"This is not the end yet."
"Hum... you mean to say there is more." The clan leaders turn towards Izuna.
Izuna throws another scroll towards them.
"All of you must be aware of the dispute at borders before the Third Ninja War."
Shikaku nods his head.
"Yes, Iwa and Kumo started the war when their shinobis infiltrated our borders and killed most of our Patrol teams.
In response to that attack, Hokage-sama and Danzo sent a team of Anbus to intercept the invaders. We were successful in repelling the invasion but lost many Shinobis in the confrontation." He slowly explains the turn of events.
"Exactly!" Izuna exclaims.
Shikaku frown as a pensive expression appears on his face.
"Isn't that normal, Izuna-kun? The enemy invaded our land, so we have to intercept them. Danzo was power hungry, but he was not a fool. He won't allow Konoha to get invaded by enemy nations. So what are you trying to say, Izuna-kun?"
"Shikaku-san, you are already aware of the ambitions of Danzo, right?"
Shikaku nods his head and replies,
"Hokage-sama mentioned the possibility of involvement of Danzo in his assassination attempt. But we were busy with the peace treaty with Kumogakure. So, at that time, we have to put the matter at the back of our mind....
Izuna-kun, you mean to say that Danzo has higher ambitions."
Izuna nods his head and explains,
"Danzo not only coveted the position of Hokage, he even coveted the power of Hidden Village. Danzo started this war to deal with all Hidden Villages in one fell swoop."
Izuna stops and looks at them. Shikaku frowns and question him.
"Why would he start a war and disrupt the peace in the village? I highly doubt Danzo would do such a reckless move unless he is sure of the outcome."
"There is no benifit in war, only needless causalitites and waste of resources. I don't think it is valid of a reason, there must be more to the matter then it seems." Shikaku and the rest start to contemplate.
Hmm…
The clan leaders ponder over the matter. After contemplating for a while, they shook their head and turn towards Shikaku.
"Shikaku! You are the only person with the most gifted mind among all of us. You must have a clue regarding the situation." (A/N:-Big Brain Imposter Among us. Recently started playing among us. Hook me on discord if you are interested.)
"What a drag!..." Shikaku silently mutters.
Izuna hears the remark and muses.
'These Nara clan fellows are as lazy as usual. If not for the harsh life of the shinobi world, they would have turned into NEET or Geek by now. Come to think of it, I haven't gotten a chance to visit them in all these years. I will visit them when I have spare time.'
"To think, he started a war to gain more power and control. I wonder how he planned to gain control over all Hidden Nations. I doubt he is strong enough to take on all Nations alone." Inoichi raises a question.
"Yes, Konoha is strong but we aren't strong enough to engage all hidden village at the same time. Unless Danzo has developed some sort of Kinjutsu, I doubt he had any chance." Hiashi speculates.
"He did joined hands with Orochimaru, so it is quite possible. But I am still skeptical of the possibility." Shibi states his opinion.
Shikaku puts his hand on his forehead and enters in deep contemplation. He ponders for a while before replying,
"I think I have figured out the answer."
"As expected of a Nara, Shikaku must have figured out something." The clan leaders perks up their ear.
Shikaku turns towards Izuna and explains his speculation.
"To gain control over all the nations, Danzo needed a power far greater than them."
Hu… hu…
The various clan leaders nod their heads in agreement.
"Now there aren't many powerful things which surpass the might of the Hidden Villages. But…"
"But…"
"… the tailed-beast can surpass the power of a village."
"Hum… that makes sense." Choza nods his head.
"Yes, only tailed beast possesses enough power to single-handily annihilate a hidden village."
The Nine-tails incident freshens up in their memory.
"Now, what if someone is able to control all the tailed beasts…" Shikaku continues.
The clan leaders frown as the Kurama clan leader remarks.
"Then won't he gain enough power to rule all Shinobi Nations? But such a thing is impossible right. Up till now, except First Hokage Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha; no even came close to wield that amount of power."
"Yes, that's true. First Hokage was the 'God of Shinobi'. He single handily overpowered Eight out of Nine-tailed Beasts."
The rest of the leaders agree with him.
"That's it. This is my point. What if someone possesses the power of the 'Wood Release' of the First Hokage and the Sharingan of Madara Uchiha? Wouldn't he be capable of achieving the same feat?" Shikaku drops a revelation on them.
