Konoha remained peaceful in the early hours of the morning, but inside the Hokage Building, a group of old-timers had already been forced out of bed.
Sandaime Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in the main seat, no longer smoking, rubbing his brow. To his left sat a pale Homura Mitokado, unable to hide his terror—he was now the only remaining Advisor in the Council of Elders.
Further down were the current heads of Konoha's various families: Hiashi Hyuga had a calm expression, Shikaku Nara's brow was furrowed, Inoichi Yamanaka sat with eyes closed in concentration, Akimichi Choza's massive frame sat bolt upright, and the presence of Inuzuka Tsume and Shibi Aburame was heavy and solemn.
The core members of the Hokage faction, including the Sarutobi and Mitokado families, were all present.
At the end of the conference table, within the Communication Barrier, the people left by the Land of Fire's Daimyo had also arrived.
"...The preliminary results of the field investigation have been summarized."
An Anbu member reported.
"The death of Advisor Utatane Koharu has been confirmed. The only clue left behind is the mark of the Uchiha Clan Crest."
"Uchiha..." Homura Mitokado's voice trembled noticeably, his fingers unconsciously gripping the armrests of his chair. His gaze uncontrollably flicked toward the empty seat beside him before quickly shifting away, as if an ominous ghost were perched there.
"It's... it's that monster! Uchiha Sasuke! Killing Danzo wasn't enough! Now he..."
The secret that Danzo had long since died at Sasuke's hands was well known to the high-ranking officials present, though it had been strictly suppressed until now.
Now that Utatane Koharu had been assassinated, this fig leaf was about to be completely torn away, and soon everyone would know.
"Calm down." The Sandaime's voice was old and heavy, carrying deep exhaustion and a hint of imperceptible heartache.
Danzo's death was a loss and a disgrace for Konoha, and even more so, a clear sign of the weakening control of the leadership. Now that the tragedy was repeating itself, he had to take the strongest possible stance.
"Now is not the time for panic. The threat of Uchiha Sasuke has already exceeded the scope of a mere Rogue Ninja; he is systematically and plannedly eliminating Konoha's Decision-making layer."
These words sent a chill through everyone's hearts. Eliminating the decision-makers? For revenge? Or for a more terrifying purpose?
"Infiltrating the Village, bypassing the outer barriers and patrols, precisely assassinating a high-level Advisor, and wiping out the guards..." Shikaku Nara spoke slowly, his voice heavy with analytical intent.
"This requires not only strength and knowledge of the Village's defense System, but the matter of Lord Danzo has already proven he possesses the ability and determination to slay Kage-level powerhouses. Now that he has turned his target toward the Advisors while acting even more covertly and mysteriously, it means his plan may have entered a new stage, or he is deliberately creating panic to test our reaction."
"Orochimaru."
"Uchiha Sasuke defected and joined Orochimaru. The matter of Lord Danzo likely has that Rogue Ninja's shadow behind it as well; he could provide intelligence, technology, and even hiding spots."
"Sigh..."
The Sandaime forcibly suppressed the complex emotions churning in his heart and brought the discussion back on track.
He announced that Konoha would immediately enter a state of maximum alert and detailed various measures.
When mentioning that the various families needed to mobilize forces to cooperate with the Anbu for a city-wide sweep, his gaze lingered for a moment on the faces of the Family heads, especially those of the great clans like the Hyuga and Nara.
After Danzo, another high-ranking official had been killed, and with Homura Mitokado clearly shaken, the support and stability of these major families were more important than ever.
"Hokage-sama," Homura Mitokado took a deep breath, trying to appear more composed, but his voice was still unsteady.
"Will such a high state of alert make the outside world think Konoha has fallen into internal chaos and is weak and exploitable? Especially certain forces that have always been eyeing us greedily."
His gaze pointedly swept over the Advisor left by the Daimyo.
That man said solemnly.
