Naruto: Cultivating to Immortality

Chapter 510 War Preparations

Amidst Kakashi's bewildered and completely confused expression, something unexpected happened—the numerous Jonin present swiftly and decisively completed a vote of confidence in his succession to the Hokage position! This series of actions was so fast that Kakashi didn't even have time to react. Thus, in a short period of time, a consensus had been reached within Konoha regarding his succession as Hokage.

Now, all the procedures are basically complete, with only one final step remaining: reporting this decision to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. If the Daimyo approves, Kakashi will be able to officially ascend to the throne of the Sixth Hokage of Konoha. However, at this moment, Hatake Kakashi's heart is filled with extreme confusion and bewilderment. To be honest, he has never had the thought of inheriting the Hokage position, not even a sliver of such an idea. Moreover, in his own view, he is still very, very far from being truly capable of fulfilling such an important position.

This wasn't because Kakashi doubted his own strength. In fact, after years of countless life-or-death battles, he had already acquired top-tier strength. The problem lay in whether he could shoulder the heavy responsibility of protecting the entire Hidden Leaf Village. After all, as the village chief, one had to face not only threats from external enemies but also handle various complex internal affairs and coordinate relationships with different parties. These required exceptional wisdom, leadership, and decisiveness to manage effectively. Kakashi felt he still needed to improve in these areas, hence his lack of confidence.

Kakashi Hatake stood there quietly, his thoughts drifting into the distance, the image of the figure who had profoundly influenced him appearing in his mind—the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze. Minato-sama had shouldered the heavy responsibility of Hokage at such a young age, a time when he was in his prime, full of vigor and ambition.

Kakashi knew that Minato Namikaze not only possessed outstanding leadership skills and formidable strength, but also exemplified through his actions what it meant to have an unwavering will to protect the village. To protect the village from threats, Lord Minato was even willing to sacrifice his own precious life, a selfless and fearless spirit that Kakashi deeply admired.

Looking back on himself, although he also possessed the courage to sacrifice himself to protect the village, he knew very well that he was far from gaining the recognition of everyone in the village. Perhaps it was because of those painful experiences in the past that he always felt he had many shortcomings in the eyes of others. However, when his gaze turned to the current difficult situation of Konoha Village, Kakashi's eyes instantly became extremely serious and earnest.

At this moment, as a ninja of Konoha, Kakashi secretly vowed in his heart: even if he was not entirely confident in his ability to become Hokage, he was prepared to dedicate everything to the village! Even if the road ahead was full of thorns and difficulties, he would never back down.

At this moment of intense anticipation, Kakashi Hatake stood up. His already pale face appeared even more solemn, as if bearing the weight of the entire world. The people around him watched him with expectant and trusting eyes. The scene was silent, save for the soft rustling of leaves in the gentle breeze.

Kakashi took a deep breath and slowly straightened his body. His eyes were firm and serious, revealing an unspeakable determination. Although he still had some doubts deep down about whether he could handle the important position of Hokage, he knew that he had no way out in the face of the votes of confidence cast by so many Konoha Jonin.

Even though he lacked complete confidence in his ability to achieve perfection and satisfy everyone, even though countless hardships and immense pressure awaited him, he chose to bravely shoulder this responsibility without hesitation. Because in his heart, he was already prepared to dedicate all his strength, even his life, to Konoha.

Nara Shikaku smiled and nodded slowly, indicating his satisfaction with the outcome. His deep eyes gleamed with admiration, for standing before him was Hatake Kakashi—a person he deeply admired and respected.

Whether considering Kakashi Hatake's astonishing strength or his profound wisdom, he is undoubtedly a top choice among the entire Konoha ninja community. Furthermore, Kakashi has a special identity: he is the prized student of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze. Therefore, when considering who should succeed him as Hokage, Kakashi clearly possesses a unique advantage, making his succession seem natural and legitimate.

Nara Shikaku firmly believed that with the concerted efforts and support of Konoha's high-ranking officials, Hatake Kakashi would surely grow rapidly into an exceptional Hokage. And with this new Hokage leading the way, Konoha would undoubtedly usher in an even more glorious and splendid future, radiating unprecedented vitality and vigor.

