After leaving the Daimyo Manor, Minato used the Flying Thunder God Technique and quickly returned to Konoha.
He did not go to the Hokage Building, but subconsciously walked toward Hiruzen's residence.
Since resigning, Hiruzen had stayed in his family compound and had not come out again.
The courtyard was very quiet.
Pushing open the door, a strong smell of tobacco hit him.
Hiruzen sat alone on the veranda.
He was cross-legged, with pieces scattered on the shogi board in front of him, untouched for a long time.
Hearing footsteps, he raised his eyelids. "Ah, Minato."
Minato sat down before him, feeling that the Third Hokage seemed even older.
He composed himself and said in a low voice, "Daimyo-sama rejected the plan."
Hiruzen was not surprised and took a puff from his pipe.
Smoke obscured his aged face.
He exhaled a smoke ring and spoke calmly. "What else did the Daimyo say?"
Minato recounted Arashi's proposal to concentrate resources so the strong would lead the strong to come.
Finally, he said, "The Daimyo also wants to restart the selection of the Twelve Guardian Ninja and personally oversee the candidates."
The room fell into a long silence.
Only the tapping of the pipe could be heard.
"Heh..."
After a long while, Hiruzen let out a soft chuckle. "Minato, do you not understand yet?"
He looked at Minato, his expression disheartened.
"From the moment Danzō died by my hand, the era belonging to the Hokage was already over."
"The Daimyo is not discussing with you."
"He is informing you."
Minato's expression grew solemn. "Third Hokage..."
Hiruzen waved a hand, weary. "I am just an old man waiting to die."
The pipe tapped the ashtray with a crisp sound.
"Remember, Minato," his voice lowered, "unless the Daimyo harms Konoha."
"Otherwise, do not try to second-guess him, and certainly do not resist him."
"You need only think about how to secure the greatest benefits for the village under the Daimyo's rules."
Minato nodded, puzzled. "But... is this plan not harming Konoha?"
"No. The Daimyo needs a strong Konoha, he will not harm it."
Hiruzen's tone was firm. "He is 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 surely 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 was bewildered. "Full support?"
"Yes." Hiruzen nodded emphatically, his voice very low. "Judging by the Daimyo's decisive actions, the Land of Fire is too small. He wants more."
"You mean, the Daimyo..." Minato's heart churned.
"Shh, quiet," Hiruzen cut him off at once. "Keep the rest of your words to yourself."
"But..."
"Say no more, Minato. Trust this old man's judgment. Do as I say."
With that, Hiruzen closed his eyes and said nothing more.
Looking at the Third Hokage, bereft of fighting spirit, Minato felt a deep loneliness and powerlessness.
He knew Hiruzen's heart had died with Danzō.
Leaving the Sarutobi compound, Minato stood in sunlight without warmth.
Taking a deep breath, the confusion in his eyes gave way to determination.
He summoned the Jōnin, the clan heads, and the two advisor elders for an emergency meeting at the Hokage Building.
Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado arrived first.
Then the Uchiha, Hyuga, Ino–Shika–Chō, Inuzuka, Aburame, and other clans arrived.
The atmosphere in the conference room was oppressive.
Seeing everyone present, Minato spoke in a deep voice. "I have gathered you to convey an important matter concerning Konoha's future."
He did not state the proposal outright, but 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 he finished, Utatane Koharu slammed her hand on the table.
"Absurd."
Her voice was sharp. "Special funding for genius cultivation, directly funded by the Daimyo Manor. This is a direct reach into our Konoha and the clans."
Homura Mitokado adjusted his glasses, 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 Konoha's roots."
The elders' strong reaction represented Konoha's conservative faction.
Uchiha Fugaku's expression was calm. He sat upright, seemingly in thought, a sharp glint in his eyes.
After a moment, he spoke, voice even.
"I think the elders are overthinking."
"The Daimyo's willingness to fund talent cultivation is an affirmation of Konoha."
"We should consider how to use this fund to cultivate more excellent shinobi, not adopt a hostile stance from the start."
Utatane Koharu was momentarily speechless. She could sense Fugaku's subtext.
Hyuga Hiashi, however, 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 does not align with the rules."
"If a genius from the branch family is selected, my Hyuga will surely be impacted."
For a time, everyone argued their positions.
"Enough." Minato pondered, then raised his hand to stop them.
His gaze fell on Nara Shikaku.
The Jōnin Commander sat quietly, tapping his cheek lightly with a finger.
"Shikaku, what do you think?" Minato asked.
Everyone looked over.
Nara Shikaku calmly scanned the room and said, "We have no choice."
His voice was not loud, but it silenced the room.
"This proposal, we cannot refuse."
"This money is both an opportunity and a seed that will tear Konoha apart."
"If we accept, new conflicts will inevitably arise over quotas, and the authority of both clans and the Hokage will be challenged."
"If we refuse, we will be the sinners who stifle the village's geniuses and will lose the hearts of the young."
He looked around and concluded, "And we can only accept, or we isolate ourselves from the Land of Fire."
Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado fell silent, faces ashen.
Having been in power for decades, they were accustomed to holding authority.
The thought of bowing to the Daimyo made their faces even uglier.
When Minato put forward the second proposal, the room grew noisy again.
"Twelve Guardian Ninja."
This time there was no table slapping, no angry shouts.
The two advisor elders almost deflated at once.
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 was about power, about absorption.
One pulling, one striking. One internal, one external.
It was not a conspiracy. It was an open display of force.
It was the force of crushing a military village with the resources of the entire Land of Fire.
Homura'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 trembled uncontrollably.
She looked at Minato, her words filled with sorrow.
"Hiruzen is gone, Danzō 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 solemn, without agitation, and he spoke declaratively.
"Elders, the Twelve Guardian Ninja have historically been the Daimyo's direct guards. This is tradition."
"Now the Daimyo is reactivating them to demonstrate the Land of Fire's prestige."
"If we refuse, are we not telling other countries the Land of Fire is divided."
He paused, then looked at Minato. "Since it is the Daimyo's will, for the Land of Fire's prosperity, my Uchiha bear an undeniable responsibility."
The words were grand.
He submitted to the Daimyo while placing himself on the moral high ground of serving country and village.
Koharu and Homura were speechless.
The meeting ended in suffocating silence.
(To be continued.)