Konoha Village, Hokage Building.
Immediately after Kakashi Hatake was attacked, Minato Namikaze rushed to the battlefield and captured the Root Ninja who attacked, including Muta Aburame, but although interrogation yielded no results due to the Tongue Binding Curse Technique, it proved that the attackers were indeed Root Ninja under Danzo Shimura.
Therefore, Minato Namikaze convened another small-scale high-level meeting.
Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze.
Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Hokage's Chief Strategist Nara Shikaku.
Former Hokage Advisor Homura Mitokado.
Former Hokage Advisor Utatane Koharu.
And, former Hokage Advisor, Root Leader Danzo Shimura.
All gathered together.
A flash of golden light appeared, and Minato Namikaze, clad in a red and white ceremonial robe with shining blonde hair, materialized.
His expression was solemn the moment he appeared; he skipped greetings and went straight to the chair behind the office desk to sit down.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, Homura Mitokado, and Utatane Koharu exchanged subtle glances, recognizing the worry in each other's eyes.
Everyone actually knew why Minato Namikaze had suddenly called them for a meeting.
Danzo Shimura's move this time was too sloppy; Minato Namikaze caught him red-handed, leaving no room for them to cover for him.
"Greetings, Hokage-sama."
Nara Shikaku greeted respectfully.
He was only casual with Minato Namikaze in private; he remained serious in formal settings.
The three old folks also offered verbal greetings upon Minato Namikaze's arrival.
Only Danzo Shimura was different.
"Hmph! You wouldn't let this old man attend the meeting before, yet now you summon me for a small gathering."
"What is your meaning, Minato Namikaze?"
Danzo Shimura, whose lower jaw bore an X-shaped scar and whose face was wrapped in white cloth, spoke with a cold sneer.
Minato Namikaze gave him a cold glance without responding, instead nodding towards Nara Shikaku.
Then,
Nara Shikaku understood immediately, stood up, holding a document in his hand, and slowly began speaking:
"The Fourth Hokage summoned everyone here regarding the malicious attack that just occurred."
"Muta Aburame of the Aburame Clan, leading five Root Ninja, broke into Konoha Hospital and attacked Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy, who were recuperating, attempting to kidnap Kakashi Hatake."
"During the fight, several pieces of property in Konoha Hospital were damaged. By the time the Fourth Hokage arrived, Muta Aburame and the other five were apprehended."
"According to reports from the Torture Division staff, all six individuals had the Tongue Binding Curse Technique placed upon them."
"And in Konoha Village, only Danzo Shimura knows this technique."
"Detailed records are all within this report."
After speaking, Nara Shikaku gently placed the report on the table where everyone was seated.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, Homura Mitokado, and Utatane Koharu frowned deeply, exchanging glances but remaining silent.
Although the moment they heard about the incident, the three of them knew this matter would be difficult to handle,
they hadn't expected Minato Namikaze's methods to be so swift and decisive, securing concrete evidence in such a short time.
With this evidence, and confirmation from the Torture Division Ninja,
Danzo Shimura was clearly connected to this incident.
If he wasn't careful, Danzo Shimura would lose more than half of his authority, and it was possible the entire Root organization would be uprooted.
This was a situation the three of them did not wish to see.
Hiruzen Sarutobi kept his head down, slowly puffing on his pipe, his mind continuously working.
From his perspective, he did not want to see Danzo Shimura driven out of the center of power this early.
On one hand, for the public good, power needed balance, and the Root organization led by Danzo Shimura served as a counterbalance to Minato Namikaze.
Although it caused some negative side effects, internal friction and clashes, it could ultimately limit Minato Namikaze's power,
preventing a situation where Minato Namikaze held absolute power with no one to check him.
On the other hand, for selfish reasons, Danzo Shimura's Root organization was originally cultivated entirely by him, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Strictly speaking, Root couldn't even be called an 'organization.'
It didn't have a formal combat sequence establishment; initially, it was just composed of some Anbu Ninja selected by Danzo Shimura.
Later, during Hiruzen Sarutobi's decades of rule, it gradually expanded, even subtly surpassing the scale of the Anbu, becoming Danzo Shimura's independent kingdom.
The purpose behind Hiruzen Sarutobi allowing Danzo Shimura to develop Root was also to give Konoha another option.
Problems that couldn't be solved openly still needed resolution.
At that time, someone needed to be willing to dirty their own hands to resolve such issues.
This was the meaning behind Root, or rather, Danzo Shimura's existence.
No one looked at the report because everyone already knew the situation.
After a period of silence,
Danzo Shimura looked at Minato Namikaze and sneered:
"Is this your method? Trying to frame a loyal servant of Konoha with such despicable and dirty means? To achieve your goal of eliminating dissenters?"
"I absolutely will not admit to such dirty framing!"
Danzo Shimura's words were resounding, his expression righteous and indignant.
Minato Namikaze's face immediately darkened upon hearing this.
With witnesses and physical evidence present, just how thick-skinned could one be to righteously pretend to be wronged?
Danzo Shimura's right-hand man, the deputy leader of Root, personally led the raid and got caught, yet he acts aggrieved?
How could he say such a thing?
"Danzo Shimura! Isn't the captured Muta Aburame your trusted subordinate? Isn't the Tongue-Binding Curse your unique secret technique?"
"We have both testimonial and physical evidence; are you still slandering us like this?"
Nara Shikaku said dissatisfiedly.
"Hmph!"
Danzo Shimura snorted coldly, crossing his arms dismissively:
"I had long suspected Muta Aburame of disloyalty and was preparing to interrogate him; I didn't expect him to betray so quickly."
"The Tongue Binding Curse Technique was invented by the Second Hokage; I am not the only one in the Village who knows it. To try and frame me based solely on one technique, your methods are too low-level."
Nara Shikaku felt a burst of anger rise within him upon hearing this.
But with his wisdom, he knew very well that Danzo Shimura certainly wouldn't confess in the current situation.
Danzo Shimura intended to sacrifice Muta Aburame as a scapegoat, labeling him a traitor, while he himself walked away unscathed.
Since they didn't catch Danzo Shimura in the act, all he had to do was adamantly deny everything.
And in politics, before the final curtain is drawn, there are too many methods that can be employed.
At this stage, the evidence no longer mattered.
How this matter would be handled depended on the high-level officials' opinions.
If they wanted Danzo Shimura to confess, he would have to, even if he denied it.
If they didn't want Danzo Shimura to confess, he could walk free even with witnesses and physical evidence.
This was politics.
He could only turn his head to look at Minato Namikaze, because he had said everything he could; now it was up to Minato Namikaze to define the situation.