Under everyone's gaze, Gengetsu walked into the meeting room and swept his eyes around it.
When Gengetsu saw Hiruzen Sarutobi in the seat at the head of the conference table, his brows immediately furrowed slightly.
However, Gengetsu soon understood.
Hiruzen Sarutobi and the rest of Konoha's high command were trying to put him in his place!
They knew perfectly well that he held the final directive of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and was already nominally the Fifth Hokage, yet they had deliberately let Hiruzen Sarutobi sit in that seat.
They were clearly planning to use this Hokage Meeting to openly deny the legitimacy of his succession in front of every jonin in the village and the heads of the Great Clans!
If he showed even the slightest cowardice or concession today, these old foxes would immediately seize the opening and strip him of his title as Hokage altogether.
But how could Gengetsu possibly let them have their way!
Without pausing at all, Gengetsu strode straight toward Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Seeing that Gengetsu not only refused to back down but instead walked straight toward them, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, seated on either side of Hiruzen Sarutobi, both wore mocking expressions.
In their eyes, Gengetsu was nothing but a green brat whom they, as members of Konoha High Command, could easily manipulate.
On the other side, Shimura Danzō fixed his lone eye on Gengetsu.
As for Hiruzen Sarutobi, seated at the head of the table, he wore a kindly smile, leisurely smoking his pipe as he quietly watched Gengetsu approach, looking as though everything was under his control.
The elite jonin and heads of the Great Clans around them all involuntarily held their breath, their eyes fixed on Gengetsu.
They knew very well that this was the first direct clash between the old and new powers!
Everyone wanted to see just how the young Uchiha Gengetsu would handle this attempt at intimidation personally arranged by the Third Hokage!
With hundreds of pairs of eyes watching him, Gengetsu walked straight up to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Without greetings, pleasantries, or even a single unnecessary word, Gengetsu said simply and bluntly, "Third, please move aside. This is my seat."
Silence!
Deathly silence!
Everyone stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with disbelief.
They had never imagined that Gengetsu would be so blunt and simply tell Hiruzen Sarutobi to give up his seat.
Even Hiruzen Sarutobi's own smile involuntarily stiffened.
He had considered that Gengetsu might argue his case, invoke the Fourth's final directive, or even question him angrily.
But he had never imagined that Gengetsu would be so direct!
Right from the start, without beating around the bush, he had told him to give up his seat!
He was showing him absolutely no regard.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's brows knitted tightly. Before he could speak, the two Konoha advisers beside him, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, erupted first.
"Uchiha Gengetsu! How dare you!"
Utatane Koharu angrily launched into a tirade at Uchiha Gengetsu. "Sarutobi is the Third Hokage! How dare you speak to him with that attitude?!"
Mitokado Homura immediately followed with a loud rebuke. "Exactly! Just because you've earned a little credit, you think you can spout such insolence at a Hokage Meeting! With such blatant disrespect for your elders, you don't deserve to stand here at all!"
The two old-timers backed each other up, branding Gengetsu as someone who "didn't know his place."
Yes, they were blatantly trying to use their seniority to force Gengetsu into submission!
Over the past few decades, they had used this method to control countless geniuses and powerful shinobi in the village.
As long as you remained within Konoha's system, as long as you still cared about your reputation, there was no escaping their moral blackmail.
But!
Gengetsu wasn't buying any of it!
"Shut your mouths!!!"
Gengetsu roared.
The sheer volume gave both Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura a terrible fright.
Gengetsu swept his gaze over the two old-timers and said mercilessly, "You have no right to speak here!"
"Two useless fools who only know how to sit in the rear and order people around-what gives you the right to yell at me here!"
"And another thing! This is the Hokage Building! This is where Hokage Meetings are held! Here, you will address me by my title!"
"I am now the Fifth Hokage!"
Gengetsu's words were like a resounding slap delivered hard across Utatane Koharu's and Mitokado Homura's faces.
They had never imagined that he would actually dare point at their faces and call them useless in front of the entire village leadership!
Gengetsu couldn't be bothered to spare the two old-timers another glance. He turned his head, his gaze once again locking onto Hiruzen Sarutobi at the head of the table.
"Third, get out of my way!"
Gengetsu's voice rang out again, this time carrying an undisguised tone of command.
Faced with Gengetsu's unyielding attitude and complete refusal to spare his dignity, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression turned extremely ugly.
He was the Third Hokage, a man who had wielded immense power in Konoha for decades. When had anyone ever driven him away in public like this?
However, as a veteran politician, Hiruzen Sarutobi still suppressed his anger and forced an elder's smile onto his face, saying earnestly:
"Gengetsu, you're still young! There are things you don't understand yet! Konoha has just suffered the Nine-Tails' Rampage, and everything needs rebuilding. What we need is stability. You..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi intended to keep using his Will of Fire doctrine to gradually dismantle Gengetsu's offensive.
But!
Before Hiruzen Sarutobi could finish, Gengetsu once again cut him off without the slightest courtesy!
"Please address me by my title!"
"I am now the Fifth Hokage!!!"
Gengetsu shouted again in an extremely sharp tone.
"You..."
Faced with Gengetsu's relentless pressure, which left him no room whatsoever, Hiruzen Sarutobi was truly growing furious now.
He could no longer maintain that hypocritical, kindly expression, and his face immediately turned livid.
Hiruzen Sarutobi glared at Gengetsu, gripping the armrests of his chair tightly, the veins bulging on the backs of his hands.
But Gengetsu remained standing before him and said with utter arrogance and force:
"Get out of my way right now!"
Before you continue