With the return of Uchiha Fugaku and the others, a village council meeting was quickly convened in Konoha.

"Damn Iwagakure, they actually dared to set their sights on the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki!"

"Lord Hokage, we absolutely cannot let this go!"

"That's right, this cannot be let go!"

…

One by one, the clan heads all wore expressions of anger.

A jinchūriki was the very foundation and trump card of a village—an asset of utmost importance to any shinobi village.

Iwagakure's attempt to capture the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki completely enraged them.

"This matter indeed cannot be brushed aside. I will lodge a strong protest with Iwagakure over this!"

The Third Hokage was also deeply furious.

He had long regarded the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki as his own possession. How could he not be angry when Iwagakure tried to take it?

It could be said that Iwagakure's actions this time had utterly provoked him.

"And as for those Iwagakure genin here for the Chūnin Exams, I propose we execute them immediately."

Uchiha Fugaku spoke with a voice laced with killing intent.

"Clan Head Fugaku is right—those Iwagakure genin who came for the Chūnin Exams should all be put to death."

The Hatake clan head, Hatake Nobuhiro, voiced his agreement.

"I also agree with Clan Head Fugaku."

The Hyūga clan head, Hyūga Hiashi, likewise expressed his support.

Having witnessed Fugaku's power, he had already decided to side with the Uchiha clan.

So when Fugaku proposed killing all the Iwagakure genin in the exams, he agreed without hesitation.

"I agree as well."

"Yes, they should all be executed, to let Iwagakure understand the price of provoking Konoha."

Following the Hatake and Hyūga clan heads, more clan leaders voiced their support.

These clans were either those who had recently grown closer to the Uchiha, or those who had witnessed Fugaku's strength and wished to curry favor.

Hearing that Fugaku's proposal had gained so much support, the Third Hokage became alert.

Unbeknownst to him, the Uchiha had already established ties with so many clans.

He voiced his opposition.

"According to our investigation, these individuals did not know Iwagakure's true intentions. Killing them all would be going too far."

It was not out of mercy, nor reluctance to kill these "innocent" Iwagakure genin.

To him, their lives and deaths were insignificant.

However, since Fugaku wanted them dead, he would protect them—this was no longer a matter of the genin themselves, but of a contest for influence within the village.

"Lord Hokage, I disagree. As members of Iwagakure, they must bear the consequences of what their village has done."

Understanding that the Hokage's opposition was simply for the sake of opposing him, Fugaku would not back down.

"They are innocent. Konoha should be magnanimous and not strike at those who are blameless."

The Hokage cast Fugaku a sidelong glance, his words carrying an implied jab—that Fugaku lacked such magnanimity.

"As members of Iwagakure, they are inevitably tied to their village's actions. They are far from innocent."

Fugaku met the Hokage's gaze and rebutted.

"Lord Hokage is merciful—he cannot bring himself to kill even foreign shinobi!"

"Lord Hokage is right. We should not harm the innocent."

"They are Iwagakure shinobi—how can they be considered innocent? I agree with Clan Head Fugaku."

"Yes, they're not innocent at all. I agree with Clan Head Fugaku."

…

In the council chamber, the debate over whether to kill the Iwagakure genin in the Chūnin Exams grew heated.

In the end, the Third Hokage, having more supporters, vetoed Fugaku's proposal to execute them.

With that, the meeting ended, and the shinobi present departed one by one.

The proposal had not passed, but Fugaku was not disappointed.

To him, the Iwagakure genin were insignificant—whether they lived or died did not matter.

What mattered was that many clan heads had supported his proposal, showing him that his influence in the village was growing.

As he had foreseen, capturing Orochimaru alive and rescuing the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki had boosted his standing in the village.

…

A day later, Iwagakure learned of the failed abduction of the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki and also received Konoha's protest.

"It failed!"

On the main seat, the short-statured Third Tsuchikage furrowed his brows.

Iwagakure had paid a considerable price in its attempt to seize the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, yet it had failed.

Not only had more than twenty Iwagakure genin been detained in Konoha, but even the five elite jōnin on the mission had been killed.

"Where did things go wrong?"

Kitsuchi asked in puzzlement.

The preparations for the mission had been thorough—not only had they dispatched five elite jōnin, but they had also paid dearly to commission the Akatsuki to create chaos inside Konoha.

And yet, the mission failed, leaving him baffled.

"Could it have been the Akatsuki's part of the plan that failed? As expected, such a mercenary group is unreliable."

An elderly, bald-headed man with white hair around the sides spoke up.

He had opposed hiring Akatsuki from the beginning.

But the Tsuchikage had rejected his objections, using the excuse of minimizing Iwagakure's own casualties to justify involving Akatsuki.

"It's true that the problem lay with the Akatsuki's part of the plan—but they are not to blame."

The Tsuchikage shook his head.

"It wasn't that they were incompetent—it's that Uchiha Fugaku was simply too strong."

"Too strong?"

The Iwagakure leadership turned their attention to the Tsuchikage.

"Yes. The failure this time was entirely due to Fugaku's overwhelming power."

The Tsuchikage's voice was heavy.

"After accepting our commission, Akatsuki sent two members—both formidable. One was Jūzō Biwa, a former member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. The other was the S-class rogue ninja Orochimaru."

"During the Chūnin Exams, they caused a disturbance in the Forest of Death, successfully drawing Konoha's attention away, allowing our five elite jōnin to seize the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki."

Here, the Tsuchikage's tone grew grave.

"But Fugaku's strength was far beyond expectations. In barely over ten minutes, Jūzō Biwa was killed and Orochimaru was captured alive."

"Because of that, Konoha realized much earlier that the jinchūriki was missing, leading to the mission's failure and the deaths of our five elite jōnin at Fugaku's hands."

"Killed Jūzō Biwa and captured Orochimaru alive in just over ten minutes?"

The Iwagakure leadership looked grim.

Jūzō had been one of the famed Seven Ninja Swordsmen, and Orochimaru had long been a kage-level powerhouse.

Yet the two of them together had lasted barely ten minutes against Fugaku—and that included the time it took for him to arrive at the scene.

"Could Konoha be producing another Uchiha Madara?"

A chill crept up from their feet into their hearts—was Konoha truly on the verge of bringing forth another man like Uchiha Madara?

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