Danzo Suspended by the Third Hokage!

"Mito-sama, dinner is ready."

Jingyi, who had been drafted into service at the last minute, was still completely confused. What exactly did Mito Uzumaki want with him?

Surely she hadn't called him over just to cook a meal?

"Jingyi!"

Kushina leaped up in delight, while Nawaki, still grimacing as he rubbed his aching ear, watched curiously.

They had not had guests over in a long time. What surprised him most was that this guest was Kushina's friend.

Nawaki could not figure out how Jingyi had become friends with Kushina either. After all, there was quite an age gap between them.

"Are you happy?" Mito Uzumaki asked with a kind smile.

Kushina nodded excitedly. "Mm-hmm! Granny Mito is the best! I've wanted to invite Jingyi over for ages, but I was afraid Granny Mito wouldn't be happy about it."

"Silly child." Mito Uzumaki pulled Kushina closer.

Watching Kushina be treasured by their grandmother like a precious gem, Nawaki started to feel jealous.

"Jingyi, let me tell you, I met a few new friends at school. There was even this Little Blondie who wanted to be friends with me, but I ignored him."

At the dinner table, Kushina chattered away about what had happened at school, even bringing up a certain Little Blondie.

"Don't talk nonsense."

Tsunade flicked Kushina on the forehead. "If he's a Little Blondie, then what does that make your Sister Tsunade?"

At first, Tsunade had been curious about who this so-called Little Blondie was. Once she understood what the term meant, she was furious enough to want to kick Jingyi twice.

So by your logic, I'm an old blondie?!

"Hehe, Sister Tsunade is still Sister Tsunade." Kushina gave her a mischievous grin.

As time passed, Kushina gradually became more integrated into the family and more cheerful. There were far more smiles on her face than before.

Mito Uzumaki found that deeply gratifying.

It proved that she had made the right choice, and Jingyi had not disappointed her, though he had turned Kushina into a short-tempered little girl.

Mito Uzumaki did not think there was anything wrong with that.

What was wrong with a girl being a little hot-tempered when she was young?

Mito Uzumaki had had a bad temper as a child too, and so had Tsunade. With the two of them leading the way, Kushina's little bit of violence was nothing at all.

The Senju ancestral residence was bustling with activity, and so was the Hokage Office.

Shimura Danzō, Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, and the others had all arrived. Only Torifu Akimichi, who disliked getting involved in such matters, was still hiding at home and loafing around.

The three of them stared at the Third Hokage in unison, their intentions obvious.

The Third Hokage was not impatient. He continued handling official business.

"Hiruzen, what exactly does Mito-sama mean by this? Does she expect us to take Jingyi Hyuga seriously?"

Mito Uzumaki's identity was too special, and her status was too high. Every move she made could have a huge impact, just like inviting Jingyi to the Senju ancestral residence.

That one action had directly made F4 unable to sit still.

If Tsunade and Mito Uzumaki merely approved of Jingyi, that would have been manageable. They could simply treat him as half one of their own—not pay special attention to him, but not target him either.

But now, he had gone to the Senju ancestral residence.

Was this meant to send some sort of signal?

Being stared at constantly made the Third Hokage uncomfortable as well. Faced with Utatane Koharu's question, he could only put down the document in his hand, pick up his pipe, light it, and take several deep puffs.

"Koharu, let's not jump to conclusions. I believe Mito-sama is not an impulsive person. She will certainly give us an explanation."

"Sarutobi, you are the village's Hokage! As the Hokage, why are you just watching something so far beyond your control happen?"

What Mito Uzumaki? What special identity? The Hokage's authority was supposed to be supreme!

If he became Hokage, he would never allow something like this to happen.

After being warned, Shimura Danzō had developed a great deal of resentment toward Mito Uzumaki.

Good grief!

Did you take gunpowder, Danzo?

You actually dared say something like that!

The Third Hokage helplessly closed his eyes. Utatane Koharu was even more direct, immediately giving Shimura Danzō a Byakugan and turning her head away in disgust, making it clear that she did not want to speak to him. Looking at him for even one more second made her uncomfortable.

Mitokado Homura could only shake his head.

He would not take the initiative to scold Shimura Danzō for the Third Hokage, nor would he take the initiative to speak up for Shimura Danzō.

"Enough!" Shimura Danzō was unwilling to let it go, but the Third Hokage's furious roar cut him off. "It is precisely because I am the Hokage that I trust Mito-sama. Danzo, is there nothing in that head of yours besides ambition?"

What did that mean?

Was he saying he had no brains?

Shimura Danzō froze for a moment, and the fury on his face slowly darkened.

On the surface, aside from her own strength, Mito Uzumaki only had the identity of the First Hokage's wife.

But in reality?

Whenever the daimyo of the Land of Fire encountered Mito Uzumaki, he had to hurry over and greet her first. They were legitimate relatives, after all.

Why had the daimyo bestowed the title of Konoha Princess upon Tsunade?

Besides currying favor with a big shot like Hashirama Senju, it was because their connection through marriage was right there.

To put it bluntly, as long as Mito Uzumaki expressed dissatisfaction with the Third Hokage, the Daimyo's Court could immediately put the Third Hokage in a stranglehold.

As for what it felt like to be strangled by a daimyo, the future Sunagakure would serve as the best example.

They would have to tighten their belts and scrape by.

The Land of Fire might be prosperous, but the tax revenue belonged to the Daimyo's Court, not Konoha. Konoha could not sustain itself on its own. Without support from the Daimyo's Court, life in Konoha would definitely become difficult.

Being strangled financially would already be bad enough. If the daimyo also sent all sorts of mission commissions to other villages, Konoha's finances would absolutely collapse.

Do not doubt that the daimyo could do such a thing.

He would dare to do it too, because a village's development could not be separated from the daimyo's full support.

Otherwise, Konoha would not need the daimyo's backing whenever it changed Hokage.

"Sarutobi, what do you mean?"

The Third Hokage frowned. "Danzo, you are tired. Go back and rest first. I will put the position of Hokage's assistant on hold for now. Come see me again once you have thought things through."

As the Third Hokage's assistant, he was essentially just holding an empty post. The authority in his hands was even less than that of an Elder Council member.

But the Elder Council would never accept an ambitious man like Danzo.

Nor would the Third Hokage easily grant Shimura Danzō power. This resulted in Shimura Danzō having very little presence within F4.

"Hiruzen Sarutobi, you're taking my position away?" Shimura Danzō slammed his palm against the desk furiously. "Don't forget that without my assistance, without my contributions, you would not have been able to sit securely in that position either."

The Third Hokage smoked silently as he watched Shimura Danzō fly into a rage.

Without power to support it, so-called ambition was nothing more than empty words.

It was precisely because Shimura Danzō's ambition was too great that the Third Hokage had sidelined him, turning his position as Hokage's assistant into an empty shell.

And now, even that empty shell was gone.

"Are you really going to let him act so recklessly?"

The Elder Council had the authority to stop some of the Hokage's wrong decisions. Shimura Danzō placed his hopes on Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura.

Because the Elder Council revolved around those two.

Unfortunately, Mitokado Homura had always kept his hands out of such matters.