Early in the morning, before the Jonin Council meeting commenced.
Yagami had all four squads of his division mobilized around the Hokage building.
"Today!" Yagami barked. "Within two hundred meters of this meeting hall, if a dog walks by, break its legs; if a bird flies over, muzzle its beak! Not a single unexpected occurrence is allowed to disturb this council meeting! If Lord Hiruzen is interrupted by a bird chirping mid-speech, it is a failure on the part of the Fox Squad!"
This meeting was the first full assembly of the Jonin Council since the end of the Second Shinobi World War. Every Jonin in Konoha who could make it was present. The meeting should have been held at the end of Year 39, but the Hokage building had used the excuse of allowing everyone a peaceful New Year. Now, in February, the meeting could be delayed no longer.
"During the meeting, I will be seated at the very edge of the second row," Yagami instructed. "If anything happens, signal me immediately. Yak Team, take the four corners inside the room. The other three teams will set up a perimeter outside. Purple Cat will stay at the door to relay commands. No mistakes!"
Yagami wasn't the protagonist of this meeting; he was there for the show. This was the beauty of hiding in the shadows—whether the east wind prevailed or the west wind dominated, he was in no danger.
As the Jonin trickled in, Yagami mentally reviewed the intelligence on Hidden Leaf's Jonin Council.
The Landscape of Power:
Hiruzen Sarutobi: The supreme leader.
The High Command: Danzo Shimura, Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane, and Shikaku Nara (serving as Jonin Commander) were not technically in the Jonin sequence; they were consultants or administrators.
Following the war, Konoha had 187 Jonin.
| Faction | Number of Jonin |
| --- | --- |
| The Pro-Hokage Bloc (Total: 66) | |
| - Sarutobi Clan | 21 |
| - Ino-Shika-Cho Trio | 22 |
| - Shimura Clan | 13 |
| - ANBU Jonin | 7 |
| - Children of Homura and Koharu | 3 |
| The Founding/Neutral Clans | |
| - Uchiha Clan | 11 |
| - Senju Clan | 7 |
| - Hyuga Clan | 9 |
| - Inuzuka Clan | 5 |
| - Aburame Clan | 4 |
| The Commoner Jonin | 85 |
Among the 85 commoner Jonin, at least 25 were die-hard loyalists to the Third Hokage, including Orochimaru and Jiraiya. Others like Danzo, Homura, and Koharu had their own followers among the commoner ranks. Much like Yagami had "joined" Yellow Dog's camp to secure his future, every commoner ninja had their own survival wisdom.
The only Jonin who openly and absolutely supported Sakumo Hatake were Kawa-Tora, Yamashiro Tera, and Moonlight So. Kawa-Tora was currently stationed at a fortress and couldn't attend.
Behind these cold numbers, the truth was clear: Leaf belonged to Hiruzen Sarutobi. If there were occasional dissenters, Hiruzen had ways of dealing with them. The ANBU's specialty was leaking intel to enemy villages; once a ninja's location was compromised, the enemy would do the Hokage's dirty work. Many swore fealty to the Third not out of love, but out of fear.
The Hokage controlled the three pillars of a ninja's life:
1. Jutsu Granting: Controlling a ninja's growth by withholding A-rank or S-rank scrolls.
2. Promotion: Controlling the voice of the Jonin Council.
3. Mission Distribution: Holding a ninja's life in his hands.
In such a system, opposing the Hokage was suicidal. The Uchiha had to lower their eyes; the Hyuga had to hand over their heirs if the Hokage demanded it; the Senju had declined to the point of hiding in the hospital. Sakumo Hatake, who could likely kill three of the five high-ranking officials on stage within ten seconds in a duel, still had to walk on eggshells.
Yagami had been excited about the alliance between Tsunade, Sakumo, and the Uchiha last night, but seeing the actual power distribution now, he wondered if Tsunade had been too impulsive.
Out of 187 Jonin, 152 were present. Twenty-four were on distant guard duty, and Jiraiya was still in the Land of Rain.
Yagami sat in the second row near the door, surrounded by the seven ANBU Jonin. Yellow Dog was the only ANBU member seated in the front row. The clan heads sat in the front, followed by Tsunade and Sakumo. Finally, Orochimaru entered, nodding to Tsunade before sitting next to Yellow Dog.
The Hokage and the four consultants entered last. Shikaku Nara stepped to the podium.
"The Second Shinobi World War has ended in a great victory for Hidden Leaf," Shikaku began. "We fought Cloud in Steam, Stone in Grass, Rain in its own land, Sand in Valleys, and Mist in Whirlpools. No village is like ours—surrounded on all sides, yet attacking and winning on all fronts."
"Now, we begin the first Jonin Council meeting with several agenda items. First: The Three-Year Sensei Program. Every Jonin, excluding those in the ANBU, must serve as a sensei for a graduating class at least once in the next three years. We lost many excellent ninja; the quality of our Chunin and Genin has dropped. we must cultivate new talent."
Yagami was relieved he didn't have to babysit kids. But then, a thought struck him, and his eyes lit up.
The most brilliant genius of the next decade was undoubtedly Minato Namikaze. Minato would graduate next year. That kind of talent was so immense that even a dog tied to a leash could "teach" him into becoming an elite Jonin or even Kage-level.
'What if... I find a way to make Minato Namikaze the student of Sakumo Hatake?'
If that happened, the Hokage's faction would lose one of its most powerful future assets. This had to be put on the agenda. He would summon Pakkun tonight to warn Sakumo. No, not warn—it was a necessity.