The Elders' Council Meeting: Turning the Tables

"He said he was going to blow up the vault?"

The Third Hokage pressed his hand against the edge of the desk. His pipe rolled toward the edge, nearly falling off.

The blood-soaked ANBU gritted his teeth. "Yes. Root death squad members have sealed off the vault's outer perimeter. The ANBU squad was attacked when they approached. Three are severely wounded, and two are missing."

Mitokado Homura immediately seized the opportunity. "Hiruzen, deal with the vault first! We can seal these ledgers for now and investigate once the situation stabilizes."

Sasuke pushed the scattered ledger pages half an inch closer to him.

"What's the hurry, Lord Advisor? We need to investigate both the vault and the accounts. When you took the border military funds, did the frontline ninja get to wait until the situation stabilized?"

The flesh on Mitokado Homura's face twitched. "Sasuke Uchiha, don't you drag my name through the mud!"

"Did I?"

Sasuke raised his eyes toward Inoichi Yamanaka. "Clan Head Inoichi, the bookkeeper is right here. The two advisors say they've been framed. Reading his memories is the cleanest way to settle this."

Utatane Koharu slammed the table. "The Yamanaka Secret Technique cannot be used indiscriminately on the village's civilian staff!"

The pen in Shikaku's hand paused. "Advisor Utatane, you didn't object when we read the memories of the Root Outer Circle members earlier."

"They were Root!"

"This bookkeeper was also captured at a Root safehouse," Sasuke cut in. "Are you protecting him now because you're afraid your face is in his memories, or because you're afraid your voice is?"

The clamor downstairs poured in through the window.

"Read his memories!"

"Investigate the advisors!"

"Give back the border military funds!"

The Third Hokage raised a hand and rubbed between his brows. "Inoichi, read them."

Mitokado Homura stood up. "Hiruzen!"

The Third Hokage stared at him. "Homura, if you're innocent, let everyone see it clearly."

Inoichi Yamanaka walked up to the bookkeeper.

The bookkeeper could no longer stay steady on his knees. He shrank backward. "I'll talk! I'll tell you everything! Don't go into my head!"

Sasuke crouched in front of him. "Then explain every transaction. Leave out a single word, and Clan Head Inoichi will continue."

The bookkeeper swallowed. "Those three payments for Advisor Mitokado were collected by a Root Ninja named Aburame. Not the Aburame Clan-it was his codename. He brought a written order from the advisor and said it was a border defense coordination fee."

Mitokado Homura immediately roared, "I never signed any such order!"

Sasuke took out a half-burned sheet of paper. "A fragment of the order, found at the Third Safehouse last night. Ink from the Hokage Building's archives, the advisor's exclusive seal. The Nara Clan and Yamanaka Clan can verify the handwriting together."

Shikaku glanced at the fragment. "The paper's serial number matches. It's internal administrative paper from the Hokage Building."

Utatane Koharu hurriedly said, "Anyone could have stolen that paper!"

Sasuke turned over another receipt. "Then what about Advisor Utatane's medical coordination funds? Snake-pattern seal materials, Human Stabilizer, Sharingan Preservation Solution. Bookkeeper, explain."

The bookkeeper cried so hard that mucus streamed from his nose. "Someone from Advisor Utatane's Office came to coordinate that payment. A female ninja with purple hair and a mole below her right eye. She said the laboratory needed to maintain viability. They couldn't let the goods die too quickly."

The meeting room fell silent.

Hyuga Hiashi's expression darkened. "Goods?"

Akimichi Choza crushed the teacup in his hand. "The people of this village are listed as goods in their accounts?"

Sasuke looked at Utatane Koharu. "Lord Advisor, was your medical coordination dealing with living people, or eyes?"

Utatane Koharu's lips moved several times. "Danzo was responsible for the Root Experiments. I only approved logistics. I didn't examine many of the requests closely."

"You approved Sharingan Preservation Solution without examining the request closely?"

Sasuke stood and placed the Recording Scroll in the center of the table. "Then have you never heard this recording either?"

Mitokado Homura immediately reached out. "Confidential council matters cannot be played at will!"

Fugaku's hand settled on his sword hilt.

Hiashi also raised his hand slightly, and the Hyuga ninja behind him all took half a step forward.

The Third Hokage snapped, "Homura, sit down."

Mitokado Homura's hand stopped in midair.

Sasuke opened the scroll.

After a rustling sound, Danzo's voice emerged.

"The Uchiha's military funds have already been withheld. Keep the Konoha Military Police Force occupied with a public security crackdown. Your coordination payments will be delivered as usual. Don't let the Hokage inquire into it."

Mitokado Homura's voice followed.

"Keep it out of the open. The Uchiha have been watching closely lately. Move it in batches."

Utatane Koharu's voice was sharper.

"The laboratory is requesting too much Preservation Solution. The medical unit will get suspicious. Have Root take delivery themselves. Keep it off the official books."

By the time the scroll stopped, the crowd outside had erupted.

"It really was them!"

"They used military funds to support the laboratory!"

"The advisors are in league with Danzo too!"

