Minato Namikaze glanced at the four people beside him but said nothing.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzō, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura—these four were commonly known as Konoha's Four Elders. They were also the ones who truly made the final decisions in every meeting.
Though Minato had been Hokage for nearly four years, most authority had yet to be transferred to him. In many matters, he still had to seek the advice of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the former Hokage.
"Policies can't even make it out of the Hokage Office Building"—this was a sentiment Minato Namikaze occasionally voiced.
Not to mention anything else, Hiruzen Sarutobi had never handed over the Anbu directly under the Hokage to Minato, let alone Danzō's "Root."
The only people Minato could command now were the small group who had originally followed him. He had been the one to propose that Kakashi join the Anbu, precisely because he wanted to strengthen his influence within it.
Of course, those reasons could not be spoken aloud. Everyone understood without saying anything... politics was, by nature, a game of compromise and concessions.
He checked the time. It was already nine in the morning when a figure wearing a cat-faced mask suddenly appeared. It was an Anbu ninja.
He quickly stepped forward and handed a piece of intelligence to Hiruzen Sarutobi. Only after Hiruzen had read it did he pass it to Minato Namikaze, then to Shimura Danzō, before it was circulated one by one.
When Hyuga Hiashi read the contents of the report, his hand unconsciously tightened. With a bang, the teacup in his hand shattered into powder, and green tea spilled across the table.
The Third Hokage coughed lightly twice. "Hiashi... don't act rashly. These are merely Kumogakure's overbearing demands. We may not necessarily agree to them."
"My apologies. I lost