"Hiruzen, the leader of Uzushio Village must be the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, right?"
Seeing the Third Hokage hesitate, Danzo already had his answer.
Knowing he could no longer hide it from Danzo, the Third Hokage had no choice but to admit it.
"That's right. Uzushio Village's leader is Naruto. After leaving the village, he took Shisui and those Uchiha with him, rebuilt the Land of Whirlpools, and established Uzushio Village."
"Left the village? More like defected. You're still defending that rogue ninja. He's already established his own faction and has even set his sights on the Land of Waves. If the Land of Whirlpools really annexes it, your plan to win over the surrounding minor nations through the Chunin Exams will probably come to nothing."
Danzo's words were sharp, showing the Third Hokage no courtesy at all.
After all, whether it was injuring his guards and defecting from Konoha, or taking the remaining Uchiha overseas to found a nation, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's actions were no different from Orochimaru's. Issuing an S-rank rogue ninja warrant for him would not be excessive in the slightest.
"This is only a temporary measure."
The Third Hokage's temper flared as well. He retorted, "Do you want Naruto to become a wanted rogue ninja? Aside from making the other ninja villages laugh at us, that would bring no benefits. And if we don't completely break with him, Naruto may still return one day. The Land of Whirlpools would still be a force under Konoha."
Danzo snorted coldly, but he had no better solution.
Even before the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki defected, he had tried to stop him. At the time, however, he simply could not do anything to Naruto and could only watch him leave.
But that did not stop him from making the Third Hokage uncomfortable, because this