Takeshi was arranged to sit in a front-row seat, where the same three—Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi, and Choza—were already seated.
The three, already aware of the inside story of this meeting, welcomed Takeshi with friendly attitudes and let him sit down.
As Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzō, Koharu, Homura, along with the Hyūga ninja and Uchiha Fugaku, took their seats in the upper position, the meeting formally began under the chairmanship of Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Right at the start, they announced the news of Sakumo's serious injury. Before the others could even react, they immediately nominated Shimura Takeshi to serve as Acting Hokage, with the advisory council assisting him in governing Konoha.
Upon hearing this, the clan heads were both surprised and relieved.
When they first heard the news of Sakumo's grave injury, they had thought Sarutobi Hiruzen would once again return to power.
It wasn't that they rejected his rule, but rather that they feared the man standing behind him.
During both the Third and Fourth Hokage eras, the clans had stayed closely united around the Hokage.
But the reasons differed: in the former case, they were forced by Danzō's pressure; in the latter, Sakumo genuinely brought them benefits.
Since the time of the First Hokage, every Hokage had been determined to diminish the influence of the clans and integrate the village into a unified whole.
And it wasn't just Konoha—other hidden villages, except Sunagakure, had also been attempting this.
Among them, Iwagakure achieved the best integration, followed by Kumogakure. As for Kirigakure…
Their clans seemed to have become a bit too urbanized.
Only in Konoha did the great clans still hold their own territories, with internal promotion slots reserved within their families. This meant that every time the village mobilized troops, they had to negotiate with the clan heads.
In the Third Hokage's time, the only reason Hiruzen was able to mobilize them was thanks to Danzō.
With such a terrifying figure constantly breathing down their necks, the clans had no choice but to lean toward Hiruzen, even if they knew that everything Danzō did was ultimately allowed by him.
Sakumo, however, was different.
Once he became Hokage, he consistently exchanged benefits for the clans' authority. His methods were mild—no inexplicable disappearances of clansmen—so the clans sincerely rallied around him.
After a while, the murmurs in the hall subsided into silence.
No one voiced opposition.
"Good. Since that's the case, Koharu, you'll arrange personnel to issue the announcement and report to the Daimyō's office."
Seeing the matter settled, Uchiha Fugaku finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The jōnin departed to handle their tasks, while Takeshi, together with several advisors, went to the Hokage building.
Sitting in the chair that symbolized the Hokage's authority, Takeshi glanced at the freshly cleaned desk, and instinctively reached out to stroke it.
Still, he didn't forget the main issue.
"Let's exchange information now. During this mission, I encountered..."
He recounted the details of his battle with Zetsu to the others present. Nara Shikaku was the first to give his opinion:
"In that case, it does seem that Sasori of the Red Sand was colluding with an unknown Uchiha. The enemy's ability to move through the earth also explains why they could so easily penetrate our intelligence network."
"Exactly. And it seems that during Kushina's childbirth, those strange white creatures were involved as well," Hiruzen agreed, then mentioned the handling of the White Zetsu corpse and Black & White Zetsu:
"I've already sent the remains that Takeshi brought to the Research Division. Hopefully Orochimaru can discover something."
"But one point must be addressed—although we now have an explanation for the intelligence leaks, the Barrier Team's lack of reaction during the invasion is still unacceptable."
Shifting his tone, Hiruzen suddenly brought up the issue of the barrier.
"Indeed. And regarding the leaks, the Police Force cannot escape responsibility either. Isn't that right, Captain Fugaku?"
Takeshi, unwilling to let the matter of leaks be brushed aside so quickly, suddenly interrupted Hiruzen's words and aimed his point at Fugaku.
"Uh? Y-yes, that's correct. The Police Force was indeed negligent."
Caught off guard by Takeshi's sudden accusation, Fugaku was momentarily flustered but quickly composed himself, bowing his head sincerely.
Still, the blame could not be entirely on him. After all, the Police Force had never handled intelligence work before. Sakumo had only assigned it to them in order to eliminate Root's influence.
"I believe the village needs a department dedicated specifically to counterintelligence. Currently, while the ANBU are nominally a special assassination and tactical unit, they also manage multiple sub-divisions such as Intelligence and Interrogation. It's clearly redundant."
Takeshi continued to outline his vision.
"I propose forming an entirely new department to take over these tangled responsibilities—dedicated to internal discipline and foreign intelligence gathering."
Danzō's brow twitched, and his eyes shot open, fixing intently on Takeshi.
Hiruzen, frowning as well, noticed Danzō's sudden excitement and instinctively assumed this was his doing.
His greatest fear was that Takeshi would be coaxed into rebuilding Root. But from what Takeshi had just described, this new organization seemed somewhat different from Root.
"I intend to name this department: 'Konoha Internal Affairs Investigation & Armed Security Department,' abbreviated as the Internal Affairs Department."
At that, Fugaku finally relaxed.
He had thought Takeshi's targeting of him earlier was at Danzō's bidding, but it turned out Takeshi had merely used him as a stepping stone to launch his proposal for a new department.
Very well. Agree to it. After all, his own son was already under Takeshi's wing—his clan was bound to the Shimura anyway, stabilizing Takeshi's position as Hokage.
...
Takeshi's proposal, after fierce debates led by Danzō, was eventually approved.
For the first Minister of the Internal Affairs Department, Takeshi appointed Aburame Tatsuma. Meanwhile, Danzō and Hiruzen remained locked in their endless rivalry within the ANBU Training Division.
The reason Takeshi founded this department was simple: as Acting Hokage, he was limited to commanding only the ANBU loyal to the Third and Fourth Hokages. By creating a new organization, he could wield power uniquely his own.
He had already even chosen his first "unlucky target."
The Hyūga ninja, who had been silent the entire meeting, suddenly felt a chill—as if someone's eyes were locked on him.
Looking up toward Takeshi, Hiashi saw the man staring straight at him, and instantly realized the source of that feeling.
He had been marked.
When all the outstanding issues had been settled, only Takeshi, Hiruzen, and Danzō remained in the office.
"For the initial members of the Internal Affairs Department, I plan to use some of Root's former operatives. Advisor Danzō, I hope the 'Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal' on them can be removed."
Takeshi knew well the importance of proper titles in official matters, so he addressed Danzō as "Advisor."
"I understand, Acting Hokage."
Danzō was elated beyond measure, and didn't care in the slightest about titles.
His own son, truly following in his footsteps—knowing that only by striking the clans with an iron fist could Konoha be protected.
Counterintelligence, counterintelligence… and who is deemed a spy, after all, is simply a matter of perspective.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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