Chapter 121 Please Use This Sword to Kill Me

Ino couldn't fully recall what had happened the previous day, but she doubted Naruto would... After pondering for a while, Ino wrapped the towel around herself again and opened the door.

She saw the neatly folded clothes on the sofa and the breakfast kept warm on the table, but Naruto was nowhere to be found.

'Today seemed to be the day of the high-level meeting.' Standing by the door, Ino felt a twinge of regret. If she had woken up earlier, maybe she could have spoken a few words with him..

The living room was quiet, the only sound being the soft beeps of the warming pot. She walked to the sofa, put on her fully dried undergarments, and slipped into her skirt. In the bathroom, she found the toothbrush and cup she had used last time, with water running from the faucet.

After coming out of the bathroom, Ino glanced at the balcony, where the bright, warm sunlight was dazzling, and Naruto's clothes were swaying in the breeze. It felt as if everything had been tidied up, organized meticulously, just waiting for her.

As she took her breakfast, she noticed a note on the table.

[Note: I put the bath water in the refrigerator, (*--*)]

(*--*)!!!

Seeing that crude, rough smiley face, the warmth in Ino's heart vanished. Her fists clenched tightly as the image of Naruto's cheeky grin flashed before her eyes.

"UZUMAKI!!! NARUTO!!!"

"AAAHHH!!!"

"Uzumaki Naruto, how do you explain releasing the Biju in the center of the village on August 24th?"

Danzo's voice was no different from that of an ordinary old man, except for his habit of emphasizing the last word of his sentences. This made every sentence sound like a command. Although his voice was soft, everyone present could hear it clearly.

All the curtains in the conference room were drawn, with the Hokage's seat facing the sun. As a result, the high-ranking officials sitting around the long table seemed to be bathed in light, their faces could not be seen at all.

Naruto, who had been called out, stood on Tsunade's left, while the secretary, Shizune, stood to her right.

Except for Tsunade, no other higher-ups was allowed to bring anyone into the meeting room. Shizune alone was responsible for recording the minutes, and if arguments became too heated, Shizune had the authority to call for a pause.

This was because even the trash talk from higher-ups needed to be documented. However, such scenes of poor conduct were relatively rare.

By 10:30 A.M., the meeting had already been going on for half an hour.

It wasn't until Danzo spoke that the meeting formally entered into the main agenda. that day, Root's Shinobi replaced the Anbu and directly rushed to the location where Kyubi had appeared, but they were intercepted by Kakashi.

Now, Danzo demanded an explanation from Naruto.

Tsunade, with her hands clasped on the table, expressionlessly scanned the room. Her eyes flickered slightly, but she didn't immediately respond, nor did she mean to ignore Danzo's question.

She was thinking, openly, in front of all the higher-ups, about how to argue her case.

The room fell into a long silence, everyone waiting for Tsunade to speak, matching her pace in the meeting. After all, she is the Hokage, the princess supported by everyone in the village.

No one was impatient, as if they had long been accustomed to it. The two veteran Advisors drank water tactically, and even Danzo began to close his eye, appearing to rest.

Tsunade had turned the high-level meeting into a turn-based process that everyone had to follow. Faced with the constant threat of Tsunade possibly abandoning her responsibilities, the pressure on the higher-ups was immense.

True authority didn't come from one's self, but from the ability to control everyone and everything. When the village's morale was low and it desperately needed a powerful figure like Tsunade to step forward, the higher-ups were put in a passive position.

In trying to force Tsunade to take a stance, they, too, were being pressured by her.

Tsunade gently tapped the table, which was a sign she was about to speak. After two taps, she glanced at everyone and began to speak, "According to the limited records available in Konoha, every time Kyubi appears, it will cause significant damage to the village. However, on that occasion, the village remained unharmed."

"Furthermore, on that day, Uchiha Itachi infiltrated the village. Their target was the Kyubi. In that case, can we preliminarily conclude that the Kyubi that the Anbu's Shinobi saw might not be real?"

"It wasn't just the Anbu's Shinobi who saw it. The Clan Head of the Yamanaka Clan also witnessed it." Koharu, draped in a white shawl, said in a serious tone.

Her aged eyes turned towards a middle-aged man sitting in the corner of the long table, signaling him to speak.

Inoichi felt mixed emotions as he looked at the flirtatious young man who had taken his daughter's heart. The old father's mind had long drifted away from the intense high-level meeting.

He was wondering whether he should send a message to Jiraiya, the Toad Sage, and ask him to teach his impetuous apprentice a good lesson.

When he looked up, he suddenly found that the old lady, Koharu, was staring at him. He couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. He took a deep breath, and his mind went blank.

'Huh? Why is the Advisor looking at me? What should I say?'

"Ahem." Inoichi cleared his throat and said, "I still think what Tsunade-sama said makes sense."

He had no idea what Tsunade said, but he didn't care. After all, the Ino-Shika-Chou were staunch supporters of the Hokage. Who the Hokage was didn't matter, as long as it wasn't Danzo.

The universal phrase: I think Tsunade-sama's words make sense. Makes sense, completely makes sense, every word makes sense, practically words to live by! It didn't matter what the leader said, as what mattered was that the leader spoke.

"What I'm asking is, did you see the Kyubi appear in the center of the village on August 24th?" Koharu frowned and asked again in a hoarse voice.

'August 24th…' The scene of that stormy day flashed through his mind.

The sky was dark, the earth as dim as dusk, and the land turned to rivers.

"No, I didn't see anything." Inoichi shook his head, "The rain was too heavy that day. All I saw was Uchiha Itachi fleeing from Konoha."

"I've already told you, there's nothing." Tsunade spread her hands.

"Godaime, the truth can never be concealed." Danzo said calmly, interrupting her, "On that day, not only did the Shinobi see the Kyubi, but the villagers did as well."

Tsunade didn't respond, choosing to remain silent. Danzo, wrapped in bandages, fixed his gaze on Naruto, who was standing, and asked again, "Uzumaki Naruto, how do you explain that you released the Biju without permission?"

Tsunade tapped the table twice but said nothing. Instead, she turned her head and glanced at Naruto. This was a signal that he could speak, allowing him to answer on his own.

The previous exchanges were merely Tsunade's way of dragging the Advisors into the conversation. It was all for this moment, where she chose to let Naruto speak.

After receiving the signal, Naruto nodded.

All eyes were on him, but Naruto couldn't see their faces, as they were bathed in the light.

Naruto didn't say anything. Instead, he pulled out a sword and, with a thud, plunged it into the large conference table.

"Danzo-sama, please use this sword to kill me." He said, staring at Danzo's indistinct face.