Comforting voices rose one after another in the meeting room, filled with sincere concern. Whether real or forced, everyone knew that Konoha still needed Hiruzen Sarutobi at this moment. They were afraid he might suddenly step down and leave this mess behind.
Even those who wanted him to retire preferred to wait until all these crises were resolved. Otherwise, no one could control the current unstable situation.
Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his hand and pressed it down slightly. The movement was slow, but it carried an unseen force that quickly quieted the room. The bitter smile on his face faded, replaced by calm acceptance.
"Thank you all for letting this old man give off a bit of remaining warmth," he said gently. His expression soon became serious and firm.
"Now, regarding the theme of this meeting," Hiruzen Sarutobi said in a decisive tone. "First, are all departments present?"
"ANBU."
"Present."
"Medical division."
"Present."
As Hiruzen Sarutobi called out each one, people responded in turn. The administrative structure of Konoha was well established, with Hokage Office as the unquestioned center of power. It coordinated military, diplomacy, and internal affairs.
Below that was the advisory group to the Hokage, supervising decisions and assisting with long term strategy, and acting in place of the Hokage during emergencies. On the other side was the military and security system, whose regular combat forces were built around squads. A standard squad consisted of one Jonin or Special Jonin with three Chunin or Genin.
Units like the surveillance teams, guard teams, and Root focused on protecting key figures, counterintelligence, and secret missions such as reconnaissance and infiltration prevention. There were also perception teams and Barrier Technique teams responsible for maintaining barriers and monitoring illegal intrusions. Logistics and civilian support included the medical division centered on Konoha Hospital, education centered on Ninja Academy, and research centered on Technical Research Institute.
Finally came economic and administrative support, handling commissions, risk assessment, task assignment for Ninja, payment distribution, and resource management. Without exception, all department heads were present.
"Good, it seems no one is absent," Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. "First, reconstruction must be accelerated. All resources are to prioritize civilian life and the repair of defensive facilities, restoring basic living conditions and defenses as soon as possible."
"All Ninja who died in this attack will have their family compensation doubled, jointly covered by the finance department and the Daimyo's office. Make sure they are properly taken care of."
The heads of the logistics departments all nodded together. This was clearly the most urgent task at hand.
"Second, intelligence gathering, defense strategies, and countermeasures regarding 'Xu' are to be listed as the highest priority." Hiruzen Sarutobi continued. "All clans and departments must fully cooperate with Technical Research Institute to establish an 'Espada' Threat Response Special Operations Department, directly subordinate to Hokage Office."
"Effective immediately, all active Ninja will operate in squads divided by region, conducting comprehensive searches and eliminations of 'Xu' within the Land of Fire. Priority is to protect the Land of Fire Daimyo's residence, towns, and major transport routes."
"The intelligence division will update activity maps and feature analyses of 'Xu' in real time and distribute them to all squads. If a suspected 'Espada' level target is encountered, do not engage on your own. Report immediately and request support."
"All border outposts are to raise alert levels to the highest and prevent 'Xu' or other forces from exploiting the situation."
Eyes sharpened around the room, and the leaders of the Jonin squads nodded in unison. The intelligence gathered recently was clearly accurate, with large scale appearances of 'Xu' within the Land of Fire. Even the Land of Fire Daimyo's residence had come under attack.
"Third, since the Uchiha Clan can no longer bear policing duties, Konoha Police Force will be reorganized." Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke steadily. "The new Konoha Police Force will be mixed across clans and no longer monopolized by a single Ninja Clan."
"The responsibilities of Konoha Police Force and ANBU will be clearly divided. Konoha Police Force will handle village security and civilian disputes, while ANBU will focus on external intelligence and special threat response. Intelligence sharing is required, but operations will not interfere with each other."
Hearing this, the clan heads present exchanged glances and looked toward the seat of the Uchiha Clan. Sitting there was the only remaining Jonin of the Uchiha Clan, Yakumi Uchiha.
The disaster that struck the Uchiha Clan had clearly made the once impulsive Yakumi Uchiha much calmer. He raised no objections to Hiruzen Sarutobi's near seizure of authority. Instead, he felt an unspoken sense of relief.
From the moment he entered the room, he had noticed many probing gazes fixed on the power that the Uchiha Clan still held over Konoha Police Force. Even if the Uchiha Clan kept control, their current strength and manpower could not hold it anyway. Hiruzen Sarutobi bringing it up now was actually helping him.
This way, Hiruzen Sarutobi as the Hokage took the blame. Even if the clan learned that he had lost Konoha Police Force, they would not be able to fault him.
"Thank you, Third Hokage," Yakumi Uchiha nodded and said hoarsely. "I will leave things to everyone from now on."
Seeing such "humility" from Yakumi Uchiha, some surprise appeared in the eyes of others. The impact of this incident on the Uchiha Clan was clearly enormous. If they had shown this attitude earlier, things might not have fallen to this state.
"Finally, and most importantly," Hiruzen Sarutobi said as his gaze slowly swept across the room. His expression grew heavy, and his voice dropped. "'Xu' is a threat that Konoha cannot handle alone."
"Their spread and danger far exceed our estimates. The attack on the Land of Fire Daimyo's residence is clear proof." He paused briefly. "Given the drastic changes in the situation across the Ninja World, I have decided, in the name of the Konohagakure Third Hokage..."
"To officially initiate the Five Kage Summit!"
He took a deep breath and looked toward Yunchuan Hyuga and Kakashi Hatake. "I will personally lead this meeting."
"The escort personnel will be Yunchuan Hyuga and Kakashi Hatake."
As soon as he said this, shocked gazes focused on the two of them. Yunchuan Hyuga's expression did not change, and he simply smiled as he met the looks around him. Iroha Hyuga stood behind him, feeling the invisible pressure, steadying his breathing and straightening his back to appear calm and reliable.
The choice of location, how about Land of Demons?
Five Kage Summit...
The escorts would be Kakashi Hatake and Yunchuan Hyuga...
These two short statements dropped the entire meeting room into dead silence. No one spoke, and even the smallest sound seemed out of place.
After the initial shock faded, people began to exchange meaningful looks with one another. Surprise, doubt, scrutiny, and quiet calculation passed between them without a word.
"Someone from the Hyuga Branch Family..."
"Attending the Five Kage Summit together, this..."
"Haha, the Hyuga Main Family must be furious about this."
Everyone was stunned by the decision made by Hiruzen Sarutobi. Granting escort status to Yunchuan Hyuga and Kakashi Hatake carried political signals that were impossible to ignore.
Standing behind Yunchuan Hyuga, Iroha Hyuga worked hard to keep his expression under control. Even so, the light in his eyes betrayed a joy and excitement he could not fully suppress.
"Lord Yunchuan now represents the Branch Family. Does that mean the status of the Branch Family has changed in the eyes of the Konoha Leadership?"
Iroha clenched his fist without realizing it, his nails digging into his palm to force himself to stay calm.