"Lord Hokage, His Highness the Daimyo is extremely enraged and concerned about this matter. Konoha's stability is vital to the safety of the Land of Fire. His Highness has authorized me to fully coordinate; the border troops have already stepped up their vigilance, and we will maintain a unified front externally. However, His Highness hopes Konoha can resolve the internal threat and restore order as soon as possible. Furthermore..."
He paused, his tone becoming even more serious.
"Regarding the matter of Elder Danzo Shimura and the assassination of Advisor Utatane Koharu, uneasy speculations have already arisen in certain quarters. His Highness hopes that Konoha can provide a clearer explanation to reassure the people."
These words were spoken euphemistically, but the meaning was clear: the truth of Danzo's death could no longer be covered up. Konoha had to control the situation quickly, or the pressure from the Daimyo and the nobility would only grow.
The Sandaime's expression remained unchanged, but his heart sank. "Thank you for the support of His Highness and Your Excellency. Konoha will resolve this."
The meeting continued for a long time. When everyone left, Homura Mitokado was almost the last one to stand up, his steps somewhat unsteady, only managing to walk steadily with the support of an attendant.
Before leaving, he couldn't help but look back at that empty chair again, deep fear and a hint of the grief of 'a fox mourning the death of a rabbit' flashing in his eyes.
Danzo is dead, Utatane Koharu is dead... who will be next? It's so hard to guess.
Under maximum alert, Konoha was like a bowstring drawn to its limit.
The number of patrolling Ninjas surged, detection methods were fully activated, and the atmosphere was grim.
But beneath this tight defense, an invisible panic and suspicion—stemming from the successive losses of high-ranking officials—began to quietly sprout in certain corners like an undercurrent.
Having lost the'strong pillar' that was Danzo and the 'traditional symbol' that was Utatane Koharu, the remaining Homura Mitokado clearly found it difficult to uphold the authority of the Council of Elders alone. The balance of power between the Hokage faction and the various families also became more subtle and fragile.
Hyuga Clan Compound, Main House Hall.
Hiashi conveyed the orders and the Family's specific arrangements. Compared to the meeting at the Hokage Building, although the atmosphere here was heavy, it possessed an internal steadiness.
The Hyuga Clan, after all, was known for its strict Main and Branch house System and Byakugan abilities, giving it stronger organization and autonomy when dealing with internal crises and external threats.
Hinata sat on the roof of her own room, feeling the cool breeze, stroking Little White, watching the Village's atmosphere gradually turn solemn, and glanced at the place where Sasuke had departed.
Hinata naturally knew everything, but if it were her, she would have directly killed all the high-ranking officials in one fell swoop. Killing just one official and high-profilely leaving a mark was a blatant challenge to the entire Village, openly making an enemy of Konoha.
[System: Warning! Warning! Severe disruptive deviation in the world line detected!!! The behavioral pattern of key story character Uchiha Sasuke has undergone a fundamental mutation! The original logic chain of Revenge -> Learning the Truth -> Protecting Konoha has broken! Alternative behavioral pattern: Revenge -> Extreme Revolution -> Systematic elimination of Konoha Leadership confirmed established!!]
[Calculating points...]
[Calculation complete... Obtained: 50,000 points!!]
[Uchiha Sasuke infiltrated Konoha and assassinated high-level Advisor Utatane Koharu. Konoha's internal stability has been severely damaged, the high-level power structure is in violent shock, external deterrence is compromised, and the world plot has undergone a major deviation.]
[System: Holy crap, Second Pillar! He actually killed Utatane Koharu and even left a mark. In the original story, even if he turned dark, he only went after Itachi and Danzo, and in the end, Naruto pulled him back with Talk no Jutsu. Looking at this stance now, he's going to go all the way to the end and treat the Konoha Council of Elders like a dungeon to clear?! Is he going to clear Homura Mitokado next? And then? Storm the Hokage Building?! He's gone completely off the rails!]
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