Hokage's Office.
The four top executives of Konoha were gathered together—a rare occurrence. Sakumo Hatake was in the middle of reporting on Gisei Shiraishi's internal clan policies.
Upon hearing about the establishment of a private clan school, the Third's expression shifted, and the faces of the other three turned grim.
But when they heard about the independent medical system and the "Monument of Eternal Life," a heavy cloud of gloom settled over the entire room.
After Sakumo finished his report, he left the office immediately. What followed was not a conversation he had any desire—or place—to participate in.
The office fell into an eerie silence.
After a long while, Danzo suddenly smashed his teacup onto the floor.
Clatter!
"Hiruzen Sarutobi! I told you long ago not to be so naive. Look at what he's done!"
The Third stared at the shattered porcelain on the floor in silence.
"What should we do now?" Koharu Utatane asked, her voice tight.
"Gisei Shiraishi's actions absolutely cannot be tolerated," Homura Mitokado added sternly. "If all the ninja clans acted like him, what need would there be for us?"
A vicious light shot out from Danzo's single exposed eye. "Let's act. While they haven't fully established themselves, let's cut the weeds and dig up the roots directly!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the Third flew into a rage. "Danzo! You are absolutely forbidden from acting on your own. Do you realize what you are saying?!"
"You've seen it too," Danzo countered coldly. "The Insect User Clan has become a tumor on the village. Are you going to just sit there and watch helplessly as the tumor grows?"
Koharu and Homura looked at each other, then simultaneously shut their mouths tight.
"Violence cannot solve every problem. They are members of Konoha. We have no reason to lay a hand on our own comrades."
Seeing his two peers fall silent, Danzo cursed inwardly. These two cowards have no ideas of their own and always make me take the blame for the dirty work.
"If you just need a reason, I can find you ten. For the sake of Konoha, they must be purged."
"I will talk to Gisei," the Third insisted. "I'll persuade him to abandon these practices."
"Too naive! Can't you see that he has planned this for a long time?"
The Third frowned deeply. Of course, he could see the problems.
He could tolerate the clan school; after all, the Insect User Clan didn't have that many people. He could even tolerate the independent medical system. But the one thing he absolutely could not tolerate was the "Monument of Eternal Life."
Only the names of those who died for the village could be carved on the Memorial Stone. This was a sacred rule established long ago.
If Gisei carved the names of those who died for the clan onto his own monument, what would the village's Memorial Stone become?
Dog shit?
If this practice were allowed to continue, other ninja clans would follow suit, and the Memorial Stone would completely lose its function of uniting the people's hearts. Never again would a ninja clan go through fire and water for the village, and the "Will of Fire" itself would become a bad joke.
Thoughts raced through the Third's mind. To act, or not to act?
Seeing his hesitation, Danzo sneered twice, turned on his heel, and slammed the door as he left.
...
Gisei didn't sleep all night.
Of course, he knew exactly what consequences his actions would bring, but he did it anyway.
It wasn't that he lacked brains; it was that he had to do this.
He had to draw a clear line between his clansmen and the village. Otherwise, there would be even more trouble later. Maintaining lingering ties and being timid would only make his people harbor extravagant, foolish hopes for the village.
That would be fatal to his future plans.
As for whether the Third would actually move against the Insect User Clan... he wasn't sure.
So, he had contacted the other ninja clans long ago. Once something happened here, they would immediately take action to force the Third to swallow this shit.
Were those clans reliable? Gisei felt they were trustworthy enough for this.
If the Third swallowed this shit once, he would have to swallow a second mouthful, and then keep swallowing.
Did anyone really think those other clans didn't want to do this? They had wanted to for a long time; they just lacked the guts.
Gisei was willing to be the pathfinding stone, and they couldn't ask for anything better. Although it would intensify the conflict with the Hokage, they stood to gain much more.
Not only would his own clan be united, but more importantly, the other clans in the village would follow his lead.
Making the Hokage a figurehead wasn't just talk.
In the future, the Hokage would be decided by the ninja clans, not by some nomination or a Daimyo's decree.
Gisei knew their wishful thinking perfectly well, and his willingness to be their pawn wasn't that simple either.
Recently, after news leaked that he had refused the Third's offer to become a squadron leader, many people had come to "persuade" him. Caught between the village and these clans, he had been annoyed to the extreme.
He decided he might as well go all the way and tell them one thing directly—through force.
As a ninja, of course, one has to let strength do the talking!
He didn't want to engage in hypocritical politics anymore. If you can kill me, then kill me. If you can't, then shut up and endure it.
Having power but being forced to constantly compromise—he had had enough of those days.
He was pushing the relationship between the clan and the village to the freezing point. If the village tolerated it, he would quiet down and develop honestly. If they didn't, then he'd fight first and talk later.
If he won, he would have fewer annoyances and could develop quietly for a few years before the Ninja World War stirred up trouble.
If he couldn't win? He still had to fight. At worst, he would summon all the Ninja Butterflies.
With over a dozen Kage-level powerhouses plus over a hundred Jonin, he didn't believe the Third could turn the sky upside down.
In short, he wanted to make the Third forcibly swallow this anger. This would also be great for dismantling the "Will of Fire." He wanted to tear off the village's fig leaf. He didn't care if it looked ugly; he wanted all the villagers to see the struggle instead of dreaming in the hypocritical peace constructed by the Third.
Unfortunately, Gisei waited until dawn, and no one came.
Butterflies flew in from outside one by one, drilling into his sleeves and disappearing.
Did they just tolerate it?
Gisei didn't think there was such a possibility.
After breakfast, Rie came to find him.
"The Hokage's disciples, Orochimaru and Tsunade, are here to see you."
Gisei was silent for a moment. "Bring them in."
It seemed the Third still wanted to resolve this peacefully through talk. Truly too naive. Since he had started this, there was no reason to stop halfway.
"Haven't seen you for two months. You really look like a different person, becoming more and more dignified as a clan leader."
As soon as Orochimaru entered the door, he began to spray venom from his mouth.
Tsunade, meanwhile, stared coldly at Gisei with a dark face. She was a Senju. This village was built single-handedly by her family. Anyone who wanted to harm it would be viewed with hostility.
Gisei wasn't in the mood to talk nonsense with them. He said coldly, "If you have business, say it. If not, get out."
Orochimaru retracted his smile, stuck out his tongue to lick the corner of his mouth, and his snake-like pupils began to release fierce killing intent.
Crack.
The ground beneath Tsunade's feet crushed under her stomp.
Gisei sneered. "I advise you to see clearly who I am."
"Someone who has become a clan leader is indeed different," Tsunade retorted. "Do you know who I am?"
"Of course I know. You are the granddaughter of the First Hokage, the Second Hokage is your granduncle, and the Third Hokage is your teacher. The Princess of the Senju clan, Tsunade."
Gisei recited the long string of titles with open mockery.
"You bastard!"
Tsunade shouted angrily, instantly exerting force under her feet. The ground exploded into two large pits as she launched herself at him.
She rushed forward with extreme speed, smashing down with a fist.
Gisei didn't even move. He simply extended his palm to meet it.
The moment fist and palm met, a violent gale erupted instantly.