The last whispers died as the final clan heads and representatives took their appointed seats. The air itself felt dense, thick with unspoken alliances and measured rivalries.
At the central dais, Nara Shiba rose to his feet. He did not need to call for order; his presence, languid yet imposing, commanded it. All eyes focused on the man who had been the village's operational nerve center for a generation.
"This extraordinary session of the Konoha Council is now in order," Shiba announced. He surveyed the room, "As many of you know, I have served as your Jonin Commander for fourteen years. It has been the honour of my life." He paused, allowing the weight of his tenure to settle.
"But time, like a particularly stubborn shadow, eventually catches up to even the most evasive of us. My age and my… increasing preference for my garden over deployment rosters suggest the time for transition has come."
A ripple of respectful, sombre acknowledgement moved through the hall. This was no scandalous ousting; it was the careful, voluntary passing of a torch.
"This is not about legacy," Shiba continued, "It is about the future security and prosperity of Konoha. The role must be filled by someone who does not see it as a capstone but as a foundation. Someone with the energy, the vision, and the strength to lead our finest into the coming decades."
He then delineated the gravity of the office, "The Jonin Commander holds absolute operational authority over all active shinobi of the village. In war, this person coordinates our entire frontline strategy, the movement of our most critical assets. In peace, they oversee the most elite and sensitive missions—assassinations, intelligence retrieval, long-range reconnaissance. They are the Hokage's right hand in all matters of shinobi force deployment. They must be a strategist of the highest order, a leader who inspires absolute confidence, and a shinobi of such undeniable capability that every jōnin, regardless of clan or affiliation, will follow their orders without hesitation."
The room grew heavier with each point. This was not merely a prestigious title; it was the keystone in the arch of Konoha's military might
"Therefore," Shiba said, "I now call for nominations. Any clan head or recognised council representative who wishes to put forward a candidate for the consideration of this body, please stand."
For a moment, there was only the sound of shifting fabric and held breath.
Then, three figures rose, almost in unison, from different sections of the hall.
From the Uchiha bloc, Fugaku stood, his back straight, his expression unreadable.
From the centre-left, where the Namikaze clan and their adherents were seated, a man stood. He was Namikaze Michio, Minato's father, his bearing calm but radiating a quiet, fierce pride.
And, causing a subtle stir of surprise, from a section reserved for non-clan affiliates and civilian-born shinobi representatives, a middle-aged woman rose.
She was Kurata Hana, a former kunoichi of notable administrative skill, now a respected voice for the significant portion of Konoha's forces who owed no direct allegiance to a shinobi clan.
Renjiro's internal reaction was a spark of genuine surprise. 'A civilian-backed candidate?'
He had mentally framed this as a binary clash: him versus the Hokage's golden heir. This third option changed the calculus. And to his own quiet astonishment, he felt a wave of relief. 'Lower odds. Fewer eyes directly on me. Less risk of actually winning.'
The thought was liberating.
Shiba let the silence stretch, a deliberate, heavy pause that underscored the finality of the moment.
"Are there any further nominations?" he asked, his gaze sweeping the tiers. No one else moved. The silence solidified, a wall of collective decision.
"Then the candidates will be formally announced. Clan Head Uchiha, you may proceed."
Fugaku stepped forward from the Uchiha section, "The Uchiha Clan nominates Renjiro Uzumaki for the position of Jonin Commander."
He did not wait for a reaction. He launched into a recitation that was less a recommendation and more a strategic deployment of facts.
"This nomination is based on proven, exceptional merit in the defence of Konoha. During the last Great War, his actions were pivotal in the survival of the entire Second Division on three separate occasions. He personally identified and disrupted a covert Earth Country infiltration unit attempting to cross the Valley of the End, preventing a flanking manoeuvre that would have cost hundreds of lives. In this engagement, he sacrificed his eyesight, a sacrifice borne without complaint."
The hall listened, respectful. These were impressive, if expected, war stories. Then Fugaku delivered his calculated bombshell.
"And perhaps most telling of his calibre," Fugaku continued, "is his confirmed survival of a direct, protracted confrontation with the Third Raikage, the single most powerful frontline combatant of the war, while operating deep behind enemy lines on a solo reconnaissance mission."
The effect was instantaneous. A shockwave of muted gasps and sharp murmurs tore through the formal quiet.
"The Third Raikage?"
The man was a legend of brutality, a monster of stamina and power whose very name was a battlefield terror. Survival wasn't just impressive; it was mythic. This was not widely known; it had been a top-secret briefing for the Hokage, his advisors, and the Intelligence Division. For the vast majority of shinobi in the room, this revelation instantly recontextualised Renjiro. His perceived threat level and importance in the village's strategic calculus skyrocketed in an instant.
