"Hiruzen's been calling High Official meetings awfully often lately, hasn't he?"
"How has the village suddenly become a matter of life and death every other day?"
"Hiruzen's still too impetuous. He's nothing like us, so calm and levelheaded. Konoha still needs old hands like us, quietly contributing from behind the scenes."
Standing outside the Meeting Room, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura exchanged a glance, and thoughts like these arose in their minds.
It was no wonder Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura felt that way.
They had attended a High Official meeting just yesterday afternoon. Hiruzen had said that Anbu had spotted the Masked Man, who could start another Nine-Tails' Rampage at any moment.
They had decided to hold their positions. The village currently had no way of dealing with the Masked Man.
It had been less than a day, and the Third Hokage had called another High Official meeting.
Just then, Danzo arrived at the Meeting Room, leaning on his cane. His expression was grim, and he was carrying a breakfast that had gone cold.
"What's Danzo doing bringing breakfast?"
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura looked at each other in confusion. They remembered that Danzo wasn't in the habit of bringing breakfast for people.
Noticing the commotion outside, the Third Hokage opened the door. He spotted the breakfast in Danzo's hand and hurriedly snatched it away.
"Danzo, how did you know I hadn't eaten?"
Without waiting for Danzo to answer, the Third Hokage started eating the cold breakfast.
"..."
Danzo froze, standing there in a daze, unsure what to do.
Youhu had given him that breakfast. He'd kept it until now as evidence, intending to drive a wedge between Youhu and the Third Hokage and show Youhu what happened when someone angered the Hokage Assistant.
But before he could sow discord, the Third Hokage had eaten his evidence.
After quickly finishing breakfast, the Third Hokage let out a satisfied burp and invited Danzo and the others inside. Then he got straight to the point.
"I called everyone here to discuss a major incident that happened last night."
"Last night, the Masked Man tried to attack Naruto, but Kakashi Squad discovered him. After a fierce battle, Kakashi Squad drove him off."
"They also discovered the Masked Man's true identity."
"The Masked Man was a shinobi who once gave his life for the village. He was also Minato's Disciple: Uchiha Obito."
"Obito came back from the dead, carrying Madara's Will, and wants to destroy Konoha completely."
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura were stunned by the Third Hokage's words. It took them a while to recover, and their expressions gradually grew solemn.
There was far too much information to take in.
The Masked Man had attacked the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
Kakashi Squad had defeated the Masked Man.
The Masked Man's true identity was Obito.
Obito was Uchiha Madara's Successor.
Every one of those revelations was explosive. Under normal circumstances, each would have warranted a High Official meeting of its own. No wonder the Third Hokage had said this meeting concerned the village's very survival.
After digesting all the information, Danzo spoke first, directing his accusations at the Third Hokage.
"Hiruzen, I told you before that the Uchiha were behind Nine-Tails Night, but you refused to believe me."
"Now the truth is clear. The ones attacking the village aren't just the Uchiha outside it—there are Uchiha inside the village, too."
"I believe we need to act against the Uchiha now. We should mobilize the Ninja Clans and crush them completely. That's the only way to put an end to the damage caused by the Masked Man."
"Danzo, you're being too extreme..."
Before the Third Hokage could reply, Mitokado Homura cut off Danzo's proposal. "The village still needs to guard against the Masked Man. We don't have the manpower to suppress the Uchiha."
"Besides, I don't think Obito has much to do with the Uchiha in the village."
"If Obito really were working with the Uchiha inside the village, they would have already started a rebellion."
Utatane Koharu nodded in agreement. "We don't even know for certain that the Masked Man is Obito. And I recall there's an Uchiha in Kakashi Squad, too. That's proof enough that the Uchiha inside and outside the village aren't working together."
"Koharu's right."
"The shinobi who attacked Naruto was an Uchiha, but the ones who drove off the Masked Man were Kakashi and Youhu."
"Youhu and Itachi are good kids who carry the Will of Fire in their hearts. Without them, the village might already be in the middle of another Nine-Tails' Rampage."
The Third Hokage's words were the final straw that sank Danzo's proposal.
With the other leaders broadly opposing his suggestion, Danzo could only back down. "I'm not asking you to deal with the Uchiha right away. But we absolutely need to take the necessary precautions."
"Hiruzen, you said Kakashi and the others drove off the Masked Man. How did they manage it?"
"Youhu grievously wounded Obito with Poison Gas, and Kakashi used his Mangekyo Sharingan to force Obito away from Konoha..." The Third Hokage briefly described what had happened, including the fact that Kakashi possessed a Mangekyo Sharingan.
If only he'd gone after Kakashi back then.
Hearing that Kakashi had a Mangekyo Sharingan, Danzo ground his teeth in regret. He had once sent Tenzo to assassinate Kakashi for his Three-Tomoe, but Hiruzen had interfered and ruined his plans.
If he'd known Kakashi had a Mangekyo, he would have paid any price to get rid of him.
Danzo knew Hiruzen wouldn't agree to his demands, but he made the request anyway. "Hiruzen, hand Kakashi Squad over to me. I'll take them to kill Obito and eliminate the village's greatest threat."
"I'll send them after Obito, but I won't hand them over to you."
The Third Hokage knew Danzo was up to no good, so he frowned and refused. Then he added pointedly, "But if Kakashi and the others go after Obito, who should protect Naruto?"
"Why not give Danzo the mission of pursuing Obito?"
"Danzo, if you capture Obito, his Sharingan is yours. This time, I absolutely won't interfere with the operation to hunt him down."
"..."
Danzo's expression changed. He suspected the Third Hokage was deliberately making fun of him.
It was true that he wanted a Mangekyo Sharingan. One with a space-time ability was his dream. If he could get Obito's Mangekyo, he would gain the power of First Lord, Teacher Tobirama, and Uchiha Madara all at once.
Then, even against the rebels in Rain Country who opposed the Demigod, he could crush them.
But the problem was, what could he use to capture Obito? The strongest shinobi under his command was only an Elite Jonin. Would they even stand a chance against Obito?
The Third Hokage saw Danzo's dilemma. Ignoring his sour expression, he made his decision.
"Since Hokage Assistant Danzo is unwilling to serve the village, I won't force him."
"The mission to capture Obito will go ahead. I'll send Kakashi and the others to track him down and try to wipe out both Obito and the force behind him."
"As for protecting Naruto, I plan to recall Jiraiya and Tsunade."
"The village needs their strength now."
"That's all. Meeting adjourned."
Before you continue