"Lord Third!"
Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi enter, everyone in the meeting room, except for Tsunade and Jiraiya who wasn't in his seat, stood up in unison to show their respect.
Tsunade, still seated casually with one hand propping up her chin, didn't even lift her eyelids. Her long golden hair was messily spread out, showing her weariness.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze swept over the crowd, lingering for a moment on Tsunade. His expression was complex—with a mix of helplessness, exhaustion, and perhaps a subtle hint of guilt. But he didn't say anything. He simply raised his hand slightly and said, "Please, all sit down."
His voice was not loud, but it was clear to everyone. They all sat down as told. The only sounds in the meeting room were the soft scraping of chairs.
Hiruzen Sarutobi walked to the main seat. Behind him, the three advisors entered as well: Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, and... Danzo Shimura.
Danzo was still wearing his usual attire, a bandage over his right eye, his left eye downcast. His face was devoid of expression, like a silent shadow. However, his cold aura was unmistakable. As he passed a few jonin, they involuntarily shivered, feeling a bone-deep chill.
Hyuga Kawa seemed to sense something but didn't look at Danzo. A slight flicker of light appeared in his lowered eyes. "Is this the aura of a 'Hollow'?" he thought. "Did Danzo fail to get the Sharingan and now has his eye on the 'Hollows'?"
A combination of Hashirama cells and a 'Hollow'?
If that were the case, Danzo was truly insane. While Kawa knew Danzo wouldn't let a unique existence like the 'Hollows' go, this level of madness was beyond his expectation. Isn't he afraid of what kind of monster might be born from such a fusion?
But from the looks of it, it seemed to have been a success?
"This will make it easier for me to deal with him later," Hyuga Kawa thought with a smile.
An error occurred during a secret human experiment, leading to the fusion of Hashirama cells and a 'Hollow.' As a result, Danzo Shimura transforms into a monster, loses his sanity, and goes on a rampage in the Hidden Leaf Village.
And as a Hidden Leaf ninja, in order to protect the villagers and his comrades, I will risk my life to expel and kill him. That's a perfectly reasonable course of action, isn't it?
As Hyuga Kawa was lost in thought, Hiruzen Sarutobi reached the main seat but didn't sit down immediately. He took off his Hokage hat and placed it on the table, revealing his aged face.
He looked at every jonin present, his gaze heavy, as if carrying the weight of the entire Hidden Leaf Village.
"Everyone," Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was low and slow, with a tired tone as if a great burden had been lifted. "You all should know that I won't be in this seat for much longer."
Upon his words, the atmosphere in the meeting room became even more solemn. Everyone's eyes were fixed on Hiruzen Sarutobi. This was an unspoken truth among them, but no one expected Hiruzen to say it out loud.
"The tragedy of the Uchiha clan caused by Uchiha Itachi, and the subsequent attack by the 'Espada,' have brought unprecedented disaster and loss to the Hidden Leaf…"
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath and sighed. "The responsibility lies entirely with me."
"I failed to anticipate Uchiha Itachi's actions and prevent the tragedy from happening. It's my fault for my lack of ability and my misjudgment, which led to the village suffering such a heavy blow…"
"I truly regret not having died later, in the battle against the 'Espada'…"
As he said this, the expressions of everyone present changed.
"Lord Third, please don't say that!"
The first to stand up was Shikaku Nara, his face filled with urgency and worry. "The Hidden Leaf can't function without you right now!"
"That's right, Lord Third," Inoichi Yamanaka immediately added. "This isn't your sole responsibility."
"Please take care of yourself!"
"The Hidden Leaf still needs you to lead us!"
In an instant, the meeting room was filled with waves of advice and consolation, all filled with genuine concern. Whether they were sincere or not, the Hidden Leaf Village did need Hiruzen Sarutobi right now. They were truly afraid that he would suddenly resign and leave this mess to someone else. Even though many of them wanted him to step down, it should only be after these crises were resolved. Otherwise, no one could stabilize the current volatile situation.
Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his hand and pressed it down, a slow but powerful gesture that quickly silenced the noisy room. The bitter smile on his face slowly disappeared, replaced by a sense of peace and relief that came from understanding the ways of the world.
"Thank you all for still allowing this old man to provide his last bit of warmth." Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice became gentler, but then, his expression gradually turned serious.
"Now, for the main topic of this meeting," Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice carried an undeniable resolve. "First, are all the departments here?"
"Anbu."
"Present."
"Medical Department."
"Present..."
As Hiruzen Sarutobi called out each name, people in the room responded one by one. The administrative and departmental structure of the Hidden Leaf Village was actually quite well-organized. The "highest power center" was undoubtedly the Hokage's office, which was the supreme decision-making body that oversaw military, diplomatic, and domestic affairs…
Below it was the Hokage's advisory council, which served to supervise the Hokage's decisions, assist in long-term strategy, and act on the Hokage's behalf during emergencies.
On the other hand, there were the "military and security systems" with their regular combat forces, all based on the "team" as the fundamental combat unit. A team was typically composed of one jonin or special jonin and three chunin or genin.
