The advisory council was an important institution that emerged and was gradually refined when the Second Hokage, under pursuit, urgently passed the title to the Third Hokage.
Its creation was meant to support the Third, who, at the time, lacked the strength and experience to fully lead the Hidden Leaf Village.
Over time, however, the advisory council's power grew significantly.
By now, the council had become the only entity in the village capable of checking the Hokage's authority. When the council reached a consensus on an issue, even someone as powerful as the Third had to make some concessions.
This was why, when Orochimaru and Danzō were secretly conducting human experiments in the village, only Orochimaru was forced to defect.
Even though Tsunade and Jiraiya had evidence of Danzō's crimes, they still needed Koharu Utatane's support to ensure Danzō's expulsion from the advisory council.
The root cause was the council's extraordinary authority, capable of balancing the Hokage.
However, no one expected that after expelling Danzō, the Third would immediately propose adding Tsunade and Jiraiya to the advisory council!
This was a masterstroke, pulling the rug out from under them!
On the surface, the Third hadn't touched the council's authority, but once Tsunade and Jiraiya joined, the council's ability to check the Hokage would be effectively nullified.
Mitokado Homura immediately spoke up, "Strengthening the advisory council is a major matter and shouldn't be decided hastily!"
Koharu nodded in agreement. "Indeed, today's meeting is about discussing Danzō's punishment. Other matters can be addressed later!"
The Third responded amiably, "With the shinobi world in turmoil and the threat of the Akatsuki growing by the day, we must act decisively!"
At that moment, Nara Shikaku, the jōnin squad leader seated on the other side of the table, said, "I support the Hokage-sama's proposal!"
Yamanaka Inoichi, head of the intelligence analysis team, quickly followed, "I also support the Hokage-sama's proposal!"
Soon after, elite jōnin like Kakashi and Asuma voiced their agreement with the Third's proposal.
When it came to the Bloodline Limit clans, the Kurama clan leader—Yakumo's father—was the first to express support. Hyūga Hiashi, after a moment of contemplation, nodded along with the majority.
In an instant, the meeting room echoed with voices of approval.
Koharu and Homura sat in silence, their faces grim.
The Third's timing and choice of candidates were impeccable, leaving them no room to object.
The threat of the Akatsuki was undeniable—not just for the Hidden Leaf, but for the other four great shinobi villages as well. With the advisory council short a member, reinforcing it was only logical.
As for Tsunade and Jiraiya, their strength, achievements, lineage, and qualifications were beyond reproach. Even Koharu and Homura couldn't find a legitimate reason to oppose them, so they had no choice but to sit in sullen silence.
Seeing no further objections, the Third announced, "It seems no vote is necessary. I hereby declare that Tsunade and Jiraiya are appointed to the advisory council, becoming the village's new advisors!"
Though somewhat surprised, Tsunade and Jiraiya calmly accepted their new roles.
The attending leaders congratulated Tsunade and Jiraiya, and the atmosphere in the meeting room instantly grew lively.
In contrast to the festive mood, Koharu and Homura sat in the advisory council seats, their expressions dark.
In just moments, they were already beginning to miss Danzō. When he was around, the dirty and exhausting tasks fell to him, leaving them to maintain balance.
But now, that balance was broken!
After a while, the meeting room quieted down again.
The Third coughed lightly and said slowly, "Regarding this ninja academy exam, does anyone have anything to say?"
Tsunade frowned, hesitating before speaking. "There's an issue with Uchiha Shinji's team's points. Their final tally was 2,108 points—over four times that of Yakumo's team, the second-place finisher. Theoretically, that's impossible!"
As soon as Tsunade spoke, the jōnin who had overseen the exam nodded in agreement.
The exam rules had been set collectively, and based on prior estimates, a team scoring 400 points was already considered an excellent result. For Shinji's team to amass over 2,000 points was simply unimaginable!
This was also why the command post had immediately sent people to investigate upon hearing the news.
Amid the murmurs of doubt, Koharu suddenly spoke up. "What you call theoretically impossible is just something you hadn't considered!"
All eyes turned to her, including the Third's, awaiting an explanation.
Koharu said leisurely, "The Land of Hot Springs is a chaotic place, with many legitimate trading companies tied to rogue ninja operating under the guise of 'bounty hunters.' Uchiha Shinji capitalized on this, using several trading companies to spread false information, luring those rogue ninja into his trap!"
"I see!"
The room came to a realization.
Other student teams followed a standard process: gathering intelligence, tracking, and then apprehending. It was time-consuming and prone to failure.
But if Shinji, as Koharu described, used the trading companies in the Land of Hot Springs to spread false intel and wait for the rogue ninja to take the bait, his efficiency would indeed far surpass that of other teams.
Someone raised a question. "How did he manage that? The rogue ninja entrenched in the Land of Hot Springs are local powerhouses. If trading companies spread false intel to them, they'd face brutal retaliation afterward. Why would those companies work for Uchiha Shinji?"
Koharu glanced at the questioner. "Hmph, in the face of the Sharingan, mere merchants have the right to say 'no'?"
"Genjutsu, huh…"
The room caught on.
In truth, many had subconsciously viewed Shinji as just a kid, so they hadn't initially considered the Sharingan. Plus, Shinji wasn't known at the academy for his Sharingan prowess.
Koharu's reminder made them recall the Uchiha's terrifying genjutsu, capable of manipulating opponents with ease!
"If that's the case, Uchiha Shinji's team truly deserves first place in this exam!"
"Indeed, he leveraged every available resource, demonstrating a strategic vision far beyond the other student teams!"
"And he thwarted Root's assassination attempt—that's worth praising too!"
The jōnin began discussing among themselves.
With brilliant strategy, a crushing points advantage, and the defeat of Root's assassination attempt, even Tsunade had to admit that Shinji's team outperformed Yakumo's!