"How many people do we need for this Sanbi Operation?" Shikaku pondered over her words and asked.
"To subdue and extract Three Tails from Yagura? Just one. My nephew."
Inadvertently, everyone turned to look in Enma's direction.
"And to support him and to aid Kiri, we can send a good Team. However, we don't need to go out of our way to help them and spare a big chunk of our forces. They have also requested Suna for help. I suggest we force Suna to send the Sand Siblings with our Team to Kiri."
Tsunade smiled at her words.
"My grandfather gave away the Tailed Beasts as a gesture of goodwill and peace." She meaningfully said.
"With all due respect, the First Hokage was an idealist, and giving away the Tailed Beasts was not a wise decision. How did it help Konoha anyway? The First Shinobi War broke out regardless of his gesture. Then the Second, then the Third, and now, these other Hidden Villages are bold enough to come as guests to the Hidden Leaf and strike from inside." She kept her voice light, but her words were not. "Konoha could have kept those Tailed Beasts for use or sealed away, out of the reach of other Nations if peace was what he truly desired. You don't hand out Killing Machines to other people and expect them not to use them."
"We had the Kyuubi..."
Someone from the Jonins spoke, and Kushina laughed, shaking her head.
"Wrong. Konoha did not have Kyuubi when Senju Hashirama caught the Tailed Beasts and handed them out as candies. In fact, this action of his was one of the reasons why Uchiha Madara had a very serious argument with him. It would not be until years later that the Ghost of Uchiha would find Kyuubi, control it with his Sharingan, and bring it to the battle against the First Hokage." She glanced around the room. "It was my Grandaunt, Uzumaki Mito, who sealed the Fox within her body in that battle. Perhaps, you don't know this, but it was my clan who helped the First Hokage seal those Tailed Beasts. We are better informed about the true events of that time."
Only she dared to openly say those words about the First Hokage in the Council Hall, and that too to the face of his granddaughter.
The Jonin who had spoken earlier fell into a deep thought.
"What she has said is true."
To the surprise of the less informed, the Hokage nodded her head.
"Even the Second Hokage, my Granduncle, was against the decision of handing out Tailed Beasts. We really should not have done that." She sighed and pinched her brows. "However, it is too late to reclaim them openly without turning the entire world against us. If we are seen amassing the Tailed Beasts, even our allies would not trust us."
At her words, the Clan Heads, including Kushina and the Jonins, nodded, and soon discussions started.
"Forcing the Sand Siblings to aid our Team in Kiri is wise. Gaara is strong, and a Jinchuriki. We can also test Suna's sincerity in this way," Inoichi expressed his opinion.
There were a few who suggested that Konoha should not get involved in the matter, but the heavy majority thought otherwise.
The Hidden Leaf needed Alliances and years of peace to recover their strength and economy.
"Taking Sanbi for ourselves is not a good idea, but keeping it as a security sounds good." The old Kurama spoke after discussing it with his fellow Clan Heads, and the Jonins had reached the same conclusion.
Only Kakashi seemed lost ever since the Three Tails was mentioned, and his close friends knew the reason behind his silence.
Tsunade did not make a decision in front of the council, and after the meeting ended, she asked her Advisors, and Anko, Kakashi, and Enma to follow her to her office.
Her brow twitched a little when she arrived and found her daughter disguising as herself, and her old Teammate, Jiraiya, bickering with her.
Mito panicked and instantly dropped the transformation, and the white-haired Sannin smirked at her.
"My, my, Tsunade, you gave birth to your clone."
The Hokage glared at her child, who lowered her head and immediately walked over to her side.
"Usagi."
As her call, the Anbu appeared.
"Take my daughter to the Hokage Residence."
"Mama..." Mito wanted to stay, but after looking at the anger in her mother's eyes, she lowered her head and silently followed the Anbu out of the office.
Shibi and Hazuki curiously looked at the girl, and they noticed the red streaks and tips of her hair.
"What is it, Jiraiya?" Tsunade asked as soon as she took her seat. "You seem well, but you are not the person who would come to the office at night unless it was something urgent."
"No hello?" The man smiled, leaning against the window and folding his arms on her chest.
"Speak." She told him, and the white-haired Sannin sighed.
Jiraiya looked at the other people in the room, clearly asking her to send them out.
"Hazuki, Shibi, and Shikaku are my new Advisors. Shizune is my Assistant, and Enma is my Head of Security. As for Anko and Kakashi, you don't need to be concerned about them. They will forget what they hear if it isn't something that concerns them."
The old man knew that the two Jonins were once Anbu Captains, and he sighed.
"It's about Akatsuki."
She curiously looked at him, and her old Teammate started explaining everything to her.
When he finished his explanation, everyone, including the Hokage was frowning.
"Akatsuki's goal is to collect all the Tailed Beasts, which is why Itachi and Kisame came looking for Naruto. The Jinchuriki of the Four Tails, Roshi, has been captured by them, and they are going to lay low for the next several months or a year." He stopped and then furrowed his brows. "Also, according to what I have gathered so far, Danzo was indeed in cahoots with Orochimaru, and he planned on becoming the Fifth Hokage. However, his goal failed, and now he is missing. The two have done Akatsuki a favour by weakening us, but then again, our old friend was once a member of that organisation before he betrayed them as well. They too are searching for him now."
