Leaving Daimyo Manor, Minato Namikaze used the Flying Thunder God Technique and quickly returned to Konoha.
He did not go to the Hokage Building. Instead, he instinctively headed toward Hiruzen Sarutobi's residence.
Ever since stepping down, Hiruzen Sarutobi had remained in the clan grounds and had not emerged again.
The courtyard was quiet.
When Minato pushed open the door, a thick smell of tobacco hit him in the face.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat alone beneath the eaves.
He sat cross-legged before a Go board, its black and white stones scattered across it, untouched for a long time.
Hearing the sound, he lifted his eyelids slightly. "Minato."
Minato Namikaze sat down before him, feeling that the Third Hokage seemed to have aged even more.
Steadying himself, he said in a low voice, "The Daimyo rejected the plan."
Hiruzen Sarutobi was not surprised. He picked up his pipe and took a puff.
The smoke obscured his aged face.
He blew out a ring of smoke, his tone calm. "What else did the Daimyo say?"
Minato Namikaze repeated Chiba Ran's argument about concentrating resources and letting the strong drive the stronger.
Finally, he said, "The Daimyo also intends to restart the selection for the Guardians of the Twelve, and he will personally review the candidates."
The room fell into a long silence.
Only the soft tap-tap of the pipe remained.
"Heh heh..."
After a long while, Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a quiet laugh. "Minato, don't you understand yet?"
He looked at Minato Namikaze, his expression utterly disheartened.
"From the moment Danzo died by my hand, the era of the Hokage had already ended."
"The Daimyo is not negotiating with you."
"He is merely informing you."
Minato Namikaze's expression darkened. "Third Hokage..."
"Don't call me that anymore." Hiruzen Sarutobi waved a hand, looking exhausted. "I'm just an old man waiting to die now."
His pipe struck the ashtray with a crisp sound.
"Remember this, Minato." His voice dropped. "Unless the Daimyo... harms Konoha."
"Otherwise, do not try to second-guess him, and do not resist him."
"You only need to consider how to secure the greatest possible benefit for the village within the rules the Daimyo sets."
Minato Namikaze nodded, then asked in confusion, "But... isn't this plan harming Konoha?"
"No. The Daimyo needs a strong Konoha. He will not harm it."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's tone was certain. "He is merely reclaiming authority. The Daimyo must hold Konoha, this blade, in his own hand."
He paused, and a sharp glint flashed through his clouded eyes.
"Soon, one of the Daimyo's consorts will certainly be from Konoha. Uchiha, Hyuga, or someone else."
"This is also part of his reclamation of authority. Once all obstacles are removed, Konoha will instead receive the Daimyo's full support."
Minato Namikaze was utterly bewildered. "Full support?"
"Yes!" Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded heavily, lowering his voice. "Judging from this series of swift and decisive actions, the Land of Fire's territory is too small for him. He wants more!"
"You mean the Daimyo wants to..." A storm surged through Minato Namikaze's heart.
"Shh, silence!" Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately cut him off. "Let the rest rot in your stomach!"
"But..."
"Enough, Minato. Trust this old man's judgment. Just do as I say!"
With that, Hiruzen Sarutobi closed his eyes and spoke no more.
Looking at the Third Hokage, utterly devoid of spirit, Minato Namikaze felt a sense of loneliness and helplessness.
He knew that Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart had died along with Danzo.
After leaving the Sarutobi clan grounds, Minato Namikaze stood beneath the sunlight, yet felt no warmth.
He took a deep breath, and the confusion in his eyes was replaced by resolve.
He summoned the Jonin corps, the heads of the major clans, and the two Council Elders for an emergency meeting at the Hokage Building.
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura arrived first.
Soon after, representatives from the Uchiha, Hyuga, Ino-Shika-Cho, Inuzuka, Aburame, and other clans all arrived.
The atmosphere in the meeting room was oppressive.
Once everyone had gathered, Minato Namikaze spoke in a grave voice. "I called everyone here today because there is a major matter concerning Konoha's future that must be conveyed."
Rather than directly state the proposal, he first announced that the Daimyo had rejected the village's plan.
"The Daimyo's intention is to concentrate resources and make the strong even stronger."
