Meeting

Takuya nodded without saying anything, and just as he walked into the bathroom, he heard Uchiha Mikoto's urging voice.

"Sasuke, don't be absent-minded. Eat properly and don't watch TV!"

"I'm eating, I'm eating."

"Aren't you afraid of being late for school?"

"Kasan, what time is it?"

Hearing Uchiha Mikoto say it was 8:30, Sasuke hurriedly lowered his head and sped up.

His current home wasn't close to the bustling center of Konoha. It would take him more than twenty minutes just to walk there for school.

When Takuya finished washing up and came out, Sasuke had already put on his schoolbag and was ready to head out.

"I'm heading out!"

Sasuke dashed outside in a rush.

"Have a safe trip, and don't come back too late."

Uchiha Mikoto stood at the doorway to send Sasuke off, watching his figure disappear around the corner before closing the door and coming back.

Today's breakfast was udon noodles, containing tonkatsu, a soft-boiled egg, chopped scallions, and more.

It looked and smelled appetizing, making one's stomach rumble and instantly whetting the appetite.

Seeing that Fugaku was about to start eating without saying anything, Mikoto hurriedly stopped him, saying, "Fugaku, did you forget something?"

Takuya was a bit confused, but reacted a moment later, smiled, and pressed his palms together. "Let's eat."

Japanese people had this habit; he almost forgot.

After finishing breakfast, Takuya headed straight out.

He didn't know what the situation was like last night yet, and besides, they had agreed to hold a meeting at the Hokage Building this morning.

Before he even left the clan compound, he saw Uchiha Yashiro hurrying over, showing a look of joy upon seeing him.

"Clan Head!"

Uchiha Yashiro, like Uchiha Inabi, was a loyal subordinate of the previous Fugaku.

"How was the situation last night?"

Takuya asked.

"I was just about to report to you," Uchiha Yashiro smiled and said with a serious expression, "Following last night's arrests, all the remaining remnants have been captured. However, the prison cells in Konoha used for holding criminals couldn't fit them all, so many were divided up and brought here to the Police Headquarters to be detained."

With that, he suddenly bowed. "I am very sorry, Clan Head. I detained people here at the Police Headquarters without obtaining your consent first..."

Takuya waved his hand. "It's fine."

These were all trivial matters; he didn't care at all.

He had originally thought that a few rats would escape Konoha, but he hadn't expected them all to be caught.

It seemed that although Konoha was weak, a lean camel was still bigger than a horse. Once Konoha's machinery started running, the power it could exert was still very significant.

"Where is the Great Elder?"

"The Great Elder and Clan Head Nara are at the Hokage Building, and they sent me to call you over to preside over the overall situation."

"Let's go."

Because the Great Elder, Nara Shikaku, and the others had stayed up all night working and hadn't rested yet, Takuya didn't make them wait long. Moving at full speed alongside Uchiha Yashiro, he soon arrived at the Hokage Building.

Following the cleanup and washing from last night, the streets outside the Hokage Building were clean, with not a trace of blood visible.

Stepping into the lobby, it was the same, presenting a brand-new appearance.

"Clan Head, they are in the first-floor conference room."

Uchiha Yashiro reminded him.

They arrived at the conference room door.

The door was ajar.

Takuya raised his hand and knocked three times, pushing the door open directly without waiting for the people inside to speak.

Inside the conference room, three elders including Uchiha Sihu and Uchiha Setsuna sat on the left side. Next to them, Aburame Ryoma, who had defected to him last night, also sat there, while clan heads like Nara Shikaku and Hyuga Hiashi sat on the right side. The main seat was left vacant.

It was precisely the seat reserved for him.

Takuya glanced at the clearly demarcated seating arrangement and took the main seat as a matter of course.

Uchiha Yashiro then exited the room, gently pulling the door shut behind him.

Takuya first swept his gaze over the crowd.

He found that they all wore looks of fatigue, but their eyes were very bright.

"Thank you all for your hard work."

Takuya said.

"It's not hard work. Konoha is our home, and we must cherish it. Any malicious people must be thoroughly eliminated by us. It's not hard at all."

Nara Shikaku said with a smile.

The other clan heads chimed in as well.

They had already boarded Uchiha Fugaku's bandwagon; the deed was done, and they were about to reap the benefits. Naturally, they wouldn't make things difficult for themselves at a time like this.

"Mm," Takuya nodded, coughed lightly, and said, "Then, as previously agreed, I will assume the post of Fifth Hokage, Clan Head Nara Shikaku will assume the position of Hokage Advisor, Clan Head Hyuga Hiashi will assume the position of Hokage Consultant, and Uchiha Sihu will assume the position of Hokage Consultant. In addition, the Hokage Advisor will no longer concurrently hold the post of Root commander; the position of Root commander will be given to Aburame Ryoma..."

Takuya repeated it without growing weary, and the others listened to it again without growing weary, showing not the slightest trace of impatience.

Aside from these four key positions, in order to appease the others, Takuya also conceded some vacant positions, promoting those who deserved promotion and rewarding those who deserved rewards.

Following the massive arrests last night, positions in various places throughout Konoha had opened up immensely.

Of course, none of the positions in the Hokage ANBU were conceded. He decided to have Kakashi serve as the captain of the direct ANBU.

He wasn't prepared to let other ninja clans throw people into the direct ANBU either; he replaced them all with his own three-tomoe clansmen.

The direct ANBU who had originally been loyal to Sarutobi Hiruzen were captured by Kakashi and his men. Those with loose ties were released on the spot, while those with close ties were detained first.

An hour passed, and the discussion was nearly complete. The people present were enjoying themselves as host and guests, and the atmosphere was exceptionally good.

"Then I'll pick an auspicious day to hold the Hokage succession ceremony and announce your assumption of the Fifth Hokage position to the village?"

Nara Shikaku asked with a smile.

Takuya waved his hand and said, "No need. I think the day after tomorrow sounds good. Let's hold the succession ceremony the day after tomorrow; this matter should be done sooner rather than later."

Nara Shikaku also nodded in agreement, but quickly raised another question.

"Lord Fugaku, according to past regulations, the position of Hokage requires approval from the Land of Fire. What do you think?"

His meaning was that three days might be too hasty, and sending people from Konoha village to the Land of Fire and back would take more than three days.

Takuya knew about this rule, which had been explained in the Naruto storyline. It was a one-village-one-country system established by the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, and the royal family of the Land of Fire's Daimyo, and the appointment of the Hokage required a nod from the Daimyo.

He felt disdain towards this. A powerful armed organization needed the nod from the weak royal family of the Land of Fire just to change a leader?

Wasn't that a joke?

He was prepared to change this situation, but not right now. He was about to become the Fifth Hokage, and there was still a pile of matters in the village waiting to be handled.

"Just notify the Land of Fire. The appointment of the Hokage is not the Daimyo's place to point fingers."

Takuya authoritatively settled the matter. A flash of appreciation crossed Nara Shikaku's eyes; with his intelligence, he thought the same way. The one-village-one-country system established by the First Hokage might have been suitable when Konoha village was first founded, but it was no longer suitable now.

Since Sarutobi Hiruzen wouldn't let him enter Konoha's upper echelons, he couldn't be bothered to offer strategies to Sarutobi Hiruzen either. Wasn't coasting by great? Why go out of his way to find trouble for himself?