The Third Hokage's injuries weren't severe, so he regained consciousness the next day. However, according to the medical center's specialists, he would need a period of rest to recover fully. Despite this, the Third Hokage's hospital room was packed with people, creating a lively atmosphere.
Most of the people in the room were high-ranking jonin, with some of the most prominent figures standing at the front, including the two Konoha advisors, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, as well as the leader of Root, Danzo Shimura.
The two advisors were currently engaged in a heated debate with Danzo, and the topic was how to deal with the Sand Village's captured trio.
The advisors' stance was that, to avoid sparking a war and honor the previous agreements regarding the division of the Tailed Beasts, the three captured Sand ninja should be returned to their village. However, they believed Konoha could still negotiate for some benefits in return.
Danzo, on the other hand, disagreed. He argued that the three should be killed, and that they should extract Shukaku, the One-Tail, from Gaara. If the Sand Village wanted war, Konoha could use the One-Tail to demonstrate its strength.
The back-and-forth continued, and the Third Hokage, lying in his hospital bed, rubbed his temples in frustration.
The other jonin in the room seemed unsurprised by the argument, as if such scenes were commonplace.
"Ahem..." The Third Hokage finally couldn't take it any longer and cleared his throat.
Despite everything, the Third Hokage was still the leader of the village, so both sides halted their debate, each letting out a dissatisfied huff but granting him the respect of silence.
Seeing that the situation had calmed down, the Third Hokage spoke up. "Regarding this matter, Natsuro has already reported to me, and we've discussed a course of action. Since my current condition limits how much I can say, Natsuro…"
He motioned to Natsuro, who stepped forward to stand beside the Hokage.
"Please explain on my behalf," the Third Hokage said with a smile.
"Understood, Lord Hokage," Natsuro nodded.
This development caused a ripple of surprise among those present. It was a significant gesture, and many jonin couldn't help but glance at Danzo.
Some of these looks were questioning, while others were tinged with mockery or even schadenfreude.
Jiraiya, who had been standing by the window with his arms crossed and his eyes closed, opened his eyes in surprise, staring at the Third Hokage.
Danzo's expression darkened as he glared at the Third Hokage. "Hiruzen, he's only 13 years old!"
"I know, I'm just having Natsuro explain the situation for me since I'm not in the best shape," the Third Hokage replied with a chuckle, as if it were no big deal.
"Hmph!" Danzo snorted but couldn't argue further.
The two advisors, meanwhile, took a closer look at Natsuro. They found him quite suitable. As Jiraiya's apprentice, his identity was unquestionable, and his strength was undeniable. Not only had he played a crucial role in this recent incident, but he was also likely to grow even stronger in the future.
However, they still felt Natsuro was a bit young. Surely Konoha didn't need to rely on someone so young for such important responsibilities just yet.
Natsuro, now standing at the center of attention, glanced around the room, recognizing many familiar faces: Hiashi Hyuga, Shikaku Nara, Choza Akimichi, and Inoichi Yamanaka—all key clan leaders.
Despite the pressure, Natsuro showed no sign of hesitation. He went straight to the point. "I'm sure everyone here knows who I am, so I won't introduce myself. I will now represent the Hokage to discuss the next steps Konoha must take."
"Before addressing the situation with the Sand Village, we need to talk about Konoha's current reputation. Although we handled the counterattack well, the Chunin Exams that Konoha hosted were undoubtedly a failure."
"Regardless of the reasons behind it, this incident has damaged Konoha's reputation. Other nations will inevitably question our strength."
"Therefore, we must demonstrate Konoha's power to the rest of the world. Moving forward, we'll need to take on more B-rank and higher missions, and I ask all of you to ensure both efficiency and success."
"As for team assignments, Special Jonin will be grouped into teams of two to three and can assign chunin and genin from their teams as they see fit. Jonin will be grouped into teams of one to two, with similar flexibility in assigning their subordinates."
"From now on, we'll all be busy taking on missions and completing them flawlessly, contributing to Konoha's recovery and helping us navigate through this difficult period."
Natsuro's first point didn't draw any objections. Many jonin nodded in agreement, particularly those from non-clan backgrounds, as these missions were crucial for their livelihoods. If the number of missions decreased, their incomes and access to resources would also drop, so they were naturally in favor.
Seeing no opposition, Natsuro continued.
"Now, regarding the Sand Village, the Hokage's stance is to avoid sparking war between villages."
"Hmph, foolishness! Do you think forgiving them this time will make them grateful? They've already broken their alliance once, and they can do it again!" Danzo interrupted with a snort.
The two advisors, however, looked pleased with Natsuro. Although it was the Hokage's opinion, the fact that Natsuro was the one voicing it reflected well on him.
"Don't rush. I haven't finished," Natsuro shot back at Danzo, showing no sign of respect. "You!"
"What do you mean, 'you'? I'm speaking on behalf of the Hokage right now, and out of everyone here, you're the least qualified to speak, given that Root didn't lift a finger during this entire incident. Why don't you ask everyone else here if any of them failed to act or held back their subordinates during the crisis?"