There were also Anbu units, like the Surveillance Team, the Guard Team, and the "Root," whose primary duties included protecting VIPs, counter-espionage, and carrying out special missions, such as reconnaissance and spy infiltration.
Then there were the sealing teams, sensor teams, and barrier teams, primarily responsible for maintaining the barriers and monitoring for illegal intrusions.
After that came the "logistics and civilian systems," which included the Medical Department centered around the Hidden Leaf Hospital, the Education Department centered around the Ninja Academy, and the Research and Development Department centered around the Technical Research Institute.
Finally, there was "economic and administrative support," which included the Mission Dispatch Center, responsible for receiving requests, evaluating risks, and assigning ninja, and the Finance and Resource Department, responsible for managing mission payments and allocating strategic materials.
Without exception, the heads of all these departments were present.
"Good, it seems no one is absent," Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. "First, reconstruction efforts must be accelerated. All resources will be prioritized for civilian needs and the repair of defensive structures. We must restore basic civilian facilities and defensive structures as soon as possible!"
"All ninja who sacrificed their lives in this attack will have their families' compensation doubled. The cost will be shared between the Finance Department and the Daimyo's office to ensure they are properly taken care of."
Upon hearing this, the heads of the logistics departments all nodded. This was undoubtedly the most important thing to do at the moment.
"Second, the collection of intelligence on the 'Hollows,' the development of defensive strategies, and research on countermeasures will be given the highest priority."
Hiruzen Sarutobi continued, "All clans and departments must cooperate fully with the Technical Research Institute to establish the 'Espada Threat Response Special Operations Unit,' which will report directly to the Hokage's office!"
"From this moment on, all active ninja will be organized into teams and divided by area to conduct a thorough search and clearance of the 'Hollows' that have appeared in the Land of Fire. The Daimyo's mansion, towns, and main roads will be given priority protection!"
"The Intelligence Department will provide real-time updates on the 'Hollows' activity map and feature analysis to all teams. If you encounter a suspected 'Espada'-level target, you are strictly forbidden from engaging without authorization. You must report it immediately and request backup!"
"The alert level at all border outposts will be raised to maximum to prevent 'Hollows' or other forces from taking advantage of the situation!"
Hearing this, everyone's eyes narrowed slightly, and the team leaders of the jonin squads all nodded. It seemed that the intelligence they had gathered over the past few days was all true. 'Hollows' had appeared in large numbers within the Land of Fire, and even the Daimyo's mansion had been attacked.
"Third, given that the Uchiha clan is no longer able to carry out its police duties, it has been decided to reorganize the Hidden Leaf Village Police Force. The new police force will be a mixed force of different clans and will no longer be monopolized by a single ninja clan."
"The boundaries of the police force and the Anbu's responsibilities will be clearly defined. The police force will be responsible for village security and civil disputes, while the Anbu will specialize in foreign intelligence and special threat response. Both must establish an intelligence-sharing mechanism, but their actions will not interfere with each other!"
Hearing this, the eyes of the clan heads present flickered, and they all looked at the Uchiha clan's seat. The person sitting there was none other than Uchiha Yakumi, the Uchiha clan's only surviving jonin.
The disaster that had befallen the Uchiha clan had clearly matured the once impulsive Uchiha Yakumi. He didn't object to Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, which were practically a power grab. In fact, he felt a certain relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders. Ever since he had entered the meeting room, he had sensed many prying eyes, clearly targeting the power of the police force that the Uchiha clan currently held.
Even if the police force were handed over to the Uchiha clan now, they wouldn't be able to hold on to it with their current capabilities and numbers. By actively proposing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi was helping him. This way, Hiruzen, as the Hokage, would be the one to bear the blame, and even if his clansmen found out he had lost the police force, they couldn't fault him.
"Thank you, Lord Third," Uchiha Yakumi said hoarsely, nodding. "From now on, I will trouble you all."
Seeing Uchiha Yakumi's "humble" attitude, everyone's eyes showed a hint of surprise. It seemed this incident had truly had a great impact on the Uchiha clan. If the Uchiha clan's attitude had been like this a little earlier, they wouldn't have fallen to this state.
"And now, for the last and most important point…"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze slowly swept over everyone. His eyes became heavy, and his voice lowered. "The threat of the 'Hollows' is no longer something the Hidden Leaf Village can handle alone."
"Their spread and threat level are far beyond what we had anticipated. The attack on the Daimyo's mansion in the Land of Fire is clear proof of this."
"In light of the current drastic changes in the ninja world, I have decided, in the name of the Third Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village…"
"To officially initiate, a Five Kage Summit!"
As he said this, he took a deep breath and looked at Hyuga Kawa and Kakashi Hatake, stating gravely, "I will lead the delegation for this summit."
"My bodyguards will be Hyuga Kawa and Kakashi Hatake."
Upon his announcement, everyone in the meeting room was stunned, and their gazes immediately focused on the two of them.
Hyuga Kawa's expression didn't change. He simply smiled in response to their stares.
Hyuga Iroha, standing behind him, felt the invisible pressure and tried her best to calm her inner excitement, straightening her back to appear more composed and reliable.