique?"

Kagami pondered silently.

He had previously conducted some rudimentary research into space-time ninjutsu in private. Through his research, he discovered that space-time ninjutsu placed an extraordinarily heavy burden on the user’s body.

It was difficult to determine whether this burden was more akin to compression or tearing. In any case, under normal circumstances, almost no one’s body could withstand such a tremendous strain.

It was precisely because of this that anyone capable of mastering space-time ninjutsu was an extraordinary talent, one in a thousand, or even one in ten thousand. The Fourth Hokage was one such individual, and so was Kakashi.

At the same time, the immense strain placed on the body when traversing space-time meant that shinobi who trained in space-time ninjutsu were also unknowingly tempering their physiques and refining their chakra control throughout the training process.

Therefore, Kakashi’s training in the Flying Thunder God Technique was, in effect, also a form of self-tempering.

Moreover, this was a relatively advanced form of training.

During the process of traversing space-time, every joint and every muscle in the body endured the compression or tearing forces of space-time. There were no blind spots, nor were there any areas left untouched.

As a result, this form of training was far more efficient than the conventional taijutsu training methods currently available. It was a training method that was both dangerous and highly effective.

"It’s only been a little over a month, yet he already seems to have undergone a complete transformation. Kakashi’s talent really is..."

Withdrawing his gaze, Kagami couldn’t help but marvel inwardly.

Judging by the current situation, it was difficult to say whether losing the Mangekyo Sharingan was ultimately a blessing or a curse for Kakashi.

If Kakashi, freed from the burden of the Mangekyo Sharingan, could master the Flying Thunder God Technique as proficiently as the Fourth Hokage and develop his Lightning Release ninjutsu to new heights, his strength might not necessarily be inferior to that of his counterpart in the original timeline.

After all, Kakashi in the original timeline was a ’Copy Ninja’ who would be completely exhausted after using Chidori just three or four times.

At that moment, listening to the whispered conversations of the surrounding ANBU, Guy asked everyone with a worried expression, "Do you think Lord Hokage will be in trouble this time?"

Kakashi let out a long sigh.

Because he was relatively close to Asuma, Kakashi had a clearer understanding of the political struggles among the village’s higher-ups than the average ANBU. He knew that the Third Hokage was currently facing considerable trouble.

The most immediate problem wasn’t internal opposition within the village, but rather pressure from the Fire Daimyo.

The Fire Daimyo had shouldered more than half the cost of the village’s reconstruction project. It was precisely this enormous financial expenditure that had left him deeply dissatisfied with the Third Hokage.

Furthermore, through some unknown means, Danzo had actually managed to persuade the Fire Daimyo, who had always supported the Third Hokage, to switch his allegiance to him.

Secondly, the heavy casualties suffered by the village had caused resentment among the victims’ families to steadily accumulate.

As Hokage, even though the Third had handled the crisis as well as he possibly could, he still had to shoulder responsibility for the village’s destruction and endure the outpouring of anger and grief from the families of those who had perished.

Finally, the abduction of Hinata, Sasuke, and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki by enemy forces during the chaos had severely damaged the Third Hokage’s standing in the eyes of prestigious shinobi clans such as the Uchiha and Hyuga.

Although neither the Uchiha nor the Hyuga had explicitly declared their support for Danzo, the fact that they had not immediately stepped forward to support the Third Hokage already spoke volumes about their positions.

The accumulation of all these factors had placed the Third Hokage in an extremely unfavorable position.

Shisui also said with some concern, "I hope Lord Hokage can make it through this crisis!"

Danzo had once attacked Shisui in an attempt to seize his Mangekyo Sharingan, so Shisui held a very unfavorable opinion of him.

When it came to the question of which side to support, he had already made his position clear to Clan Head Fugaku.

However, Fugaku considered the fact that both the Third Hokage and Danzo belonged to the Hokage faction. Furthermore, with Jiraiya and Tsunade having returned one after another, the Third Hokage’s faction had grown considerably stronger.

Thus, out of consideration for the political balance of power, Fugaku ultimately chose to maintain neutrality on behalf of the Uchiha clan, standing by as Danzo and the Third Hokage, two influential figures within the Hokage faction, fought among themselves.

The Uchiha clan of the present was very different from its counterpart in the original timeline.

With Shisui, a wielder of the Mangekyo Sharingan, still alive, coupled with the activities of several Uchiha possessing the Mangekyo Sharingan within Kamigami and Akatsuki, the Uchiha name was becoming increasingly renowned throughout the shinobi world.

Moreover, under pressure from powerful external enemies, the Hokage faction that controlled the village had been forced to make concessions. It had abandoned its previous policy of suppressing the Uchiha clan, allowing the clan’s influence and prestige within the village to grow with each passing day.

Consequently, the Uchiha clan’s decision to remain neutral set an unfavorable precedent, causing the other clans to become hesitant and overly cautious as well.

Before long, Utatane Koharu, one of the village’s advisory elders, arrived at the ANBU headquarters and conveyed a decision that the village’s higher-ups had just reached to the assembled ANBU.

Six days from now, the entire village would hold a vote of confidence in the Hokage.

All shinobi of special jonin rank and above would be eligible to participate in the vote.

Kakashi muttered to himself, "Sigh, I never thought things would escalate to this point."

Although he had been somewhat worried before, he still had considerable faith in the Third Hokage. He had believed that the Third would surely find a way to overcome this crisis.

He had never imagined that the situation would deteriorate to such an extent.

After all, once a vote of confidence was held, regardless of the outcome, it would deal a severe blow to the Third Hokage’s prestige.

Beside him, the worried expressions on Guy’s and Shisui’s faces deepened. Evidently, they too were surprised and unsettled by this development.

As for Kagami, he had no particular opinion on the matter, nor did he intend to intervene.

That was because, in order to advance the Kekkei Genkai fusion ritual, Danzo’s ascension to the position of Hokage was one of the necessary conditions.

The manpower and resources required for the subsequent experiments were already far beyond what the disbanded Root could provide.

If Danzo failed to secure the position of Hokage, the related experiments might have to be postponed by a year or two, or perhaps even longer.

Moreover, it wasn’t as though the Third Hokage had never stepped down before.

When the Fourth Hokage took office, it was precisely because Danzo and a group of others had questioned certain decisions made by the Third during the Third Shinobi World War, forcing him to voluntarily resign from the position of Hokage.

After leaving the ANBU headquarters, Kagami walked toward home while pondering:

"Danzo postponed the vote of confidence until six days from now. I suspect it’s because of that little performance he’s planning to stage!"

Given the village’s current circumstances, if the vote of confidence were held immediately, Danzo’s chances of taking office would actually be rather slim.

Although everyone had various doubts and grievances concerning the Third Hokage, in the face of a powerful enemy like Akatsuki, anyone could understand the importance of having an experienced and formidable Hokage.

Therefore, until a powerful shinobi capable of replacing the Third emerged, his position remained relatively secure.

However, if Danzo staged his little performance of rescuing the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and the eldest daughter of the Hyuga main family, the outcome would be much harder to predict...