Hiruzen Sarutobi's Unwillingness to Accept It!

Ye.

Inside the conference room.

The atmosphere had become oppressive to the extreme.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's chest heaved violently.

Yet his gaze remained fixed on the group before him.

He was unwilling to accept this.

After serving as Hokage his entire life, he had ended up like this.

The Daimyo's envoy had humiliated him in public.

Even the major clans he had always controlled were now standing behind that young man.

This was utterly absurd!

"Shikaku..."

"The Ino-Shika-Cho Clans have always been Konoha's foundation."

"Are you really going to join this brat in causing trouble now?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen clenched his pipe.

His knuckles turned pale from the force.

He tried to awaken these people's conscience.

He tried to use the bonds accumulated over decades to morally pressure them.

"Third Hokage."

"The times have changed."

"The Ino-Shika-Cho must first ensure the survival of our clans. Everything else comes second."

Shikaku Nara remained where he was.

He did not even raise his eyelids.

He merely stared calmly at the grain of the wooden floor beneath his feet.

Akimichi Choza stood silently to one side.

His massive body was like a wall, standing quietly to Chiba's right.

Yamanaka Inoichi simply turned his head away.

He was unwilling to spare even another glance for this former Hokage.

The attitude of the trio directly pierced through the last shred of Sarutobi Hiruzen's dignity.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's breathing suddenly grew heavier.

He turned toward the other side.

"Fugaku!"

"The Uchiha Clan is one of Konoha's founders!"

"As the clan head, are you going to watch the village fall into this thug's hands?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen raised his voice, trying to project the authority of a village leader.

The moment the word "thug" left his mouth.

Fugaku Uchiha's gaze instantly turned cold.

A crimson glow surfaced in his eyes as three tomoe spun ceaselessly.

"A thug?"

"Third Hokage, have you gone senile?"

"Lord Chiba carries the bloodline of the Senju Clan!"

"He awakened Wood Style. He is the First Hokage's rightful successor!"

"Besides."

"Compared to Lord Chiba..."

"Those who allowed Danzo to gouge out the eyes of Uchiha clansmen..."

"Those who let Root ninjas slaughter their comrades at will..."

"Aren't those culprits far more like thugs?"

Fugaku Uchiha let out a cold laugh.

His words were like a resounding slap across Sarutobi Hiruzen's face.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's face twitched violently.

Danzo's actions were a festering sore the Konoha High Command could never wash away.

"You..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen pointed at Fugaku Uchiha, his finger trembling nonstop.

He tried to defend himself, but his throat was dry, and he could not utter a single word.

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu shrank behind Sarutobi Hiruzen.

The two Advisors who usually held themselves so high did not even dare breathe too loudly now.

They feared angering anyone across from them.

"The Aburame Clan concurs."

Aburame Shibi adjusted the sunglasses on the bridge of his nose.

His loose coat wrapped him up completely.

He spoke only six brief words, yet they were the final straw that broke the camel's back.

The Aburame Clan had always kept a low profile.

But Root had secretly recruited Aburame clansmen for forbidden experiments over the years.

Aburame Shibi knew that better than anyone.

Old grudges and new hatred intertwined.

The heads of all the major clans in the conference room were astonishingly united.

Not a single person spoke up for Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Not one of them was even willing to offer him a shred of sympathy.

Sarutobi Hiruzen stood stiffly in place, feeling the world spin around him.

Abandoned by everyone.

That was the true picture of his current situation.

Decades of painstaking effort had utterly become a joke in this moment.

"You... you are rebelling!"

"Even if you have grievances against us."

"The position of Hokage cannot be handed to a child barely in his teens!"

Utatane Koharu truly could not withstand the suffocating atmosphere any longer.

She gathered her courage and began accusing them, her voice trembling.

"That's right!"

"What does he know about politics?"

"What does he know about balancing the interests of every side?"

Mitokado Homura chimed in as well.

Sarutobi Hiruzen seemed to have seized his final lifeline.

He suddenly raised his head and looked toward the silent youth.

Qian Ye was leaning against the back of his chair in boredom.

His long fingers tapped rhythmically against the tabletop.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

The sound was especially piercing in the silent conference room.

Sarutobi Hiruzen forced himself to calm down.

He had to destroy Chiba's legitimacy from another angle.

"Qian Ye!"

"You are indeed powerful. This old man admits that I am no match for you."

"But managing a village is not something that can be solved with fists alone!"

"Mu Ye has tens of thousands of people and an intricate economic lifeline."

"It has complex diplomatic relations with the other four great nations."

"You are merely a Chunin who has spent years doing low-level missions. What do you know?"

"You do not even understand the most basic village administrative procedures!"

"Handing Konoha over to you will only plunge the village into irreparable chaos!"

"..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice regained some of its former strength.

The more he spoke, the smoother it became, as though he had regained the confidence of a Hokage.

Even the two Advisors beside him could not help straightening their backs.

That was right.

Being Hokage was not just about being good at fighting.

It required exceptionally brilliant political skill and extensive experience.

However.

Qian Ye, seated at the head of the table, suddenly stopped tapping his fingers.

He gave a soft laugh.

There was undisguised mockery in it.

"Are you done?"

Qian Ye leaned forward slightly.

He studied Sarutobi Hiruzen with an icy gaze, as though looking at a ridiculous clown.

"Third Hokage."

"Have you gotten something wrong?"

"Who told you that being Hokage meant burying yourself in piles of documents every day, handling all those trivial little matters?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen froze.

For a moment, his mind could not process it.

Ignoring his bewilderment, Chiba turned directly toward Shikaku Nara.

"Shikaku."

"Yes, sir!"

Shikaku Nara immediately straightened his back and answered loudly.

"Starting tomorrow."

"The village's daily administration, financial budget, and mission assignments."

"Will all be entrusted to the Ino-Shika-Cho Clans."

"You will work out a specific set of regulations among yourselves."

The moment those words were spoken.

It was as if a massive bomb had been dropped into the conference room.

Everyone's breathing stopped for an instant.

Shikaku Nara abruptly raised his head.

The deliberate laziness he usually maintained vanished completely.

A startling light erupted in his eyes.

Akimichi Choza and Yamanaka Inoichi were trembling all over with excitement.

This was Konoha's administrative authority!

In the past.

Those powers had been tightly held by Sarutobi Hiruzen and the two Advisors.

But now.

Qian Ye was simply giving them those powers?

"This..."

"Lord Chiba, are you certain you want us to handle it?"

Shikaku Nara swallowed.

He did his utmost to suppress the tremor in his voice.

"What?"

"You don't dare accept it?"

Qian Ye raised an eyebrow.

"No!"

"The Ino-Shika-Cho will never betray your trust, my lord!"

Shikaku Nara immediately raised his voice.

He understood it perfectly.

How was Chiba ignorant of politics?

This was simply the most brilliant art of ruling!

He directly used benefits to bind the Ino-Shika-Cho to his chariot.

There was no need for brainwashing with the Will of Fire.

All he had to do was give them enough real, tangible power.