"Alright, since everyone here is a clan head from Konoha's major families, and you all know each other, we can skip the introductions."
After confirming that Ōnoki had been appeased, Takeshi immediately gathered the clan heads to put his plans into motion.
"At present, in Konoha, it's quite difficult to obtain new jutsu. Even a talented genin has to spend nearly ten years to reach the rank of chūnin. The root cause is simple—they lack sufficiently powerful jutsu."
When Takeshi finished speaking, none of the people seated showed any reaction.
They had already heard rumors about today's meeting and had mentally prepared themselves for it.
Of course, being prepared was one thing—agreeing was another matter entirely.
And among the dissenters, the most prominent representative was none other than the once-prestigious Hagoromo clan.
During the Warring States period, the Hagoromo clan had suffered devastating losses. Though they had not completely vanished from the shinobi world, they had fallen from the ranks of the great clans.
Now, within Konoha, they were little more than a backdrop.
Moreover, due to their historic opposition to the Senju clan, they had long lived on the village's fringes, following only the orders of the Fire Daimyō's office.
The current head of the Hagoromo clan was Hagoromo Chinkai.
The old man, about the same age as the Third Hokage, was the first to break the silence.
"I believe the Fifth Hokage's words are rather one-sided."
Seeing someone speak up, the other dissenters perked up, ready to chime in at the right moment—after all, a shared stance meant mutual protection.
"As you said," Hagoromo Chinkai continued, "if a so-called 'talented' genin takes nearly ten years to become a chūnin, that simply proves his talent is nothing special. As far as I know, Namikaze Minato—the one they call the Yellow Flash—became a chūnin only a few years after graduating from the Academy."
When Takeshi didn't immediately argue, Chinkai pressed on.
"The current jutsu acquisition system exists to select truly exceptional talents. If people without real ability gain access to powerful jutsu, then should they be captured and interrogated on the battlefield, they would inevitably leak the village's secrets."
"Yes, that's right."
Others immediately echoed him.
The clan heads supporting Takeshi's side, such as the Uchiha, remained silent.
"I see. So it seems I was shortsighted," Takeshi said with a nod. He then turned toward Shin.
"In that case, let's adjourn today's meeting."
And with that, the man who had convened the meeting stood, took his two guards, and left.
The remaining clan heads exchanged confused glances.
Wait—was that it?
Wasn't this supposed to be the meeting where the Hokage proposed gathering all clan jutsu? Why did he just stop after the first objection?
The clan heads looked at one another in puzzlement. Had their intel been wrong? Maybe this Hokage hadn't really made up his mind after all?
Fugaku and the others were equally bewildered.
They had received prior hints to firmly support Takeshi should conflict arise—but it turned out the man didn't play by any conventional rules. Was he planning to wear his opponents down through a war of patience?
Instinctively, several of them looked toward Nara Shikaku. But Shikaku, deep in thought, seemed just as confused as the rest.
Whispers spread through the room. For a long moment, no one dared to leave.
Until a single voice cut through the murmurs, striking the room like a bell:
"This Hokage… bears the Shimura name."
That one sentence jolted every dissenter awake.
There was an old saying in Konoha: If Danzō is silent, it means he's up to something.
And Takeshi, as Danzō's son, naturally fit that same pattern.
The clan heads who had been so vocal a moment ago instantly turned pale.
Hagoromo Chinkai's old face drooped, his eyes flickering with both fear and rage.
"Hmph."
The old man snorted coldly, stood up, and headed for the door.
But the moment he opened it, he found two members of the Internal Affairs Division standing right outside. His knees nearly buckled on the spot.
Fortunately, the old man still had some dignity left as a clan head. He steadied himself and straightened his posture, forcing his knees to lock.
When the others saw the Internal Affairs shinobi, they too realized something was wrong. They quickly rose from their seats and quietly backed away, muttering under their breath:
"I'm just here for the meeting, I'm just here for the meeting..."
"Chinkai-sama, please, after you."
Just when Hagoromo Chinkai thought he was about to be made an example of, the two shinobi instead stepped aside respectfully, showing no sign of hostility.
Huh?
Not here to kill me?
Though puzzled, Chinkai did his best to maintain his composure. He gave a small nod, took a deep breath, and walked past them.
Once the old man left, the two Internal Affairs shinobi entered the room and went straight to Shikaku.
The three of them whispered quietly for a moment. Shikaku's face grew serious, and he soon followed them out.
What on earth was happening?
Even now, everyone was still completely lost.
But after all that, no one had any desire to talk further. They exchanged a few polite farewells and left one by one.
Hagoromo Chinkai walked home uneasily.
On his way, he kept running into Internal Affairs shinobi. On one path, he even spotted members of the Anbu darting along the rooftops.
In the residential area, a falling flowerpot nearly hit him—but he was saved at the last moment by none other than Danzō himself, who had not even attended the meeting.
By the time Chinkai finally made it home, he was informed that his son had been caught by the police division for "violating Konoha regulations"—specifically, for visiting the red-light district. He had been sentenced to ten days of detention.
The old man nearly collapsed on the spot.
He was seventy years old already. In this age of early marriages, his son was over fifty—what "energy" would he possibly have left to visit a red-light district? This was blatant retaliation!
That damn Fifth Hokage kid's tricks—he'd never bow to such schemes!
Fuming with resentment, Hagoromo Chinkai swore to oppose every one of the Fifth's policies.
Eventually, his thoughts tangled into dreams, and he drifted into uneasy sleep.
But it didn't last long. Barely an hour later, he was jolted awake—someone had grabbed him by the arm.
Blinking his eyes open, he found Nara Shikaku standing by his bed, looking grim, with several Internal Affairs shinobi surrounding him.
"There's been an intruder in the Hagoromo compound," Shikaku said. "We need to search the premises."
"...Damn it."
"Hm?"
"Ah—never mind. Do as you please."
Realizing his outburst, the old man hurriedly changed his tone, wrapped a thin robe around himself, and stepped outside.
After assigning the search, Shikaku yawned and left.
His subordinates rummaged around for quite some time, continuing their "investigation" until dawn—of course, they found nothing.
No intruder, no evidence.
Only the unmistakable scent of intimidation.
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