Naruto thought for a moment, and then asked, "Granny Tsunade, do you think there's any need for Danzo and the Konoha Council to continue existing?"
Tsunade was taken aback, then shook her head. "Although the two Advisors, Koharu and Homura, have some political disagreements with me, they only have the right to advise, not execute. The real trouble is Danzo."
"But Danzo has the Root under him, which is a self-contained armed force. Its organization, personnel, and funding are entirely independent, free from the Hokage's direct jurisdiction. This is what successive Hokage have found most intolerable, because it carves a hole in the Hokage's supreme military command."
Tsunade didn't understand why Hiruzen had tolerated Danzo having the Root for so many years.
No matter how many difficulties he had during his lifetime, the result was that the Hokage's power was split into light and dark.
Naruto waited for Tsunade to finish, then said in a flat tone, "Granny Tsunade, why don't we take this opportunity to take over Danzo's Root?"
Tsunade abruptly looked up at Naruto. It took her a moment to realize that he wasn't joking.
She immediately shook her head. "Naruto, don't act recklessly. This is a systemic issue left behind by the previous generation. If we suppress an Elder for no reason, what will the others think?"
Naruto crossed his arms over his chest, his tone steady. "Political maneuvering is indeed something we need to be mindful of. But compared to political maneuvering, I believe that might makes right."
"Granny Tsunade, you need to be a strong Hokage now, not another Third Hokage."
"When the Third Hokage was in power, Danzo was able to survive because the Third Hokage was willing to leave him some leeway."
"But you have no obligation to maintain the Third Hokage's balance. You are the Fifth Hokage; you can have your own rules."
Tsunade fell silent for a moment, then gave a bitter smile. "Naruto, things aren't that simple."
Naruto looked into Tsunade's eyes and said, "Not that simple? To put it bluntly, it's just a lack of strength to flip the table. But now, you have me and Pervy Sage on your side."
"There's no need for me to talk about Pervy Sage's strength, and as for mine, you've already tested it back in Tanzaku Quarters."
"It's true that Danzo has the Root in his hands, but on the day of the Konoha Crush Plan, his Root was hit by a Tailed Beast Ball out of nowhere, suffering over fifty percent casualties."
"Do you think the current Root can stand against a joint effort from me and Pervy Sage?"
Tsunade fell silent.
She recalled the Rasenshuriken that had stopped right in front of her in the riddled alleyway of Tanzaku Quarters.
Thinking of Jiraiya's assessment of Naruto, Tsunade realized that the current Naruto truly had the ability to take Jiraiya and erase Root from Konoha's power structure.
"Fine, I'll let you mess around a bit. What is your plan?" Tsunade leaned back into her chair.
Naruto smiled and lowered his voice to explain his plan.
After listening, Tsunade's pupils constricted slightly, and she nodded after a moment of silence.
She instructed Shizune, "Shizune, go contact the Hyuga Clan Head and confirm this matter."
Shizune nodded and walked out of the Hokage Office.
The moment the door closed, Tsunade let out a long breath she had been holding all day, a relaxed smile appearing on her face.
From being cornered by Danzo this morning until now, she had spent the entire morning suppressing the urge to flip the table, and now she finally felt a sense of solid ground, having regained the initiative.
Naruto looked at Tsunade's expression and said, "Start early, finish early, and go back early to receive dad's inheritance. I still don't even know how much stuff he left for me."
Tsunade rolled her eyes at Naruto and said, "The Jonin have already started arriving one after another."
She took a key out of the drawer and placed it on the desk.
"I originally wanted to give you a surprise, but since that's the case, I'll tell you in advance. Minato's inheritance has long been inventoried, and everything is stored in the house they lived in before they passed away. That house is where your father lived after he got married. The location is quite good, not far from the Hokage Building."
"I just retrieved this key from the archives. The seal on it was applied by Third Hokage himself before he passed away. Now, it's returned to you."
Naruto picked up the key and put it into his ninja tool pouch. "Thanks, Granny Tsunade."
—
Time quickly reached the afternoon.
The Jonin meeting was arranged in a spacious, square-shaped conference room on the top floor of the Hokage Building. The portraits of the past Hokage hung on the four walls, and the conference table was arranged in a large circle.
When Naruto followed Tsunade into the conference room, it was already full of people.
The moment he appeared, he attracted everyone's gaze. These gazes carried curiosity, scrutiny, and assessment, as well as some less-than-friendly stares.
Naruto looked around and saw many familiar faces around the conference table.
Hyuga Hiashi, and Inuzuka Tsume both nodded when they saw Naruto.
Kakashi sat in the Jonin seating area, his eyes crinkling when he saw Naruto walk in with Tsunade.
At the head of the conference table, three chairs were placed on either side of the Hokage's main seat.
Koharu and Homura had already taken their seats, and Danzo sat near Tsunade's right side.
When Naruto walked into the conference room, Danzo's left eye opened slightly into a slit, his gaze pausing on Naruto for a moment before moving away.
Naruto walked to the seat on Tsunade's left and sat down. This seat was specially arranged by Tsunade
A direct-subordinate Jonin should sit beside the Hokage during formal meetings, facing the seats of the Council of Elders.
After sitting down, Naruto nodded slightly toward Kakashi.
Tsunade took her seat at the main position in the center. Koharu and Homura sat to her left, while Danzo sat to her right.
The noisy chatter in the conference room quieted down the moment she took her seat.
"Since everyone is here, let us begin the first formal meeting of my tenure as the Fifth Hokage."