"Halt! This is the Round Table Conference Room. Only Round Table Councilors or those summoned by the Council are permitted to enter."
"This is..."
Ryuji raised a hand, stopping Pakura who was about to explain her identity. His gaze was deep and steady as he stared at the guards.
The two guards didn't flinch, staring right back.
Seeing this, Ryuji slightly frowned.
He didn't know these two guards personally, but as guards for the Round Table Conference Room, it was impossible for them not to recognize him, a member of the Round Table Council.
Yet they had stopped him as if they didn't know him... There were only two possibilities.
One, these two were not the Round Table Council's guards.
Two, these two were the Round Table Council's guards, but they had betrayed the Council.
Considering Sunagakure's current situation, both possibilities were plausible.
Ryuji waved his hand, signaling Aka, who had already identified the problem and was hinting whether to kill them, not to act hastily. He then asked, "Is the Round Table Council currently in session?"
"Know your place," The guard on the right side of the door loudly reprimanded. "The Round Table Council is the village's highest secret. Unauthorized personnel inquiring will be treated as sp..."
Bang!
A graceful figure flashed in front of him, grabbing his throat with one hand and pinning him against the wall, lifting him up.
"Ghk... ghk..."
The middle-aged guard struggled, but the jade-like hand on his neck, which could snap it with just a bit more force, made him freeze. His face turned bright red from suffocation.
"Answer what Master asks."
Aka stared coldly at the guard. Her hair moved without wind, and the killing intent in her eyes sent a chill down his spine, as if he'd fallen into an ice cave. This gentle, virtuous woman had transformed into a cold, emotionless killer.
"You... what are you doing?"
Aka's speed was too fast; the other guard only reacted now.
He shakily drew a kunai, but before he could even point the sharp end at Aka, Pakura kicked him in the chest, sending him crashing through the Round Table Conference Room door.
"Don't bother with pawns. Go for the main players."
Ryuji gestured for Aka to let go, then stepped over the door fragments and walked straight in.
Inside the conference room, a group of familiar faces sat around the round table.
The former councilors dismissed by the Third Kazekage, and two newly appointed young councilors.
Seeing these people, Ryuji roughly guessed the current situation. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
"It seems things are more complicated than imagined!" Looking at the stunned group, he pretended to straighten his collar. "Of course, they're also much simpler than imagined."
Hearing his voice, the people in the room snapped out of their stupor. One middle-aged man in his forties slammed the table and stood up, angrily shouting, "Ryuji, what are you doing!?"
"Huh?" Ryuji looked at him curiously, taking a moment to remember. "Oh, it's you. No wonder you look so familiar."
"Hmph, you know who I am, yet you act so unruly?"
"Unruly?"
Ryuji tilted his head, his face full of question marks.
"You just returned, unaware of the situation. We can overlook your responsibility, but—"
He was cut off mid-sentence by a senbon.
Like a falling meteor, it flashed past, piercing through his mouth and out the back of his neck.
The middle-aged man, who seemed very familiar to Ryuji, widened his eyes. His mouth opened and closed, making a few 'ghk' sounds before falling down unwillingly.
This shocked everyone. They sprang from their seats like startled birds, assuming combat stances toward Ryuji and the others.
They were especially wary of Aka, who had just attacked.
To sit on the Round Table Council, one needed to be at least a Jonin. But when Aka attacked, none of them had reacted.
Although they hadn't anticipated her attack, it was enough to show that if she launched a surprise attack, she could definitely kill any of them instantly.
Everyone in the room knew Aka. After all, since her creation, she had guarded the secrets of Ryuji's home as his maid.
She went out daily to buy groceries or supplies. With her striking wine-red shoulder-length hair, smooth skin, gentle smile, and approachable older-sister aura, it was hard not to notice her.
In Sunagakure, almost anyone who wasn't completely reclusive knew of Aka.
But no one knew Aka was such a formidable powerhouse.
No.
These former elders might have known a little.
Over the years, Ryuji had displayed many extraordinary techniques. Although he didn't keep many things secret, openly sharing them,
But due to the era's limitations, no one could understand them.
Some dark-hearted people thought Ryuji pretended to publicize the techniques while actually hiding the key parts, so they secretly sent people to infiltrate Ryuji's home to investigate.
And these people without exception died.
Whether Ryuji was home or not, the result was the same.
Over time, they also suspected Aka, thinking she wasn't as weak and soft as she appeared.
They knew Aka wasn't as weak as she looked, but they never imagined she was this powerful.
A surprise attack, and not a single Jonin present could react.
"Ryuji, what exactly do you want!?"
Another person spoke up to question, but compared to the dead man earlier, there was a hint of bluster covering fear.
This wasn't going as they'd imagined.
In their plan, Ryuji would return to the village. Faced with the village's momentum and completed power transfer, he would have to submit. Then, under their combined stick-and-carrot approach, he would become part of their circle.
But the other party didn't play by the rules at all, directly forcing his way in.
'Wasn't he afraid of becoming the village's enemy, of being attacked by all?'
Ryuji looked at the speaker. Another man in his forties, also somewhat familiar.
After thinking for a moment, he remembered this person's identity.
"Isn't this the former Intelligence Division Chief?" Ryuji showed a look of realization.
He wasn't interested in power; he hadn't cared about higher-ups' identities before becoming a council member. But this person, on the day of the purge, had started with flattery, only to be mercilessly dismissed by the Third Kazekage. His expression had been so vivid that Ryuji remembered it somewhat clearly.
"What former Intelligence Chief?" the middle-aged man said discontentedly. "I am the current Intelligence Division Chief."
"The Third Kazekage's failure in the war against Amegakure proves he suffered severe brain injury after-effects after being assassinated by Sasori. All his decisions were wrong. After discussion by the Round Table Council, all orders he issued after being rescued are invalid."
"Correct, his brain was problematic," another old man stepped forward. "With Iwa, Kusa, and Kumo jointly besieging Konoha, if we Sunagakure also sent troops, we could completely destroy Konoha, seize its rich and fertile land, breaking Sunagakure's population and environmental constraints in one fell swoop."
"Yet he stubbornly chose to consolidate the alliance with Konoha at this time, even wasted their peace negotiation conditions, sending elite puppeteers to Konoha to learn Medical Ninjutsu. Isn't that damaging the village's combat power?"
"These various decisions aren't just brain problems; it's like he's a spy sent by the enemy to destroy Sunagakure."
"Putting young people with no experience in high-level positions is even more absurdly wrong. Nothing like this happens in the entire ninja world."
"Ryuji, although you are excellent, you are still too young. Your experience is insufficient to hold the position of Puppeteer Corps' Commander and Round Table Councilor."
"These are decisions made after joint discussion by the village."
These former Sunagakure's elders spoke one after another, listing the Third Kazekage's crimes and declaring their own sovereignty.
Ryuji didn't stop them, just crossed his arms and listened with interest.
Pakura frowned deeply. Several times she wanted to act, but since Ryuji showed no intention to move, she gave up.
Aka observed with a cold eye.
Seeing the three showed no intention to stop them, these people spoke more and more vigorously.
Just as Pakura was getting impatient and preparing to ask Ryuji about his plans, the conference room windows shattered simultaneously as a large group of Sunagakure's Shinobi rushed in.
At the same time, many Shinobi also stormed in through the door.
Together with the people inside the room, they surrounded Ryuji's three from front and back.