"Suspecting?"
Naruto looked directly into Danzo's single eye, his tone flat. "Elder Danzo, don't go throwing around baseless accusations. Besides, Granny Tsunade already made it very clear just now that I am a Hokage-direct Jonin."
"According to Chapter 3, Article 12 of Konoha's current Ninja Management Regulations, a Hokage-direct Jonin is only responsible to the Hokage in non-wartime states and does not accept temporary dispatch or jurisdiction from any other direct superior."
"In other words, you have no authority to directly order me to do anything, nor do you have the qualification to cross the chain of command and question me at this meeting, unless your authority is greater than the Hokage's."
"Right, Elder Danzo?"
Naruto emphasized the word "Elder" heavily, and everyone in the meeting room who was in the know understood the sarcasm hidden behind that word.
The thing Danzo cared about most in his life was the title of Hokage. From the time of the Second Hokage, he had failed to compete with Hiruzen for the position of Hokage, and even now, at his age, he had not given up his obsession with vying for the Hokage position.
And what Naruto just said was, in front of all the Jonin and Clan Heads, stepping on Danzo's most sensitive nerve.
Upon hearing this, Danzo instantly erupted with undisguised killing intent. Under the force of his fingers, the cane made a faint cracking sound, and several cracks spread from the surface of the handle.
Many Jonin's right hands reached for the ninja tool pouches at their waists.
The smile on Guy's face had long since disappeared, replaced by a completely serious expression.
Kurenai rested her fingers on her cuff, while Kakashi stared sharply at Danzo.
"Danzo, what are you doing?"
Tsunade slammed her palm onto the conference table, her immense strength causing all the teacups to jump simultaneously.
Koharu and Homura turned toward Danzo, signaling with their eyes for him to be mindful of the occasion.
This is a meeting, not an interrogation room of Root. If Danzo were to make a move against a Jonin directly under the Hokage in front of all the other Jonin, it would no longer be a matter of a power struggle, it would be blatant treason.
Tsunade's slam brought Danzo back to his senses. He loosened his fingers from the handle of his cane and suppressed the spreading killing intent.
He closed his eyes and resumed his previously calm expression, though his knuckles on the cane were still slightly white.
'I was nearly goaded into losing my composure by this brat.' Danzo thought to himself.
He had lived to this age, rolling in the power struggles of Konoha for decades, and had never before been pushed to the brink of losing control by a twelve-year-old kid in front of everyone.
Naruto was not simple. From start to finish, not a single word of his speech had been an emotional insult, yet every step felt calculated to land on his most vulnerable spots.
However, Danzo could not understand why Naruto held such great hostility toward him. This hostility did not seem like an impulsive act, but rather something prepared in advance.
Could he know something?
Danzo thought about the incident where Root had been destroyed by a Tailed Beast Ball. He instantly connected these clues in his mind.
Although the surface evidence from the destruction and the residual Chakra of One-Tail pointed to a rampage by One-Tail, Naruto had been on the scene as well. He was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and, in theory, possessed the conditions to unleash a Tailed Beast Ball.
If those three Tailed Beast Balls had been secretly guided by the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki or if he had released them himself, then the danger level of this Nine-Tails Jinchuriki needed to be re-evaluated.
Danzo temporarily suppressed all these speculations and returned to his usual cold expression.
"Hokage-sama, if you are determined to announce it, then do so. Let us quickly move on to the next item, my time is very precious."
Naruto nodded at Tsunade and then sat back in his seat.
Tsunade cleared her throat and turned her gaze back to the Clan Heads and Jonin on both sides of the conference table.
"Regarding the matter of announcing Naruto's true identity, does anyone have any further objections?"
Shibi was the first to break the silence, "I agree."
Tsume nodded. "It should have been done long ago. How can it be right to let the son of a hero be cursed for so many years?"
Hiashi set down his teacup. "The Hyuga Clan has no objections."
Kakashi said nothing, merely bowing slightly in Naruto's direction.
Guy gave a thumbs up.
Koharu and Homura exchanged glances and then nodded simultaneously.
The two of them had been interviewed privately by Tsunade before the meeting. The reason Tsunade gave them was that rather than letting Danzo keep using Naruto's lineage as a hidden card to threaten the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, it would be better to make it public, bringing Naruto from the shadows into the light, which would make it harder for Danzo to take action against him. This logic held true in a power struggle.
Although the two did not entirely agree with Tsunade's bold style so soon after taking office, they had to admit that making Naruto's identity public would objectively limit the room for Danzo to maneuver against the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
Furthermore, Tsunade's attitude during their negotiation had been very firm, making it clear that she would push this matter forward regardless. Rather than clashing directly with the Hokage during the meeting, it was better to do her a personal favor in exchange for compromises on other issues.
However, the consequences following the exposure of Naruto's identity would be for Tsunade to handle herself.
Tsunade looked around, and seeing no further objections, she nodded and made the final decision.
"Tomorrow, the Hokage Building will issue a formal announcement to all villagers of Konoha, revealing Naruto's true identity as the son of the Fourth Hokage and also as a Jonin directly under the Fifth Hokage."
"At the same time, the inheritance of the Fourth Hokage will be returned to the legal heir, Naruto."
When the Jonin and Clan Heads present heard the last point, many harbored their own private thoughts.
This Fifth Hokage's regard for Naruto was no longer just about cultivating a capable subordinate, she was handling everything from his political status and social reputation to his economic foundation. The magnitude of this support was unprecedented in the entire history of Konoha.
Some who had been watching from the sidelines silently adjusted their estimation of Naruto's status within the new Hokage's administration up by two levels.
After speaking, Tsunade prepared to announce the end of the meeting. She gathered the documents on the table to one side, placed her hands on the table, and was about to stand up.
Just then, a voice rang out. "Hokage, I still have something to say."
Danzo stood up from his seat, leaning on his cane.
Koharu and Homura frowned simultaneously, they clearly did not know that Danzo had additional topics to bring up.
The Jonin and Clan Heads sitting below had varied expressions.
'That old geezer!' Tsunade's heart sank.
She, of course, knew what Danzo was going to say.
As expected, Danzo raised his head and first recounted the incident where Root was attacked by a Tailed Beast Ball during the Chunin Exams.
"In this sudden attack, Root lost nearly half of its elite forces, and even our base was largely destroyed. A vast amount of precious classified information and Root ninjas trained over many years were reduced to ashes in this disaster."
"Through our investigation, all information regarding the perpetrator of this attack points to One Tail of Sunagakure."
Danzo paused here, his gaze sweeping over Naruto intentionally or unintentionally.
"In view of the current dire state of Root, I implore the Hokage to allocate a batch of new recruits from the existing registered ninjas of Konoha to replenish Root, so as to maintain the basic operational capability of Konoha's most secretive line of defense."
Everyone's eyes turned to Tsunade, waiting to see how this new Hokage would handle this situation.
Danzo's words had made it very clear: Root was the dark side of Konoha, the unit that executed those missions that could not see the light of day but were indispensable.
If the Hokage publicly refused to replenish their numbers, it would be weakening Konoha's own defensive strength.
If she agreed, the situation that had been suppressed by Naruto would be all for nothing.
This was a trap from both sides. Danzo was betting that Tsunade would not dare to risk being accused of disregarding Konoha's safety in public.
***
40 Advanced Chapters on
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