Minato Namikaze stayed up all night preparing documents for the investigation.
At the very least, he had to maintain the appearance of impartiality.
A quick review of the records from that time, including the battle achievement reports, revealed problems.
Some battlefield accomplishments had been assessed without any basis; the inspection team had simply decided them on a whim.
Even the inspection team's own accomplishments had been assessed by the team itself. And most of its members belonged to the Sarutobi Clan.
I'm judging myself?
That was the biggest flaw, and the biggest problem.
At that point, the Flying Thunder God team brought him news that the Daimyo had also sent someone to take part in the investigation, making him even more cautious.
Fortunately, the Third sent word that he was willing to offer money as compensation, along with compensation in other forms.
That finally put Minato somewhat at ease, giving him a way to phrase things that he could accept.
He spent the entire night working to find an outcome that everyone in Konoha could accept.
In the end, if there was truly no other way, he would have to make some people bear the cost.
Shinichi Hyuga had slept well. Early the next morning,
he went back to the training platform to watch his clan members practicing.
With his Byakugan, he could also watch the unfinished show.
After what had happened the day before, his clan members were even more supportive of Shinichi Hyuga.
The Hokage Building.
In yesterday's meeting room,
Minato Namikaze stood in the center, looking exhausted.
The other Konoha elders didn't look much better. Clearly, they hadn't slept well either.
The other ninja clans and jōnin had also arrived.
This time, however, their attitude was completely different from yesterday's.
Yesterday, they had pressured the Uchiha Clan under the Third's leadership. Today, they were taking a share of what should have been the Third's interests.
This filled the previously united Konoha clans with mutual distrust.
The day before, every clan had reviewed the issues Shinichi Hyuga had raised. In the end, they had all reached the same conclusion: they needed to be wary of the Sarutobi Clan.
With such a clear map laid out before them, they couldn't help but suspect the dealings of the Third. The annexations had all taken place during his administration.
Seeing their attitudes, Sarutobi Hiruzen could only sigh. Shinichi Hyuga really was a menace. The prestige he had built over more than a decade had already been undermined.
Even the clans that had once gravitated toward him were now wary of him.
The Sanada Clan and the Takeda Clan, the two clans he had found easiest to work with, had also been ruined by Shinichi Hyuga. How infuriating.
Now he had to sacrifice even more of the Sarutobi Clan's interests to appease the people in front of him.
"Minato, I believe everyone understands the general situation.
I admit that the Sarutobi Clan failed in some respects during the war, and I'm willing to give up some of our interests to compensate everyone here.
Please leave this old man with a shred of dignity.
The Daimyo's involvement would be bad for all of us. Don't you agree?"
The wrinkles between the Third's brows fanned out as he began to play the victim, his words carrying an implied warning.
When you've been beaten, you have to stand up and own it. He had to admit his mistakes and quickly bring these people's interests back together.
Otherwise, the envoy sent by the Daimyo would make the outcome even worse for him.
He signaled to some of the people around him, directly restricting the scope of the investigation to these documents.
If they investigated according to the records he had "falsified," there wouldn't be any major problems. That was exactly the kind of thing his clan had done.
Most of them had already received compensation from Sarutobi Hiruzen, along with a warning.
After the carrot-and-stick treatment, none of them wanted to make a big fuss.
Before long, the Third had regained control of the situation.
Everyone reached a consensus: they must not let the Daimyo's people get involved.
Far away, at the Hyuga Clan compound, Shinichi Hyuga wore a knowing expression. His Byakugan swept past layers of obstacles and landed on the meeting room.
"The Twelve Guardian Ninja—Kama! Let's see how you do."
The villain who'd sacrifice his own child just to destroy Konoha?
A strange sound came from the meeting room.
Thud~
Thud~
The sound of a hard object striking the floor rang out.
A figure appeared in the doorway, interrupting the Third's speech.
He had white hair, eyes narrowed into slits, and a cloth sash wrapped around his waist with a large "Fire" character on it. He held a monk's staff in his hand.
The sound just now had come from the staff striking the floor.
"Kazuma!"
The Third's heart sank when he saw who had arrived. This was troublesome.
Kazuma was a hardliner among the Twelve Guardian Ninja. He believed the Hokage was unnecessary, and that the ninja village and its shinobi should operate under the leadership of the Land of Fire's Daimyo.
He hadn't expected the Daimyo to send him.
Damn it! He'd planned to have Asuma join the Twelve Guardian Ninja, then, when the Daimyo was replaced, help a successor who was friendly to him take the throne and eventually drive Kazuma out.
Now everything had changed.
It looked like he would have to give up even more this time.
"Is this the answer you've all come up with?"
Kazuma's gaze swept over everyone present. When he saw the report already drawn up on the table, a momentary look of disappointment crossed his eyes.
He became even more wary of the Third.
In just one day, he had managed to handle the crisis.
Before Kazuma came, Shinichi Hyuga had already warned him. After looking into it,
he found that Sarutobi Hiruzen had even begun interfering in the Daimyo's succession, ensuring that the future Daimyo candidate would be the second prince, who disliked him intensely.
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