At Hodan Sarutobi's large mansion.
The meeting had not officially begun, yet most members of the Sarutobi Clan had already arrived.
They were originally high-ranking officials; even those who weren't part of the higher-ups held critical positions across the Six Major Divisions. However, now they had mostly been reduced to nothing more than ordinary Konoha ninja.
One day they were honored and respected, the next day cast aside like trash. Who could just accept such a fall?
Moreover, over these years, the Sarutobi Clan had long grown accustomed to a sense of superiority.
Therefore, as soon as they entered the meeting room, people began grumbling in small groups, either smoking or drinking sake.
"Shin'ichirō Inoichi is such a fence-sitter! No sooner did Fugaku Uchiha come into power than he started wagging his tail. He actually transferred me out of the Intelligence Division! Does he remember who appointed him Director of the Intelligence Division in the first place? Without Lord Hiruzen, he would be nobody!"
"Fugaku Uchiha's gone too far this time! He kicked me straight out of the Ninja Academy and made me run a kindergarten... no funding, no staff, for what purpose?"
"I busted my ass doing hundreds of Anbu missions, and now he just kicks me out like it's nothing? Worse still, all my achievements in the Anbu have been erased! After seven or eight years, I'm back at Chunin rank. It's absurd!"
"After so many years working hard in Administration, Fugaku Uchiha suddenly introduces some stupid point system that completely replaces everything I've done! Then he wants to turn an office clerk like me into a combat ninja—it's basically a death sentence!"
"How dare he suppress us Sarutobis like this after only a few days on the Hokage seat?"
"All ungrateful bastards with hearts full of betrayal! Don't they remember who made Konoha prosperous today?"
"That's right! Without our Sarutobi Clan's contributions, Konoha would've been destroyed by the other four great ninja villages long ago!"
"..."
It was already past dinner time. Many frustrated clan members had been drinking heavily.
Perhaps due to the alcohol, or perhaps because they were surrounded entirely by fellow clansmen, the Sarutobi ninja couldn't help themselves from cursing loudly, growing increasingly unrestrained and shrill with each word.
Seated at the main position, Hodan Sarutobi did not attempt to stop their verbal rants, nor did the other four Elite Jonin members of the Sarutobi Clan alongside Nobusuke Sarutobi speak up.
They all knew the truth behind the Third Hokage's death, but they didn't think their clansmen's complaints were excessive.
Look—it was just the Third making a mistake! What does that have to do with the whole Sarutobi Clan?
Fugaku Uchiha and his lapdogs showed no gratitude whatsoever and oppressed them—elite ninjas who had sacrificed so much for Konoha—clearly exposing the narrow-mindedness of these men.
Beside him, Nobusuke Sarutobi quietly observed the agitated clan members before him, his eyes showing a hint of amusement.
Soon, it was time for the official clan meeting to begin.
One of the Sarutobi Clan's top jonin shot to his feet, face flushed with fury. "Clan Leader, over the past few days, the Intelligence Division and the Administration Department have continued purging our clan members. Now among the Six Major Divisions, very few ninja from our clan remain. Even some clan members in the Sealing Team and Personal Guard Unit have been dismissed under false pretenses."
As he spoke, the jonin's face turned redder with rage. "Clan Leader, they're trying to rip our entire Sarutobi Clan from its roots!"
Other drunken clan members immediately voiced their agreement.
"Clan Leader, we won't endure this anymore!"
"We must protest! We must fight back!"
"We won't let the Uchiha dominate us!"
"…"
The atmosphere grew increasingly heated when Hodan Sarutobi's nephew Nobusuke suddenly exclaimed bitterly, "My father, the Third Hokage, died during training—do you really think that's possible?"
"That's utterly ridiculous! He was murdered by Fugaku Uchiha!"
Suddenly another voice rang out, "Clan Leader, let's take action! I suspect Lord Hiruzen was also killed by Fugaku Uchiha. We must avenge him!"
These two remarks stirred the crowd further, intensifying the already volatile atmosphere.
Hearing this, Sarutobi Shinki—who hadn't been drinking—felt a sharp jolt of fear and shivered involuntarily.
