Bastard, are you trying to seize power?! (Seeking collection, recommendations, powered by love!)

"Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."

Upon hearing this, everyone present sharpened their focus.

To put it bluntly, today's meeting was meant to clarify the selection of the next Hokage and determine who would be responsible for the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

In the final analysis, it all boiled down to one thing: whoever held the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki would likely become the next Hokage.

"Impossible. Naruto was entrusted to me by Minato Namikaze, and I will never hand him over to you."

Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke with fury blazing in his eyes.

"Don't misunderstand. Everyone who went to support the Fourth Hokage knows that Naruto wasn't entrusted to you alone—he was entrusted to all of us!"

Masaki Uchiha pointed out the flaw in Sarutobi Hiruzen's logic without a hint of hesitation.

"Don't dream of it! How could the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki possibly be handed over to you!" Shimura Danzō spoke through gritted teeth, looking as if he wanted to lunge forward and tear Masaki Uchiha apart.

"Who do you think you are, spouting such nonsense here?" Masaki Uchiha glanced at him sideways, his tone dripping with disdain.

"You..." Shimura Danzō was so incensed that his teeth felt like they were cracking.

Indeed, Shimura Danzō had long since been stripped of his status as an elder by Minato Namikaze, and he could not openly claim his position as the leader of Root. For now, he could only suppress his rage and look to Sarutobi Hiruzen to take the lead.

Sarutobi Hiruzen took a drag of his pipe and exhaled slowly. "Naruto will certainly not be handed over to you; he will only be raised by the next Hokage. You can stop thinking about it."

"I have no objection to him being raised by the next Hokage, but Naruto cannot remain in your hands for now."

"At the same time, I propose that until the next Hokage is elected, Naruto be placed under the care of the Jonin Squad, where you, Third Hokage, can still supervise him at all times."

Although he didn't have many of his own people in the Jonin Squad, Masaki Uchiha figured that if they couldn't even agree to this, he would have to lose his temper.

Both sides took a step back, which was acceptable; as long as he could ensure the next Hokage was one of his own, Sarutobi Hiruzen hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement.

Shimura Danzō, standing to the side, tried to speak, but was silenced by a sharp look from Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"Very well, let's leave the matter of the Nine-Tails there for now. Next, we need to discuss the issue of you, Third Hokage."

The main event had arrived.

Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō both focused their attention, preparing to hear what Masaki Uchiha had to say.

"Since you have retired, Third Hokage, you shouldn't continue to hold onto Konoha's key departments. I objectively believe that you should relinquish control over the Anbu, the Education Department, and the Medical Department. This would be a good thing for both you and Konoha."

Masaki Uchiha's calm and composed demeanor made Shimura Danzō's blood boil.

"Hand them over to whom? To you? Do you have the experience? Can you perfectly handle the internal affairs of Konoha?" Hearing that Masaki Uchiha wanted to turn him into a powerless, retired old man, how could Sarutobi Hiruzen possibly agree?

One had to understand that power was the fuel for a man's life.

A man cannot go a day without power, especially a man who had once been the supreme leader of Konoha.

Masaki Uchiha chuckled at the sight of Sarutobi Hiruzen's anxious state.

"Why are you in such a rush? I didn't say all these departments should be handed to me. I just heard that the Fourth Hokage hasn't received the authority over those departments since he took office. Third Hokage, can you explain that?"

Seeing that Masaki Uchiha had laid everything out in the open, and facing the surprised and skeptical gazes of those present, Sarutobi Hiruzen had no choice but to bite the bullet. "I didn't do this for myself. Minato had just taken office and wasn't familiar with many things. I was only transferring power to him bit by bit so he wouldn't make any erroneous judgments."

"As of now, you are merely a retired old man. You have no qualification to hold onto the power that belongs to the Hokage!"

"If you do not agree to my proposal, I am sorry, Third Hokage, but I will use the Konoha Public Interest and Safety Regulations to forcibly reclaim this authority and have you thrown into prison!"

Masaki Uchiha had finally revealed his true intentions.

"You bastard, are you trying to seize power? Do you even have the votes?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen was incensed, his voice booming with rage.

"That's right! Don't think that just because you have some support, we are afraid of you!" Shimura Danzō chimed in from the side.

The others present were stunned and dizzy from the exchange.

Was this the start of a civil war?

In an instant, the ninjas in the room began to take sides.

Gradually, three distinct factions formed in the room. Aside from a small group of neutrals who remained still, three-fifths of the remaining people stood behind Masaki Uchiha.

Looking closely at the representative of the neutral faction, it was none other than Orochimaru.

Seeing that even his own disciple was unwilling to help him, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt a deep sense of misery.

"You see, Third Hokage? Don't even talk about wanting to ascend to the position of Hokage again; if you don't hand over the power you hold, you won't even be able to walk out of this room!"

Masaki Uchiha waved his hand with an air of dominance and slammed it onto the table.

Bang.

The sound was like a slap, striking Sarutobi Hiruzen hard across the face.

Looking at the people standing behind Masaki Uchiha, Sarutobi Hiruzen's face was filled with a bitter smile.

The Ino-Shika-Cho, Hyuga, Inuzuka, Aburame, Kurama, and others—these were all clans that had originally belonged to the Hokage faction, clans that never saw eye-to-eye with the Uchiha.

He hadn't expected that in just a few short months since Masaki Uchiha became clan head, the situation would have shifted so drastically.

"Why?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked, unable to comprehend it, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Shikaku Nara understood what he meant. He walked directly to Masaki Uchiha's side and said to Sarutobi Hiruzen, "It is all for the sake of Konoha."

All for the sake of Konoha?

Thinking back on everything he had done over his many years as Hokage.

Suddenly, he felt a sense of irony in those words; he had once used the same line to persuade their clansmen to join Root, and he had also...

However, this old man would not surrender these powers so easily.

After understanding the reasons behind the 'betrayal' of these ninja clans, Sarutobi Hiruzen did not let his will crumble. He composed himself and said in a firm tone, "I can hand them over, but only to the next Hokage. None of you shall lay a finger on them."

"How about this: the Jonin Squad will preside over all matters in Konoha from here on out. The authority of all departments will be exercised by the Jonin Squad on behalf of the Hokage until the Fifth Hokage is elected, at which point it will be returned to the Fifth Hokage."

"Third Hokage, you may also select three experienced individuals to join the Jonin Squad. How does that sound?"

Masaki Uchiha had already shown the utmost sincerity; if Sarutobi Hiruzen still refused, then war would be the only option.

Although starting a war would cause significant losses to Konoha, especially in the aftermath of the Nine-Tails Incident.

Based on these concerns, Masaki Uchiha decided to give Sarutobi Hiruzen a chance. Since the position of Hokage was essentially secured, he would try to take control peacefully.

"Hiruzen, agree to it," Shimura Danzō said indifferently.

He had not expected Shimura Danzō to be the one to persuade Sarutobi Hiruzen. Although this guy usually did nothing but evil, his brain was still functioning.

At this stage, aside from him, there were no other experts on Sarutobi Hiruzen's side, whereas Masaki Uchiha's side was filled with them.

Turning hostile now would be truly unwise. It would be better to wait until Jiraiya and Tsunade were called back to settle the score.

Therefore, playing it safe for now was the right move.

After a moment of contemplation, Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke in a somewhat hoarse voice, "I agree."

After uttering these three words, he felt as if all his strength had been drained away, and he sat motionless in his chair.