After the Hokage inauguration ceremony ended, the villagers gathered in the plaza outside the Hokage Tower gradually dispersed in groups of two or three, returning to their normal lives.
As was customary, after a major event like this, the various shops throughout Konoha would seize the opportunity to launch special promotions and activities to attract customers. The villagers, in high spirits, were more than willing to spend money, allowing the shopkeepers to make a handsome profit. It was a win-win situation for everyone.
The shinobi of Konoha, however, remained in a state of heightened alert.
They all knew that the Hokage inauguration ceremony that morning had merely been a formality.
The jōnin meeting that afternoon was the truly important event!
It was no exaggeration to say that the jōnin meeting that afternoon could very well determine Konoha's direction of development for the next decade or more!
After all, this was the first jōnin meeting following Namikaze Minato's ascension as the Fourth Hokage. From this point onward, Konoha would officially be transitioning from the era of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, into the era of Namikaze Minato.
Setting aside the differences in governing styles and the changes they would inevitably bring, there was also the old saying: a new ruler brings in his own people.
After taking office, Minato would undoubtedly place some of his trusted subordinates in important positions within the village, and many of Konoha's posts were bound to undergo changes.
If Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi and the two Konoha elders, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, had not been injured and hospitalized, this jōnin meeting would not have caused so much anxiety.
After all, with Konoha's F3 still present, Minato would have found it difficult to make overly drastic changes. At most, there would have been some adjustments to the personnel of the Hokage Guard.
But, unfortunately, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado were all out of commission.
Namikaze Minato now held the reins of power alone.
No one knew what was going to happen.
3:00 p.m.
Inside the large conference room of the Hokage Tower, one after another, jōnin of distinguished status, considerable authority, or outstanding ability arrived and took their assigned seats.
The conference room, large enough to accommodate several thousand people, was already more than half full!
Compared with the previous jōnin meeting, where the candidates for the Fourth Hokage had been submitted for consideration, far more shinobi had come this time.
The clan shinobi were no longer sending only a handful of representatives. Almost everyone who had nothing else to do had come.
Even some Tokubetsu Jōnin had shamelessly squeezed their way into the meeting.
The Uchiha and Hyūga clans alone had sent two or three hundred people each, occupying a huge section of the room and naturally attracting considerable attention.
Fortunately, when Tenzo had constructed the new Hokage Tower, Shikaku Nara had specifically instructed him to make the main conference room larger.
Otherwise, there genuinely might not have been enough room for everyone!
After all, this was the first jōnin meeting convened by the new Hokage, and it was accompanied by the redistribution of a large number of positions.
Many people wanted to take this opportunity to make themselves known to the new Hokage.
While everyone was whispering and discussing matters among themselves, the conference room doors were pushed open.
Wearing the Hokage Haori, Namikaze Minato walked in first with a smile on his face.
Behind him followed Shikaku Nara, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Tsunade, and several other heavyweight figures in the village.
Uchiha Ren, seated toward the front of the conference room, looked at Tsunade.
Although her face was still somewhat pale, her spirit was clearly vigorous. A strange glint flashed through Ren's eyes.
This woman had actually awakened before the jōnin meeting began.
She had recovered even faster than he had expected.
Women were naturally more emotional, and their attachments could be even deeper than those of men. Once trapped within the cycle created by Izanami, they could potentially sink even deeper into it.
Ren had originally thought that Tsunade would need at least three days to break free from the cycle created by Izanami.
Yet, unexpectedly, she had regained consciousness in less than a day.
She really was a strong woman.
At that moment, Tsunade seemed to sense Ren's gaze.
She followed his line of sight and looked over.
When she realized it was Uchiha Ren, her pretty face first flushed red.
Then she gritted her teeth and glared fiercely at him.
That look practically screamed that she wanted to tear him apart with her bare hands.
Ren was somewhat puzzled.
He had no idea what he had done to offend the woman this time, but he didn't think much of it and simply looked away.
This jōnin meeting was extremely important.
Ren had no intention of allowing some inexplicable matter to interfere with his plans.
As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Minato and the others took their respective seats.
