"Silence!"
The pineapple-haired Nara clan member serving as the Jonin Unit captain began furiously pounding the table with a small hammer, trying to quiet the noisy Jonin assembly.
But all he received in return was an even more aggressive retort:
"What are you doing? Don't Jonins have the right to express their opinions during this meeting?"
Clearly, Elder Kodou had come armed and ready. His verbal counterattacks were methodical: "Captain Nara, are you attempting to alter the rules personally established by Lord Tobirama in front of all present Jonins?"
This time, even the previously indifferent Jonins sat upright, staring intensely at the Jonin captain on the stage.
Although not every Jonin was willing to be the kind of outspoken leader who might mysteriously disappear in the middle of the night, that didn't mean they would allow their interests to be trampled upon; when there was someone leading the charge, they were more than happy to lend a hand.
After all, whether the outcome succeeded or failed, the silent majority like them wouldn't suffer much harm. The entire Hidden Leaf Village relied upon people like them to keep running smoothly.
If that was true for commoner-born Jonins, then it was even more so for those from ninja clans.
Their respective clans supported the current Third Hokage not because they wanted trouble!
Besides, raising mission fee deductions and delaying survivor benefit payouts had already become wildly unpopular—the very definition of asking for opposition. Casting a vote of opposition under these circumstances was only natural and justified.
What, trying to boost your rep? No shame in that!
Yet the poor Jonin captain standing on the stage found himself feeling increasingly uncomfortable, completely roasted over the fire.
From the very beginning, he had never expected events would spiral this oddly.
According to past experiences and meticulous pre-planning, although this meeting wasn't a full gathering of Konoha's Jonins, it could still use procedural manipulation and overwhelming agenda items as a cover to smoothly pass the intended proposal.
Plus, if public opinion turned sour later, the Jonin Captain could simply claim it was the unilateral action of certain Jonins—not reflecting the overall will of Konoha's Jonin ranks—and revoke it entirely.
And if a particular Jonin got too rowdy, a little convenient reassignment to high-risk border or front-line duty could quietly quell the uproar—a neat and tidy resolution to the whole mess.
However, this challenge today wouldn't be so easy to brush aside.
The nominator, Elder Kodou, had proposed none other than Sakumo Hatake—Konoha's most legendary and renowned elite Jonin warrior, whose mission success rate approached 100%. He served as one of the village's major external symbols and currently commanded the western battlefield. By both capability and seniority, Sakumo Hatake was undeniably qualified for the position of Jonin Unit Captain.
But here lay the problem!
Whether a ninja was suitable wasn't up to the ninja himself!
"If the Hokage says you're fit, unfit or not—you're fit. If the Hokage says you're unfit, no talent can save you!"
So, based on this simple principle, the Jonin Unit leader from the Nara clan regarded all the Jonin currently raising a ruckus below him—one by one—as no better than traitors.
"You bunch of traitors!"
The moment these words escaped his mouth, the Jonin Unit leader immediately regretted what he had just said.
"What did you just say?!"
The Jonin meeting room first fell into silence, then erupted into an uproar.
"Impeach him!"
"Force him out!"
"We're launching a joint initiative right now!"
At this moment, Kodou Jonin, who had been standing off to the side, suddenly gained divine support from heaven—a stroke of luck. Overjoyed, Kodou Jonin leapt onto the table and shouted at the gathered Jonin: "The Jonin Unit must never become a tool for someone's personal gain!"
"The will of the Jonin must be respected!"
"Only Lord Sakumo is the true representative we recognize!"
"Down with—"
Meanwhile, sitting in the back row, Hyuga Soushu wore an expression of complete astonishment; even though he was a man reborn into this life, he had never seen such a sudden shift in momentum before.
"Hello."
Suddenly, a blond Jonin sitting beside him leaned over and started talking. "This is actually my first time seeing you at a Jonin meeting. May I ask if you're a newly promoted Jonin from our village?"
"That's right."
Soushu glanced at him briefly and gave a slight nod but said nothing more.
"My name is Kato Hayan. May I know how I should address you?"
The blond Jonin smiled brightly as he extended a friendly hand toward Soushu.
"Hayan?!"
Soushu felt even more surprised but still reached out to shake his hand. "I'm Hyuga Soushu. By the way, are you related to Kakashi Hatake?"
"He's actually my cousin."
Judging from his face and smile, Kato Hayan seemed like a rather cheerful and outgoing person. "And Lord Sakumo's achievements and strength have always been my lifelong goal to pursue!"
"Hmm…"
Soushu nodded again and discreetly withdrew his hand from the firm grip.
He couldn't help feeling that something about this Kato Jonin—who came out of nowhere trying to get close—felt a bit strange somehow.
Though he couldn't quite put his finger on why, Soushu decided to trust his gut for now.
"Do you also know Lord Sakumo, Soushu-san?"
Apparently, Hayan hadn't noticed Soushu's subtle sense of caution and continued chatting merrily.
"I've long admired his reputation, but we haven't met."
Not wanting to be rude to someone who was smiling at him, Soushu replied briefly.
"Ohh…"
Seemingly sensing that Soushu wasn't particularly interested in small talk, Hayan quickly changed the subject. "Do you think the atmosphere here at the Jonin meeting feels a bit strange, Soushu-san?"
"This isn't just 'a bit strange,' is it?"
Soushu added thoughtfully before muttering slightly confusedly: "Doesn't a situation like this happen often?! Had impeaching the Jonin Unit leader already become something normal?!"
Come to think of it, a major incident like impeaching the Jonin Unit leader has never actually happened before. But every Jonin Unit meeting always ends in a loud argument.
"Actually, the Jonin Unit is meant to be a place where everyone can voice their opinions freely, so it's normal for conversations to get a bit sensitive," Kato Hayan explained.
"Like this?"
Hyuga Soushu pointed toward the front of the conference room.
"Uh..."
Kato Hayan immediately turned his head, only to see Kodou Jonin, who had proposed the motion to impeach and reelect the Jonin Unit leader, already drawing his ninja blade, looking like he was about to chop down the current leader on stage.
"He's just flying off the handle," Kato Hayan chuckled nervously, shifting the topic. "By the way, do you know who's behind Kodou Jonin, Soushu-kun?"
His winking and grimacing practically screamed for Hyuga Soushu to beg him for more details.
"I don't," Soushu replied with little interest, shaking his head.
"This secret I'll only tell you—just don't spread it around."
Kato Hayan glanced left and right to ensure nobody was eavesdropping before lowering his voice. "Kodou Jonin was one of the students trained by Elder Akimichi Torikaze before he retired."
"You get the picture."
"Now *that*'s how it rolls!"
Big fish in a small pond; stormy winds in a tiny temple. Soushu couldn't help but feel even more impressed.
"While Elder Torikaze might seem rough and coarse at first glance, his strategic planning is actually quite impressive."
For this senior ninja figure, who seemed to be stoking the impeachment frenzy within the Jonin Unit, Kato Hayan spoke highly of him.