<h4>Chapter 201 - Ch201. Shocking Council Meeting</h4>


    "Any idea why this meeting was called, Hiruzen?" Danzo asked in his emotionless tone but an underlying curiosity was unmistakable in his eye. Every n head had a right to call for a council meeting if they had a serious issue to be discussed. Such a call, however, needed the approval of two more n heads since it was not the Hokage calling it. This rule was actually a nice little way to get around the Hokage.


    "I have no idea, my friend." Hiruzen answered as he walked towards the council chambers without a worry. Hiruzen knew thews of Konoha by heart and as such, he was aware that whatever would be discussed would not be overly important in the grand scheme of things. While the n heads could bypass him in this way, they would still need his approval for any major change. "My guess is either some dispute between ns or an announcement of a new business venture of the Nara n." Hiruzen shrugged.


    Danzo, though, was very nonplussed by that answer. The whole problem was that it was the Nara n calling for the meeting. The Nara n never did things like that. Not once since the founding of Konoha. ''Announcement of a business venture my a.s.s.'' Danzo mentally grumbled. ''The whole n is sozy they would wait however long until the next scheduled council meeting to announce something like that.'' He rolled his eyes, not even deeming it necessary to mentallyment about the stupid idea of the Nara n being in a dispute with someone else.


    It would take a murder or kidnapping of their nsman to get them motivated enough to move their asses. Danzo knew. After all, that was the reason why he purposefully avoided recruiting any Nara into his ROOT. He had enough problems without the motivated Nara n on his a.s.s. No amount of intelligence and strategic brilliance was worth that.


    Entering the council chamber, both Danzo and Hokage were greeted by the entire council already seated. Shikaku Nara, the man who called the meeting, was slouching in his seat with droopy eyes, around him Inoichi Yamanaka and Choza Akimichi, the two n heads who granted their approval for the meeting. Around them were the n heads of the Hyuuga, Aburame, Inuzuka, and Uchiha ns.


    It pained Hiruzen to see that sorry state.


    At the start, there were no less than seventeen ns in Konoha, all with a healthy poption. Now? Most n seats on the shinobi side of the council were empty. Some, like Senju, out of choice, others, like Kurama, out of necessity. While the Senju n had only one member and thus wouldn''t normally qualify for the council seat by normal rules, they were rich, and most importantly, a founding n. Tsunade could sit on the council if she so wished.


    The Kurama n, however, wasn''t nearly as important and because of their abysmal numbers in recent times, their privilege to sit on the council was lost. But the Kurama n was only the most recent one to lose this privilege. There were Hatake, Mitarashi, Sarutobi, and many other ns that didn''t fulfill the membership quota to sit on the shinobi council.


    As such, from the initial seventeen, only seven n heads now sat on the shinobi council. A pitiful state, really.


    The civilian side had ten members. Five seats were taken by rich merchants entrenched in very important business fields that provided the vige with weapons, food, and other necessities. These seats were quasi-hereditary since the merchants usually gave the seat alongside their business to their progeny when they retired. The next five seats were voted in by the people of Konoha.


    Erging the civilian council was one of the follies Hiruzen agreed on to lighten his burden during the third war. At first, it was only five seats with the important merchants but now... now Hiruzen actually had a hard time finding a proper excuse to dismiss the five voted-in civilian members.


    It certainly was not a fun time, having ten civilians and only seven shinobi on the council.


    Not when thest set of seats belonged to the Elders, Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane, and Shimura Danzo. That was yet another can of worms that usually gave Hiruzen a headache. The elders'' support was very fickle. On one issue, they could support the shinobi council, on another the civilian one. Thankfully, the Elders were quite limited in their influence.


    Andstly, there was him, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage. Twenty-one people in total if one didn''t count all the ANBU skulking around the shadows in the room.


    ''So then... what is she doing here?'' Hiruzen''s eyes trailed towards the cheerfully humming Anko Mitarashi sitting in a guest seat as she waited for the start of the session and suddenly, Hiruzen no longer felt all that worry-free about this meeting.


    ...


    The council meeting started and Anko restlessly waited through all the inane procedures, all the meaningless talks, and making sure everybody was present despite clearly seeing nobody missing. Yup, she really didn''t like politics and the formal procedures that needed to be followed. She was dying of boredom despite the patience brutally instilled in her by Orochimaru.


