Chapter 11: Chapter 11: Echoes of a Hidden Enemy
The elders of the council sought Hiruzen once again, looking for clarifications. Hiruzen responded calmly, "Everything will be clarified soon. I ask that you have a little more patience."
Homura Mitokado, impatient, expressed his frustration: "How can we remain calm? Danzo has been murdered, and we are completely in the dark about how this unfolded!"
Koharu Utatane agreed, "It's true. We urgently need clarification."
"Oh?" Hiruzen's response, previously calm, became sharp. "I have already asked you to wait. Do not insist on me repeating myself."
It seemed they had forgotten: the Hiruzen before them had changed significantly after the Kyuubi attack and becoming the current Jinchuuriki...
Feeling the pressure imposed by Hiruzen, they realized their own fragility. Even though they were once remarkable ninjas, currently, they did not possess the resilience of even an Elite Jounin to face the intensity emitted by Hiruzen.
As soon as Hiruzen dissipated his dominating aura, Homura and Koharu stumbled, falling awkwardly. The humiliation made them quickly get up, confronting him: "Hiruzen, this is no way to treat us!" However, after the reprimand, they promptly withdrew, leaving hastily without daring to look back.
"Tsk, they have become two scaredy-cats who, ironically, like to bark," Hiruzen scoffed. There was no need to take these two too seriously.
With a subtle gesture, he summoned a gust of wind to close the door neglected by the elders.
To think that one day he and these two were on the same team...
Dispelling such trivial reflections from his mind, his attention turned to more urgent matters.
So far, everything had proceeded as planned; although there were some deviations along the way, the process was relatively smooth. This smoothness is due to the fact that he had anticipated and prepared everything in advance. However, the world is a sea of uncertainties, and at any moment, unexpected events may arise, potentially altering the course of meticulously established plans.
This reminded him of a saying he always heard from the same host of his previous life: "Plan for failure before even planning for success, always have a withdrawal plan."
Ironically, that same person, despite their caution, fell victim to an unexpected event; their daughter...
Despite the inevitability of unforeseen circumstances, one cannot deny that that person avoided numerous pitfalls precisely by anticipating failure before even envisioning success.
Returning to the reflection on the next steps to be taken; the initial step is to gradually expose the world to the presence of an emerging threat, with special emphasis on the Leaf Village. With the return of Orochimaru and Fugaku, this phase will begin.
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By the end of the afternoon, Orochimaru and Fugaku arrived at the village.
With torn clothes and signs of battle, they were immediately led to the room for an emergency meeting.
"Hiruzen, what is the reason for this emergency call?" Homura Mitokado asked sharply, still resentful of the events from hours earlier.
Ignoring the casual tone with which Homura addressed him, Hiruzen replied, "Didn't you want to know the reason for Danzo's death?"
"Of course we did!" Homura exclaimed.
"Then," Hiruzen turned to Orochimaru and Fugaku, "show them and explain everything you discovered."
Orochimaru and Fugaku then took the floor to clarify to those present.
Summarizing the discussion, it was revealed that for years, 'Hiruzen' harbored suspicions about someone with a grand plan capable of affecting the entire ninja world. This person was responsible for manipulating an Uchiha during the most vulnerable moment of Kushina, the former Jinchuuriki, specifically during the birth of her son with Minato, the Fourth Hokage.
The revelation did not stop there; this 'person' also possessed an army of artificial beings, with a specimen captured during the fight against these creatures being presented at the meeting.
"How many artificial beings are we talking about?" Koharu Utatane asked, pale.
"There are hundreds of thousands, possibly millions," Hiruzen answered with weighted gravity. "The exact number is still uncertain, but it's definitely not small."
"My God..." several sighs echoed in the room, heavy with the weight of the revelation.
The magnitude of the information was overwhelming: a hidden enemy, manipulating events from the shadows for an indefinite time, commanding an army of artificial beings devoid of fear of death. The extent of the power of these beings remained a mystery, but the gravity of the situation was clear, especially considering the casualties among the ninjas who accompanied Orochimaru and Fugaku, and even Danzo did not return alive...
Fear even permeated the leaders of the most prominent clans in the village.
"Ok. For now, don't think too much about it," Hiruzen interrupted the silence, imposing his deep and authoritative voice. "We now know that this being's goal is to capture the tailed beasts for a purpose still unknown. However, as long as the tailed beasts are under the protection of the villages, we can affirm that this being's grand plan has not yet been fully put into action. With this information, we can develop countermeasures. Although the other villages may initially ignore us, I do not believe they will remain indifferent for long. What we need to do now is take care of our own and prepare ourselves."
"Yes!" everyone responded in unison, an echo of determination amidst uncertainty.
'For now, this is sufficient. Revealing too much could lead to undesirable outcomes,' Hiruzen pondered internally.
"Another thing," said Hiruzen. "With Danzo dead, someone needs to take over his position, and I want to appoint Fugaku to take his place as the head of Root. Those in favor, raise your hand."
Immediately, the room filled with murmurs, but quickly more than half of those present raised their hands.
Among them, the same two elders who had pressured him earlier also raised their hands. They had their own reasons for supporting Hiruzen's choice, quite clear for that matter: they preferred to see a powerful clan, albeit one they distrusted, taking the frontline against the threat discussed in the meeting. Deep down, they hoped that Fugaku would incorporate several members of the Uchiha into Root and, when the war started, that they would take on the most hazardous roles in the name of the 'village'.
"Then it's decided," Hiruzen stated firmly.
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