"Wait!... you mean to say that Danzo was aiming for such a thing." All of their expression turn unsightly.
Shikaku points towards the shriveled hand made of Hashirama cells with many Sharingan in it.
The clan leader notices the hand, and it dawns on them.
Cough... cough...
"Let me explain…"
Izuna gathers their attention.
"Danzo wanted to gain control of the Nine-tails and slowly take over the Village. He got this idea from the fight of First Hokage and Madara Uchiha…
So, when Mito Uzumaki sealed the nine-tails inside the Kushina Uzumaki, Danzo viewed this as an opportunity. He secretly informed Kumogakure of her and then hatched a plan to kidnap her from the village.
The Root Anbus secretly waited at the borders, ready to ambush Kumo ninjas and capture Kushina. But thanks to Minato-san's interference, this plan never succeeded…"
"Come to think of it, everything adds up. But he failed in his attempt." Sakumo nods his head.
"... Danzo attempted to capture Nine-tails several times in the future, but Minato was always present with Kushina. So, he could only give up helplessly and turn to the Uchiha clan.
So, he kidnapped many Uchiha clan members during and after the war. He plucked out their Sharingan and created this synthetic prosthetic to strengthen himself." Izuna continues his explanation.
Humm…
All of them nod their head in agreement as they listen to the explanation.
"But he lacked a certain thing…"
"What?"
".. he lacked… he lacked a fully Mature Mangekyo Sharingan to control the Nine-tails.
The previously stolen eye of Kagami Uchiha was failing. It had lost the vision and most of its visual prowess. So, Danzo needed a replacement for his right eye and so he targeted me.
He lost against me and escaped the village only to return later and slaughter the Uchiha clan." Izuna calmy replies to them while his eyes are seething in rage.
Sigh...
The clan leaders sighs in relief.
"If Danzo would have succeeded in his ploy, then most of our clans would have to bow before him in servitude."
They turn towards Izuna in gratitude.
"You have our gratitude, Izuna Uchiha. The Uchihas suffered the conspiracy of Danzo and suffered such a tragic fate...
It may not amount to much compared to the loss, but we will help Uchiha clan to overcome some of it's loss."
The clan leaders strecthes a helping hand towards the Uchiha clan.
Fugaku places a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. Izuna takes a deep breath and turns towards Hiruzen.
"So, Hokage-sama! What's your stance on this matter?"
The rest of the clan leaders stares at Hiruzen, waiting for his response. Hiruzen weakly stands up from his chair.
One of the Anbu members supports him to stand up.
'He must be Konohamaru's father. I can sense a similarity in his and Hiruzen's chakra.'
Hiruzen takes support against the wall and replies in a weak tone.
"I will… I will take responsibility for all the misdeeds of Danzo and the rest of the elders. It was my incompetency that leads to such a situation, so I will resign as a Hokage.
Also, all the information regarding the evil deeds of Danzo excluding the involvement with other villages will be revealed to the public."
'So, he is still prioritizing village over anything else. I don't mind though as long as my Uchiha clan does not suffer injustice.'
Hiruzen turns towards Izuna and remarks.
"You have opened my eyes, Izuna Uchiha. From today onwards you will be excluded from the jurisdiction of the elder council and Hokage. You are free to take any sort of mission and no one will be able to order you around.
It is my way of expressing gratitude on behalf of the village. As for the Uchiha clan, I will listen to all of their requests as long as they don't interfere with the collective interest of the village.
This injustice was caused because of a lack of insight on my part. At least, I would be able to repent for some of my sins."
The rest of the clan leaders agree with the notion. Kurama clan leader hesitates for a while before eventually agreeing with the decision.
Izuna turns towards Fugaku.
"It is your turn to speak, Fugaku-san. My task is over, I will take my leave."
He signals Kakashi, Shisui, and Itachi. They follow him out.
"You have a fine seedling in your clan, Fugaku. I can't even imagine the extent to which the Uchiha clan will prosper in the future. With so many geniuses in your clan, it will be able to surpass its previous prestige in few more years."
Hiashi sighs and enviously look at Fugaku.
'If only my clan wasn't restricted by the conservative thoughts of old elders.'
Hiashi sighs and turns his attention to the meeting. The Anbu members replace the chair and tables.
The real meeting starts now.