The Nine-Tails' rampage and the rebellion of the Sarutobi, Utatane, and Mitokado Clans would have been enough to plunge any ninja village into utter ruin.
But before Uchiha Gengetsu's terrifying power, all those rebellions were crushed.
In just a few short hours, the panic and turmoil throughout the village disappeared, and order returned.
Inside the Hokage's office.
Uchiha Gengetsu, the Fifth Hokage, sat at the head of the room.
Before Gengetsu, Shikaku Nara held the newly compiled intelligence and continued his report.
"Fifth Hokage, order in the village has largely been restored. The civilians in the shelters have also been returning to their homes."
"Although some buildings in the central district were damaged, your decisive intervention swiftly subdued the Nine-Tails and routed the rebels. Casualties among ordinary civilians and ninja were negligible, far below our prebattle estimates."
"Additionally... the remnants of the Sarutobi, Utatane, and Mitokado Clans who launched the armed rebellion have been completely rounded up by the Police Force and Anbu working together."
"Apart from Hiruzen Sarutobi and a very small number of rogue ninja who fled the village, every ninja from the Three Clans who remained has been arrested... a total of one hundred and forty-two. All have been placed under strict guard in the maximum-security prison."
After finishing his report, Shikaku Nara closed the folder, looked at Gengetsu, and cautiously asked:
"Fifth Hokage, how should we... deal with these ninja from the Three Clans?"
To Shikaku Nara, these were, after all, more than a hundred living ninja.
If their punishment was too harsh, it could easily leave the village's other small and medium-sized clans fearing for their own safety.
If it was too lenient, it would fail to make an example of them and deter others.
Navigating these tangled, complicated relationships demanded extreme caution, like treading