"Shimura Danzō, don't forget that aside from being the Minister of the Konoha Education Department and the Head of the Mission Assignment Office, I am also an active-duty jōnin of Konoha!"
"This is a Jōnin Council meeting. Even if you strip me of every position I hold, I still have the right to speak!"
Having made up his mind, Hiruzen Sarutobi stopped circling around the issue and spoke bluntly.
His meaning was clear.
Even if Danzō managed to remove all his official titles today, he would still continue pressing charges against him.
Danzō could not silence him.
Danzō narrowed his single eye.
He knew that if he continued blocking Hiruzen from speaking now, it might provoke the anger of the entire room.
After all, the majority of people in the conference hall were ordinary jōnin with no official positions.
Aside from the heads of departments, most ninja clans had only sent a few representatives to attend the meeting.
By declaring himself an ordinary jōnin, Hiruzen had subtly aligned himself with the majority present.
If Danzō prevented Hiruzen from speaking today—
what would stop him from preventing them from speaking tomorrow?
Even if the jōnin didn't openly defend Hiruzen, they would certainly begin to resent Danzō.
Thus, Danzō had little choice but to relent.
But that didn't mean he would let Hiruzen off easily.
Danzō spoke coldly.
"Sarutobi… Jōnin."
"I have never forbidden you from speaking."
"I merely ask that you watch your wording before you open your mouth."
"You used my name directly several times just now."
"In an official setting like this, that is highly inappropriate."
"This is the Jōnin Council."
"Even if we are personally close, when dealing with official matters we should address one another by title."
"You seem to have forgotten that."
"Do you think you are still the Hokage?"
"Even if you were, you should still show your colleagues basic respect."
"From the moment this meeting began, you have repeatedly addressed me by name without even calling me Elder Shimura."
"Have you shown even the slightest respect for me as a Konoha Elder and Hokage Advisor?"
Hiruzen clenched his fists so tightly that the muscles in his jaw ached.
The humiliation burned.
After all—
he had once been the Third Hokage.
Yet now, in front of so many people, he was being reprimanded like this.
At that moment, Uchiha Ren suddenly spoke up with a smile.
"I think Elder Shimura makes a good point."
"Konoha isn't some bandit camp."
"No matter how close people may be privately, in formal settings it's best to be a little more proper in how we address one another."
He paused before adding casually:
"For example, Elder Mitokado here is currently the Minister of the Finance Department, and his son also works in that department."
"If the two of them addressed each other as 'father' and 'son' while discussing official business…"
"Someone unfamiliar with the situation might think the Finance Department belongs to the Mitokado clan."
The entire room went silent.
Homura Mitokado's face instantly turned red.
He slammed the table angrily.
"Uchiha Ren! What exactly are you implying?!"
"And you have the nerve to say that?"
"The Konoha Military Police Force is filled entirely with members of the Uchiha Clan!"
"Why don't you say the Military Police Force belongs to the Uchiha clan as well?!"
Ren simply shrugged.
"Well… it actually does."
"Did Elder Mitokado forget?"
"The Konoha Military Police Force is the Uchiha clan's hereditary responsibility, authorized by the Hokage."
"It's a privilege granted by the village."
Homura nearly choked on his own breath.
After all—
what Ren said was technically true.
Everyone present knew that the Military Police Force was effectively controlled by the Uchiha Clan.
But hearing it stated so bluntly still made the situation extremely awkward.
Seeing Homura falling into a disadvantage, Koharu Utatane hurriedly intervened.
"Hmph."
"I don't know what the Uchiha clan is planning."
"But recently your clan has clearly been overstepping its boundaries."
The moment those words fell—
the entire conference hall erupted into shock.
Because Koharu had just brought up an extremely sensitive issue.
The Daimyō's subsidy funds.
Ren smiled faintly.
"I'm not targeting anyone."
"I'm simply thinking about the development of the village."
"Speaking of which…"
"Perhaps someone should explain something."
"For example—"
"Why did the Uchiha Clan suddenly take control of the subsidy funds allocated by the Fire Daimyō's Court to Konoha?"
The hall instantly exploded into chaos.
"What?!"
"The Uchiha clan took the Daimyō's subsidy funds?"
"When did that happen?"
"Why haven't we heard anything about this?"
"What exactly is the Uchiha clan planning?!"
The expressions of everyone present changed dramatically.
After all—
the Daimyō's subsidy funds were directly related to the interests of every shinobi in the village.
Suddenly, countless suspicious gazes fell upon Uchiha Ren.
Koharu's lips curled slightly.
This had originally been something she, Homura, and Hiruzen planned not to reveal during this meeting.
Their intention had been to first push Minato Namikaze into the position of Fourth Hokage.
After securing the moral high ground, they would then negotiate with Ren over the issue.
But when Ren had attacked Homura earlier, Koharu couldn't find a suitable excuse to defend him.
So she had simply thrown this bomb into the room.
And now—
the explosion had successfully shifted everyone's attention.
Some people were already imagining the rumors that might spread across Konoha after the meeting ended.
If public opinion turned against the Uchiha clan—
their political position would become far more difficult.
Ren looked around calmly.
"I'm simply stating the facts."
"Elder Koharu… are you suggesting that the Uchiha clan intends to harm the village?"
The question immediately caused the atmosphere to become even more tense.
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