Inside the jonin conference room, it was noisy and filled with discussions. The news of Danzō's arrest had already spread, and it was the Hokage himself who made the move. Everyone present were jonin, some even heads of their respective clans, and most had long harbored resentment toward Danzō.
Good news as it was, none of them could imagine how such a thing had happened, how did the usually indecisive Third Hokage suddenly become so... authoritative?
Even the Third Hokage's own son, Asuma, looked completely baffled.
"No, Kurenai, you're asking me? I have no idea either. You know I haven't lived at the old estate for a long time. The last time I talked to him was... well, the last time."
"Guy, you're asking who Danzō is? You've seen him, the one-eyed elder."
"Shikaku, what do you think? What do you mean you don't know either? No way. How could you not know?"
Recognized by all as the smartest one in the room, Shikaku turned to his friends and said, "Just wait. The Hokage will be here soon. For an emergency jonin meeting like this, something big must be happening. Let's just support whatever decision he makes."
With that, he fell silent.
"We're not going to war, are we?" someone blurted out.
Awkward silence.
After a few seconds, someone from the Intelligence Division hesitantly spoke, "I don't think so... things have been pretty peaceful lately."
"Yeah, the international situation is great right now."
"Exactly. We're even preparing for the Chunin Exams these days."
"Right, no way it's war."
"We wouldn't strike first, would we? Haha, just kidding." The same blunt jonin tried to laugh it off as he realized the atmosphere had soured.
No one responded. The room went quiet again.
It was unclear if they were ignoring him or if it was because they had heard the Hokage's approaching footsteps.
The Konoha Council members entered the meeting room minus one. Everyone saw that Homura and Koharu looked awful, like they hadn't slept all night. In contrast, the Third Hokage was full of energy, sharp and commanding, like he had the best sleep of his life.
Usually, meetings like this were led by the village elders or the Jonin Commander, Shikaku, who would raise topics for discussion, with the Hokage making the final decision.
But this time was different, the Hokage spoke first.
"You were summoned urgently because I have a few announcements to make," Hiruzen said with a firm and clear voice. "First, the missing-nin Shimura Danzō has turned himself in. The criminal organization 'Root' is disbanded. Clan leaders may retrieve any of their members who were lured into joining."
Though the jonin had already heard this the night before, this formal announcement served to reinforce the Hokage's authority.
They were filled with a mix of doubt and awe... they had never seen this kind of Third Hokage before.
"Second, during the upcoming Chunin Exams, all jonin are to suspend external missions, keep standard combat tools ready at all times, and delay any ongoing assignments. We must ensure the exams go perfectly, and be mentally prepared for unrestricted combat."
Damn, could that blunt guy actually have been right? the jonin grumbled silently.
"Oh, and Ibiki, the written test questions need to be revised. Your exam design is innovative, but it doesn't test the Will of Fire enough. You need to increase the emphasis on that."
Even ninjas from outside have to be tested for the Will of Fire? Ibiki complained inwardly, but outwardly nodded in agreement and said he'd redesign it immediately.
"Third," continued the Hokage, "the Ninja Academy will be restructured. The school grounds will be expanded, and the enrollment scope will extend to the entire Land of Fire. Children with ninja potential will be recruited using something like a 'Hogwarts acceptance letter'. A limited number of students from other nations will be allowed to study abroad at the Academy. The curriculum will be extended to 9–12 academic years, with all ninja arts gradually unlocked step by step. Graduation with ninja status will only be allowed for those who reach at least chunin level."
"This plan is codenamed: Konoha City – Academic Metropolis Project!"
Isn't this going way overboard? And what the heck is a Hogwarts acceptance letter?
Today's Third Hokage felt like a complete stranger.
The jonin glanced at each other, feeling both anxious about the future and shocked by the Hokage's sudden transformation. The Hokage they knew had always been gentle and cautious. Today, he was decisive, assertive, even a bit aggressive, and was throwing around strange new terms no one understood.
"Hokage-sama, I have something to say." The head of the largest clan and one of the village's biggest benefactors, Hyūga Hiashi, finally spoke up. "It's not that I don't support you, but this plan would require an enormous amount of funding..."
Hiruzen waved a hand to interrupt. "No need to worry about the money. The daimyō has already agreed to a tenfold increase in funding. Of course, I still expect all clan heads to contribute something to the cause of education, for the future of Konoha."
That was clearly a bluff. But if he made a good enough case, the daimyō would likely agree. After all, he had been terrified of Danzō, and now Hiruzen was even scarier than Danzō. There was no reason he wouldn't go along. And if not... well, there was always Kotoamatsukami.
"Such a sweeping reform might alarm other villages, especially with the enrollment expanding across the entire Land of Fire, and even allowing foreign students... Could this not lead to international tensions?" asked one jonin with a sense of the bigger picture.
"If they choose to cooperate, they are welcome. If they choose to oppose us, we have nothing to fear. Shikaku, send everyone the full reform documents along with the appendix, 'Manual for Dealing with Evil Organizations.' Once you've read it, we'll proceed with a hand vote. If anyone has objections, submit a detailed written proposal to me afterward."
Under the knowing gazes of his close friends, Shikaku distributed the documents he had already prepared.
As the Jonin Commander, Shikaku was clearly among the first to see the documents and had promptly voiced his support for the Hokage's plan. The Ino-Shika-Chō tradition was to always support the legitimate Hokage.
In the audience, the sound of flipping pages and quiet murmuring filled the room. On stage, Hiruzen lit his pipe and took a satisfied puff.
With a gloomy expression, Homura murmured, "You've gone too far. You didn't even consult us."
The two elders had read the documents earlier at the same time as Shikaku, without even being given a chance to object.
"You mean Danzō's arrest or the reform plan?"
"Both. You're being too radical. Even Minato was never this bold," said Koharu softly. "Danzō's situation has already made many uneasy. These reforms, on top of that... I fear it'll provoke backlash."
"You can't untangle a messy knot with hesitation. If we continue balancing everything like before, nothing will ever get done, just endless debates," Hiruzen replied firmly. "We can't go on like this."
Truth be told, it wasn't always just endless talk, Danzō often went rogue when he got upset, creating faits accomplis that left him no choice but to accept them, like with the Uchiha incident. But now Danzō was gone. With no more divide between light and shadow, Hiruzen had to take the full burden himself.
"Of course, I still consider you two my most trusted comrades, unlike Danzō. I ask for your support, just as before."