The moment he finished speaking, Utatane Koharu slammed a palm onto the table.
"Absurd!"
Her voice was shrill. "The Genius Training Special Fund? Funded directly by Daimyo Manor? He is trying to reach directly into Konoha and the major clans!"
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Mitokado Homura adjusted his glasses, his gaze cold and sharp. "Exactly. This severely undermines the village's autonomy! Will the geniuses he selects listen to the Hokage in the future, or the Daimyo? He is digging at Konoha's foundation!"
The fierce reaction of the two elders represented Konoha's conservative faction.
Fugaku Uchiha's expression was calm. He sat upright, seemingly deep in thought, while a sharp light flickered in his eyes.
Only after a moment did he speak, his voice betraying no emotion.
"I think the two elders are worrying too much."
"The Daimyo's willingness to fund the village's talent development is recognition of Konoha."
"We should consider how to make good use of this funding to train more outstanding shinobi for the village, rather than immediately adopt a hostile attitude."
Utatane Koharu was momentarily speechless. She could sense Fugaku's unspoken meaning.
Hyuga Hiashi, however, furrowed his brow deeply, his expression even more solemn than when he had arrived.
"I agree with the elders' concerns."
"It violates the rules for Daimyo Manor to directly support individuals."
"Once a genius from the Branch Family is selected, my Hyuga Clan will certainly be affected."
For a time, everyone held different opinions, arguing without end.
"Enough." After pondering for a moment, Minato Namikaze raised a hand to stop them.
His gaze fell upon Shikaku Nara.
The Jonin commander sat quietly, lightly tapping his cheek with his hand.
Minato Namikaze asked, "Shikaku, what do you think?"
Everyone turned to look at him.
Shikaku Nara calmly swept his gaze over everyone present before speaking. "We have no choice."
His voice was not loud, yet it silenced the entire meeting room.
"We cannot refuse this proposal."
"This money is both an opportunity and a seed that will tear Konoha apart."
"If we accept, new conflicts will inevitably arise within the village over the available slots, and the authority of both the clans and the Hokage will be challenged."
"If we refuse, we will become sinners who stifle the village's geniuses, and we will lose the hearts of all the young people."
Shikaku Nara looked around the room and reached his conclusion. "And we can only accept it. Otherwise, we will be cutting ourselves off from the Land of Fire."
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura both fell silent, their faces ashen.
They had held power for decades and had grown accustomed to having authority in their hands.
The thought of having to bow their heads to the Daimyo from now on made their expressions even uglier.
Then, when Minato Namikaze presented the second proposal, the meeting room erupted once again.
"The Guardians of the Twelve!"
This time, there was no table-slamming and no furious shouting.
The two Council Elders nearly deflated at the same time.
A chill rose in their hearts.
They exchanged a glance, each seeing the deep helplessness on the other's pale face.
The first proposal was money, and division.
The second proposal was power, and incorporation.
One pull, one strike; one internal, one external.
This was not a conspiracy, but an overwhelming force.
A force that would use the resources of the entire Land of Fire to crush Konoha, this military village.
Mitokado Homura's throat went dry, and his voice was hoarse.
"The Daimyo... is building an elite force... one that answers entirely to him."
"A force... capable of checking Konoha."
Utatane Koharu's hands began to tremble uncontrollably.
She looked at Minato Namikaze, her words filled with profound sorrow.
"Hiruzen is gone, Danzo is dead... Minato, Konoha's autonomy is being stripped away piece by piece."
"What... can we still do?"
Fugaku Uchiha slowly rose to his feet.
His expression was solemn, without the slightest hint of excitement, as he spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Two elders, the Guardians of the Twelve have always been the Daimyo's direct guards. This is tradition."
"Now that the Daimyo is restarting them, it is to demonstrate the majesty of the Land of Fire."
"If we refuse, would that not be telling other nations that the Land of Fire is internally divided?"
He paused and looked toward Minato Namikaze. "Since this is the Daimyo's will, for the prosperity of the Land of Fire, my Uchiha Clan is duty-bound to answer."
His words were impeccably righteous.
He had both submitted to the Daimyo and placed himself on the moral high ground of acting for the nation and the village.
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura could not say a single word.
The meeting ended on bad terms amid suffocating silence.
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