Mitokado Homura knocked his chair backward. "Fake! This is fabricated!"

Sasuke looked at Inoichi Yamanaka. "Can you verify memories of voices?"

Inoichi nodded. "Yes. As long as both advisors are willing to cooperate."

Mitokado Homura fell silent.

Utatane Koharu braced herself against the table, her nails digging into the wood grain. "Hiruzen, say something."

The Third Hokage's face had turned ashen. "Seal this recording for now."

Sasuke gave a brief smile. "Seal it where? The Hokage Building, or the Advisor's Office?"

The Third Hokage looked at him. "Sasuke, Danzo is threatening to blow up the vault. The village's safety comes first."

"The village's safety?" Sasuke walked to the window and pushed it open. "The people downstairs would also like to hear what you mean by the village's safety."

Shikaku tried to stop him, but lowered his hand halfway through raising it.

The moment the window opened, the shouts from downstairs flooded the meeting room.

Sasuke picked up the Chakra Amplification Scroll. "Everyone, Danzo's death squad members have sealed off the Root Vault. The two advisors want to seal the corruption ledgers first and wait until the situation stabilizes to investigate. Do you agree?"

The crowd below instantly boiled over.

"No!"

"Investigate!"

"Make the advisors pay it back!"

The Third Hokage gripped his pipe, and its wooden stem gave a faint crack.

Sasuke turned back. "Lord Hokage, the people's wishes are right here. The Will of Fire is not a fig leaf for a handful of people dividing the spoils behind closed doors. If you were deceived too, there's still time to cut ties."

At those words, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu both looked at the Third Hokage.

"Hiruzen, you can't let a child dictate to you!"

"If you let him force us out today, he'll dare to force you out tomorrow!"

Sasuke did not interrupt. He simply pushed Danzo's ledger toward the Third Hokage, one page at a time.

Border military funds.

Death benefits.

Experimental materials.

Advisor coordination payments.

Every page bore a seal. Every page bore names.

Hiashi spoke. "The Hyuga Clan demands that all Root assets be frozen and that all experiments involving the Byakugan and bloodline limits be investigated."

Inoichi followed. "The Yamanaka Clan supports reading memories to verify the sources of the accounts."

Choza set the shattered cup back on the table. "The Akimichi Clan supports sealing the vault. Funds for casualties and bereaved families cannot be diverted again."

Shikaku glanced at the Third Hokage. "The Nara Clan recommends immediately stripping Danzo of all authority, cutting Root's funding, and placing it temporarily under the Joint Enforcement Team's control."

Mitokado Homura pointed at Shikaku. "Shikaku, are you going to join the Uchiha in this nonsense too?"

Shikaku set down his pen. "Lord Advisor, Ino-Shika-Cho has clansmen at the border too. Their lives are tied to those military funds."

The Third Hokage closed his eyes.

The shouting outside continued.

Blood from the ANBU dripped onto the floor, each drop making the meeting room even harder to endure.

After a long while, the Third Hokage opened his eyes. "In the Hokage's name, Shimura Danzō is relieved of all duties. All Root funding is frozen. The vault will be jointly sealed by ANBU, the Konoha Military Police Force, and the Clan Representatives."

Sasuke immediately added, "Both advisors are implicated and must recuse themselves from all subsequent investigations."

Utatane Koharu shrieked, "You have no authority!"

Sasuke pressed the Recording Scroll against the table. "You can choose not to recuse yourself. Then I'll play that recording downstairs right now and let every villager hear it again. When you said too much Preservation Solution would arouse suspicion, exactly whose suspicions were you afraid of?"

Utatane Koharu's face slowly drained of color.

Mitokado Homura tried to speak, but the Third Hokage spoke first. "Homura, Koharu, recuse yourselves from the investigation."

"Hiruzen!"

"Enough." The Third Hokage's voice was rough. "I can't protect you."

At those words, both advisors' shoulders slumped.

But Sasuke did not stop.

"Lord Hokage, please sign a written order. Danzo won't recognize a verbal command."

Shikaku had already laid out the document.

The Third Hokage picked up the pen, his wrist wavering.

Sasuke watched the pen's tip. "Make it clear. Anyone who obstructs the sealing of the Root Vault will be treated as an accomplice to village betrayal."

The Third Hokage's pen stopped.

Someone outside shouted, "Write it!"

Another voice followed. "Make it clear!"

The Third Hokage gritted his teeth and stamped the Hokage's seal onto the document.

Sasuke took it, read it over, and handed it to Shikaku to register. Then he had Hiashi, Inoichi, and Choza sign as witnesses in turn.

Just as the final seal locked into place, another ANBU rushed through the door.

His left arm hung limp, and his Forehead Protector was covered in blood.

"Lord Hokage, the Root death squad members have converted the vault's outer perimeter into a Chain Seal. We can't get close!"

The Third Hokage was about to speak when the ANBU raised his head and looked at Sasuke.

"They also nailed a sign to the door. There's a sentence written on it."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Read it."

The ANBU's Adam's apple bobbed. "If the Uchiha want their eyes, come inside and take them."