Minato sat alone at the head of the table.
Two seats on either side of him remained empty.
Hmm?
Two seats on each side?
That made four seats in total.
Most of the people in the conference room immediately noticed that something was unusual.
According to Konoha's established custom, the seats beside the Hokage should belong to the Konoha elders.
Well, according to Konoha's established custom.
In the other great shinobi villages—whether Sunagakure, Iwagakure, or Kumogakure—there was only one seat at the head of their conference tables.
That seat belonged to the village's Kage.
Their village elders sat to the sides.
After all, the Kage was the true authority of the village.
Konoha was different.
Ever since Hiruzen Sarutobi had taken office, there had always been four seats at the head of the conference table.
The Konoha elders sat beside the Hokage, effectively sharing the head position with him.
Of course, the people of Konoha had grown accustomed to this arrangement.
That wasn't what caught their attention.
What puzzled them was the number of seats.
At present, Konoha had only two active elders and Hokage Advisors:
Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado.
Even if Hiruzen Sarutobi, the former Hokage, were included, there would only be three.
Yet there were four seats beside Minato.
Who was the fourth seat prepared for?
Shimura Danzō?
Impossible!
After everything that had been exposed about the Root headquarters, Shimura Danzō had been nailed to the pillar of disgrace. There was absolutely no possibility of him making a comeback.
That seat could never have been prepared for Danzō.
But if it wasn't him...
Who was it for?
The people in the conference room stared at the empty seat with puzzled expressions.
Hidden within that puzzlement was a trace of fervent anticipation that even they themselves had not noticed.
"Ahem..."
At that moment, Minato coughed twice, drawing everyone's attention.
Once everyone looked over, Minato smiled and said,
"Everyone, I'm sorry. I went to Konoha Hospital just now, so I arrived a little late."
The people in the conference room immediately began offering polite responses.
"Not at all, not at all. We only just arrived ourselves!"
"Exactly. Besides, Lord Hokage isn't late. You arrived right on time!"
"Lord Hokage must have gone to see the Third Hokage and the others. It's admirable that you're so busy yet still took the time to check on them!"
Listening to their flattery, Minato remained composed and raised a hand.
Once everyone quieted down again, he said,
"I did receive word that the Third Hokage and the others had regained consciousness, so I hurried over to see them. After all, I've only just taken office, and there are many matters on which I still need to hear their opinions."
Those words caused many people aligned with Hiruzen Sarutobi, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado to secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
The fact that Minato was still willing to listen to Hiruzen and the others meant that he remained on their side.
Naturally, those who served under them had no reason to worry about being targeted by the new Hokage.
Minato noticed the expressions of many people present.
Deep within his eyes, a barely perceptible chill flashed.
Minato took out two appointment documents and said,
"Everyone, although the Third Hokage and the two elders, Koharu and Homura, have regained consciousness, they're still unable to get out of bed and will need some time to recover."
"To ensure that the village's normal operations aren't affected, the three of them recommended two people to become the village's new elders and assist me with my duties."
The moment these words were spoken, most of those present—including Shikaku Nara, Jiraiya, and Tsunade—were visibly shocked.
They had never expected Minato to make such a major move immediately after taking office!
These were the positions of Konoha Elder and Hokage Advisor!
Since Konoha's founding, only three people had ever held such an honor:
Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, and Shimura Danzō.
Now, two new Konoha elders were suddenly being added.
How could they not be shocked?
But compared with the surprise itself, what they were even more curious about was who would occupy those two positions.
Minato did not hesitate.
He directly held up the appointment documents for everyone to see.
"After being jointly recommended by Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado, reviewed and approved by the village's various departments, and personally ratified by me, I hereby appoint Uchiha Ren and Hyūga Hiashi as Konoha's new elders."
The entire conference room erupted into an uproar!
They had imagined that the new Konoha elders might be Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Tsunade, Shikaku Nara, or someone else.
But they had never imagined it would be Uchiha Ren and Hyūga Hiashi!
During Hiruzen Sarutobi's administration, the major clans of the village had generally been kept under pressure.
