"Yo, Arisu, you got called here for the meeting too?", Sakumo Hatake asked with a smile.
Arisu nodded, "Yeah."
On the surface, Arisu remained calm, but he already knew what had happened on the Hokage's side.
White Zetsu had already told him everything.
Danzo had launched a coup, and Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't even be bothered to resist, so he stepped down.
It was still because of him that the plot had deviated so much.
The current Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo had completely drifted away from their original versions.
That was why, after Danzo's coup, Hiruzen had simply handed over the Hokage position instead of resisting.
Arisu couldn't be bothered to interfere.
He also wanted to see a more diverse version of Naruto.
As long as it didn't cause major turmoil,
he didn't want to step in and would rather continue staying in Konoha and experiencing life.
As soon as he entered, everyone noticed that the familiar Hiruzen Sarutobi was nowhere to be seen.
The guards standing on both sides of the entrance were no longer the familiar ANBU ninjas, but Root members all wearing tanuki masks.
Everyone took their seats and waited for a while.
Creak!
The heavy wooden door was pushed open.
Leaning on a cane, Danzo walked in step by step.
He wore a brand-new black kimono and entered with a faint smile on his face.
Orochimaru followed half a step behind him, still dressed in his usual green robe.
The two walked straight to the front of the long table, to the seat that had originally belonged to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Danzo did not sit down.
Instead, he slowly took out a white-and-red scroll from his robe, unfolded it, and held it high.
"Everyone."
"This is the official appointment from the Daimyo's office. Effective immediately, Hiruzen Sarutobi has resigned from the position of Fifth Hokage due to health reasons. I, Shimura Danzo, will succeed him as the Sixth Hokage and take charge of Konoha."
As his words fell, the meeting room became deathly silent.
No one spoke.
No one applauded.
There was only shock.
Sakumo Hatake's pupils shrank.
He immediately realized what Danzo had done.
"I object!"
"The position of Hokage has always been nominated by the previous Hokage and then approved through a collective vote of the Jonin Council."
"Now there has been neither a public nomination by the previous Hokage nor a vote by the Jonin Council. How can a single appointment letter from the Daimyo convince everyone?"
Sakumo's words were like a stone thrown into still water, instantly creating ripples.
Many clan heads who had been looking down raised their heads, agreement visible in their eyes.
"Hmph! Hatake Sakumo, how many years have you even been a jonin?! When the First Hokage was praising me, you weren't even around yet!", Danzo snorted coldly.
A fierce look flashed through his one eye as he slammed his cane onto the floor with a heavy thud.
"Hatake Sakumo, watch your words!"
"Hiruzen Sarutobi personally wrote his resignation document and personally agreed to let me succeed him."
"The Daimyo is Konoha's nominal highest ruler. With approval from both of them, why should we go through the extra step of a jonin vote?"
"When the First Hokage passed the position to the Second Hokage, there wasn't any vote either. There wasn't even a Daimyo appointment."
"You!", Sakumo frowned deeply.
'How could that be the same?'
Back in the First Hokage's era, would the Daimyo have dared interfere in Konoha's affairs?
"I support Lord Danzo becoming Hokage."
A cold voice suddenly sounded, interrupting him.
Everyone turned toward the speaker.
Uchiha Setsuna, clan head of the Uchiha Clan, slowly stood up.
The Uchiha had always supported Danzo. This wasn't surprising.
"The entire Uchiha Clan supports Lord Danzo as the Sixth Hokage."
As soon as Setsuna finished speaking, Koharu Utatane immediately nodded.
"I agree as well. Lord Danzo is highly experienced and decisive. Only with him as Hokage can Konoha become even stronger."
"I agree too."
"The ninja world is unstable right now. We do need a strong leader."
Homura Mitokado followed immediately after, pushing up his glasses as he spoke in a calm tone.
The three of them had already coordinated with Danzo beforehand.
With three elder-level figures expressing support one after another, the opposition in the meeting room was instantly suppressed.
Uchiha Kagami and Akimichi Torifu exchanged glances.
Both saw hesitation in each other's eyes.
They were Hiruzen Sarutobi's most loyal companions.
But they were also Danzo's most loyal companions.
Both men were important to them.
They also understood that opposing him now would inevitably lead to civil war.
The Uchiha Clan had already clearly sided with Danzo, and Root had taken control of the entire Hokage Building.
If fighting broke out, Konoha would only suffer severe losses.
In the end, neither of them spoke.
They simply lowered their heads in silence.
The remaining clan heads visibly relaxed.
None of them wanted to get involved in this power struggle.
Since even the elders and the powerful Uchiha Clan supported Danzo, they certainly weren't going to make things difficult for themselves.
"The Nara Clan agrees."
"The Yamanaka Clan agrees."
"The Akimichi Clan agrees."
Ino-Shika-Cho remained as adaptable as ever.
———
One voice after another sounded out like falling dominoes.
Sakumo Hatake's expression became extremely ugly as he watched.
Just then, he felt someone lightly touch his arm.
Turning his head, he saw Arisu beside him gently shaking his head.
Arisu looked at him calmly and silently signaled for him to stay patient.
Sakumo's heart trembled.
He knew exactly how terrifying Arisu's strength was.
If even Arisu chose this approach, then there had to be a reason.
Although he was filled with anger and unwillingness, Sakumo still took a deep breath and slowly sat back down.
Danzo's gaze swept across the room.
After seeing that everyone had made their stance clear, his eyes finally landed on the silent Arisu.
At that moment, the atmosphere in the meeting room became tense once again.
Danzo's palm was slightly sweaty.
If this man disagreed, things would become troublesome.
Arisu felt Danzo's gaze and also the eyes of everyone else in the room.
He raised his head and met Danzo's nervous look.
His face showed no expression.
He simply nodded slightly.
"Okay."
Arisu nodded.
Just one word.
Light as air, yet it landed like a giant stone, completely easing Danzo's worries.
He let out a long breath.
A trace of wild joy flashed through his single eye before he forcibly suppressed it.
The golden vertical pupils of Orochimaru shifted slightly.
There was now a bit more curiosity in the way he looked at Arisu.
Sakumo suddenly raised his head and stared at Arisu in disbelief.
His lips moved, but in the end, he said nothing.
"Since no one has any objections."
Danzo cleared his throat and raised the appointment document once more.
His voice carried excitement that he could barely hide.
"Then from today onward, I, Shimura Danzo, am Konoha's Sixth Hokage!"
This time, sparse applause finally sounded throughout the meeting room.
Amid the applause, Arisu slowly lowered his eyes, picked up the teacup in front of him, and took a light sip.
As long as Danzo did not cross his bottom line, he didn't mind watching to see where this iron-fisted Danzo would lead Konoha.