In the spacious, brightly lit Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen sat upright in the chair that symbolized supreme authority.
His eyes were slightly closed, his expression calm as he rested. He lightly propped his chin on his hands, as if deep in thought about something important.
Standing at his side were the three elder advisors: Shimura Danzō, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura.
The others had been fairly relaxed outside, but the moment they stepped into the Hokage's office, they felt an invisible pressure bearing down on them. The atmosphere in the room instantly grew heavy and oppressive.
Faced with this, everyone chose to remain silent. No one dared break the quiet. They silently found suitable places to stand, then waited without making the slightest unnecessary sound.
This was one of the methods commonly employed by those in positions of power. By creating such a tense atmosphere, they could not only establish their authority but also use the opportunity to closely observe the slightest changes in the expressions and moods of everyone attending the meeting.
Time passed, second by second, as the hands on the wall clock slowly approached nine o'clock. Just then, a shadow suddenly appeared in the office like a phantom. It was an Anbu Ninja dressed in a black skintight outfit and wearing a mask.
The Anbu Ninja hurried to Sarutobi Hiruzen's side, leaned down, and whispered a few words to him.
After hearing the report, Sarutobi Hiruzen finally opened his eyes, which had been closed all this time. The corners of his mouth lifted in a barely perceptible smile. He looked around at everyone present and asked softly, "Has everyone arrived?"
The office was so quiet that even a pin dropping could be heard. The atmosphere was exceptionally tense.
In the midst of the dead silence, a loud, clear voice suddenly broke the quiet. "Representing the Uchiha Clan, Uchiha Hirotomo and Uchiha Xiao have arrived!" The words rang like a great bell, echoing throughout the office.
The one who had spoken was Uchiha Xiao himself.
Everyone looked confused and puzzled. They wondered, Lord Hokage isn't blind. Can't he see who's come in? Why make such a fuss?
But those thoughts only flashed through their minds. Soon, someone realized that there was more to this than met the eye.
Nara Rokumei's eyes suddenly lit up. His stern expression was instantly replaced by a sly smile.
Then he lifted the corners of his mouth slightly and imitated Uchiha Xiao's tone. "Representing the Ino-Shika-Cho clans, Nara Rokumei, Yamanaka Unkai, and Torifu Akimichi have arrived!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a few quiet chuckles rippled through the room, though most people watched Nara Rokumei thoughtfully.
Nara Rokumei couldn't help but laugh to himself. As expected of Lord Xiao. That simple sentence wasn't just an announcement of who had arrived—it was a statement of allegiance.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had been sitting behind his desk, smiled and nodded. Then he addressed the newcomers. "Come, come, Clan Head Hirotomo, Xiao, Rokumei. Come sit up front. Don't stand so far away."
At Sarutobi Hiruzen's words, Uchiha Hirotomo, Uchiha Xiao, Nara Rokumei, and the others walked over to the seats at the front of the office and sat down one by one.
Everyone watched them intently, their gazes filled with complicated emotions: curiosity, suspicion, and even wariness.
For a moment, the entire office was filled with a tense, delicate atmosphere, as if a fierce contest was about to begin...
Tsunade also spoke up. "Teacher, Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya have arrived!" Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded and beckoned to them. "Come, take a seat!"
Tsunade grinned, then walked over to Uchiha Xiao and sat beside him.
Now everyone understood. Sarutobi Hiruzen had been asking which clans were willing to stand with him. So far, the Uchiha and the Ino-Shika-Cho clans had joined the Hokage faction: one was a clan with a thousand years of history, while the other was the family best at placing its bets.
Tsunade and the others were Sarutobi Hiruzen's students. There were still plenty of seats, but fewer and fewer were left near the front.
As the clan heads hesitated, Hyuga Akagi spoke up. "Hyuga Akagi has arrived with his youngest son, Hyuga Hiashi!" Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded with a smile. "Please, have a seat." He gestured toward the few remaining seats at the front.
Hyuga Akagi nodded and sat down. Seeing that the Uchiha and Hyuga had both made their positions clear, the other clans followed suit, one by one.
Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled slightly and even gave Uchiha Xiao a look that said, "Well done." Uchiha Xiao's lips curved upward as he nodded.
Once each clan had declared its position and taken its seat, Sarutobi Hiruzen began, "First, as Hokage, I want to thank every clan for sending its shinobi to fight in the Land of Rain."
"This victory belongs to everyone!" As soon as he finished, Nara Rokumei was the first to applaud. Smiling, he looked at Uchiha Xiao. Uchiha Xiao understood and began clapping as well.
Led by the two of them, everyone else began to applaud. The applause continued for three minutes before Sarutobi Hiruzen gestured with a smile for them to stop.
The applause gradually faded, and Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke. "Normally, the rewards for each clan would be announced publicly, but last night, I received an urgent report!"
As he spoke, Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression darkened. "Sunagakure has already sent out its forces and is advancing toward Konoha. A great battle is about to begin. We can only record your previous achievements for now and reward you after this battle is over. Does anyone object?"
Everyone shook their heads. Who would object? With a great battle looming, dealing with Sunagakure was the priority!
Sarutobi Hiruzen gave a slight nod of approval, then slowly said, "Since no one has any objections, I'd like everyone to speak freely and share their thoughts on the current situation."
As soon as he finished, Tsunade abruptly stood up. Looking solemnly at Sarutobi Hiruzen, she said, "Teacher, based on my firsthand experience on the battlefield in the Land of Rain, I believe we should assign more medical ninjas to our combat units. Every three-person squad should have at least one medical ninja. That would greatly reduce casualties!"
Hearing Tsunade's words, Sarutobi Hiruzen furrowed his brows.
As everyone knew, medical ninjas were exceedingly rare in every country.
If these precious medical ninjas were assigned to individual squads, they could easily be killed if they encountered a powerful enemy.
That approach really wasn't suitable... Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head, rejecting Tsunade's proposal. He replied frankly, "Tsunade, your intentions are good, but given the current situation, this approach isn't feasible!"
Tsunade was taken aback, freezing in place. A moment later, she slowly lowered her head, a look of disappointment and dejection crossing her face.
Just then, Uchiha Xiao, who had been silent all this time, suddenly rose to his feet and spoke in a clear voice. "Lord Hokage, I believe Lady Tsunade's proposal is quite sound."
Sarutobi Hiruzen had clearly not expected Uchiha Xiao to support Tsunade's view, and he froze for a moment. When he recovered, he furrowed his brows slightly and asked, "Xiao, then tell me, what makes you think this proposal is feasible?"
Not only Sarutobi Hiruzen, but the clan heads and heirs from the other clans also looked at Uchiha Xiao, curious to hear what he had to say.