This was especially true of the Uchiha and Hyūga clans, both of which could be considered great clans.
Yet now Minato was claiming that Hiruzen Sarutobi, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado had jointly recommended Uchiha Ren, the Uchiha clan head, and Hyūga Hiashi, the Hyūga clan head, to become Konoha's new elders.
The entire situation felt extremely bizarre.
Almost everyone instinctively assumed it had to be fake.
Minato offered no explanation.
Instead, he handed the documents to Shikaku Nara.
Shikaku carefully examined every detail of the appointment documents while everyone else waited for his verdict.
As the captain of the Jōnin Commander unit, Shikaku Nara had long served as Konoha's strategist and administrator. He had assisted Hiruzen Sarutobi with countless documents, giving him considerable authority when it came to verifying the authenticity of official paperwork.
"The signatures, seals..."
Shikaku stared at the documents for a long time before his eyes widened.
"They're all genuine!"
But then he frowned and said,
"However, the ink on the date of this appointment is different from the ink used for the other signatures. It seems..."
Minato interrupted him without even blinking.
"Oh, that? The old pen ran out of ink, so they switched to a new one. That's why the ink looks different."
"Is that so..."
Shikaku Nara stared deeply at Minato.
His gaze was meaningful, but he didn't pursue the matter any further.
The difference in ink was only a minor issue.
The signatures on the appointment documents were unquestionably handwritten by Hiruzen Sarutobi, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane.
However, Shikaku remembered that Homura and Koharu's hands had been seriously injured during their battle with Shimura Danzō.
Even if they had regained consciousness, how had they managed to sign the documents?
And more importantly...
Had Hiruzen Sarutobi, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado really awakened?
In reality, the three of them had not awakened at all.
Minato's trip to Konoha Hospital had merely been a formality—and a way to confirm this fact.
The appointment documents had indeed been personally signed by Hiruzen and the two elders beforehand.
But circumstances could change.
No one could say for certain whether Hiruzen and the others might change their minds after waking up.
That was precisely why Minato had raised the matter immediately, eliminating the possibility of unforeseen complications.
"I don't believe the old man would do something like this. Let me see!"
Tsunade snatched the appointment documents from Shikaku Nara's hands.
After carefully examining them, her eyes widened in disbelief.
"It's really the old man's handwriting! How is this possible?!"
Her words caused another uproar throughout the conference room.
With both Shikaku Nara and Tsunade vouching for their authenticity, no matter how unbelievable it seemed, everyone could only accept the fact that the two appointment documents were not forged.
Tsunade turned toward Uchiha Ren and demanded,
"What exactly is going on? How did you manage this?"
Ren shrugged.
"Manage what? This was what the Third Hokage and the others wanted in the first place. And I can tell you with absolute certainty that this position as a Konoha elder isn't something the Uchiha clan wanted."
"They were the ones who offered it to us."
"That's right."
Hyūga Hiashi also spoke up.
"I can confirm what the Uchiha clan head said. The Third Hokage and the others approached us a long time ago and personally proposed that we become Konoha elders."
Everyone in the conference room found this unbelievable.
However, a few sharp-minded individuals immediately noticed something else.
Shikaku Nara murmured,
"No wonder Shimura Danzō received so few votes during the Fourth Hokage selection. So the Uchiha and Hyūga clans had actually been standing on the Third Hokage's side all along..."
"The Third Hokage's methods really were formidable. Even Shimura Danzō was kept in the dark."
"Ahem."
Minato coughed twice again, drawing everyone's attention.
"Since everyone has verified the authenticity of these appointment documents, I won't say much more."
"Let's congratulate the Uchiha clan head and the Hyūga clan head on becoming Konoha's new elders."
"Everyone, give them a round of applause!"
With that, Minato himself began applauding.
The Uchiha and Hyūga clan members followed, clapping enthusiastically.
Soon, everyone else in the conference room joined in as well, though their expressions remained complicated.
Uchiha Ren and Hyūga Hiashi both stood and took their seats on Minato's left and right.
With that, their positions as Konoha's new elders were officially established.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70+ chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789