The next day, in Konoha, a high-level meeting was held.
The meeting took place in a small, unusually designed room with no windows, allowing no sunlight to enter. The only light came from dim lamps, casting a somber atmosphere.
At the center of the room sat four people around a wooden table—three men and one woman.
One of the men wore the Hokage's robe, and his sharp eyes radiated authority. This was the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. Another man, with eyes as sharp as a hawk and a grim, indifferent expression, was a senior advisor in Konoha—Danzo. The other two were a man wearing glasses and a woman with her hair in a bun, both displaying the calm demeanor of long-standing figures of authority. They were Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu, the other high-ranking advisors in Konoha.
At this moment, Hiruzen glared sharply at the other three, his anger apparent as he recounted the recent battle events involving Konoha's troops. The two key battles with the Rock Ninja and Sand Ninja had shaken the village's leadership.
As the Third Hokage detailed the events, his frustration grew palpable. The three advisors recognized the gravity of the situation. It wasn't hard to deduce that the Sand Ninja's ambush of the Konoha reinforcements had been made possible by a leak of critical information.
That information was known only to a few—Hiruzen, the three other high-ranking officials, and Sarutobi Chiba, the now-deceased leader of the reinforcements.
"Hiruzen, are you implying that there's a traitor among us? That's impossible!" Koharu snapped, slamming her hand against the table. As one of the Second Hokage's disciples, like Hiruzen, she had helped Konoha rise to prominence. How could she or her fellow advisors ever betray the village they had worked so hard to protect?
Homura adjusted his glasses and spoke, "Of course, there's no problem with the high-ranking officials. It's possible that Sarutobi Chiba himself betrayed the village, or maybe he leaked the information to Sand Ninja spies."
His statement was designed to deflect blame away from the village elders.
Hiruzen listened quietly, not responding until both Koharu and Homura had finished. Then, his sharp gaze shifted to Danzo, who had yet to speak.
"Danzo, don't you have anything to say?" Hiruzen asked.
Danzo, ever calm, met Hiruzen's gaze and replied, "You're the Hokage, responsible for all war-related matters. If there's been an information leak, it falls under your responsibility. Are you suggesting that the blame should rest on the three of us?"
His blunt words made Koharu and Homura uneasy, beads of sweat forming on their brows.
Hiruzen, however, remained composed. "I will take responsibility, but I assure you, I will investigate this matter thoroughly. This must never happen again," he said firmly, his gaze sweeping over the three elders. Reluctantly, they nodded in agreement.
Hiruzen then moved on to the next agenda of the meeting. "Do any of you have objections to the reward plan I've arranged for the Konoha troops?"
Danzo was the first to respond. "That boy, Namikaze Minato—he's only been out of the Ninja Academy for half a year, yet you intend to promote him to Special Jonin? Isn't that a bit unreasonable?"
Homura and Koharu nodded in agreement. Minato was young, and while a Special Jonin was not as high-ranking as a Jonin, it was still a position above Chunin. In Konoha's history, there had never been a case of a ninja being promoted from Genin to Special Jonin so quickly.
"Elder Danzo, let me correct you," Hiruzen began. "Although Minato graduated from the Ninja Academy six months ago, he became a Genin a year ago at the personal request of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. You're all aware of that, correct?"
After the mission in the Land of Hot Springs, the Daimyo of the Land of Hot Springs had visited the Daimyo of the Land of Fire and requested recognition for the Konoha ninjas who helped defeat the cultists. Because of Minato's performance in that mission, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire personally ordered his promotion to Genin at the age of nine.
"Even so," Danzo continued, "Genin and Special Jonin are completely different ranks. How will other ninjas feel about a boy, not even eleven, taking on such a high position?"
Hiruzen smiled calmly at Danzo's objection. "In two battles, Minato killed six enemy Jonin, nineteen Chunin, and assisted Sakumo, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya in forcing back Chiyo of the Sand Village. Such feats are difficult even for a seasoned Jonin. And yet, they were accomplished by a child under the age of eleven. Why can't he be promoted to Special Jonin?"
"In the world of ninjas, strength speaks. Even if Minato were seven years old, his achievements would still warrant this promotion. And as for the opinions of other ninjas, you needn't worry. The promotion is a joint request from Hatake Sakumo, Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and several other Konoha representatives. This isn't my decision alone."
Hiruzen's words calmed the anger in his heart. Minato's battlefield performance had exceeded even his highest expectations. No one could have anticipated the boy would grow so quickly.
"In that case, we have no objections," Koharu and Homura said, conceding to Hiruzen's reasoning. Minato's accomplishments spoke for themselves. Without him, Konoha would have lost not only its reinforcements and Hatake Sakumo, but perhaps the entire frontline as well. The significance of his actions couldn't be understated.
Seeing Koharu and Homura agree, Danzo had no choice but to relent.
The decision had been made, with a three-to-one vote in favor.
"I agree," Danzo said through gritted teeth, though his mind had already begun to calculate. He now viewed Minato as someone to watch carefully, someone who could potentially interfere with his plans in the future.
Without interference, Danzo's ambitions might just succeed.
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