Konoha.
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 people 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 all standing behind that boy.
It was utterly absurd!
"Shikaku..."
"Your Ino-Shika-Cho Clans have always been the foundation of Konoha."
"Are you really going to join that brat in this nonsense?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen clenched the pipe in his hand.
His knuckles turned pale from the force.
He tried to awaken their conscience.
He tried to use the bonds accumulated over decades to morally coerce them.
"Third generation."
"The times have changed."
"The Ino-Shika-Cho Clans must first ensure their families' survival before considering anything else."
Shikaku Nara remained standing 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 at the side.
His massive body was like a wall, quietly standing to Chiba's right.
Yamanaka Inoichi simply turned his head away.
He was unwilling to even spare this former Hokage another glance.
The attitude of the trio directly pierced Sarutobi Hiruzen's last shred of dignity.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's breathing suddenly grew heavier.
He turned to the other side.
"Fugaku!"
"The Uchiha Clan was one of Konoha's founders!"
"As 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.
Scarlet light flickered in his eyes as three tomoe spun continuously.
"A thug?"
"Third generation, have you gone senile?"
"Lord Chiba carries the bloodline of the Senju Clan!"
"He awakened Wood Style. He is the First's rightful heir!"
"Besides."
"Compared to Lord Chiba..."
"Those who allowed Danzo to gouge out the eyes of Uchiha clan members...
"Those who let Root's ninjas slaughter their comrades at will..."
"Those culprits are 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 sharply.
Because 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 without stop.
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.
These two Advisors, usually so lofty and commanding, did not even dare breathe loudly now.
They feared angering anyone on the other side.
"The Aburame Clan concurs."
Aburame Shibi pushed up the sunglasses on the bridge of his nose.
His oversized trench coat wrapped him up tightly from head to toe.
He spoke only six brief words, yet they were the last straw that broke the camel's back.
The Aburame Clan had always kept a low profile.
But Aburame Shibi knew better than anyone what Root had done over the years, secretly drafting Aburame clan members for forbidden experiments.
Old and new grudges intertwined.
The heads of all the Major Clans in the conference room were astonishingly united.
Not a single person spoke for Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Not one was willing to grant him even a scrap of sympathy.
Sarutobi Hiruzen stood stiffly in place, feeling the world spin around him.
Abandoned by all.
That was the truest depiction of his current state.
Decades of painstaking effort had completely become a joke at this moment.
"You... you are rebelling!"
"Even if you have grievances against us."
"The position of Hokage cannot be handed to a teenager!"
Utatane Koharu could no longer bear the suffocating atmosphere.
She gathered her courage and began accusing them, her voice trembling.
"That's right!"
"What does he know about politics?"
"Does he know how to balance the various powers?"
Mitokado Homura echoed her.
Sarutobi Hiruzen seemed to have seized his last lifeline.
He abruptly raised his head and looked toward the boy who had remained silent the entire time.
Chiba was leaning back against his chair in boredom.
His long fingers rhythmically tapped 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.
"Chiba!"
"You are indeed very strong. I admit that I am no match for you."
"But managing a village is not something that can be solved with fists alone!"
"Konoha has hundreds of thousands of residents and a tangled web of economic lifelines."
"It has complex diplomatic relations with the other four great nations."
"What could a Chunin who has spent all year doing low-level missions possibly understand?"
"You do not even understand the most basic village administrative procedures!"
"Handing Konoha to you will only plunge the village into irreparable chaos!"
"..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice regained some of its vigor.
The more he spoke, the smoother it became, as though he had recovered the confidence of a Hokage.
Even the two Advisors beside him could not help straightening their backs.
That was right.
Being Hokage was not simply about being good at fighting.
It required exceptionally shrewd political skills and abundant experience.
However.
Chiba, seated at the head of the table, suddenly stopped tapping his fingers.
He chuckled softly.
The laugh carried undisguised mockery.
"Are you finished?"
Chiba leaned forward slightly.
He assessed Sarutobi Hiruzen with an icy gaze, as though looking at a ridiculous clown.
"Third generation."
"Have you misunderstood something?"
"Who told you that being Hokage meant burying yourself in piles of documents every day, handling all those trivial matters?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen froze.
For a moment, his mind could not process it.
Chiba ignored his astonishment and turned directly to Shikaku Nara.
"Shikaku."
"At your service!"
Shikaku Nara immediately straightened his back and answered loudly.
"Starting tomorrow."
"The village's daily administration, fiscal budgets, and mission assignments."
"All of it will be handled by your Ino-Shika-Cho Clans."
"Work out a concrete 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 halted for an instant.
Shikaku Nara abruptly raised his head.
The deliberate laziness he usually maintained completely vanished.
A startling light burst from 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 controlled by Sarutobi Hiruzen and the two Advisors.
And now.
Chiba was simply handing them over?
"This..."
"Lord Chiba, are you certain you want us to handle it?"
Shikaku Nara swallowed.
He struggled to suppress the tremor in his voice.
"What?"
"Too scared to take it?"
Chiba raised an eyebrow.
"No!"
"The Ino-Shika-Cho Clans will never betray your trust, my lord!"
Shikaku Nara immediately raised his voice.
He understood perfectly well.
How was Chiba ignorant of politics?
This was simply the most brilliant form of imperial manipulation!
He was directly using benefits to bind the Ino-Shika-Cho Clans firmly to his chariot.
There was no need for the Will of Fire's brainwashing.
All he needed was to give them enough real authority.
Before you continue