The quiet hum of the room shifted as the meeting commenced. The first discussions turned toward recent developments in the ninja world. Hiruzen opened with encouraging news; Konoha had regained equal influence among the surrounding nations, slowly emerging from the shadow of isolation. Only a short while ago, the smaller countries had leaned toward the other great villages, Earth, Wind, and Water, leaving the Land of Fire in a strained position. Now, however, the tides had turned in Konoha's favor.
Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, ever the Hokage's close advisors, quickly added their voices. They explained that agreements had already been secured with several Daimyo's mansions. Missions would flow again, trade would resume, and relations would smooth over. As shinobi, they paid little mind to matters like equal tax impositions or merchant levies, but the promise of missions and political stability reassured many of those present.
It was then that Danzo Shimura's rough voice cut through the chamber, his words carrying venom. "Hiruzen, it was your carelessness that dragged us into that passive, weakened state in the first place. Had you deployed our troops to those smaller nations, they would never have dared to favor Iwagakure, Sunagakure, or Kirigakure over us. You failed as a Hokage!"
A heavy silence fell. Few dared to breathe too loudly, let alone interrupt. The air thickened with tension. This was no ordinary disagreement. On one side stood the Hokage, on the other the infamous Danzo Shimura, the man whispered about in shadows, whose reputation for using living shinobi as disposable soldiers of Root was feared even among his peers, not to mention the recent title of using Forbidden techniques that sacrificed ninja lives.
The clan leaders and jonin present exchanged subtle glances but did not intervene. Many understood the undercurrents of power here. Shikaku Nara's eyes narrowed with quiet amusement, reading the board as though it were a shogi match. Orochimaru's thin smile betrayed fascination at the spectacle, his serpentine gaze studying how Hiruzen wielded even his so-called rival as a pawn. For them, this clash was not cause for alarm; it was politics at its rawest.
But others reacted differently. Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang, wore an expression of restrained disapproval, his loyalty to the Hokage warring with his distaste for Danzo's venom. Jiraiya shifted uncomfortably, his large frame tense, the attack on his sensei striking a nerve. The younger generation, Minato and other rising Jonins, could not hide their unease. To them, such open hostility between leaders was a shocking reminder of the dangerous currents beneath the village's surface and was a sign of instability and questioning of the Hokage's Authority.
At last, Koharu broke the silence. Her voice, though sharp, carried reason. "Danzo, I understand your point. But you fail to see the bigger picture. It was Konoha's policy of restraint and non-aggression that won us these allies in the first place. Do not forget that the First and Second Great Ninja Wars spared the Land of Fire itself precisely because we avoided overextension. These smaller nations provide us with steady missions, vital commerce, and, most importantly, they provide a war border that was not within the Land of Fire, and are tied to our prosperity. Insulting this path is not only rude, it is shortsighted."
Danzo's eyes narrowed, his lips curling into a scoff. He said nothing further, his silence heavier than words. The chamber slowly relaxed, though the undercurrent of tension remained, lingering like smoke after a fire.