After leaving the daimyo manor, Minato Namikaze used the Flying Thunder God Technique and quickly returned to Konoha.
He didn't go to the Hokage building. Instead, he found himself walking toward Hiruzen Sarutobi's residence.
Since resigning, Hiruzen Sarutobi had stayed in his family compound and hadn't come out again.
The courtyard was very quiet.
Pushing open the door, a strong smell of tobacco hit him.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was sitting alone on the veranda.
He sat cross-legged with black and white pieces scattered on the go board in front of him, untouched for a long time.
Hearing the sound, he raised his eyelids. "Ah, Minato."
Minato Namikaze sat down in front of him, feeling that the Third Hokage seemed to have aged even more.
He composed himself and said in a low voice, "The daimyo has rejected the plan."
Hiruzen Sarutobi was not surprised by this. He took a puff from his pipe.
The smoke obscured his aged face.
He exhaled a smoke ring and said in a calm tone, "What else did the daimyo say?"
Minato Namikaze recounted Shin's proposal of concentrating resources to let the strong lead the later generations.
Finally, he said, "The daimyo also wants to restart the selection of the Twelve Guardian Shinobi and personally oversee the candidates."
The room fell into a long silence.
Only the tapping sound of the pipe could be heard.
"Hehe..."
After a long while, Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a soft chuckle. "Minato, don't you understand yet?"
He looked at Minato Namikaze, his expression weary.
"From the moment Danzo died by my hand, the era belonging to the Hokage was already over."
"The daimyo isn't discussing with you."
"He's just informing you."
Minato Namikaze's expression was somewhat serious. "Third Hokage..."
"Don't call me that anymore." Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand, his expression tired. "I'm just an old man waiting to die now."
The pipe tapped against the ashtray, making a crisp sound.
"Remember, Minato," his voice lowered, "Unless the daimyo... harms Konoha."
"Don't try to second-guess him, and certainly don't resist him."
"You only need to think about how to secure the greatest benefits for the village under the rules set by the daimyo."
Minato Namikaze nodded and asked in confusion, "But... isn't this plan harming Konoha?"
"No. The daimyo needs a strong Konoha. He won't harm it."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's attitude was very firm. "He's merely consolidating power. This blade called Konoha—the daimyo must hold it in his hand."
He paused, a glimmer of light flashing in his cloudy eyes.
"Soon, among the daimyo's consorts, there will definitely be someone from Konoha. Uchiha, or Hyuga, or others."
"This is also part of his consolidation of power. When all obstacles disappear, Konoha will instead receive the daimyo's full support."
Minato Namikaze was completely confused. "Full support?"
"Yes!" Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded firmly, his voice very low. "Judging from this series of decisive actions by the daimyo, the territory of the Land of Fire is too small. He wants more!"
"You mean the daimyo..." Minato Namikaze's heart was in chaos.
"Shh, keep quiet!" Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately interrupted him. "Keep the rest of your words to yourself!"
"But..."
"Don't say anymore, Minato. Trust the judgment of this old man. Just do as I say!"
With that, Hiruzen Sarutobi closed his eyes and said no more.
Looking at the Third Hokage, who had lost all his fighting spirit, Minato Namikaze felt a sense of loneliness and powerlessness.
He knew that Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart had died with Danzo.
Coming out of the Sarutobi family compound, Minato Namikaze stood in the sunlight but felt no warmth.
Taking a deep breath, the confusion in his eyes was replaced by determination.
He summoned the jonin class, the clan heads of the major families, and the two advisor elders for an emergency meeting at the Hokage building.
Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado arrived first.
After that, people from the Uchiha, Hyuga, Ino-Shika-Cho, Inuzuka, Aburame, and other families all arrived.
The atmosphere in the conference room was heavy.
Seeing everyone present, Minato Namikaze spoke in a deep voice. "I've gathered you all today to discuss an important matter concerning the future of Konoha."
He didn't directly state the proposal. Instead, he first announced that the daimyo had rejected the village's plan.
"The daimyo's intention is to concentrate resources, so the strong become stronger."
Bang!
