Chapter 24

With these words, Tsunade's gaze remained fixed on Danzo, who was visibly shocked. Without saying a word, she waited to see how he would react.

"With all due respect, Tsunade-sama, how convenient for the Uchiha to lose their precious eyes. It seems more like a convenient excuse, don't you think? And even if that's the case, shouldn't the Uchiha take responsibility for losing the eye in the first place?" Hiashi continued, determined to defend his position now that Danzo had fallen silent.

With Hiashi's words, many medium and small clans, which had benefited from the Uchihas' retreat, openly supported his stance.

"Good that you brought that up, Hyuga clan head. If I am not wrong, currently, Kirigakure holds a Byakugan from the main branch. Will the Hyuga take responsibility for the same? And, by your words, shouldn't the Hyuga be subjected to the same treatment as the Uchiha clan?" Tsunade's frustration was evident as she called out the political manoeuvres that the clan heads were making for personal gain, even at the cost of the village's strength.

"Tsunade-sama, please refrain from insulting the Hyuga members' sacrifice. My clan members died on the battlefield fighting for the leaf," Hiashi retorted, incensed but cautious not to cross any boundaries.

"So, does that mean the Hyuga clan head knows under what circumstances the Sharingan was lost, and speaking without knowing, isn't that like insulting a Shinobi who has sacrificed his life for the village?" Fugaku spoke up this time, determined to stand up for his clan.

Three days prior, during a private meeting with the Hokage, Fugaku had feared the worst. However, after the meeting, he felt a glimmer of hope for the Uchiha clan. Hiruzen had warned him about the radical faction, and Fugaku knew that if the Uchiha posed any threat to the village, Hiruzen would not hesitate to eliminate that threat.

Unable to logically defend his position, Hiashi had unintentionally trapped himself. With Hiashi backing down, none of the other clans voiced concerns about the Uchiha's reintegration into the village.

"Now, I would like to know which clans among you are willing to let the Uchiha clan relocate next to them and are okay with having the Uchiha as their neighbours," Hiruzen questioned the meeting hall. However, the entire hall remained silent, with none of the clan heads stepping forward to accept the Uchiha as neighbours.

Fugaku couldn't hide his frustration. He realised how isolated the Uchiha truly were and understood that they had to change significantly to prosper. Mentally noting the need to bring about changes within the clan, he sighed.

Hiruzen was disturbed by the abrupt silence. Tsunade wouldn't have any problem with the Uchiha as neighbours, but she was alone, making that impractical. Just when Hiruzen thought he would have to defer the agenda to a later time, someone spoke up.

"The Nara clan is willing to have the Uchiha clan as their new neighbours."

Shikaku finally spoke up, understanding the consequences if the Hokage was not able to conclude this decision. Integrating the Uchiha within the village would be a significant boon, and the Nara clan agreed to have the Uchiha relocate to the mountain next to theirs. With both the Hokage and Fugaku sighing in relief, the potential disaster of resentment building up against the Uchiha was averted, at least for now.

With the Uchiha matter now settled, Hiruzen continued with the meeting, introducing the idea of constructing a new defence system entirely. The plan aimed to build a barrier that would account for the village's future expansion while retaining the existing defences.

Many clan heads questioned the Hokage's decision to embark on such a colossal project. However, Hiruzen's response shocked everyone once again. He revealed news of a recent attack by over a hundred black-clad ninja who had effortlessly bypassed the current defences. Had it not been for the vigilance and counterattack of the Uchiha clan, the village would have descended into chaos.

The revelation of the attack left everyone in the meeting stunned. As Hiruzen recounted the entire incident, a collective sense of shame settled among the attendees. The village was under threat, and the only clan that had responded was the Uchiha, the very clan that had faced scorn.

Elder Koharu expressed surprise when Hiruzen shared that he had secured the assistance of a Fuinjutsu Grandmaster to personally design the new village defences. However, Hiruzen withheld the identity of the sealing master for safety reasons. The significance of having a Grandmaster stage sealing master wasn't lost on anyone in the meeting; such a person could serve as a crucial pillar of stability for the village. Despite this, Koharu, in charge of the finance department, voiced her concern about the village's ability to bear the financial burden of such a massive project.

"Worry not," Hiruzen reassured, "the Senju and Uchiha clans have pledged to cover 20% of the overall expenditure each. The Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi have collectively pledged another 20%. The village will only have to bear the remaining 40%."

With these words, many of the larger and medium-sized clans eagerly volunteered to contribute to the project. While most clans participated, none could match the financial backing of the Senju and Uchiha. The Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi, though recently prosperous, could only afford their contributions due to their newfound prosperity. After factoring in all the clans' contributions, the village only had to cover about 10% of the total expenditure.

The meeting persisted until the evening, delving into various large and small matters that each clan head needed to address. Such gatherings were rare, and every leader had specific issues to bring to the forefront. Danzo, eager to leave as Hiruzen had already ordered the shutdown of Root, found himself unable to do so. The Hokage explicitly commanded that no one could leave until the meeting concluded, and Danzo realised the severe consequences if he defied the Hokage's orders. Remaining silent throughout the meeting, he schemed mentally, formulating plans to extricate himself from this predicament while retaining as much power as possible before Hiruzen dissolved it all.