Natsuro's icy glare bored into Danzo, cutting him off mid-sentence.
Truthfully, now wasn't the best time to confront Danzo, but Natsuro had no patience for him. If Danzo hadn't provoked him, Natsuro might have ignored him, but now that Danzo had spoken up, Natsuro had no qualms about putting him in his place.
"You!!" Danzo gritted his teeth, feeling the weight of the stares from the other jonin. If Natsuro hadn't brought this up, no one would have mentioned it, but now that it was out in the open, everyone's gaze had shifted toward Danzo, questioning his inaction.
Feeling cornered, Danzo resorted to his usual justification, speaking of his role in protecting Konoha from the shadows, but he refrained from making any further comments on the issue at hand.
The Third Hokage smiled wryly. He knew Natsuro was still displeased about Root's refusal to assist during the invasion, and it seemed Natsuro was making his dissatisfaction clear. The Third himself shared that disappointment, and moments like these reaffirmed his belief that not making Danzo Hokage had been the right decision.
With Danzo silenced, Natsuro continued.
"While we must avoid a war with the Sand Village, that doesn't mean we can forgive them easily. For the sake of Konoha's reputation and interests, we must exact a price."
Hearing this, the two advisors frowned slightly, but with Danzo already having been put in his place, they chose to remain silent and listen.
"First, the One-Tail should be returned to the Sand Village. If we were to keep it, we'd not only become direct enemies with them but also cause alarm among the other villages, especially since we already have the Nine-Tails, the strongest Tailed Beast. Therefore, the One-Tail cannot stay; it must be returned as soon as possible."
At this, the advisors' expressions softened, while Danzo's grew darker. Still, he begrudgingly acknowledged that Natsuro's reasoning made sense. He grumbled internally, convinced that these ideas were all Hiruzen's doing.
"However, we can't just hand over the One-Tail for free. The Sand Village must agree to our terms. Specifically, they must destroy Orochimaru's village, Otogakure—though, to be honest, that place doesn't even deserve to be called a village."
"You mentioned avoiding war, didn't you? How do you plan to avoid it with a proposal like this?" Koharu Utatane directly questioned Natsuro.
"I'm talking about avoiding a war between villages. Neither Konoha nor the Sand Village recognizes Otogakure as a legitimate village. Since it was founded by Orochimaru, its elimination won't be seen as a village conflict but as wiping out the base of a renegade ninja."
"Furthermore, many feudal lords were affected by Orochimaru's actions during the Chunin Exams. They will be more than willing to cooperate. In the end, what the Sand Village will be destroying is just the hideout of a rogue ninja who manipulated them."
Natsuro then turned to the two advisors and asked, "Any further questions?"
Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado exchanged a glance but remained silent. Framing the mission as the destruction of a renegade base made it more palatable. They both nodded in agreement.
Moreover, Natsuro's respectful tone towards them stood in stark contrast to his treatment of Danzo, which greatly improved their impression of him. On the other hand, Danzo's expression darkened further, the favoritism toward Natsuro being too obvious.
In truth, Natsuro didn't have much personal affection for the two advisors either. However, he knew that having already offended Danzo, it would be foolish to antagonize the advisors as well. For now, he needed to draw support from some while pushing others back.
Seeing that there were no more objections, Natsuro continued, "Additionally, the spoils of the operation to eliminate the rogue ninja's base will be split 60-40, with Konoha taking 60% and the Sand Village 40%."
"Do you think the Sand Village will agree to that?" Homura Mitokado asked. He agreed with the idea but found it somewhat unrealistic.
"Of course, they won't agree to that at first. But we can start by demanding compensation for breaking the alliance. From what I understand, the Sand Village's economy is currently in poor shape. If they can't afford to pay us, agreeing to the 60-40 split will seem like the better option. If I weren't concerned about pushing them too far, I'd ask for the entire share."
Natsuro's tone of regret as he said this caused some of the other jonin to feel uneasy. They could tell this wasn't someone to be trifled with, someone who could hold grudges and seemed a bit greedy.
Homura Mitokado nodded thoughtfully, considering the practicality of Natsuro's approach, and didn't say anything further.
"And finally, there's one more point: The Sand Village has suffered significant losses in this conflict, and their military strength has been severely weakened. For this reason, we will provide 'friendly assistance' by sending one of our ninja to help with the mission to eliminate the rogue base."
"But this ninja won't just be assisting. Their primary role will be to display Konoha's strength. This ninja must be exceptionally strong, someone capable of demonstrating overwhelming power during the operation—enough to make the Sand Village think twice before breaking the alliance again."
"And the candidate for this ninja…" Natsuro began, but he was quickly interrupted by Danzo.
Clearly, Danzo had his eyes on this mission. After all, it was an excellent opportunity to turn a covert operation into a more public one, and Danzo couldn't resist the prospect.
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Currently on Chapter 193 - Gaara Captured