Orochimaru, who had been sitting off to one side, watched with an amused look. He thrived on chaos, and a confrontation this fierce only excited him more.
He was also very likely to become Hokage one day. Judging by the Third Hokage's arrangements for him, he was already being groomed as a successor.
If Fugaku Uchiha had not emerged so suddenly, Hatake Sakumo would have been the only person in Konoha capable of rivaling him.
Fugaku was certain that if his proposal went to a vote among the Jonin, it would pass. No one wanted several superiors above them.
That was especially true when the village's Advisors had made few great contributions to Konoha and had done plenty to make people wary of them.
The village's Ninja feared them more than they respected them. Danzo in particular had taken many of Konoha's talented young Ninja into Root, and few had fared well there.
Yet the major clans still had no choice but to keep sending their children to Root.
Homura stood quietly to one side. He had already resigned as Advisor and no longer had any say in the matter.
Koharu did not know what to say either. She was now the village's only Advisor.
Anything she said might look like a grab for power. Authority in a Ninja Village was supposed to rest with the Hokage alone, not be divided as it was now.
The Third Hokage's thoughts were in turmoil. In more than ten years as Hokage, he had never felt so conflicted. He wanted to agree on the spot; being constrained by the Advisory Council was no pleasant thing.
Having sole authority was tempting. But the others were his comrades, and he had to consider their feelings.
"Konoha has to rebuild on every front. Our immediate priority