"The duties of the Root were clear," began the leader of the Nara clan, his voice calm yet firm. "Surveillance, containment, and immediate response. None of that was fulfilled. The failure is undeniable."
"Watch your words," Danzō snapped back, his tone heavy with irritation. "Are you insinuating that the Root is responsible for all of this?"
"I am not insinuating," the Nara replied without losing his composure. "I am stating it."
A murmur spread across the table, followed by increasingly intense discussions. Danzō clenched his teeth and, after a few moments, raised his hand, imposing silence.
"Enough," he said coldly. "We will resolve this in the proper way. I propose a vote."
He paused briefly before continuing:
"Who will keep the Kyūbi… and we will also discuss the recent actions of the Uchiha clan, which are far from acceptable."
"I am against it," Minato said immediately, lifting his gaze. "Completely against it."
His voice grew even firmer.
"And let me make one thing very clear: regardless of the outcome of this vote, Kushina will stay with me."
He stood up, the chair scraping against the floor.
"Careful, Minato," Danzō said, his eyes cold. "You can be removed from the position of Hokage if you continue acting this way."
Minato merely stared at him for a brief moment.
"Try."
A yellow flash exploded in the center of the room, and Minato disappeared.
The silence that followed was broken by the sound of another chair being pushed back. Fugaku stood up.
"Are you leaving, Uchiha leader?" someone asked, surprised.
Fugaku did not answer and began walking toward the exit.
"Then hear this well," the feudal lord's voice echoed through the room. "The Uchiha clan will lose its authority. The freedom they possess will be severely limited."
Fugaku stopped for a moment, without turning around.
"So be it," he replied in a cold tone.
He then left the room.
"This has gone beyond all limits," said the leader of the Nara clan, standing up. "We will not condone this."
"The Akimichi clan agrees," stated its leader, rising to his feet.
"Inuzuka as well," added another.
"And Aburame," completed the hooded leader.
The head of the Yamanaka clan sighed and stood up last.
"This meeting has lost any legitimacy."
One by one, they left the room.
In the end, only Danzō, the Third Hokage, the feudal lord of the Land of Fire, and a few minor clan leaders remained, surrounded by an uncomfortable silence.
The Third Hokage remained silent for a few seconds, until he finally let out a heavy sigh.
"You went too far, Danzō," he said, his tone tired yet firm. "This did not need to reach this point."
Danzō let out a short, disdainful laugh.
"Too far?" he repeated, turning slightly to face him. "You could have stopped all of this."
His smile turned cold.
"But as always, you chose to remain passive. In decisive moments like this, you choose to observe instead of act."
Danzō's gaze hardened.
"It is exactly this attitude of yours that I despise," he continued. "This constant hesitation. It is what brought us here."
Without waiting for a response, Danzō turned his back and left the room, the sound of his footsteps echoing down the corridor.
Shortly after, the leaders of the minor clans began to leave in silence, one after another, avoiding any eye contact. In a few moments, only the Third Hokage and the feudal lord of the Land of Fire remained.
The feudal lord crossed his arms, his expression heavy with concern.
"This worries me," he commented. "We are pushing too hard. If we continue like this, something bad might happen."
The Third Hokage closed his eyes for a brief moment before responding calmly.
"Nothing bad will happen," he said in a reassuring tone. "I guarantee it."
Even so, it did not calm the feudal lord in the slightest.
Minato did not head to the Hokage's office. Instead, his steps took him directly home. Upon arriving, he knocked lightly on the door and waited. When he heard no response, he carefully opened the door.
The house was empty.
Kushina was not there.
Without wasting time, Minato created a shadow clone, leaving it at the residence, and immediately went out to search for her.
It did not take long to find her.
Kushina was sitting in a small ramen shop, accompanied by Mikoto. The two were eating calmly, each with a baby in their arms. Naruto was in Kushina's arms, while little Sasuke rested in Mikoto's. The scene drew a genuine laugh from Minato.
"That was definitely Kushina's idea," he thought, amused.
He approached and suddenly sat down beside them, catching both of them by surprise.
"One ramen for me too," he ordered with a smile.
Mikoto laughed softly.
"You always show up out of nowhere, Minato," she commented.
Shortly after, Fugaku approached and sat beside Mikoto, placing his order as well.
Minato began to play with Naruto, making exaggerated faces. Kushina hesitated for a brief moment, but eventually handed her son to him. Minato took him carefully and continued the faces.
Little Naruto broke into a wide smile and began to laugh, a light and pure sound that, for a few moments, made all the weight of the day disappear.
Fugaku gently touched his son's forehead, and Sasuke responded with a small smile, waving his hands clumsily.
"And Itachi?" Fugaku asked in a low tone.
"He went out to play," Mikoto replied with a calm smile.
Fugaku merely nodded, remaining silent. His rigid posture did not go unnoticed.
"Is everything alright?" Mikoto asked, watching him closely. She knew her husband well and knew when something was not right.
"It is," Fugaku replied curtly.
Mikoto frowned slightly, suspicious. Even so, she did not insist. She knew that when Fugaku was like that, he would not speak, no matter how much he was pressed.
After a few moments, Fugaku broke the silence.
"How about we have a picnic?" he suggested. "The children can enjoy a bit."
Minato smiled immediately.
"I'm in," he replied.
Kushina hesitated for a brief moment, looking at Naruto in her arms, before finally smiling softly.
"Alright," she said. "Let's go."