Danzo intended to integrate as many Root elites as possible into the Shimura clan, securing a power base for himself. As for the remaining members, he planned to have them integrate with the civilians temporarily. Additionally, he had devised plans for the recent batch of clan orphans recruited on a large scale.

His primary concern, however, was Tsunade. Danzo wasn't certain if she had already shared her findings with Hiruzen. Tsunade had somehow learned about his Sharingan transplantations, and her statement during the meeting made it evident that this information could pose a significant threat to him. The uncertainty regarding how much Hiruzen knew about his actions fueled Danzo's determination to navigate the situation cautiously and retain control over the elements that were still within his grasp.

As the meeting concluded late in the evening, only the three elders and Hiruzen remained in the meeting hall. Koharu broke the silence with her frustration.

"Hiruzen, how could you do this to Danzo? He has dedicated himself to the good of the village. Even though some of his methods are questionable, he has always had the village's well-being in mind. You have changed, Hiruzen. You no longer care about the bonds that we once shared."

Koharu's words struck a chord, and even Homura silently acknowledged her sentiments. Danzo maintained his silence, uncertain about how much Hiruzen knew.

"Sigh, Danzo, will you tell them, or do you want me to tell them about it? Things are only going to get worse if I share them."

Hiruzen didn't explicitly state what matters he was referring to, leaving Danzo puzzled. Having engaged in numerous underhanded actions, Danzo couldn't help but feel dumbfounded.

"Hiruzen, what do you mean? Everything I have ever done is to benefit the leaf."

Danzo didn't want to admit any wrongdoing without understanding the specific matter at hand.

"Fine, Danzo. If that's how you want to play, bring the kid in."

Hiruzen had lost any attachment he held for Danzo, suspecting his involvement in the attempt on Asuma's life. While he wouldn't outright kill Danzo, he had decided not to tolerate his wrongdoings any longer. A silver-haired ANBU walked in with a child who appeared not to have reached his teenage yetand stood by the side.

"Danzo, do you know this kid?"

Danzo reacted furiously as Kinoe was escorted into the meeting hall.

"Hiruzen, how dare you! How dare you order the ANBU to search the Root? You have no right to do so. The Root is mine, and it holds sensitive information that only I should know."

Kinoe was one of Danzo's trump cards, and even Orochimaru was unaware of his survival. He had been specially raised to gain control of the Nine Tails in the future, aided by the Mokuton user and Sharingan he was sure of subduing the nine tails in the future .

"Danzo, watch your words. I am the Hokage, and I have absolute authority in the village. There is no information in the village that I'm not privileged to know. You kept a Mokuton user from me, and you conducted illegal human experiments to create a Mokuton user for your personal benefit. Do you know the punishment for this crime?"

Hiruzen flared angrily after seeing Danzo's reaction, shocking Koharu and Homura.

"Hiruzen, you cannot slander me without proof. It was your student, Orochimaru, who carried out those illegal experiments. I just saved the kid from it. I kept him hidden for the village's sake in case a situation like the Nine Tails attack happened again. I did it for the village."

Danzo defended himself, deflecting blame onto Orochimaru. With no solid evidence other than Kinoe himself, who had already been cursed, Danzo felt secure.

"Care to prove your innocence by lifting the curse mark on the boy, Danzo?"

Hiruzen asked, already aware that Danzo would try to evade responsibility.

"Absolutely not, Hiruzen. The curse mark will remain. Removing it would set a dangerous precedent. The curse mark is placed to ensure the village's safety. So, I will not lift the curse mark under any case."

Danzo, cunning as ever, had prepared an excuse regarding the curse mark. Hiruzen couldn't refute it, and the Hokage lacked the expertise to break such a complex seal—something Danzo had acquired personally from the Uzumaki after betraying them.

"In that case, why don't I have the Fuinjutsu Grandmaster help me look into the seal? Would that work?" Hiruzen suggested it, aware of what Danzo might be thinking, and mentioned the Fuinjutsu Grandmaster. Danzo's face turned ugly at the mention, blindsided by how Hiruzen had acquainted himself with a Fuin Grandmaster, as the intel he had only hinted at connections to the Nara clan.

"Hiruzen, how dare you suggest sharing village secrets with outsiders? Do you know if this so-called grandmaster won't sell our village secrets for his own benefit?" Danzo wanted to ensure the curse mark remained, not wanting Hiruzen to acquire the means to break the curse seal, which was foundational to the Root.

"Danzo, you don't have to worry about that. The said person is loyal to the Leaf Village, and that is all you need to know." Danzo gritted his teeth, and despite his attempts to distract Hiruzen, the Hokage remained focused on the matter, prompting Danzo to seek assistance from Koharu and Homura.

"Hiruzen, although Danzo may be in the wrong, he didn't personally carry out the experiments, and he only kept the information from us for safety's sake. If you can't share the identity of the Fuin Grandmaster, I suggest it's not wise to reveal such sensitive information, even if they are loyal to the Leaf, because the significance of Mokuton is not something we can underestimate." Koharu, with a soft spot for Danzo, suggested trying to help him out of the predicament.

"Fine, in that case, regarding this issue, let's give Danzo the benefit of the doubt. Now moving on to the next one." Hiruzen waved for all the ANBU and Kinoe to clear the meeting room.

"Danzo, did you have Kagami killed?" Hiruzen's words sent chills down the spines of Homura and Koharu, freezing the entire meeting hall. Danzo, who believed he could escape the predicament, was dumbstruck.