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As dawn broke, Hiruzen, who had not slept a wink all night, immediately summoned his two advisors, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane. He laid out his idea to them without delay. What followed was strong, immediate opposition from both advisors. They appealed to his emotions and laid out logical arguments, leaving Hiruzen caught in a difficult position—torn between two sides. In that moment, he wished he could call Midorima back just to convince these two stubborn old veterans face to face.
There were certain things he knew how to say, but he felt it was inappropriate to voice them openly in front of familiar colleagues. That was the real dilemma.
Tsunade, too, found these two advisors incredibly frustrating. They seemed incapable of doing anything constructive, yet they excelled at endless talk—the undisputed champions of verbal persuasion.
After Homura and Koharu had spoken at length in one continuous stream, Hiruzen turned to Tsunade with a helpless look. Tsunade stepped forward, suppressing the irritation welling up inside her, and directly challenged the two advisors.
"Elders, tell me—what do you propose we do about the Uchiha clan right now? The conflict between the Leaf Village and the Sand Village has not yet concluded, and we are about to host the Five Kage Summit. Without a reasonable approach, how can we possibly handle the Uchiha matter properly? Have you both already forgotten the current state of the Hidden Mist Village?"
Homura responded in a deep, measured voice, "Are you certain this plan will resolve the tensions with the Uchiha clan?"
"Of course it won't solve everything," Tsunade countered, "but if we don't even try, we have zero chance at all, don't we?"
Homura glanced briefly at Tsunade and at Jiraiya standing off to the side, then fell silent.
It was clear that Hiruzen Sarutobi, Tsunade, and Jiraiya had already thoroughly discussed the advantages and disadvantages before presenting this proposal. At this stage, debating alternatives had become pointless. They would not heed the advisors' suggestions.
Though it left him somewhat regretful, Homura chose to close his mouth and say no more.
"What if people from the Sand Village arrive?" Utatane shot back. "Our battle with the Sand Village stemmed directly from Uchiha ninjas killing the Kazekage. How do you think the Sand Village representatives will react when they see members of the Uchiha clan serving as guards for the Five Kage Summit? What if they interpret it as deliberate provocation on our part? Have you prepared any countermeasures for that scenario?"
Her tone sharpened further, carrying a clear edge of anger as she continued, "I understand that both the Third and Fifth Hokage hope for complete stability in the Leaf Village. You even wish for the Uchiha clan to fully integrate into our community. However, this village has carried the seed of rebellion from its very founding. It began with Uchiha Madara and has continued ever since. During the Nine-Tails Incident, they stayed out of sight. And now, with everything that's happening…"
Koharu gritted her teeth. "How many people died in the great war between the Leaf and the Sand Villages? We barely managed to create an opening for negotiations with the Sand by offering to help rescue their One-Tail Jinchuriki. Is now really the time to bring the Uchiha clan into the spotlight? Do you want to make the Sand Village even more dissatisfied with us?"
As a firm opponent of the plan, Koharu had exhausted every ounce of patience she once held toward the Uchiha clan.
"I know what you're thinking," Tsunade replied, "but I'm sorry—I simply don't agree. Since the founding of the Leaf Village, we have endured three major shinobi world wars. In every single one, without exception, the Uchiha clan served as a primary fighting force. To exaggerate only slightly, without the Uchiha, the Leaf Village might never have grown to its current scale. We cannot erase them entirely just because of certain misunderstandings."
Jiraiya interjected at that point. "I understand your concerns, but having Uchiha members serve as guards for this summit isn't entirely negative. In fact, there could be some real benefits."
"What benefits?" Koharu asked immediately.
Homura also looked puzzled, staring at Jiraiya with clear confusion.
"Fugaku is the leader of the Uchiha clan," Jiraiya explained with a calm smile, "and he has told us more than once that the Uchiha did not kill the Kazekage. Since he is so confident in that claim, why not give him the opportunity to explain it directly in front of the Sand Village representatives? Tsunade and I will personally take responsibility for the safety of all the Kage leaders. That should be sufficient, right?"
Tsunade and Jiraiya's combined words finally left Koharu without any further arguments. She could only nod stiffly, though it clearly pained her to do so.
Convincing the two advisors was merely the first step. The real challenge lay in persuading the other clan leaders.
After all, relying solely on the Uchiha clan would not be enough to secure the safety of the entire Five Kage Summit. Full cooperation from other high-ranking officials would still be essential.
The three of them spent considerable effort talking, but in the end they managed to secure nods of reluctant agreement from the village's leadership. The next task was to convince the Uchiha clan itself.
Among all the senior leaders of the Leaf Village, the one who had shown the most goodwill toward the Uchiha clan was Tsunade. Therefore, it fell to her to deliver the Hokage's decision to Uchiha Fugaku.
The Uchiha clan's leadership gathered together in one hall, listening patiently as Tsunade explained the Hokage's arrangement in detail. Many of them allowed their displeasure to show openly on their faces, though they held back their inner resentment out of respect for the messenger being Tsunade.
Fugaku did not agree immediately. Instead, he gestured toward the clan members seated below him and said, "This is not a decision I can make alone. I need to discuss it with all of them."
"The leaders from the various ninja villages have already arrived, and the summit is imminent," Tsunade replied in a serious tone. "Please make your decision as quickly as possible."
"Rest assured," Fugaku answered, "as soon as we reach a conclusion, I will inform you right away. I have not forgotten the help you have given to the Uchiha clan."
Tsunade's expression showed clear disappointment. In the end, she could only sigh helplessly, stand up, and bid farewell to Fugaku and the others.
Once Tsunade had left Fugaku's residence, the other clan members could no longer contain their frustration. One burst out angrily, "Even Lady Tsunade has changed! She's colluding with them now, trying to persecute us!"
"Enough!" Fugaku raised his hand sharply, cutting off the rising anger. "What she does is not the important part. What we need to understand is why she is doing it."
"No, Fugaku, I can't accept that kind of talk," another voice protested. "She is not the Hokage anymore. No one knows exactly how much influence she actually has over this arrangement. What do you think the Third Hokage and the village's advisors really feel about the Uchiha clan? Don't you see it clearly? They want us dead! Think about it—during the war with the Sand Village, we weren't even given a chance to participate. Yet now they're handing us the most critical responsibility. How can you believe they suddenly have such good intentions?"
"It must be a trap to eliminate us in front of the other Kage. The Hokage is truly ruthless. And Tsunade—once she lost power, she changed too."
The people below continued murmuring among themselves, their words stirring up more and more unease in Fugaku. He stared at the arguing clan members and finally asked, "According to all of you, what should we do then? Turn against the Leaf Village immediately? Or do we have any other realistic options?"
For a moment, the entire room fell into complete silence. Nearly every person fixed their gaze on Fugaku.
Fugaku rubbed his forehead wearily. After a long pause, he continued, "We don't have much room to maneuver. It's either resist outright, or follow the Hokage's instructions and see what they truly intend. Right now… this is all we can do. Isn't that the case?"
The others lowered their heads without offering any further response.