On the dais, Hiruzen's brows contracted a fraction, a tiny, almost imperceptible narrowing of his eyes behind the shadow of his hat's brim. He had not authorised this disclosure. Fugaku had just played a card from the Hokage's own deck, publicly elevating Renjiro's stature and, by extension, the political weight of the Uchiha clan's nomination.
It took Shiba a moment to restore order.
"Thank you, Clan Head Uchiha. The nomination is recorded. Clan Head Namikaze."
Namikaze Michio stepped forward, "The Namikaze Clan nominates Minato Namikaze."
He spoke of his son's battlefield genius and his peerless war record.
"But beyond the techniques," Michio said, "is the man. The shinobi who faced a thousand enemy combatants not with mere force, but with a strategy so audacious and precise that he broke their will and their formation, saving countless Konoha lives without seeking a single unnecessary death. He leads by protecting. He commands by inspiring. He is the future this role demands."
As the elder Namikaze spoke, Shiba Nara, maintaining his placid expression, suddenly heard a voice—not in his ears, but directly in his mind.
'Shiba. Are we sure this is the wisest course?' The voice belonged to Yamanaka Inoita, the head of his clan, seated with his clan bloc.
Before Shiba could form a mental reply, a second, deeper mental voice joined in.
'Feels like a waste, voting as pre-agreed. My gut's grumbling about it.' That was Akimichi Chōku, his other former teammate.
Maintaining his outward focus on Michio's speech, Shiba directed his thought inward, 'The arguments were heard. The decision was made.'
'The arguments were political,' Inoita shot back, his mental tone sharp. 'Minato will be Hokage. It's inevitable. Wouldn't it be smarter to have Renjiro, with his specific… talents and abilities, cemented as Jonin Commander? A powerful, contained role that also forces the Uchiha to bind their interests directly to the Hokage's office? Minato, as Hokage with Renjiro as his commander, creates a balance. Two power centres, one clearly superior, but the other too valuable to alienate.'
'And the boy just showed them his Mangekyō,' Chōku added, his mental voice thoughtful.
'Fugaku's playing a dangerous game. Putting Renjiro in the commander's seat could be a way to stabilise that. Force his loyalty to be to the village first, the clan second. A public test he can't refuse without revealing his hand.'
Shiba felt the old, familiar dynamic—Inoita's piercing insight, Chōku's grounded pleas—pulling at the edges of the pre-ordained plan. He felt a profound, internal sigh.
'Your logic is, as ever, sound. But it is irrelevant. This is not about optimal strategy for the village. This is about what the Hokage wants. Hiruzen has chosen his successor, and that successor must be seen to earn his place without obvious challenge. A unified front is required. The word from the top is… clarity.'
He infused the final thought with emphasis, the mental equivalent of a weary but firm shake of the head. 'The decision is made.'
The telepathic link fell into a heavy, resigned silence. Inoichi and Chōku did not argue further. They understood the unspoken hierarchy. The brilliant logic of the Ino-Shika-Chō was, in this instance, subordinate to the Hokage's political will.
As Namikaze Michio concluded his nomination to respectful applause, Shiba turned his attention to the third figure. "Representative Kurata. Your nomination."
Kurata Hana moved with a bureaucrat's efficient grace. "The Non-Affiliated Shinobi Coalition and Civilian Council nominate Jonin Hayashi Shin, formerly of the Intel Division."
She presented a starkly different profile. Hayashi Shin, a man in his thirties with a record of steady, unglamorous service, was framed as the balanced choice.
"He possesses two decades of leadership experience in coordinating multi-cell operations and managing complex logistical chains. While his frontline war merits are not as… spectacular as the other nominees, his understanding of internal governance, resource allocation, and long-term personnel management is unparalleled. In a time when Konoha must rebuild not just its walls but its institutions, his administrative skill and measured temperament offer a safe, stabilising hand."
It was a clever positioning: not the dazzling weapon, not the charismatic hero, but the reliable, experienced steward. The "safe" option for those frightened by the sheer, disruptive power of the other two.
As she finished and returned to her seat, Shiba turned slightly, catching Hiruzen's eye. The Hokage gave a small, almost imperceptible nod.
Shiba faced the council once more, his voice formal and final. "The nomination phase is complete. The candidates are: Renjiro Uzumaki, Minato Namikaze, and Hayashi Shin. The floor is now open for discussion and debate."
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