Tsunade surprisedly looked at him.
"You don't need to be concerned about Iwa. One of their Jinchurikis has been captured, and they are ashamed to even publicly admit to it. The second has been missing for several years now. They will not go on a full scale war against us, especially if we can keep Kumo at bay..."
Everyone listened to Jiraiya's report and the office stayed silent after he finished speaking.
"Anything else?"
"I am taking Naruto with me for the next two and half years, maybe three. He needs to train to control the power that he holds. With me, he will stay hidden from the eyes of Akatsuki," he said and looked towards Kakashi. "You have no objections, right?"
"No, Jiraiya-sama." The Copy Ninja shook his head and then frowned a little. "Hokage-sama, I recommend Haruno Sakura to go through the Medical-Nin Training. She possesses a high aptitude in Chakra Control, and I am confident she will be able to learn Medical Ninjutsu and master them."
"Agreed," Enma nodded his head. "During my time with her, I have focused on her Chakra Control exercises, and she is indeed quite fit to become a Medical-Nin."
Kakashi gratefully looked at him, but the Hokage stared at the Copy Ninja, narrowing her eyes.
"You intend on focusing on Sasuke's Training only?"
"No, Hokage-sama. Sasuke has expressed his wish to train his Sharingan under Lady Uchiha." He glanced at the Uchiha Matriarch, who nodded her head. "So, I wish to take this time to improve my own strength and help the Village with the special missions."
Tsunade kept tapping her finger on the table, and then looked at Anko.
"How's your training going?"
The Hebi-sensei brightly smiled at her, and the Hokage's eyes widened in surprise.
It was no wonder she felt threatened by this young Jonin. The girl had succeeded in becoming a Sage.
A smirk crossed her lips as she remembered how her dear friend had failed in what his student had now achieved. It was the same for Jiraiya, who had been unable to perfectly master Sage Mode.
"I see."
Everything watched as she leaned back in the seat, and stared at the table, lost in some thought.
"Hazuki-san, your eldest daughter showed skills that far surpassed that of Jonins during the Invasion."
At her words, the Uchiha Matriarch remained expressionless, not showing any emotions on her face.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama. Izumi has been training tirelessly for years."
"Her talent and skills are being wasted in the Police Force." She smiled, and kept looking at the Uchiha. "What's your opinion about allowing her to join the Shinobi Forces?"
"I am not sure if that's what my daughter desires, Hokage-sama."
"I asked for your opinion."
"I have no objections to her joining the Shinobi Forces as long as she is not sent out alone on missions. She is a target of Danzo and Orochimaru."
Her words surprised the people in the Office, and Jiraiya furrowed his brows.
"The Root made moves against her?" Shikaku frowned.
"It was Root who killed my husband and tried to abduct Izumi on the night of the Nine-Tails Attack. Which is why I never sent her to the Academy and have kept her by my side. I am sure you will find the details after interrogating the Root Anbu who are in custody. One of them was there when they attacked us. He's from the Aburame Clan."
At her words, Shibi sadly lowered his head and sighed.
He too had been trying hard for years to save his son from falling in Danzo's hands, and the Root had approached Shino quiet a few times to sway him to their ranks.
The Office was painfully silent for the next several minutes.
"Enma."
"Hokage-sama." The young Uzumaki stepped forward, waiting for her orders.
"You are hereby appointed as the Commander of Elite Guard, who will be called Team Redline, Akaisen. You will recruit nine capable Shinobi under your command, belonging to any rank but Genins, and two of them will be Uchiha Izumi and Hatake Kakashi, who is on a break from his Team Duties until Naruto returns to the Village and Team 7 is formed again." She said as she stood up. "Your Elite Guard will only be answerable to me, and I will personally assign you your missions. You will be like Anbu, but not a secret force."
Tsunande looked at him and smiled.
"Failure will not be an option for you. The day a misison ends in a failure or you lose a member, Akaisen will be disbanded."
"As you command, Hokage-sama." He bowed to her.
"Do you have some potential recruits in your mind?"
Enma thought for a while and nodded his head.
"Hyuga Tokuma, Uzuki Yugao, Inuzuka Hana. I am familiar with them and they are capable Shinobi. As for the other four, I will decide on them in a few days after going through the Root Anbu."
Hazuki frowned at his words.
"You intend to recruit people from Root?" She asked.
Enma stayed silent for a few seconds and then nodded his head.
"If their loyalties lie with the Village, we cannot just kill them. They are, after all, an asset of Konoha. Alienating them and treating them as pariah would lead to the manifestation of hidden dangers." He meaningfully said and then assuredly smiled at her. "I will keep Izumi safe, and I am not going to recruit anyone who will harm the team."
The Uchiha Matriarch nodded her head lowered it.
"Very well." Tsunade gave her approval. "You don't need to rush to find the remaining members. Take your time." She said and then smiled. "Your first Mission will be in Kiri. I will discuss the terms with Terumi Mei and let you know when you have to leave."
"Yes!" Enma and Kakashi acknowledged her command.
"Inform Uchiha Izumi that she has been promoted to the Rank of Tokubetsu Jonin."
"Yes, Hokage-sama..."