While Akatsuki was conducting the meeting, Konoha was here.
Three years have passed since that thrilling Nine-Tails Incident.
Under the sunshine, the buildings in the village have taken on a new look, and Konoha has completely restored its former vitality.
Hokage Building's conference room.
Hiruzen Sarutobi is wearing Hokage Haori, which symbolizes the authority of Hokage. The corners of his robe are slightly fluttering. One hand is drooping, while the other hand is holding the pipe steadily, sitting leisurely in the center of the conference room.
The lingering smoke lingered on his determined face.
To his right, Shimura Danzō was wearing a black robe, with half of his face wrapped in a bandage. Next to him, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura were talking quietly, with solemn expressions.
On the left, the clan chiefs of various ethnic groups in the village were sitting upright, with varying degrees of worry in their eyes.
"Oi, I wasn't late!"
Just when the meeting was about to begin, Jiraiya opened the door of the conference room with a carefree attitude, Earth Flow came in with a smile, his trademark long white hair swaying slightly with his steps, and greeted everyone warmly.
"Jiraiya? This guy usually shows up but never ends. Why did he suddenly come to the meeting today?"
Shimura Danzō narrowed his eyes and cast his hawk-like gaze on Jiraiya who had just entered the conference room. He spoke in a low voice and thought secretly in his heart.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was calm and composed, as if he had already expected Jiraiya to appear at this time, and did not care about his sudden intrusion.
He took a deep breath from his pipe, slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke, and said in a calm tone, "Today's meeting is held for extremely important matters that require everyone to make a decision together. It is related to the peace of Konoha."
When the clan leaders of various clans heard Third Hokage's serious tone, they couldn't help but make speculations in their hearts.
Some people frowned, some whispered to each other, and there was a hint of tension in the air.
Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at everyone slowly and continued:
"Since Nine-Tails Incident, the situation around Konoha has become increasingly complicated. Spies from various countries have sprung up in the village frequently. Their goal, without exception, is to explore the whereabouts of Nine-Tails.
Everyone, although I claimed that Nine-Tails was sealed in a barrier of Konoha, this is just a temporary measure.
Tailed Beast is the key to maintaining the balance of power of Shinobi World, we must find it back as soon as possible, which is why I called everyone to hold this meeting of clan leaders."
After Nara Shikaku finished listening, he frowned and said in a serious voice:
"Well, Nine-Tails is the ultimate weapon to deter ninjas from all countries. Once it disappears for a long time, the ambitions of various countries will inevitably expand, and war may soon break out."
After Shikaku finished speaking, Shimura Danzō, who is Hokage Advisor, raised his head and scanned everyone's faces one by one. His voice was not high but very penetrating.
"Everyone is the mainstay of Konoha, and as the heads of each clan, if you have any suggestions, please feel free to put them forward."
After hearing Shimura Danzō's words, the clan leaders of various clans immediately started talking and whispering to each other.
After some discussion, everyone turned their attention to Nara Shikaku, who was recognized as the smartest, hoping that he could come up with a feasible solution.
Nara Shikaku sighed helplessly, nodded, looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, and said respectfully:
"Lord Third, is there any relevant information currently? With the intelligence support, we can come up with corresponding countermeasures."
Just as Shikaku finished speaking, Jiraiya slowly stood up, and at Hiruzen Sarutobi's signal, walked to the conference table and carefully opened a scroll.
The scroll is densely recorded with the information he has collected over the past few years.
"When I was collecting intelligence on Shinobi World recently, I saw a strange pair of rebel ninjas many times. They were dressed in red clouds and black robes and acted secretly.
After my in-depth investigation, I found that they seemed to be seeking information about Tailed Beast intentionally or unintentionally, and I suspect that Nine-Tails is now in their hands."
Just as everyone was thinking about the information provided by Jiraiya, Mitokado Homura of Council of Elders looked solemn and walked towards Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō with small and rapid steps.
He leaned forward slightly, lowered his voice, and had a bit of worry and speculation on his face:
"Hiruzen, Danzo, do you think it is possible that Nine-Tails was hidden by the Uchiha Clan? At Nine-Tails Incident, the weird Sharingan in Nine-Tails's eyes was clearly visible to everyone present. This is definitely not our illusion."
Hiruzen Sarutobi After listening, his brows twisted into the character "Chuan". He slowly shook his head and responded in a low voice:
"Now Uchiha Clan is just a suspicion, there is no conclusive evidence.
Random convictions will not only chill the hearts of the Uchiha people, but may also trigger internal conflicts, which is undoubtedly a disaster for Konoha."
"Hiruzen, you and I both know that everything is for the village."
Mitokado Homura spoke eagerly, clenching his hands unconsciously, trying to persuade Hiruzen Sarutobi,
"Uchiha Clan has always been ambitious. If they really hide Nine-Tails, the consequences will be disastrous."
"Just because it's for the sake of the village, Uchiha can't be touched yet."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes are firm and his tone is unquestionable,
"Having a rash attack on the Uchiha Clan is likely to cause Konoha to split and trigger civil strife. This is exactly what other ninja villages want to see. You must not act rashly before you are completely sure."
Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi's firm attitude, Mitokado Homura knew that no amount of persuasion would help. He turned to look at Danzo helplessly and shook his head slightly.
Danzo stared at Hiruzen Sarutobi, his eyes instantly turned cold, and his whole body seemed to be exuding a slight chill.
His carefully planned plan against the Uchiha Clan once again failed due to Hiruzen Sarutobi's caution.
Thinking of this, he clenched his fists unwillingly.
After a while, the original discussion in the meeting became quieter and quieter. Seeing this, Nara Shikaku stood up slowly, with his usual calm face, looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi respectfully, and said in an orderly manner:
"Lord Third, based on the current situation, I suggest sending an intelligence collection team to conduct an in-depth investigation of this group of rebellious ninjas wearing red clouds and black robes.
Their appearance is no accident, and mastering their specific information is crucial to our next actions.
At the same time, senior Jiraiya can lead several elite ninjas and wait for opportunities to find or capture these rebellious ninjas.
After being successfully captured, Yamanaka Clan will be arranged to use secret techniques to read the information in their minds.
As traitorous ninjas, they have violated the moral principles and principles of ninjas, and we do not need to worry about the consequences of capturing or killing them."
When everyone in the conference room heard Nara Shikaku's suggestion, they all whispered to each other and started discussing in low voices.
After some weighing, everyone felt that this was the most feasible approach under the current circumstances, and they all nodded and expressed no objections.
All current clues and suspicions point to this mysterious group of rebellious ninjas without exception. In the absence of more information, we can only take one step at a time.
Hiruzen Sarutobi listened quietly to Nara Shikaku's speech, and his eyes unconsciously fell on the information scroll presented by Jiraiya.
His thoughts flooded back to that night Nine-Tails Incident three years ago. Before Fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato died, he rushed outside the barrier.
At that time, in the chaotic battle situation, he saw the companions of the mysterious masked man opposite the Yondaime.
Although the distance was far away and the figure was blurry, he clearly remembered that the robe that the man was wearing was exactly this style of black robe embroidered with red clouds.
Thinking of this, Hiruzen Sarutobi took back his thoughts, nodded solemnly, and said in a loud voice:
"Then follow Shikaku's suggestion and immediately form an intelligence team and Jiraiya team."