"Troubles on every side."
Wen Lan tossed the documents onto the desk, sat down on a chair nearby, and rubbed his temples.
Minato said softly, "This is definitely being instigated behind the scenes by Advisors Homura and Koharu. Shikaku and I think we should stabilize the situation for now. The village can't afford any internal conflict at the moment—once we get past this phase, we'll deal with them."
"Get past this phase?"
Wen Lan suddenly opened his eyes, straightened up, and looked at the two of them.
"Every single concession you make only fuels their arrogance!
Senior Shikaku—notify all clan heads and all jōnin, including Sarutobi Hiruzen, Mito Homura, and Utane Koharu.
Tomorrow morning at nine, we'll hold an emergency meeting at the Hokage Building's council chamber.
Anyone who doesn't attend will be deemed to have voluntarily forfeited their right to speak in Konoha's decision-making process."
Shikaku's expression changed slightly.
"Wen Lan, I understand you can't tolerate sand in your eyes, but forcing them into a corner in public like this—won't that drive them to rebellion?"
"Rebellion?"
Wen Lan let out a cold laugh.
"Then I'll use their corpses as fertilizer for Konoha's plants!
Since I've taken the position of Hokage's Assistant, I'll handle the dirty work you're not willing to do!"
Shikaku looked awkwardly toward Minato.
Minato frowned slightly, then looked at Wen Lan.
"Are you confident?"
"When have I ever not been?"
Minato nodded slowly and turned to Shikaku.
"Then notify everyone."
Shikaku opened his mouth, hesitated, and finally nodded before leaving.
Wen Lan leaned back in his chair, still rubbing his brow.
"I'll make a trip to the Daimyō's court myself. What do you plan to do about Kirigakure?"
"I think we should take resources," Minato replied softly.
"Konoha is still rebuilding. No matter how powerful those ninja swords are, they can only equip five people. But resources could arm the entire village.
Shikaku and I both agree—accept the deal."
Wen Lan nodded. Because of his actions, Yagura had already been freed from genjutsu. Yagura was still the type who genuinely cared for his people.
"Alright, then I won't interfere with the Kirigakure matter."
After a brief pause, Wen Lan added,
"Oh, right—ask them for one person. A member of the Kaguya clan… named Kimimaro."
Minato paused briefly, then nodded and wrote it down.
Kimimaro's physique was special—his bloodline potential was terrifying.
If the kekkei disease issue could be solved, at the very least he'd become a Kage-level powerhouse.
Sarutobi Clan Estate
After stepping down as Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen had taken over as head of the Sarutobi clan.
He sat silently in the courtyard, smoking his pipe.
Before him, an ANBU knelt on one knee.
From this ANBU, Hiruzen had learned that every single one of his agents embedded in ANBU had failed to return from the mission.
He already understood—things had slipped beyond his control.
Originally, his plan had been simple:
once Minato took office and his footing was still unstable, Hiruzen would quietly nurture his own forces and gradually return to the center of power.
Even if he didn't reclaim the Hokage seat in name, as long as Minato became a puppet, Hiruzen would still control Konoha from behind the scenes.
But he never expected everything to spiral out of control so quickly.
The variable… was Wen Lan.
"Additionally," the ANBU reported,
"the Fourth Hokage has summoned all clan heads and jōnin to the Hokage Building council chamber tomorrow at nine.
Those who do not attend will be considered to have given up their right to participate in Konoha's decision-making."
Hiruzen listened quietly, his eyes flickering between light and shadow.
He knew—he had to make a choice.
The Uchiha had grown too powerful.
Tsunade and Orochimaru were no longer aligned with him.
And he couldn't summon Jiraiya back either.
If Jiraiya returned, he would side with reason, not sentiment—
even if Hiruzen was his teacher, Jiraiya would stand with Tsunade and Orochimaru against him.
Hiruzen slowly extinguished his pipe and said in a low voice,
"I understand. Order my old subordinates to lie low for now. Hide."
"Yes."
Not long after the ANBU departed, Utane Koharu and Mito Homura hurried into the courtyard, their expressions grave.
"Hiruzen, this won't end peacefully," Homura said solemnly.
"I originally planned to apply pressure from the front lines, but things have gone beyond our expectations.
This is definitely connected to Wen Lan."
No one present was foolish.
The three clans had already withdrawn from the front lines for several days.
Minato hadn't made a move—
and the moment Wen Lan returned, this happened.
To say Wen Lan wasn't involved would be laughable.
"Hmph! Wen Lan alone is nothing to fear," Koharu snorted coldly.
"He may be strong, but does he really dare slaughter entire clans in full view of the village?"
"Heh…"
Homura sneered at her.
"He dared to slash his forehead protector in public and declare himself a rogue ninja.
What exactly do you think he wouldn't dare to do?"
"Enough," Hiruzen said quietly.
"Tomorrow, we'll all go and see what cards they intend to play."
Wen Lan left the Hokage's office and returned directly to the Uchiha district, entering the clan head's residence.
When Fugaku saw him, he poured him a cup of tea.
"Finished?"
"Yes. And there's one more thing."
Wen Lan said calmly,
"Tomorrow, have the clan head lead all Uchiha from chūnin rank and above to surround the Shimura, Mito, and Utane clan compounds.
No one enters, no one leaves.
Anyone who resists—execute on the spot."
Fugaku's gaze sharpened. His teacup paused slightly midair, but he didn't ask for an explanation.
"I understand. I'll personally lead the operation."
"How's Nagato's training going?"
"…No idea," Fugaku said, somewhat confused.
"Kushina's been teaching him lately. The Uchiha haven't interfered."
"Huh?"
Wen Lan blinked, then sighed in exasperation.
"Fine. I'll check on him once this is settled."
Back at home, Wen Lan spread out the documents he'd brought from the Hokage's office.
Mito Homura and Utane Koharu were Konoha's advisors—
vast amounts of power were concentrated in their hands.
Minato, out of respect, hadn't reclaimed those authorities.
Utane Koharu controlled medical supplies, the village hospital, and related resources.
Mito Homura controlled logistics, material distribution, and wartime reserves.
Both had occupied their positions for decades—their roots ran deep.
If these two threats weren't uprooted at the source of their power,
the Hokage faction would be shackled at every turn.
As for the Shimura clan—they were hardly worth mentioning.
For years, all their resources had been fed into Danzō and Root.
The Shimura clan was already a hollow shell.
If Danzō hadn't been Hokage's Assistant and head of Root, the Shimura clan would have collapsed long ago.
This time— if Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't the mastermind behind it all, Wen Lan wouldn't believe it even if it killed him.
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