Before the conference room could erupt, Mito Uzumaki continued calmly:
"Hiruzen Sarutobi used the Reaper Death Seal. It's a mutual destruction technique. There was no way for me to hold back."
Although many in the room had suspected as much—and Mito Uzumaki had offered her explanation—hearing the confirmed death of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, still left them visibly shaken.
Especially Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane.
The moment Mito finished speaking, they could no longer maintain the composure expected of advisors.
They rushed to Hiruzen's side, gazing down at him with grief-stricken eyes.
They never imagined that the comrade who had weathered countless crises with them would fall here—on the Hokage's seat.
A legendary shinobi—his new chapter had barely begun, and it had already ended.
Yet they couldn't bring themselves to blame Mito Uzumaki.
Setting aside status, the facts were plain to see.
Hiruzen had launched a jutsu in public, attempting to attack Uchiha Hikaru.
Mito Uzumaki's intervention was self-defense—justified and legal.
Not to mention, Hiruzen had also been complicit in the kidnapping of children.
Koharu opened her mouth, as if to protest, but Homura shook his head solemnly.
He turned toward Mito and said:
"Lady Mito, since the culprit Hiruzen Sarutobi has already met his end, allow us to handle his body."
Naturally, Mito Uzumaki agreed.
The dead are like extinguished lamps. No matter how great the sin, once gone, all that remains is infamy.
And so, after receiving her permission, the two of them carried Hiruzen's corpse out in silence under the gaze of everyone present.
They had no desire to stay for the rest of the meeting.
Danzo was their old friend too—and he would not escape judgment.
Losing one comrade had already wrung them dry of grief. They couldn't bear to witness Danzo's end as well.
But they couldn't stop it either, so they chose to walk away.
After they left, Mito sighed again—just one of many sighs that day.
The Hokage was meant to protect the village. Now, Hiruzen Sarutobi had twisted that role into something harmful.
This only deepened her realization—a good leader is essential for a village's growth.
Her eyes drifted toward Uchiha Hikaru.
'Could he be the captain of a new age? The one to guide the village further than ever before?'
'No need to answer that now. Time will tell.'
She turned her attention back to Danzo—the root of so many evils.
Facing the group, she resumed her role as presiding officer.
"As for Shimura Danzo's sentence, let us proceed with the usual method—vote."
At her signal, a staff member stepped forward to begin the process.
Despite still reeling from Hiruzen's sudden death, everyone participated in the vote regarding Danzo.
After all, no one wanted to risk returning from a mission to find their child missing.
That crossed every line imaginable. It was an unforgivable sin.
It didn't take long for the vote to conclude.
And when the results came in, the motion to execute Danzo passed—unanimously.
Mito wasn't surprised in the least. She turned to Uchiha Ang.
"He's yours."
Uchiha Ang nodded gratefully. Then a cold grin crept across his face as he led Danzo out of the room.
During the attempt to capture Danzo, even their clan head had been seriously wounded.
Now, to end Danzo with their own hands—this was justice.
And yet, even with the sentencing of the two culprits complete, the meeting was far from over.
The Hokage seat was empty. Konoha needed a new leader.
Everyone present was already murmuring about it. And as time passed, more and more eyes turned to Mito Uzumaki.
As the First Hokage's wife and the former Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, Mito held immense prestige in the village—and her strength spoke for itself.
Even with only a glimpse of her power, it was clear she surpassed the Third Hokage.
In every respect, she was more than qualified.
Though she didn't particularly want the role of Hokage, her personal feelings mattered little in the face of the village's needs.
To shoulder this responsibility was to have a thousand people hanging on your every word.
Seeing the hopeful gazes around her, Mito knew—this was a burden she had to bear.
She slowly stepped forward and declared:
"Konoha now needs a new Hokage—someone to lead us forward!"
"Let me break the ice. I nominate myself."
The assembled Jōnin had hoped she would step up.
So the moment she finished speaking, they all nodded in agreement.
Of course, some clans had ambitions for the position—the Hyūga in particular.
Though they wouldn't go so far as to call themselves the top shinobi clan in Konoha, they had pride in their strength.
But seeing Mito on the platform, they suppressed their ambitions.
Yes, the Hokage seat came with power and influence.
But should their actions ever harm the village… their lives might be forfeit.
And Mito had shown today—she had no time for politics or favoritism.
Besides, the atmosphere in the room made it clear—Mito Uzumaki had everyone's support.
She waited for a while, but no one else stepped forward.
She stood there, lost in thought.
Perhaps remembering Hashirama Senju.
After a long silence, just as the murmuring began to rise among the crowd, Mito finally spoke again:
"Very well. Then I will be the one to lead us forward!"
"Nara Rukimei, please inform the Daimyō—tell him the Third Hokage passed away from illness, and that I will temporarily assume the Hokage position."
A man with pineapple-styled hair and a flak vest stepped forward.
"Understood, Lady Mito."
Then he muttered, "What a drag..." drawing curious looks from those nearby.
Mito didn't comment. The Nara were all like this.
Always grumbling, always getting the job done—reliably.
Technically, the Hokage had to be chosen by the Daimyō.
But this time, events had moved too fast. Konoha had already selected its next leader.
No doubt this would irk the Daimyō.
Even if it was Mito Uzumaki—someone who would minimize that displeasure—they still needed someone clever to smooth it over.
That's why Mito trusted the task to the Nara Clan.
Once that was handled, she continued:
"To ensure the village's stability, we won't announce the truth of the Third Hokage's death just yet. For now, we'll say he died of illness."
"Once matters with the Daimyō are settled, we'll make a formal announcement to the village."
"That's all for today. Meeting adjourned."
With everything settled, the meeting finally came to an end.
Sometimes, even a ship from the old era... can carry the future.