"Since everyone hesitates, allow this old man to speak first."
Sarutobi Sasuke straightened his battered frame, voice ringing like tempered steel.
"On behalf of the Sarutobi, I support Young Lord Soren as the Third Hokage!"
The declaration shocked the plaza—sharp, decisive, and nothing like the crumbling elder who had knelt moments before.
Hyūga Sokusa exhaled softly through his nose.
"If the Sarutobi choose to stand with the Uchiha," he murmured meaningfully, "then the Hyūga will support Lady Mito."
Those adept at political nuance heard the message clearly:
If you stand with wolves, we stand with lions.
Next, Aburame Mushi stepped forward—calm, unreadable behind his high collar.
"The Aburame support Lord Soren."
For a resource-dependent clan like his, aligning with the rising power was the rational choice. In times of shifting tides, survival trumped sentiment.
Then came the Ino–Shika–Chō trio.
Nara Shuming bowed slightly.
"The Nara support the Senju."
Akimichi Chōha, arms crossed and firm as a boulder, followed.
"The Akimichi support the Uchiha."
Yamanaka Sanchiku closed his eyes.
"The Yamanaka support the Senju."
The result was a perfect split—four for Senju, four for Uchiha.
A balance so exact it could break with a breath.
Uchiha Soren glanced around, amused, eyes gleaming. The Uchiha behind him grinned—some laughing openly.
Inuzuka Jin barked a short laugh.
"The Inuzuka support the Uchiha!"
Shimura Isshin raised his hand last.
"The Shimura support the Senju."
And so the weight of the final decision settled squarely upon:
Uzumaki Mito.
Soren inclined his head just enough to be polite—and just enough to mock.
"Lady Mito—what's your choice now?"
His lips curled.
"Shall we repeat the history of Hashirama and Madara? Walk to the Valley of the End, fight to the death, and let the survivor be Hokage?"
He let his gaze drift deliberately to Senju Minako—and to the aged Senju Ying.
"Ah… I nearly forgot."
Soren tapped his forehead dramatically.
"The Forest Senju lean entirely on you. If you die at the Valley, the Nine-Tails passes on. And if the Nine-Tails falls into Uchiha hands…"
A collective shudder rippled through the onlookers.
Soren continued, casually ruthless.
"Tsunade is still a student. Your clan has no second pillar. Your death would end the Forest Senju."
He paused, then bowed slightly.
"The Uchiha want Konoha strong—and we want peace. If you support me as Hokage, I'll grant your clan high offices. Let me prove that prosperity under the Uchiha is real. I stake the Uchiha name on it."
This time, Mito truly faltered.
If she fought Soren:
She might win—but
Her body was no longer young,
The Nine-Tails exacted its toll,
And the battle could topple Konoha itself.
If she died, the Senju might vanish forever.
Yet if she did nothing…
Her clan might be swallowed whole.
Sealed between impossible choices, she saw in Soren what Sarutobi Sasuke had seen—
Youth.
Power.
Inevitable momentum.
At last Mito lifted her chin, her red hair swaying like flames.
"Soren-san," she said softly but firmly, "I will watch you always. If you endanger Konoha, then the Diamond Chains that bind the Tailed Beast… will bind your Susanoo as well."
Soren's eyes narrowed.
To him, the warning sounded dangerously close to a bluff.
Before he could reply, the three Uchiha elders erupted like men half their age.
"Wait—Lady Mito AGREES?!"
"Does this mean—our clan finally—our clan—!"
"Our young lord… the Hokage?!"
Their usually stern faces twisted with disbelief and wild joy.
Under the sunlight, Uzumaki Mito bowed her head.
"On behalf of the Forest Senju," she said solemnly, "I support Uchiha Soren as the Third Hokage."
She lifted her hand and pronounced:
"From today, Soren-san is Konohagakure's Third Hokage."
A cheer thundered across the plaza—half ecstatic, half stunned.
Sunlight poured down on Uchiha Soren.
The boy who clawed his way up from exile
now stood atop Konoha.
He smiled—quiet, victorious, unrestrained.
And with that smile,
the Uchiha era began.
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