Time flew, swift as a white colt glimpsed through a crack. A month passed, and as the new year approached, the inauguration ceremony for the Fourth Hokage was about to begin. Of course, the necessary villagers' election and the village Jōnin vote still had to be held, but they were basically just formalities. Orochimaru defeated every competitor, including a certain man named Shimura Danzō, with an absolutely overwhelming advantage. He had spent years building his influence in Konoha, and had started early on guiding public opinion.