As the attendees gradually took their seats, the empty Uchiha section became impossible to ignore.
In an instant, every eye in the room shifted toward Danzō, who had just entered.
Everyone was curious.
How would this young man—personally chosen by Tobirama Senju as the next Hokage—react to such an obvious slight?
Danzō took in the entire scene at a glance.
Yet his expression remained utterly calm.
His deep eyes showed no trace of anger or surprise.
The composure he displayed was far beyond what one would expect from a man in his twenties.
He walked steadily toward the head seat.
Unhurried.
Unfazed.
Only after taking his place did he turn his gaze toward the lone representative seated in the Uchiha section.
Kagami Uchiha.
His voice was calm and flat.
“What happened?”
Under the scrutiny of the entire room, Kagami’s expression stiffened.
The usually composed Uchiha looked visibly uncomfortable.
Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to answer.
“It’s Elder Setsuna…”
“Earlier today, he called for a clan assembly.”
“He ordered all clan members to attend.”
“So…”
He hesitated.
His voice grew softer and softer.
“…they were unable to attend this Jōnin Council.”
By the end, his words were barely audible.
Even so, everyone understood the meaning.
To summarize it in a single sentence:
The Uchiha Clan had no intention of giving Konoha’s new Hokage any face.
The atmosphere inside the council chamber instantly became tense.
Several clan leaders exchanged glances.
Some frowned.
Others smirked secretly.
A few simply watched in silence.
Everyone knew what this meant.
Tobirama Senju had only just disappeared.
The position of Third Hokage had not yet been formally secured.
And already the Uchiha were testing the limits of the new leadership.
To put it nicely, it was a demonstration of independence.
To put it bluntly—
It was a challenge.
Kagami lowered his head slightly.
Even he felt ashamed of the situation.
As an Uchiha, he understood the clan’s frustrations.
As a disciple of Tobirama and a shinobi of Konoha, he understood how inappropriate their actions were.
No matter how one looked at it, this was a deliberate insult.
The room fell silent.
Everyone waited for Danzō’s response.
Would he fly into a rage?
Would he issue a direct reprimand?
Or would he choose to compromise and avoid conflict?
Under countless watchful eyes, Danzō remained seated.
His fingers tapped lightly against the armrest.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Then—
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Not anger.
Not embarrassment.
A smile.
The reaction caught many people off guard.
Even Kagami looked up in surprise.
Danzō’s gaze swept across the room before settling on the empty Uchiha seats.
His voice was calm.
Almost indifferent.
“I see.”
“Then let’s begin the meeting.”
The answer stunned everyone.
That was it?
No reprimand.
No accusations.
No outburst.
Nothing.
The clan leaders exchanged bewildered looks.
Even Hiruzen raised an eyebrow.
He had expected Danzō to react far more strongly.
Only Danzō himself remained composed.
In truth, he wasn’t surprised in the slightest.
The Uchiha refusing to attend was actually good news.
Because it revealed something important.
The clan’s radicals were already making their move.
And when enemies reveal themselves…
They’re far easier to deal with.
A cold light flashed briefly through Danzō’s eyes.
Setsuna Uchiha…
To put it bluntly, the Uchiha Clan simply did not recognize the authority of this new Hokage.
This was an open and deliberate act of defiance.
A public protest.
For a moment, amused expressions flickered across the faces of the veteran shinobi gathered in the chamber.
Most of them were survivors of the Warring States Era—powerful figures who held real influence within their respective clans.
Being suppressed by the Senju brothers was one thing.
But now?
The title of Hokage had suddenly fallen into the hands of a twenty-something youngster.
Who could truly accept that without reservations?
Had Tobirama Senju’s fate not remained uncertain…
Had Mito Uzumaki not still been sitting atop Konoha’s power structure…
At least half the people present would probably have skipped today’s Jōnin Council altogether.
Of course…
While they didn’t dare openly oppose Tobirama’s final orders, they certainly weren’t afraid of watching the show.
In fact, they were eager for it.
With the Uchiha foolishly stepping forward as the perfect test subject, everyone was more than happy to see how capable this young Hokage really was.
Thus, the entire chamber fell into a tacit silence.
No one spoke.
No one intervened.
Only Senju Bu could no longer contain himself.
As one of the Senju Clan’s founding elders—and a trusted confidant of both Hashirama and Tobirama—his resentment toward the Uchiha ran deep.
Had Uchiha Madara not betrayed the village all those years ago, Lord Hashirama would never have suffered the injuries that led to his premature death.
And now, with Tobirama barely missing for a few days, they were already stirring up trouble again.
Truly a clan born evil!
The thought flashed through his mind.
With a thunderous slam of his palm against the table, Senju Bu shot to his feet and pointed directly at Kagami.
“Outrageous!”
