"No objections." Danzo's face was gloomy, but he still nodded.
He had somewhat expected this, but was still surprised by Hiruzen Sarutobi's decisiveness.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had not been so decisive before.
It seems the disappearance of a clan has put a lot of psychological pressure on the usually steady Hiruzen.
He was afraid of causing any huge impact on Konoha.
This time he was here to take the blame, and coupled with Hiruzen Sarutobi's usual tolerance towards him, he would be dealt with this time.
The other two Advisors also nodded, thinking this was a good way to handle it.
Danzo was indeed too extreme normally and needed to calm down.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had shifted the blame to Danzo and kicked Danzo out of the centre of power, which satisfied everyone below.
However, the issues that needed to be resolved still had to be resolved.
"So, next is Konoha's security issue.
Due to the Uchiha incident this time, it was clear that the Village's Perception Team's defence was insufficient.
What are your thoughts?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi said to all the high-ranking officials present.
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone discussed for a while, and finally, Nara Shikaku suggested strengthening the Perception Team's protective power and adjusting the Perception Barrier to prevent rogue Ninjas like the renegade Uchiha Itachi and Orochimaru from leaking intelligence.
Everyone agreed to this.
This incident made everyone realise Konoha's defence was hollow; even though the expenditure would be greater and the pressure on Konoha higher, the sense of security would be stronger.
"Then the second matter, designate Itachi as an S-rank rogue Ninja, and notify other Villages simultaneously."
This order was to prevent other Villages from using Uchiha Itachi as a pretext to launch a war against Konoha.
An S-rank rogue Ninja can still have a significant impact on the Ninja World.
If there was no prior announcement, it could very likely become the fuse for war later on.
Everyone had no objections to this.
For someone who murdered his parents and wiped out his clan, if the highest rank wasn't S-rank, Itachi would have to be one level higher.
Because of this kind of situation, even among the Ninit ja, it is considered extremely heinous.
The essence of a Ninja is to have blood on their hands and disregard human emotions.
But that is only the war's definition of a Ninja; no one can abandon emotions, and Ninjas are no different.
"Inoichi, how are the Village residents reacting?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked.
Although he had issued a gag order among the Ninja regarding the Uchiha's extermination, the disappearance of a major clan still made some sensitive people notice clues.
Inoichi Yamanaka reported, "Although everyone hasn't explicitly stated it, according to investigations, everyone who knows about it expresses panic about the matter. A small number of merchants have even withdrawn from Konoha's market, which will cause some negative impacts on Konoha's trade."
"Hokage-sama, this situation is very similar to what happened with my father back then.
It's all about the residents' unease due to not knowing the truth, and something is needed to divert their attention." Kakashi suddenly spoke up and made a suggestion.
Having suffered greatly from it himself, he knew the power of such rumours; this time, it wasn't targeting one person, but the entire Konoha.
If the entire Konoha couldn't protect everyone's safety, then both residents and merchants would go to other, safer places to develop.
And those who had settled down would also experience great inner unease due to this situation.
Even Konoha would find it difficult to bear such an impact.
"You're right, something is indeed needed to divert their attention." Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded.
"So, does anyone have any good suggestions?"
While they were discussing, Satoru had quietly shrunk back.
It was enough to express his thoughts.
He couldn't always be silent.
He was also very skilful in his speech, only saying what everyone wanted to hear, without offering any absurd suggestions.
Putting everything else aside, yelling at Konoha's Four Old Geezers felt really good.
Just then, Kakashi spoke again.
"Hokage-sama, we need a hero, just like the Sannin and the Fourth Generation once were."
During the war back then, the Sannin's fame and the Fourth Generation's succession greatly stabilised Konoha's popular support.
"But who will be the hero?"
A voice silenced everyone present.
The Sannin and Minato Namikaze were all-powerful Ninja who had excelled on the battlefield, and their contributions to Konoha were well-known, making them suitable candidates for heroes.
Of course, now was not about choosing the Fifth Generation to attract attention; it was just about needing a Ninja like the Sannin or White Fang, someone people could admire.
Satoru was also curious; he hadn't seen how Konoha dealt with such issues in the anime.
All he saw was the first point: Itachi being designated an S-rank wanted criminal.
So he didn't know that Konoha still used such an old-fashioned but effective method to solve problems.
In his opinion, this method was very good.
To resolve the impact of one event, there must be another, more explosive piece of news.
This was a good method in his previous life, and in any intelligent world, he believed.
The Ninja World was no exception.
However, he was more curious if Kakashi, in suggesting this, wanted to be a hero himself, just like his father, White Fang.
Anyway, it couldn't be the Ino–Shika–Chō; it wasn't that they lacked achievements and prestige, but that it wasn't suitable.
They also didn't want to hog the limelight.
The so-called century-old dynasty and millennium-old noble families also had similar views in the Ninja World.
Unless necessary, such situations would not occur.
"Hero, Yosh! Then it's time for my Mighty Green Beast of Konoha to make an appearance.
I will definitely be a good hero; I'll do it."
Might Guy immediately gave a thumbs-up upon hearing this, showing his shining white teeth to the high-ranking officials in the meeting.
He firmly believed that his title of Mighty Green Beast could suppress the rumours.
The sense of mission to save Konoha arose in Might Guy's heart, with a firm conviction that it was his inescapable duty.
Looking at his green jumpsuit, and that pose and attire, everyone present felt the tense atmosphere had dissipated.
Satoru laughed: "Might Guy, just forget it. I'm afraid the whole Konoha will be led astray by you, and everyone will put on your jumpsuit."
Just imagining the entire Konoha wearing jumpsuits sent shivers down his spine.
Although he usually used Transformation Jutsu to transform into the mysterious red, he didn't actually like it.
It just gave him a sense of pressure release.
"Damn it, Satoru, are you trying to compete with me for the hero's position?
Since that's the case, I'll be generous this once and allow you to be the hero." Since it was this guy, Satoru, his Mighty Green Beast of Konoha would yield this once, and then he gave Satoru a thumbs-up.
Losing to Satoru again was a bit disheartening, but he acknowledged that Satoru could bear the title of hero.
Swish, swish, swish!
Everyone, including Konoha's Four Old Geezers, turned their gaze to Satoru.
"I think Satoru is good; his contributions to Konoha are also significant," Kakashi suggested.
The others fell into thought.
Satoru, from every perspective, had made enormous contributions to Konoha; with a bit of publicity, he could also be a hero.
Moreover, he was already the Analysis Team leader and had no clan power, so he wouldn't compete with them for power.
Even the Third and Fourth Generations had evaluated him as a man who inherited the Will of Fire.
Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other top leaders highly approved of Kakashi's statement.
Satoru indeed had no weaknesses.
Whether it was his strength, achievements, or personality, all were excellent.
Even Danzo, who had been dismissed from his duties, approved of Satoru recommended by Kakashi.
Because Satoru, in his heart, was not a threat to Konoha.
From the moment he recognised Satoru's abilities, he had already investigated Satoru's entire past.
From childhood to adulthood, there was no possibility of him being anti-Konoha.
Moreover, he now had elders above him and children below him, and his family was very warm, making him the least threatening person to Konoha.