After all that commotion, Ayan's accumulated resentment had mostly dissipated.
He stood to the side with his arms crossed, watching Zetsu, who was sitting comfortably on the sofa, and asked in an exasperated tone, "What's your detailed plan?"
Zetsu waved to no. 666 white zetsu, who sank into the ground and quickly returned, clutching a pile of oddly shaped wooden figurines he had carved himself.
It scurried to the center of the living room, sat cross-legged on the floor, and meticulously arranged the small wooden figures.
Ayan seemed to spot one that bore a slight resemblance to himself.
Though utterly speechless, he understood this was to facilitate memory and comprehension of the plan's various steps, so he reluctantly endured it for now.
However, he hadn't anticipated Zetsu seriously pulling out an even more exquisite wooden figure from his robes—clearly meant to represent himself—and placing it prominently among the ugly dolls.
"You goddamn..." Ayan almost laughed in furious exasperation, blood surging in his palm, "Are you ever going to finish?!"
-- I should just take this unreliable bastard down with me!
-- Right now!!!
"Don't be angry, Ayan, I haven't forgotten you ~"
Just as the blood blade was about to strike the mask, an equally exquisite small wooden figure appeared before Ayan.
"This is an Ayan doll I made myself. Look, isn't it just like you?"
The sharp blade dissolved into blood droplets, returning to Ayan's hand like birds to their nest, flowing back into his body through the wound.
He casually took the small figure, examined it from all angles, then tossed it back, disdainfully muttering, "It's alright."
"Eh ~ I worked so hard on it for so long—"
"Hurry up and tell me the plan, you bastard! What exactly are you here for?!"
"Ayan is so mean, boo hoo hoo ~"
"...Please, stop with the antics." Ayan was too exhausted to retort, throwing his hands up in surrender: "It's been half an hour. Can we please get to the point?"
-- Damn it, from now on, I'll just let White Zetsu deliver messages.
-- This is killing me.
Under Ayan's half-dead, ashen gaze, Zetsu finally began to explain the plan.
As he spoke, he kept fiddling with the pile of small wooden figures, clearly enjoying himself immensely.
The originally dark and cruel scheme, made even more bizarre by these childlike "toys," exuded an indescribable chill... Konoha, Hokage Office.
Minato Namikaze was busy learning to process documents, while Hiruzen Sarutobi, Koharu Utatane, and Mitokado Homura sat at the two desks below him, offering suggestions on his handling of matters from time to time.
After reading the document requesting increased Root funding, Minato frowned slightly, subtly glancing at Hiruzen Sarutobi out of the corner of his eye.
Even before he succeeded as Fourth Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi had completely taken over Root, which Danzō Shimura had left behind, and had taken the opportunity to expand its ranks.
After Minato took office, Hiruzen had naturally brought Root under his command. The current Root was even more formidable than when Danzo was in charge.
In addition, Koharu Utatane still maintained considerable control over the medical and education systems, while Mitokado Homura consistently held significant power in financial allocation and mission resources.
Minato could clearly feel that whenever he wanted to do something, he was restricted in many areas.
Fortunately, most Ninja in the direct Anbu, Jōnin Squad, and Chunin Squad could be counted as his forces, preventing him from falling into the predicament of having no one to use.
-- I can't be too hasty.
-- Without a proper pretext, I can only proceed slowly for now.
A hint of gloom flashed in Minato's eyes, but it dissipated just as quickly.
As one of the smartest people in all of Konoha, how could he, like some naive simpleton, be unaware of the intentions of the Third Hokage and the others?
Coupled with various past experiences—such as the truth behind Hatake Sakumo's coma, the Uchiha being forced by Danzo to risk their entire clan's lives in rebellion, and the gravely ill Naraku being ordered to Mount Kikyo to face battle—the once glorious filter of "Third Hokage" had long since faded in his eyes.
"Hokage-sama, urgent intelligence of the highest level!"
An Anbu appeared in the center of the office, holding a scroll with both hands and placing it on Minato's desk, then retreated a few steps and knelt on the ground, awaiting orders.
Minato's expression changed as soon as he opened the scroll and scanned it twice. He quickly spread out all the documents and read them intently and rapidly.
By the end, the yellow flash, who had killed countless people on the battlefield without a change in expression, was breathing heavily, showing for the first time a look of disbelief and shock at something.
Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't sit still: "What happened, Minato?"
Taking a deep breath, Minato finally stabilized himself and spoke in a deep voice.
"Half a day ago, the Iii and Manri noble families launched a rebellion, leading a large number of samurai and Rogue Ninja into the Daimyo's mansion. Nearly half of the Twelve Guardian Ninja defected on the spot, ultimately leading to the Daimyo's death by stray arrows, and several adult princes also did not survive..."
Upon hearing this, Mitokado Homura was so distraught that he almost overturned the table: "This is impossible! Have they gone mad?"
Koharu Utatane echoed, "Such blatant usurpation of power is truly unwise!"
"The intelligence from Anbu cannot be false, especially for such a major event... It's estimated that within another half-day, this news will spread throughout the entire Ninja World."
Minato, conversely, was the calmest and most composed of the four present. After confirming the veracity of the intelligence, he continued to relay the latter half of the scroll's contents.
"The Daimyo's youngest prince is still alive and has escaped to the Matsukata Family for temporary refuge, escorted by a Guardian Ninja."
"The Matsukata Family head is immensely wealthy, has long maintained many samurai and Ninja, and also has a considerable number of Uchiha stationed there, which is why they were able to withstand the rebels."
"Currently, he is the only high-ranking noble who has publicly expressed his intention to resist the tyranny of Iii and Manri, and he wishes to hire Ninja from Konoha to reclaim the Daimyo's mansion for the young prince."
"Third Hokage, Advisor Mitokado, Advisor Utatane, what are your thoughts?"
Facing Minato's question, the three Advisors exchanged glances, calmed down, and pondered for a while, with Hiruzen Sarutobi finally being the first to respond.
"According to the unwritten rules of the Ninja World, Konoha Village should not participate in the power struggles between the Land of Fire's nobles, but the current situation is extraordinary."
"The Daimyo is the ruler of the Land of Fire and the primary object of Konoha's loyalty. Now that he has an heir surviving, we cannot stand by idly."
"Moreover, Lord Matsukata's reasoning is almost impeccable. If we don't agree, how will we conduct ourselves in the future?"
Minato instinctively felt there were more hidden complexities, but the biggest problem was now out in the open, and if not dealt with swiftly, the situation could further spiral out of control.
"Alright, I'll draft the Hokage's order now."
A moment later, a freshly inked reply was carefully placed by an Anbu into a hidden compartment of a package, to be sent with him to the Uchiha Clan Compound, and then transmitted to the Matsukata Family Head via the Ninja Cat clan's summoning jutsu.
At the same time, a Hokage's directive was issued, summoning all of the village's elite Jonin to the Hokage Building to await assignment...