"Qi, you're here."
Upon opening the door, the first thing Qi saw was the Minato.
Afterwards, the Third Hokage, who had already stepped down from the Hokage Position, the advisor duo Haru and Homura, and Konoha, who is now his Danzo, were all present. These were some of the most powerful and influential figures in Konoha at present.
Besides these bigwigs, there were also representatives from various clans present. The most outrageous attire belonged to the Uchiha and Hyuga Clan clans, whose representatives were dressed in kimonos, one in black and one in white, and with their grumpy faces, they looked like the Black and White Impermanence...
Despite their diverse appearances, they all had the same reaction when Qi entered the room—they all turned their gazes to him.
Qi wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but some of the people in the crowd seemed to be looking at him with malice...
"Qi, come to my side."
Danzo suddenly spoke, his eyes sweeping over certain people with the fierce look of a wolf hunting its prey. Although his eyes had become somewhat cloudy with age, his killing intent remained undiminished, no less than that of a man in his prime...
"Alright, Danzo, don't be so surprised. This is just the first time we've all seen this child."
The Third Hokage also spoke up, and seemingly unintentionally, he got up and walked between Danzo and the others, blocking Danzo's aggressive gaze, while looking at Qi with gentleness.
"Child, go to your teacher; we need to talk to you about something."
"Yes."
Having secretly memorized a few unfamiliar faces that he had captured in a fleeting moment, Qi walked over to Danzo's side.
"Isn't it too young for such a child to become the future head of the clan?"
Suddenly, someone spoke.
"If they successfully bring back a portion of the Yuki and Kaguya Clan, this newly formed clan will have at least several hundred members. Such a number would only be second to major clans like the Uchiha and Hyuga Clan in Konoha, right? Isn't it too hasty to make a child the clan leader?"
In an instant, Danzo and Qi's faces darkened. Qi was alright, at most showing anger, but a bloodthirsty glint appeared in Danzo's eyes!
"What did you just say? Speak clearly! And speak louder!"
The number one iron-blooded strategist in all of Konoha slowly stood up.
"I'm old, your voice is too strong, I didn't hear you clearly just now!"
He squinted, looking at the family representative who had spoken.
"Let me think. Did you just say that my disciple is too old, so even if we find the clansmen, he can't be the clan leader, and you have to 'act as acting clan leader' instead?"
" Danzo, please don't be alarmed, that's not what I meant!"
The speaker's face immediately changed, and he looked at the others.
"What I mean is, how can anyone feel at ease having such a large family controlled by a child?!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a chorus of agreement immediately rang out...
"Ahem... Yes, Oshima- kun is right..."
"That's right, that's right. Young people are often impetuous and lack foresight. We're only thinking of the village's best interests. Do you think we'd be after anything from him?"
"That's right. The Yuki Clan has been living among the common people for a long time. The older generation has long since passed away, and the new generation has no idea how a ninja clan operates. We only lent a helping hand out of consideration for our fellow villagers."
Amidst the cacophony of voices, these people gradually came together, Danzo even Danzo speechless.
However, judging from his increasingly grim expression, it's clear that the next outburst is not far off.
Qi certainly couldn't let Danzo explode again. It was precisely because of his intolerant and inflexible personality that his teacher had repeatedly missed out on the Hokage Position. Even though he had a lot of passion and made significant contributions, in the eyes of outsiders, there was only the moderate faction represented by the Third Hokage, and they couldn't see the martial faction represented by Danzo.
Establishing his own clan was ultimately his own business; there was no reason for Danzo to stand in the way for him...
"Thank you all for your hospitality!"
He stepped forward, standing directly in front of Danzo, facing the group of clan representatives who were now arguing amongst themselves.
"Please don't worry about it. I haven't even established a clan yet. Even if I did, it would be an internal family matter, and you don't need to trouble yourselves with it."
If the first sentence was somewhat polite, the second sentence was a blatant slap in the face. The meaning behind the words should be clear to anyone who isn't mentally challenged.
Basically, the direct approach is: I'm not letting you guys get away with this, so get the hell out of here!
