In the grand hall of the Land of Fire's Daimyo's mansion, a discussion about the reconstruction of the Hidden Leaf Village was underway.

A long table stretched across the impressive hall. At the southern end sat the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, Mitsuhide Akechi. To the east were five counselors of the Daimyo, all wearing dark-colored hats. To the west were five representatives from the Leaf Village: the village advisors Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, a squad leader from the Anbu with a white cloak and animal mask, the Leaf Jonin representative Shikaku Nara, and the leader of the Root division, Danzo Shimura.

Homura Mitokado began, "We and our allied nations intend to continue our policy against the Akatsuki..."

Across from him, the bespectacled and refined chief counselor responded, "With the village in its current state, the Land of Fire will fully support the village's reconstruction. First, the budget... Then, we must address the strained relations with other countries."

At this point, Danzo shifted the conversation, "There is a more pressing matter than those issues: the selection of the next Hokage!"

Shikaku Nara immediately became alert: As expected, it's starting!

He had previously proposed Kakashi as the next Hokage as the representative of the Leaf Jonin, but he knew that another man coveted the position: Danzo Shimura!

Kakashi's ascension faced obstacles.

The Daimyo fidgeted with his small fan, "Can't we wait until Tsunade recovers?"

Koharu Utatane responded, "Daimyo-sama, Tsunade is still in a coma, and we don't know when she will wake up. Given the current state of the village, it will be difficult to implement any major decisions. Moreover, she bears some responsibility for the village's destruction..."

The responsibility Koharu referred to was hiding Naruto in the isolated Mount Myoboku, which forced Pain to invade the Leaf Village to find Naruto.

The Daimyo mused, "I had originally thought of choosing Jiraiya. I admired him, but unfortunately, he is no longer with us. Are there any other candidates?"

Danzo then spoke up, "In that case..."

"I nominate Kakashi Hatake!" Shikaku Nara interrupted forcefully, ignoring the cold glare from Danzo.

"Oh, oh! The son of the White Fang? Hmm, that could work!" The Daimyo said excitedly, looking toward the counselors. "What do you all think?"

"In terms of reputation, strength, and character, he's outstanding!"

"But isn't he still quite young?"

"Remember, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, was even younger..."

The counselors began expressing their support, making the situation favorable for Kakashi.

Then, the bespectacled chief counselor asked, "Whose student is Kakashi Hatake?"

Homura Mitokado replied, "He was the student of the Fourth Hokage!"

The Daimyo clapped his hands, "The Fourth was Jiraiya's student, and Jiraiya was a student of the Third. Hmm, it seems there's no problem. Very well..."

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As the situation seemed to be turning, Danzo suddenly declared, "The Third Hokage's teachings led the village to the brink of destruction!"

"..." The Daimyo was startled by Danzo's fierce gaze and quickly hid half of his face with his fan.

Danzo continued, "The leader of the Akatsuki, who destroyed the village, was once Jiraiya's student. This is the consequence of naively teaching other nations. It's too reckless!"

"This naivety, passed down through generations, led to the betrayal of allied countries and gave Orochimaru the opportunity to attack the village!"

"The younger members of the Akatsuki are led by a remnant of the Uchiha clan, the rogue ninja Sasuke Uchiha..."

Listening to Danzo's speech, Shikaku Nara's expression turned grim.

Suddenly... Danzo's mouth twisted into a cunning smile as he dropped another bombshell: "More importantly, the biggest failure is that another of Jiraiya's students, the Leaf's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Naruto Uzumaki, has betrayed the village!"

"!?" Shikaku's expression changed drastically at this, and the entire meeting erupted in an uproar!

The chief counselor asked, "Wait a minute, isn't Naruto the hero who defeated the Akatsuki leader, currently recuperating with honor?"

"Heh." Danzo sneered at Shikaku, "That's something you'd have to ask the Jonin representative, Shikaku Nara..."

The Daimyo looked at Shikaku, "Shikaku, what's going on here?"

Shikaku began to sweat. So, Danzo's spies found out after all!

But he quickly calmed down, "Daimyo-sama... After the battle, Naruto indeed did not return to the village, but it is too soon to conclude that he has betrayed us."

Danzo continued with baseless accusations, "We have received crucial information that Naruto Uzumaki is suspected of conspiring with the Akatsuki's second-in-command to harm the village..."

Everyone frowned, "Is the information reliable?"

Danzo added fuel to the fire, "It's essentially reliable... I even suspect that Pain's invasion of the Leaf was a conspiracy between him and Naruto Uzumaki..."

The Daimyo pondered, "That shouldn't be the case. He's just a pure-hearted boy, said to be a model for many ninjas..."

Danzo asserted, "There's no 'should' or 'shouldn't.' Inside him is sealed the Nine-Tailed Fox, a manifestation of evil. No matter how pure-hearted the boy, being tainted by that darkness, he cannot come to a good end. Furthermore, Jiraiya's lack of proper guidance, Tsunade's sheltering as Hokage, and Kakashi's negligence as a mentor led to this result."

The head counselor adjusted his glasses and said, "Daimyo-sama... Even if Danzo's claims have not been confirmed, Kakashi is currently not suitable to become Hokage."

"..." Shikaku wanted to counter, but he was at a loss. Since Danzo brought up Naruto's alleged betrayal, the situation had become difficult to reverse.

Bang! At this moment, Danzo slammed his hand on the table and declared loudly, "What we need right now is a Hokage who can turn the tide in these dire circumstances! Someone who can bring about reform in this ninja world and reshape its iron rules. This Hokage can only be me!"

"..." The Daimyo closed his eyes in thought.

Shikaku hurriedly said, "Daimyo-sama, we can't base our decision on Danzo's one-sided story. The Leaf's Anbu is also tracking Naruto Uzumaki's whereabouts. I imagine the truth will soon come to light..."

The Daimyo opened his eyes and made a decision, "Alright, it's decided. Danzo, you are appointed as the Sixth Hokage!"

A triumphant smile crept onto Danzo's lips. He thought: I had planned to use the power of my right eye to manipulate the Daimyo into making this decision if things went south. But exploiting Naruto's situation to lower Kakashi's chances of becoming Hokage went smoother than I expected. Shikaku, even you can't change this now...

After leaving the Daimyo's mansion, Danzo walked with his cane, accompanied by a white-robed Anbu.

"How is the task I assigned you progressing?"

"As you instructed, we've spread rumors among the village's lower-tier civilians that Naruto conspired with the Akatsuki leader, Pain, to stage a play to gain the villagers' trust, but fled the village when you uncovered it..."

Danzo smirked, "Good."

The white-robed Anbu said, "Danzo-sama, there is still no proof that Naruto Uzumaki has betrayed the village. Moreover, he is one of the few strong forces in the village, comparable to Jiraiya. Isn't this risky?"

Danzo replied, "Regardless of whether Naruto has betrayed the village, as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, he is an unsettling factor and must be nipped in the bud before he rises."

"Furthermore, any powerful force that cannot be used by me is a liability. This is a necessary sacrifice for the sake of the Leaf Village!"

Danzo covered his right eye with his hand, revealing his ambition, "Once Naruto is dealt with, I will control the Nine-Tails, and then I, Danzo Shimura, will become the strongest Hokage in history...!"