"But Hiruzen Sarutobi keeps refusing to talk with us. Even the Sarutobi Clan has sealed off their compound, so it's difficult for us to even see him."
Whenever he thought about how his messengers had been turned away again and again, Shimura Ketsuzo was plunged back into indecision. With his political instincts, he couldn't begin to guess what Hiruzen Sarutobi was thinking.
"Not responding is the best response. Hiruzen wants to reclaim the Hokage's authority, but he doesn't want to stake everything on it and earn a bad reputation. So he's waiting for you and me to charge ahead," Mitokado Homura analyzed unhurriedly.
As a longtime teammate, he knew Hiruzen Sarutobi too well.
"Ah, Hiruzen knows we have no better choice. Finding a new Hokage would be too difficult and costly. Supporting Hiruzen again also best serves the interests of our three clans." Utatane Koharu agreed. Among the three clan leaders present, only Shimura Ketsuzo was too foolish to see it.
As for the other subordinate shinobi clans, they had no right to voice their opinions.
"But with only our strength, how can we possibly challenge Minato Namikaze's authority?" Shimura Ketsuzo knew his limits. With the Sarutobi Clan staying out of it, how could their three clans stand against Minato Namikaze, who held the Hokage Position and had the support of most of the shinobi clans?
"I heard Minato's wife, Kushina Uzumaki, is about to give birth. When a Jinchuriki is giving birth, the Tailed Beast seal inside them is at its weakest. Maybe we could..." As Shimura Ketsuzo spoke, he realized everyone was staring at him.
"What... Was I wrong?" In truth, the idea wasn't his. With his intelligence, how could he understand the rules and circumstances surrounding a Jinchuriki?
But a little over three months ago, a mysterious