"Young man, do you even have a say in this?!"
The first to exit, a man named Oshima, snorted angrily.
"If it weren't for the fact that your teacher is Danzo, you wouldn't even be qualified to stand here. Really..."
"Is that so, Mr. Oshima? Please speak louder."
Qi let out a cold laugh. He stared at Oshima, whose face was pale, and took another step forward. The coldness in his eyes was so intense that even the Third Hokage felt a chill.
"Sorry, I've been on the battlefield a lot lately, my hearing is a bit fuzzy, I can't quite hear what you're saying."
His current appearance, especially in the eyes of those who had witnessed Danzo's youth, was strikingly similar to Danzo at the same age decades ago.
"Don't think I'm stupid just because of my age. I'm standing here because of the Lord Hokage's proposal to establish a clan with me. Does this matter require your permission? As for whether I have the ability, none of you here need to worry about that. If I'm incompetent, I'll simply die in the Land of Water and be done with it. But if I succeed, no one will have a say in the future affairs of the clan!"
"You're just... just..."
Being so defered to by a teenager, Oshima- kun's face turned ashen, his eyes blazing with anger, and his voice trembled.
"You ungrateful wretch!"
"I'm ungrateful!? Are you some kind of top-tier ninja?"
Compared to Oshima, Qi was undoubtedly more furious. Although he knew that establishing a clan at his age would inevitably attract the contempt and greed of some people, he did not expect the other party to show it so blatantly, which made him extremely angry. If this were not Konoha Village, Qi would have already killed the other party, who was just a mere clan representative and whose strength was no more than that of Jonin!
These idiots, blinded by greed, are practically asking for death!
No wonder Danzo advocated using violent means to purge his people; some of these things were simply too much of an eyesore!
"You are merely a family representative, while I am the future patriarch of our clan. Based on your attitude alone, I could kill you today! Who would dare to object!"
As the anger intensified, Qi finally lost his temper and decided to kill him.
"Let's see how you dare to be so ungrateful! You're trying to take advantage of me before you've even established your clan; you're asking for death!"
"Whoosh!"
A sound like countless shards of glass rubbing together rang out, and suddenly bursts of cold air emanated from Qi's body! In just an instant, the temperature inside the Hokage's office plummeted!
"Qi, stop!"
Everyone was immediately shocked. No one expected that Qi's temper would be so fierce, that he would actually kill right under their noses!
Even though they wanted to stop him, Qi had already reached Oshima, and they also noticed that Minato and the others were completely indifferent. This caused them to hesitate subconsciously, losing their last chance to save him. They could only watch helplessly as Qi's hand struck Oshima's body.
If this attack lands, given their understanding of Qi's current strength based on intelligence, Oshima will undoubtedly die!
However, at that moment, a figure suddenly appeared, kicking the frozen Oshima away, and simultaneously holding a short sword crackling with lightning, using the blade to block Qi's palm...
"Buzz..."
The forces of ice and lightning, each restrained by the other, first erupted with a muffled thud, then the entire dagger shattered into fragments amidst a series of crackling sounds...
Minato and the others, who were watching the scene unfold, immediately curled their lip and revealed a "I knew it" smile...
"I knew you'd do this, so I came in anyway..."
The newcomer looked helplessly at the shattered blades scattered on the ground. He removed his mask, revealing himself to be Kakashi, who had been supposed to be outside the door.
"Luckily, this is just standard issue equipment, so I won't feel bad if it breaks."
"Stop nagging! Aren't you supposed to be guarding the gate? Why did you save him?"
Qi stopped, though dissatisfied, he didn't make any further moves, knowing he had lost his chance.
"You're not helping me but helping him...?"
"Idiot, it's precisely because I want to help you that I'm not letting you kill him."
Kakashi casually tossed the mask aside.
"This kind of scum is just a test. If you kill him, you'll really have to make some compensation to his family. Do you understand?"
He punched Qi hard in the chest.
"You overreacted, you idiot! What do you take the Lord Hokage for?!"
Kakashi was now filled with deep regret. If he had known Qi would react so excessively, he should have given him more warnings on the way...