    Finally, thirty minutes after the start, Shikaku was given the word. Anko watched the man lift his head from the table and confusedly look around after Choza nudged him before the gears in Shikaku''s head started working as he lethargically stood up.


    "I called this meeting on the insistence of my n''s long-time allies, the Senju n." Shikaku slowly let out in a measured drawl that gave everybody ample time to realize why Anko was present. At least, the ninjas did while the voted-in civilians were as clueless as it gets. Anko straightened her back, not due to the clueless and disgruntled nces from the Elders and the Hokage, but due to what wasing next. "The Senju n asked me to present a case of custody for one, Uzumaki Naruto, to the Senju n because of his heritage as a scion of the Uzumaki n and his blood ties to Tsunade Senju through her grandmother, Mito Uzumaki."


    The second Shikaku stopped talking and flopped back into his chair, a deafening silence engulfed the room. Not even the ANBU guards dared to breathe after hearing that.


    The topic of custody of Naruto Uzumaki was a frequent one a few years back. The n heads wanted a boy, either to strengthen their ns or simply to give him a home. Even the ever-istionist Aburame n tried to gain custody of him, if only because they knew the burden the boy carried. s, Hiruzen Sarutobi was the Hokage, and with the help of his Elders and using the hatred the civilian council had for the boy, he made damn sure to block any and all such proposals.


    Hiruzen was blindsided by this. He spent thest few days trying to figure out Tsunade''s angle. He knew her. She would not be appeased so easily. At the very least, the second she got to know about her birthright, he expected her to storm her way into Konoha and try to yell his brain out while also causing an unhealthy amount of coteral damage to vent her frustration. This... calm and collected letter with a working threat and set of reasonable demands was so far out of his apprentice''s modus operandi, Hiruzen was really worried.


    ''She baited me.'' Hiruzen understood. ''She made me waste time on her knowledge of the Konoha Creation Act while...'' His eyes coldly stared at Anko Mitarashi, the viper who slithered under his feet without him noticing.


    Hiruzen was not stupid. He knew well that Tsunade was the only one who could take care of Naruto even if he disapproved. They shared blood and that meant something. That was yet another reason why her absence in the vige didn''t bother him much. Unless she was in the vige, she couldn''t get custody.


    But now...


    Anko watched with an expertly hidden glee as the Hokage''s eyes swept through his fellow councilmen and his lips set in a concerned frown. She felt proud of herself for pulling this off. Especially since it was so obvious neither of the Elders knew what was going to happen in the meeting.


    ''Maybe this maniption and ckmail stuff is not all that bad. The process is dull and boring but the result is sweet!'' Anko inwardly grinned while outwardly she projected a sweet innocent smile that fooled nobody.


    She watched as Hiruzen sat in his seat, most likely mulling over the situation and what he could do to prevent it but in the end, the old man simply sighed and called for a vote.


    And so, the council voted.


    The five civilians from the important merchant families voted for giving custody to the Senju n. Tsunade had far too much ckmail on them for them to not give their vote in her favor.


    As expected, the Hyuuga, Yamanaka, Nara, Akimichi, and surprisingly even the Aburame ns voted in the Senju n''s favor.


    But the Hokage, the elders Homura and Koharu, the remaining five voted-in civilians, the Uchiha, and Inuzuka ns voted against the proposition.


    Only Danzo abstained with a small knowing and calcting smirk.


    ''Unfortunately for the cyclops wannabe, Tsunade put the matter into the most dependable hands in the entire Konoha.'' Anko amusedly observed the relieved looks on Hiruzen''s face.


    Shikaku stood up and actually smiled. "Naruto Uzumaki is a civilian with a n heritage. He is not yet a shinobi of the vige, hence the votes of the Elders hold no value ording to thews of the vige. As expected of Elder Shimura, you know ourws by heart." Shikaku said in a voiceced with amus.e.m.e.nt as Koharu and Homura flushed, Danzo''s smirk froze, and Hiruzen''s pupils dted. "As such, the vote is eight to ten in favor of the proposition. Since the child is not yet a shinobi, the Hokage can not overrule this." Shikaku nced at Hiruzen before turning towards Anko, "Congrattions, Anko Mitarashi. Your and your n''s guardianship of Naruto Uzumaki was approved."


    Anko simply hummed andfortably leaned back into her chair as the screaming contest started as the unhappy civilians realized that the Snake Whore, as they called her, was the only ''member'' of the Senju n present in the vige.