Though Danzo was mildly irked by the assault on his foot, he recovered with practiced swiftness.
"I must say, the proposal has merit," he began, his voice measured. "The only real obstacle is funding, which means petitioning the Daimyo. I can speak to him on the matter."
'You? Speak to him? You couldn't negotiate your way out of a paper bag!' Hiruzen thought.
Others might be unaware of Danzo's famously abrasive temperament, but the Third Hokage knew it all too well.
Sending Danzo to the Fire Daimyo would guarantee a rejection. Worse, if Danzo truly offended him, the current funding allocation might be slashed by a significant portion!
What truly astonished Hiruzen, however, was that Danzo had spoken up at all. Supporting Tsunade's proposal? That was out of character.
Hiruzen's gaze shifted from Danzo to Yuta, sitting beside Tsunade, and understanding dawned.
'So, that boy's standing in my old friend's heart has risen to such a height. Yet another promising talent I failed to notice, snatched away by Danzo of all people…'
Suppressing an inward sigh, Hiruzen cut off Homura and Koharu before they could voice further objections.
"In that case," he declared, his voice filling the chamber, "we shall settle this by vote. Those in favor of Jonin Tsunade's proposal to establish a Medical Ninja training program, please raise your hands."
Jiraiya and Osamu, who had been vibrating with impatience, shot their hands into the air instantly.
Yuta, Orochimaru, and Meyuri followed immediately. After a brief, visible internal struggle, Danzo's hand also rose.
Homura and Koharu, seated across from him, exchanged a look of perplexity. Danzo's support was an anomaly they couldn't decipher.
Even with these votes, fewer than half the hands in the room were raised. The pivotal factor was Hiruzen's own silence; without the Hokage's explicit stance, many were hesitant to commit.
The tipping point came when the heads of the Ino-Shika-Cho alliance raised their hands in unison. Their collective influence was a powerful signal, and a wave of Jonin quickly followed suit.
Finally, under the weight of the growing consensus, the leaders of the Uchiha and Hyuga clans also lifted their hands.
Hiruzen allowed himself a long, quiet breath of relief.
"The proposal is passed," he announced. "I will discuss both this matter and the situation in Uzushiogakure with the Daimyo. This meeting is adjourned."
The moment the words left his mouth, Jiraiya elbowed Osamu, his expression a mix of awe and unease.
"First time I've seen Sensei pull a move like that," he whispered. "Throwing Lady Mito's name out there… it's kinda unsettling."
He then grinned, his tone shifting to one of pure opportunism. "Anyway, since I'm buying barbecue for everyone later, I'm broke for the new limited edition magazine. You're covering this one, right?"
Osamu took a deep, weary breath. "Let me ask you, Jiraiya: when has it ever not been me covering it?"
"Hehehe, next time, definitely next time!"
The council chamber emptied swiftly, leaving only the four core leaders: Hiruzen, Danzo, Homura, and Koharu. They needed to finalize the details of the decisions just made, a process that also gave Danzo an opening to vent his spleen.
"Hiruzen, you are too weak!" Danzo snapped, the facade of council decorum gone. "In my view, it's just the Mist, Cloud, and Sand. We should seize the Land of Whirlpools outright. I don't believe they would truly dare to confront us!"
"Danzo, you've become reckless," Homura said, pushing his glasses up his nose, while Koharu frowned in clear disapproval.
Such aggressive, almost blustering rhetoric was unlike the cunning strategist they knew; it sounded more like something an Uchiha hothead would say. When did he become so arrogantly bullish?
Hiruzen, however, seemed almost accustomed to it. This shift in Danzo had begun subtly years ago, ever since that boy Shimura Yuta had surpassed Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya to become a Chunin first. The young man with a flawless mission record, who had never even been injured… he was a catalyst..
"This is the most prudent course, Danzo," Hiruzen replied, his voice calm but firm. "Konoha does not fear war, but a simultaneous conflict with three Great Villages is not a trivial matter. Furthermore, Iwagakure abstained from the Uzushiogakure plot; that does not mean they will remain idle. Their friction with Amegakure is considerable, but if Konoha were to be besieged on three fronts, Ōnoki would not hesitate to turn and join the fray."
"Hmph." Danzo knew Hiruzen's logic was sound. He offered no retort, only a dismissive snort.
"In that case," Danzo pressed, shifting tactics, "the relief force to Uzushiogakure must include Yuta, Osamu, and Meyuri."
In Danzo's mind, this was the perfect stage.
Yuta's prowess would shine, winning glory for Konoha. And as the teacher of this brilliant, young hero, he would bask in reflected prestige.
Later, when the shinobi world inevitably plunged into full-scale war, if Hiruzen faltered or made an error in judgment, that accumulated prestige could be Danzo's stepping stone to the Hokage's seat.
Once war began, Yuta would continue to accumulate renown. In time, Danzo could even pass the mantle to him, creating a legacy of two Hokages from their line and leading Konoha to dominate the world…
Then he would prove, once and for all, that he was the most qualified leader.
'Just you wait, Hiruzen.'
Unaware of the elaborate fantasy unfolding in his friend's mind, Hiruzen paid little heed to the specific demand.
"All six of them will be part of the relief force," he confirmed. "The more pressing issue is this: if Uzushiogakure is destroyed, and Lady Mito is now advanced in years… what becomes of the next Jinchuriki for the Nine-Tails?"
The Uzumaki, with their potent life force and sealing mastery, were the ideal vessels. Their loss would create a crisis of containment for Konoha's most powerful weapon. This, too, was a compelling reason for Hiruzen's support.
Danzo, however, waved off the concern with characteristic bravado. "Hiruzen, you worry too much. With Konoha's aid, the Uzumaki clan's destruction is impossible. Even in the worst-case scenario, I possess the means to seal a Tailed Beast!"
The moment the boast left his lips, a spike of regret shot through him.
'I should have opposed the aid mission.'
If the Uzumaki were wiped out, he would be among the very few masters of their sealing arts. Then, when Lady Mito passed and a new Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was needed, he would hold the keys to that power. His path to the Hokage's office would be that much clearer.
'Tsk. It's all that ungrateful brat's fault. If not for the boy's blindingly brilliant performances, I wouldn't get so carried away. I'm failing to think several moves ahead!'
'But it doesn't truly matter,' he decided. With a disciple like Yuta by his side, Danzo remained utterly convinced of his eventual triumph.
'He would become Hokage.'
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