Danzo was thinking exactly what Fugaku had said: he had begun to suspect Konoha's Great Families.
But there were too many suspects to know where to start, and far too much had happened lately.
Danzo could see it clearly now. The Advisory Council was bound to be abolished at this Jonin Meeting. He had underestimated the Hokage's desire to hold on to power.
He could also feel a vast gulf opening between himself and the Hokage.
They would never return to the days when they could talk about anything.
Time passed amid all the turmoil, and Hatake Sakumo's wedding came and went during a stretch of relative calm.
There was no grand celebration. The Hatake family had always been small, with only a handful of Ninja.
Today was the Jonin Meeting that would decide whether the position of Advisor would continue to exist. After three months of urgent construction, every building damaged in the village had been rebuilt.
Konoha had regained its former bustle, its streets lined with newly built structures.
Figures streamed toward the Hokage Building. Fugaku, Jin, and Takigawa left the clan compound at almost the same time.
"Danzo's chances of staying an Advisor are finished this time. Without those Advisors above us, we can finally relax a little," Takigawa said.
"We still need to keep a low profile when it matters," Jin said. "A lot of what we do can't stand the light of day."
The three leaped across the rooftops of the village.
"There's no need to go out of our way to seem modest," Fugaku said. "The Uchiha have always been proud. Just act naturally. Trying too hard would only arouse suspicion."
Jin considered that. "You have a point. The Uchiha have never been known for keeping a low profile. If I suddenly did, I'd