A little after two in the afternoon, inside the Great Conference Room of the Hokage Tower.
One after another, shinobi from Konohagakure arrived according to the Hokage's summons to attend the Jōnin Council meeting.
Before long, the conference hall—capable of seating three hundred people—was sparsely filled with a little over a hundred attendees.
The so-called Jōnin Council did not mean summoning every jōnin in the village.
Rather, it gathered the jōnin with real authority, tokubetsu jōnin (special jōnin) from important departments, and the heads of Konoha's major clans.
These individuals formed the core decision-making leadership of Konoha.
As for independent jōnin without official posts, the Jōnin Commander would select a few particularly capable ones to participate.
However, because the war had only recently ended and many shinobi were still stationed on the frontlines, the conference room was far from full.
Uchiha Arrival
Close to three o'clock, Uchiha Ren entered the hall together with Uchiha Fugaku.
The previously bustling conference room instantly fell silent.
Many shinobi turned their gazes toward the two men, their expressions complicated.
Recently, the Uchiha incident had caused enormous waves throughout the village. Everyone present knew at least fragments of the inside story.
Their looks toward the Uchiha contained mixed emotions—
Displeasure.
Indifference.
Regret.
Sympathy.
Curiosity.
Among these, most of the curiosity was directed toward Uchiha Ren , who walked behind Fugaku.
As the Head of the Uchiha Clan and Chief of the Konoha Military Police Force, Fugaku naturally possessed the authority to attend the Jōnin Council.
In the past, Fugaku would attend in his capacity as Police Force Chief, while the Second Elder, Uchiha Ya, accompanied him as the clan's representative.
This time, however, Uchiha Ren replaced Uchiha Ya.
It was effectively Ren 's first official appearance before Konoha's true power holders, after establishing a formidable reputation on the battlefield.
Ignoring the unusual gazes around them, Ren and Fugaku calmly walked to the first two seats on the right side of the hall and sat down.
Seating Structure
At the center of the conference hall were four seats reserved for:
Third Hokage Hiruzen SarutobiThe three Konoha elders / Hokage advisors
The seating on both sides was divided as follows:
Left Side:
Senior shinobi from Konoha's various departments.
Right Side:
Representatives and heads of the village's major clans.
Although the Uchiha were not particularly popular within the village, their position as Konoha's foremost clan was undeniable.
Naturally, they occupied the first seat among the clans.
Conversation with the Hyūga
After sitting down, Ren smiled and greeted the man beside him.
"Long time no see, Clan Head Hiashi. Has Hizashi not returned from the frontlines yet?"
Under normal circumstances, Hyūga Hizashi, leader of the Hyūga Branch Family and head of Konoha's Reconnaissance Division, would also be eligible to attend the council.
The fact that Hyūga Hiashi appeared alone clearly meant that Hizashi was still stationed at the front.
Having fought together on the Kirigakure battlefield, Ren maintained a fairly good relationship with both Hizashi and Hiashi.
"According to the withdrawal schedule, Hizashi's unit should return the day after tomorrow."
Hiashi spoke concisely, showing no intention of engaging in deeper conversation.
Ren understood perfectly.
He simply smiled and said nothing further.
Although their personal relationship was decent, Hiashi currently represented the entire Hyūga Clan.
If he appeared too close to the Uchiha in a setting like this, it could easily be interpreted as a political signal.
The conservative Hiashi would never allow such misunderstandings.
The Hokage Arrives
Soon, as the clock approached three, nearly everyone who was supposed to attend had arrived.
At that moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi, accompanied by the three Hokage advisors and Minato Namikaze, appeared at the entrance.
The group commonly referred to as "Konoha's Four Elders" took their seats at the central table.
However—
Under Hiruzen's gesture, Minato Namikaze sat in the first seat on the left side.
This caused visible surprise among many attendees.
That seat originally belonged to the Jōnin Commander, Nara Shikaku.
Although Shikaku was still commanding forces on the Amegakure front, Hiruzen allowing Minato to occupy that seat was clearly sending a political signal.
Hiruzen slowly scanned the room.
His gaze paused briefly on Uchiha Ren , revealing a hint of surprise.
But he said nothing.
Instead, he looked at the second seat on the left, which remained empty.
"Orochimaru? Why hasn't he arrived yet?"
Sarutobi Shinnosuke, seated in the third position on the left as ANBU Commander, quickly stood and bowed respectfully.
"Lord Hokage, Lord Orochimaru reported that he is feeling unwell and will not attend today's meeting."
"Unwell? Hmph."
Hiruzen's expression darkened.
The excuse was far too clumsy.
Nevertheless, Orochimaru was still his disciple, so Hiruzen refrained from making a scene.
He decided to deal with the matter later.
The Announcement
"Very well. Everyone who needs to be here is present."
"Let us begin the meeting."
Hiruzen inhaled deeply and steadied himself before addressing the assembled shinobi.
"I have summoned everyone here today to announce an important matter."
The entire room fell silent.
Although many had heard rumors beforehand, nothing would be certain until the words were spoken by the Hokage himself.
Hiruzen's feelings were complicated.
Even though he had long made his decision, the moment of speaking it aloud still stirred emotions.
He slowly exhaled and began.
"Several years ago, we signed a ceasefire agreement with Sunagakure."
"Ten days ago, we concluded another ceasefire with Kumogakure."
"And yesterday, we finalized a ceasefire agreement with Iwagakure."
"As for Kirigakure, although they have adopted an isolationist policy and refused diplomatic negotiations in recent years, they have nevertheless been driven completely out of the Land of Fire by our forces."
"In other words…"
"This war has finally come to an end."
After a brief pause, a trace of exhaustion flashed across Hiruzen's eyes.
His voice carried a hint of loneliness.
"Since assuming office, I have served as Hokage for nearly twenty years."
"When I first took this position, I was full of ambition and vitality."
"Now, however, age has caught up with me."
"I have devoted most of my life to this village."
"But human strength has limits."
"In recent years, I have often felt overwhelmed while managing village affairs."
"And I have made more than a few mistakes in my decisions."
"Therefore…"
"Now that the situation has stabilized—"
"I, Hiruzen Sarutobi, hereby announce that effective immediately, I will resign from the position of Hokage."
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