As soon as his words fell, Utatane Koharu slammed her hand on the table.
"Absurd!"
Her voice was sharp. "Special funding for genius training? Directly funded by the daimyo manor? This is reaching directly into our Konoha and the various families!"
Homura Mitokado adjusted his glasses, his gaze cold. "Exactly. This severely damages the village's autonomy! Will the geniuses chosen by him listen to the Hokage or the daimyo in the future? This is digging at the roots of our Konoha!"
The strong reactions of the two elders represented the conservative faction of Konoha.
Uchiha Fugaku's expression was calm. He sat upright, seemingly in thought, a sharp glint in his eyes.
After a moment, he spoke, his voice without emotion.
"I think the two elders are overthinking it."
"The daimyo is willing to fund the village's talent training. This is an affirmation of Konoha."
"We should consider how to make good use of this fund to cultivate more excellent shinobi for the village, rather than adopting a hostile attitude from the start."
Utatane Koharu was momentarily speechless. She could sense Fugaku's hidden meaning.
Hyuga Hiashi, on the other hand, frowned deeply, his face even more serious than when he arrived.
"I agree with the elders' concerns."
"Direct support for individuals from the daimyo manor is not in line with the rules."
"Once a genius from the branch family is selected, my Hyuga clan will surely be impacted."
For a time, everyone argued, each holding their own view.
"Alright." Minato Namikaze thought for a moment, then raised his hand to stop them.
His gaze fell on Nara Shikaku.
The jonin commander sat quietly, tapping his cheek lightly with his hand.
Minato Namikaze asked, "Shikaku, what do you think?"
Everyone looked over.
Nara Shikaku calmly scanned everyone in the room and said, "We have no choice."
His voice was not loud, but it made the entire conference room fall silent.
"This proposal—we cannot refuse it."
"This money is both an opportunity and a seed that will tear Konoha apart."
"If we accept, new conflicts will surely arise within the village over the spots, and the authority of both the families and the Hokage will be challenged."
"If we refuse, we'll be the sinners who stifle the village's geniuses, and we'll lose the hearts of all young people."
Nara Shikaku looked around and concluded, "And we can only accept. Otherwise, we'll be isolating ourselves from the Land of Fire."
Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado both fell silent, their faces pale.
Having been in power for decades, they were used to the feeling of holding great authority.
The thought of having to bow to the daimyo in the future made their faces even uglier.
And when Minato Namikaze put forward the second proposal, the conference room became noisy again.
"Twelve Guardian Shinobi!"
This time, there was no table-slapping, no angry shouts.
The two advisor elders almost simultaneously deflated.
A chill rose in their hearts.
They exchanged glances, seeing deep powerlessness on each other's pale faces.
The first proposal was about money, about division.
The second proposal was about power, about absorption.
One pulling, one striking. One internal, one external.
This was not a conspiracy. It was an open display of force.
It was the force of crushing Konoha, a military village, with the resources of the entire Land of Fire.
Homura Mitokado's throat was dry, his voice hoarse.
"The daimyo... is forming an elite unit... completely loyal to him."
"A unit... strong enough to counterbalance Konoha."
Utatane Koharu's hands began to tremble uncontrollably.
She looked at Minato Namikaze, her words filled with deep sorrow.
"Hiruzen is gone, Danzo is dead... Minato, Konoha's autonomy is being stripped away piece by piece."
"What... else can we do?"
Uchiha Fugaku slowly rose.
His expression was serious, without any agitation, and he spoke in a firm tone.
"Two elders, the Twelve Guardian Shinobi have historically been the daimyo's direct guards. This is tradition."
"Now the daimyo is reactivating them to demonstrate the prestige of the Land of Fire."
"If we refuse, wouldn't we be telling other countries that the Land of Fire is internally divided?"
He paused, then looked at Minato Namikaze. "Since it's the will of the daimyo, for the prosperity of the Land of Fire, my Uchiha clan has an undeniable responsibility."
These words were spoken with great confidence.
He both submitted to the daimyo and placed himself on the moral high ground of serving the country and the village.
Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado were speechless.
The meeting ended unhappily in suffocating silence.