"Reform? It's not that we're unwilling to make changes. But shouldn't you first present a concrete plan so everyone can see exactly how you intend to reform things?"
Although Namikaze Minato and Uchiha Ren's words had reassured everyone to some extent, quite a few doubts still remained, prompting someone to speak up and ask.
"This is precisely what I'm about to introduce to everyone."
Uchiha Ren smiled. He raised a hand to signal for everyone's attention before saying, "Everyone, please look at the big screen!"
After a brief pause, once everyone's attention had shifted to the screen, Uchiha Ren used the remote to advance the PowerPoint presentation by one slide.
At the same time, he continued, "Since it was my Uchiha clan that first proposed this reform plan, naturally, the reform should begin with the Konoha Military Police Force!"
... ... (Major revision; censored.)
Meanwhile, inside a private hospital room at Konoha Hospital.
"Mm..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly opened his eyes in a daze. The dryness in his mouth made every breath he took feel unusually hot.
"Water... water..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi weakly forced out a few syllables, but his efforts were in vain.
At this moment, there was no one else in the hospital room besides him and the two patients lying in the other beds—Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado.
After a while, Hiruzen's consciousness gradually returned to full clarity.
Although his body was still extremely uncomfortable, he no longer struggled pointlessly. Instead, he simply lay there and waited quietly.
Hiruzen understood that, given his status and that of Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, it was impossible for no one to be looking after them.
The fact that no one was currently in the room clearly meant that whoever was caring for them had temporarily gone out to attend to something.
And, as Hiruzen had expected, it wasn't long before the door opened and Asuma Sarutobi walked in, his body reeking of cigarette smoke.
"Old man, you're awake! Wait here. I'll go get the doctor!"
Asuma immediately noticed that Hiruzen was awake and shouted before turning around and rushing out of the room.
A trace of helplessness flashed through Hiruzen's eyes as he could only watch the boisterous Asuma disappear from sight.
Before long, Asuma returned with several doctors and nurses, who immediately began performing various examinations on Hiruzen.
After a busy round of examinations, the doctors confirmed that Hiruzen was not in any serious danger and merely needed to continue resting and recuperating. The doctors and nurses then left the room, leaving Asuma behind to take care of him.
After Asuma used a spoon to feed Hiruzen several mouthfuls of water, Hiruzen finally recovered enough to feel substantially better.
"Your surgery was only completed early this morning. The anesthetic hasn't completely worn off yet, so you're going to feel somewhat weak. You'll be fine after getting some rest."
Asuma looked at the frail Hiruzen lying on the bed, his emotions complicated. Worried that Hiruzen might overthink things, he took the initiative to explain.
Hiruzen nodded slightly.
"What about Biwako?"
Asuma replied, "Mother stayed here all night, so I told her to go home and get some rest. She'll probably come back this evening."
Hearing this, Hiruzen felt somewhat relieved. He then asked, "What happened after I passed out? I seem to remember seeing Tsunade..."
"You didn't see wrong. Lady Tsunade really did return. She broke through the Four Violet Flames Formation, but Shimura Danzō managed to... suppress her. In the end, it was the Uchiha clan head, Uchiha Ren, who stepped in and subdued Shimura Danzō!"
After a pause, Asuma asked in confusion, "Old man, what exactly happened? Why did you end up fighting Shimura Danzō? Weren't the two of you on good terms?"
At this point, Asuma Sarutobi was still far from becoming the elite jōnin he would eventually be, worth a bounty of thirty million ryō. He was merely a rebellious delinquent, and he had always been indifferent toward matters concerning the village—especially anything related to his father, the Hokage.
Naturally, he had no idea what had actually happened.
"Uchiha Ren..."
Hiruzen's eyes flickered as he softly murmured the name, but he showed no intention of answering Asuma's question.
Seeing this, a trace of displeasure flashed across Asuma's face.
This was precisely what he hated most.
His father, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had never truly regarded him as an adult!
At this moment, however, Hiruzen had no inclination to concern himself with Asuma's feelings. He instead asked, "How are Koharu and Homura?"
Hiruzen had noticed long ago that Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado were lying in the hospital beds beside him. He simply hadn't had the opportunity to ask about them until now.
Although Asuma was still unhappy, seeing his father lying weakly in the hospital bed, he nevertheless answered.
"Elder Homura Mitokado is fine. His injuries were the lightest among the three of you. He already woke up once earlier."
"However, because he needed to undergo another procedure, he's still under anesthesia. It'll probably be a while before he wakes up again."
"But Elder Koharu Utatane... her condition is the most serious!"
"Although Elder Utatane didn't suffer particularly severe external injuries, her chakra depletion was simply too severe. She practically exhausted all of her vitality!"
"If Lady Tsunade hadn't stepped in and stabilized her condition, she probably would have died by now!"
"Even though she's still alive, her lifespan has been drastically shortened. And when she'll wake up is still completely unknown!"
In a certain sense, chakra was a manifestation of both a person's physical and spiritual vitality. Once one's chakra was completely depleted, it meant that the strength of both body and mind had been exhausted as well—a state akin to a lamp running out of oil, and an extremely dangerous one at that.
In the original storyline, Hatake Kakashi had died because his chakra was completely exhausted!
"Is that so..."
Hiruzen's expression became extremely complicated. After hesitating for a moment, he asked again, "What about Shimura Danzō? How is he now?"
Asuma immediately replied unhappily, "You still have the energy to worry about him? Don't forget, the three of you ended up like this because of him!"
Hiruzen slowly shook his head and said meaningfully, "You don't understand. This matter is nowhere near as simple as you think. Shimura Danzō and I may both have been... manipulated!"
There was great terror between life and death.
At the moment when Hiruzen had believed that he was about to die, his mind had become clearer than ever before. He had noticed many details that he had previously overlooked.
He had a feeling that the reason he and Shimura Danzō had ended up at this point had very likely been because someone had deliberately manipulated the situation behind the scenes.
As for who that person was...
Hiruzen already had a target in mind.
However, now was not the time to settle accounts with that person. His most urgent priority was to thoroughly sort out the current situation and make sure that nothing had been overlooked.
Asuma, however, found this difficult to believe.
Could even a man as shrewd as his old man have been manipulated by someone?
If so, wouldn't that mean the person behind it was even more cunning than him?
While Hiruzen and Asuma were talking, the meeting in the conference room of the Hokage Tower was also nearing its conclusion.
Uchiha Ren's introduction of the specific reform measures had reached its final stage, and the discussion had now moved on to matters concerning the ANBU.
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