"Mingye, there are no enemies here!"
Mingye swept Senju Hashirama with an icy gaze and shot back, "Who are you?"
Senju Hashirama paused, frowned slightly, and gave his name. "Senju Hashirama!"
Before all the elders, Mingye sneered at him with utter disdain, the humiliation plain in his eyes. "You have no right to speak to me here. What gives a mere minor clan that entered Konoha through the Daimyo the nerve to say such things to my face? Consider this a warning. Next time, you'll be expelled from the Elder Council outright!"
"You—"
Senju Hashirama wanted to continue, but stopped himself. Konoha was still entirely under Mingye's control. There was simply no way he could gain these elders' support. Even if they did support him, the moment they saw Mingye, they would lose any confidence in opposing him. If he continued to provoke Mingye now, the Senju Clan would only suffer more. Left with no choice, Senju Hashirama lowered his head and sat down. Mingye could not be bothered to argue with him any longer and turned to the elders again.
"Hmph! The second matter today is this: I hereby declare that Konoha is entering a state of mobilization. We will fully gather the ninja clans scattered throughout the Land of Fire. Enough time has passed. Since they have no intention of joining Konoha, we will force them to join!"
None of the elders objected. War meant profit, and Mingye's plan perfectly suited their interests. Mingye smiled slightly. With profit on the line, no one would oppose his ideas. He nodded in satisfaction and continued.
"The third matter, and the last. The Land of Fire is vast and rich in resources. Once it develops, the four major ninja nations around us will inevitably grow wary. One must prepare for danger