The downfall of Shimura Danzo had sent shock waves through Konoha, and the aftershocks had yet to subside.
The Root Base had been reduced to ruins, a symbol of the shadow that had loomed over Konoha for years being forcibly dispelled. Over the following days, the village appeared to return to normal, but an undercurrent stirred among the higher-ups and the jonin: the future direction of the village, and who would inherit the Hokage Position.
Several days later, in the top-floor conference room of the Hokage Building.
Nearly all of Konoha's active elite jonin, along with representatives of the major clans, filled the seats around the oval table. The atmosphere was grave and solemn.
At the head of the table sat Lord Third Hiruzen Sarutobi, dressed in his Hokage Cloak, his hat resting beside him. He looked much older than he had just days before, exhaustion and dejection unmistakable in his eyes. The death of his close friend Danzo, his students' "betrayal," and the absolute power Uchiha Ling had displayed—power enough to overturn every rule—had left the Shinobi Hero, who had led Konoha for so many years, feeling powerless.
Uchiha Ling sat near the front, his expression calm, as if the earth-shattering battle of a few days earlier had nothing to do with him.
Beside him, Hatake Sakumo sat with his arms crossed and his eyes closed, resting, but no one dared underestimate the White Fang of the Leaf, who had publicly declared his support for Ling. Tsunade sat on Ling's other side, occasionally glancing at her student with a complicated look—part concern, part contemplation of the future. Orochimaru sat in a corner a little farther away, a faint smile playing on his lips as he watched everyone in the room.
The heads of the Ino-Shika-Cho Clans sat side by