At this moment, the vote of confidence regarding the Hokage candidate has concluded successfully. Although the Fire Country Daimyo has not yet given his personal approval, at least within Konoha Village, everyone has reached a high degree of consensus on this matter. Next, everyone's attention naturally turned to another important matter—the message delivered by the envoy from Sunagakure.

In truth, everyone present understood this news perfectly. Without a doubt, Konoha would not hesitate to join the Allied Shinobi Forces. The reason was simple: the "Eye of the Moon Plan" proposed by that self-proclaimed Uchiha Madara was destined from the start to fail to gain their approval.

To expect everyone to entrust their future to a so-called peace plan drawn up by a mysterious, secretive person is utterly delusional! Wouldn't that be tantamount to everyone becoming puppets manipulated at will, their life trajectories arbitrarily woven and controlled? How could the people of Konoha possibly accept such a thing?

Moreover, this man harbors treacherous intentions, actually plotting to seize the Nine-Tails' power, which is of paramount importance to Konoha. Leaving aside the fact that Naruto Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, recently saved the entire village from peril with his immense strength, how could Konoha, as one of the leading villages in the ninja world, commit such a treacherous act—handing over its own ninja to the enemy? This would not only bring shame upon Konoha but would also plunge it into utter ruin.

The most crucial point is that Konoha deeply understands the principle of mutual dependence. If such a dangerous figure were allowed to run rampant and eventually rule the entire ninja world, Konoha would inevitably be the next to suffer. Therefore, from any perspective, Konoha would never agree to join the Allied Shinobi Forces; instead, it would resolutely stand up and fight against them to the end.

Kakashi Hatake took a deep breath, quickly adjusting his mindset. He knew that as the Hokage of Konoha, he bore a tremendous responsibility and mission. Therefore, with a firm and composed demeanor, he began an in-depth discussion with each of the Jonin present, jointly devising a plan to deal with this sudden threat of war.

The atmosphere in the meeting room was heavy, and everyone's expression was extremely serious. Kakashi looked around at these battle-hardened and experienced Jonin, and a strong sense of trust welled up in his heart. He knew that only by working together could they defeat this powerful enemy before them—the Akatsuki organization.

"Everyone," Kakashi began, his voice deep yet powerful, "we face an unprecedented crisis. The Akatsuki has openly declared war on the entire ninja world, their ambitions are crystal clear. If we cannot unite, the ninja world may be plunged into endless darkness."

Everyone nodded, indicating a clear understanding of the gravity of the situation. One of the Jonin stood up and shared his opinion: "Lord Kakashi, I believe we should join the Allied Shinobi Forces without hesitation. Although war inevitably brings death and suffering, it is the only way to protect our homeland and safeguard peace."

Another Jonin added, "That's right! The Akatsuki are ruthless and powerful. If we act independently, they will only defeat us one by one. Only by uniting the forces of other villages can we have a chance of survival."

Kakashi listened quietly to everyone's remarks, nodding in agreement from time to time. Finally, he concluded, "What you all say is absolutely right. In order to prevent the Akatsuki from succeeding, and to protect everything we cherish, Konoha must join the Allied Shinobi Forces without hesitation and fight them to the very end! Even if the road ahead is rugged and fraught with difficulties, we will not back down!"

The Jonin present responded in unison, their eyes revealing determination and courage. At this moment, they were ready to face the baptism of war, determined to pay any price for the future of the ninja world.

The meeting had just concluded, and Konoha Village, a renowned and powerful military organization in the ninja world, sprang into action like a precise machine. Orders were relayed from the Hokage Building in all directions, and the entire village was enveloped in a tense yet orderly atmosphere.

At this critical moment, the Konoha leadership acted decisively, deciding to proactively engage in diplomatic contacts with other major ninja villages. Elite teams of envoys rushed to various locations, carrying an important mission—to discuss alliance strategies to jointly address the impending great threat.

Meanwhile, Konoha Village was also a hive of activity. The logistics department sprang into action, beginning a large-scale preparation of all kinds of supplies needed for the war. Food, weapons, medicine… were being collected, sorted, and stockpiled in a steady stream to ensure the needs of the entire village could be met during the war.