He quickly stood up, urging everyone to calm down. "Everyone, please stay rational! Violence isn't the solution. Besides, with just our clan's strength alone, it's absolutely impossible…"
His words were interrupted by another Sarutobi clansman. "Fugaku Uchiha hasn't fully established his Anbu forces yet—that makes this the perfect opportunity! Do we really want to wait until Fugaku finishes building his Anbu and starts hunting us down later?"
Another voice added, "Shinki, you shouldn't be so fearful. We won't just sit back and wait for our fate! Recently, more and more Police Force officers have appeared around our compound. The Uchiha will never spare us! Better to strike first than suffer consequences later!"
Someone else shouted, "The Uchiha have lost the people's favor. As long as we capture Fugaku Uchiha, we can certainly correct this chaos and restore order!"
One after another, clan members spoke out. The inside of the room instantly became noisy and chaotic.
Through the chaos, Sarutobi Shinki suddenly shouted, "Clan Leader! Nobusuke! Do you truly want our clan to step into ruin?!"
Sarutobi Shinki's words drew the gaze of every clan member toward the two seated solemnly at the head of the room.
"Cough cough—"
Hodan Sarutobi lightly coughed twice before speaking. "Fugaku Uchiha indeed has an overly narrow mind. If things continue like this, our Sarutobi Clan will be suppressed down to just an ordinary clan, maybe even completely destroyed…"
"Clan Leader…" Shinki hurriedly interjected.
Hodan Sarutobi nodded slightly, continuing, "Still, what Shinki said is worth considering. If we succeed, then it'll be fine—whether you, Nobusuke, replace Fugaku Uchiha as the Fifth or we support Jiraiya to assume the position of the Fifth."
"But if we fail," he paused meaningfully, "our very survival as a clan would be at stake."
His words caused those clan members hoping for stability to silently nod in approval.
Sighing deeply, Hodan Sarutobi cast his eyes over the gathered clan members, finally fixing his gaze on Nobusuke.
"Nobusuke, what do you think?"
Nobusuke stood up and declared, "My father's death was entirely due to the Uchiha Clan. He sacrificed himself for Konoha, yet instead of gratitude, the Uchiha Clan continuously oppressed and sabotaged our people. Yielding to them will never lead to a good outcome!"
As the current strongest expert in the Sarutobi Clan, Nobusuke's words caused many present ninja to nod in agreement.
But Sarutobi Shinki challenged him, "And if we refuse to back down—do you really think we should stage a coup? How exactly would we take on Fugaku Uchiha? What if it blows up in our faces?"
Nobusuke replied confidently, "I will personally lead a team to take down Fugaku Uchiha."
After speaking, he clapped his hands twice. The meeting room door opened, and three ninja wearing black cloaks entered.
One of them pulled off his cloak, revealing his rugged beard and stern expression.
"I am Asuma Sarutobi, and I currently serve as the Daimyo's Guardian Shinobi."
He gestured to the flame-character sash tied around his waist as he spoke.
"The Daimyo is extremely dissatisfied with the Uchiha Clan holding the Hokage title. Especially when Fugaku Uchiha brazenly reinstated Aozora Uchiha—who previously slaughtered innocent villagers. He utterly disregards the Daimyo's authority."
"We've already recruited many foreign ninja bounty hunters outside the village. All we need to do is let them in. We will personally deal with Fugaku Uchiha, and once we overthrow his rule, the Daimyo will support the Sarutobi Clan to regain control over Konoha!"
"…"
Asuma's appearance immediately tipped the balance within the room. As Sarutobi Shinki observed the growing fervor in his clansmen's eyes, unease crept into his heart.
Previously, although the clan members had been angry, they still maintained some rationality and feared the power of the Uchiha Clan.
But now it was different. Asuma had brought both powerful allies and a righteous cause. With just minimal effort from them, they could regain their former status—and possibly ascend even higher.
The flames in their eyes burned brighter, ambition igniting like wildfire.
"Overthrow Fugaku Uchiha's reign!"
"Restore peace and order!"
"I've been sick of Fugaku Uchiha and his dogs for a long time!"
"Let them taste what happens when they cross the Sarutobi Clan!"
"…"
Seeing the feverish, warped expressions on his clansmen's faces, Sarutobi Shinki felt a cold dread creeping into his heart—his doubts growing by the second.
Despite being somewhat hot-tempered by nature, these clan members should not have gone this far into madness!
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