“This is a Jōnin Council!”
“Where exactly have the Uchiha placed the authority of the Third Hokage?!”
The room stirred.
Many eyes widened slightly.
The Third Hokage.
Those words carried an entirely different weight when spoken by Senju Bu.
Everyone understood his standing within the Senju Clan.
He was Tobirama’s most trusted subordinate.
If he openly acknowledged Danzō as the Third Hokage, then in many ways he represented the position of the entire Senju Clan.
And if one took that logic a step further…
Did it mean that Mito Uzumaki herself had already recognized Danzō’s legitimacy?
If that were true, then Danzō’s political standing had just become vastly different.
Yet no one spoke.
Everyone continued watching.
Waiting.
Facing Senju Bu’s accusation, Kagami found himself speechless.
His mouth opened.
Then closed again.
No explanation seemed adequate.
As Tobirama’s disciple and Danzō’s teammate, he desperately wanted to stand up and support him.
After all, Kagami was also a believer in the Will of Fire.
He hated seeing the divide between the Uchiha and Konoha grow wider with each passing day.
If Danzō successfully became Hokage, perhaps Kagami could act as a bridge between both sides and help ease tensions.
Unfortunately…
The rest of the clan didn’t share his ideals.
Especially Setsuna Uchiha.
Under the hawkish elder’s influence, dissatisfaction toward Tobirama’s decision had reached a boiling point.
In their eyes, Konoha had been founded jointly by the Senju and the Uchiha.
The First Hokage was a Senju.
The Second Hokage was also a Senju.
Then surely the Third Hokage should belong to the Uchiha.
Among Tobirama’s disciples, Kagami possessed both the talent and the pedigree to qualify.
To many Uchiha, he was the ideal candidate.
Yet Tobirama had bypassed him entirely and handed the position to Danzō.
The clan simply couldn’t accept it.
At the same time, they lacked the courage to openly rebel against Konoha.
After much discussion, they settled on the next best thing:
Boycotting the Jōnin Council.
A symbolic protest.
To that, Danzō had only one thought:
As expected of the Uchiha.
Their combat talents were extraordinary.
Their political instincts, however, were an entirely different matter.
Before Kagami could attempt an explanation, Danzō raised a hand to stop him.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
“It’s fine.”
“I understand.”
“Elder Setsuna cares deeply about the Uchiha Clan.
If he believes clan affairs are more important than village affairs, that’s understandable.”
He tapped the table lightly.
Then looked directly at Kagami.
His tone cooled noticeably.
“In that case, inform Elder Setsuna of something for me.”
“If clan affairs require so much of his attention…”
“Then he should devote himself to them fully.”
“As for future high-level council meetings, there will be no need for him to attend.”
“…Huh?”
Kagami’s eyes widened.
Danzō had just revoked Setsuna’s council privileges?
Just like that?
“Then what about the Uchiha Clan—”
Before he could finish, Danzō waved him off.
“From now on, you will serve as the Uchiha representative.”
“Me?”
Kagami pointed at himself in disbelief.
But under the watchful eyes of the entire chamber, refusing would only undermine the Hokage’s authority.
After a brief hesitation, he lowered his head.
“Yes, Lord Hokage.”
Danzō nodded.
“Good.”
“I’ll be counting on you.”
“As for Elder Setsuna…”
“I’ll find time to have a proper conversation with him.”
Several clan leaders exchanged glances.
Danzō’s composure had exceeded all expectations.
They had assumed the young Hokage would lose his temper.
Instead, he had calmly labeled the issue, split the opposition, isolated the troublemaker, and elevated a more cooperative representative.
The entire maneuver had been executed with surprising finesse.
The kid has some skill after all.
Still…
Politics in the ninja world ultimately rested upon strength.
Without power equal to the title of Hokage, all political schemes would eventually become a joke.
Danzō understood that better than anyone.
But he wasn’t in a hurry.
Setting aside the Uchiha matter, he slowly swept his gaze across the chamber.
His voice grew solemn.
“I’m sure all of you are already aware.”
“During the peace summit with the Raikage, my teacher, Lord Tobirama, was ambushed by the Kinkaku Force.”
“To protect us.”
“To uphold the Will of Fire.”
“He chose to remain behind alone and draw the enemy away.”
“And before departing, he entrusted the position of Third Hokage to me.”
At this point, Danzō slammed his hand onto the table.
The sharp crack echoed throughout the chamber.
His expression darkened.
His voice became heavy with fury.
“The reason I’ve gathered everyone here today…”
“…is to discuss our next military operation.”
The room instantly fell silent.
Every pair of eyes locked onto him.
Because the implication behind those words was impossible to misunderstand.
Danzō wasn’t planning to sit in Konoha and wait.
He intended to act.
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