Chapter 123: The Meeting Begins

Friday brought gathering clouds — both literal and political.

Dark clouds loomed low, turning Konoha's sky into a deep, inky black.

Winds roared, whipping their cloaks in every direction.

Looking at the dark bluish sky, Fugaku remarked meaningfully, "The storm's about to break!"

Aozora replied, "The harder the rain, the better. Let it wash away the old dust and bring clarity back to heaven and earth!"

Hachidai's eyes lit up. "Well said!"

No wonder the clan leader gave Aozora one of the slots for the high-level meeting. His foresight and sharp words would surely secure considerable benefits for the Uchiha during the session.

Fugaku thought for a second, then gave a nod. "Let's go."

The storm was coming, but none of the three Uchiha brought umbrellas. To them, this kind of wind and rain meant nothing.

The venue for the high-level meeting was located in the Hokage Tower.

Two days had been more than enough for this new Hokage Tower to rise from the ground.

The newly-built Hokage Tower kept the same design as before. Its walls were brighter and more vibrant, yet it lacked the profound aura and solemnity that decades of history had once given it.

When Aozora and his companions reached the third-floor meeting room, they found that department heads from all sectors of the village, clan representatives, and veteran Jonin had already arrived.

Aozora scanned the crowd and noticed that nearly half of the Jonin he had met recently were missing, yet none of the major Ninja Clans were absent.

Without hesitation, Fugaku strode forward and sat down in his designated seat, waiting patiently for the official commencement of the meeting.

The layout remained the same as three days ago — the front row reserved for Konoha's top leadership, though now with one less chair.

Sarutobi Hiruzen still occupied the same seat as before, but beside him today sat two other elders, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu.

The long meeting table at the center of the room had been removed and replaced with additional chairs so that every participant could have their own seat.

As the Uchiha Clan Head and Chief of the Police Force, Fugaku took the central seat in the front row, facing the three solemn-looking Konoha leaders across.

Once Fugaku settled into his seat, Sarutobi immediately cast a glance his way.

Their sharp gazes met mid-air, as if clashing with visible sparks.

After this silent confrontation, Fugaku crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and began meditating.

Aozora and Hachidai also found their seats quietly towards the back, awaiting the start of the meeting.

Before long, more and more attendees filled the room.

Hiashi Hyuga, Hiashi Hyuga, Shikaku Nara, Inoichi Yamanaka, Choza Akimichi, Shimura Kosei, Shibi Aburame, Inuzuka Wolf...

Representatives from each major clan arrived one after another until every top leader was accounted for.

Promptly at the appointed hour, Sarutobi announced, "The Konoha High-Level Meeting officially begins!"

...

Silence followed — an unexpected, heavy silence.

After speaking those words, Sarutobi braced himself, fully expecting an immediate challenge from the Uchiha.

He had prepared various contingencies for this very moment — even going as far as drafting a resignation speech — and had even summoned Tsunade, who had been traveling abroad.

Yet to Sarutobi's awkward surprise, Fugaku remained seated with his eyes shut, seemingly asleep.

Since the potential challengers remained silent, the Hokage faction naturally had no reason to provoke conflict or recklessly confront the prestigious Uchiha clan.

Even without considering the Uchiha clan's power, simply coping with pressure from the Police Force was already a major challenge for smaller clans.

The high-level meeting would naturally continue despite the Uchiha's silence.

Hiruzen Sarutobi suppressed his inner shock and doubt, speaking heavily, "Three days ago, former elder Danzo Shimura betrayed the village after being discovered conspiring with rogue ninja Shimon Hiruko and secretly harming villagers while researching forbidden techniques.

Takao Sarutobi, deputy head of the Anbu, was misled by false orders issued by Danzo and left the village but has now returned and turned himself in.

Anbu squad captains Haruto Hirano and Murakumo Kurama have also defected from the village.

Afterward, we reacted swiftly, forcing Danzo out of Konoha to avoid greater damage to the village, and dispatched shadow guard teams to pursue them."

As he spoke, Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped the table lightly.

Three Anbu members entered the meeting room carrying a box. Upon opening it, inside were three well-sealed severed heads—lifeless yet still recognizable by their facial features.

"Now, we've completely wiped out Haruto Hirano's Anbu unit, leaving one body unrecoverable. These are the remaining three heads. Additionally, we have obtained clues regarding the whereabouts of others like Danzo Shimura and Murakumo Kurama. We believe they will soon be captured."

After hearing Hiruzen's words, many ninjas nodded slightly in the meeting room, showing approval of his handling of the aftermath.

Just as Hiruzen was about to follow up on this momentum, suddenly someone spoke up, "With all due respect, Third Hokage, has the Anbu thoroughly investigated itself? Can we confirm there are no more ninjas secretly serving the traitor Danzo within the Anbu?"

Before Hiruzen could answer, another person raised a question: "What about the confiscated base of Danzo? Can such information be disclosed?"

These two questions seemed to act as a signal. More and more ninjas started voicing concerns, instantly turning the once quiet meeting room into a buzzing marketplace.

"How do we know Takao Sarutobi was truly misled by the rogue ninja as claimed by Hokage? What evidence supports that? How can we prove his innocence?"

"As Hokage, how could you remain unaware of Danzo's secret research into kinjutsu (forbidden techniques)?"

"How exactly did Danzo conspire with the rogue ninja to kill village shinobi? Could you provide detailed disclosure?"

"…"

Bang! Silence!

Homura Mitokado slammed the table heavily before roaring.

The previously noisy meeting room fell silent at once, as though the earlier chaos had never happened.

Yet, Sarutobi could see the atmosphere had already changed after these interrogations. Even representatives from ninja clans who had supported him now showed suspicion and distrust in their eyes.

A calm, warm smile spread across Hiruzen's face as he said, "Don't rush everyone; just ask your questions one by one, and I'll explain accordingly."

Unlike before when voices came from within the crowd, now anyone wishing to speak had to stand under everyone's watchful gaze. For a moment, nobody dared step forward.

Of course, there are always those willing to speak out. Joushou Fuyukawa stood up and asked bluntly, "Hokage-sama, I would like to ask whether there are indeed no ninjas within the Anbu still secretly serving the rogue ninja Danzo and harming villagers?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi replied when he heard this, "In these past two days, I've thoroughly investigated the Anbu and purged all members related to the rogue ninja Danzo."

Joushou Fuyukawa hadn't sat down yet. He pressed on relentlessly, "Are you saying the current Anbu is completely trustworthy? Not a single problem at all?"

Hiruzen wanted to give a firm answer, but as he thought about how long Orochimaru and Danzo had been operating within the Anbu, he could only reply coldly, "The Anbu is made up of people too. Anyone can change. Going forward, I will properly reorganize the Anbu!"

Hiruzen's words carried a chill that Joushou picked up on. Finally, he nodded and sat down.

Just as Hiruzen began to relax a little, Fugaku—who hadn't spoken since the meeting began—suddenly spoke up.

"They *definitely* need a complete overhaul!"

"After all, the Anbu represents the Hokage's will! If the Anbu harms villagers, people might assume it's on the Hokage's orders. If the Anbu betrays the village, people might even believe it's the Hokage who betrayed the village!"

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