Yes, the Hokage!

“Everyone has probably finished eating by now.” Feng Lan waved his hand. “If there’s nothing else, please go back now. I have some things to discuss with Chief Inuzuka and Mr. Shikaku.”

Seeing this, everyone tactfully took their leave. In the end, besides Fenglan and the drunken Minato, only the Ino-Shika-Cho family and Inuzuka Tsuru remained in the room.

Their expressions were also different. Shikaku, who was deep in thought, still had an unfathomable expression. Inoichi, who was good at using sensory ninjutsu to communicate in his mind, did not open his mouth, but his eyes were moving wildly. He was obviously still conducting team voice communication. Choza, who was the least scheming, was worried.

Inuzuka Tsurugi, on the other hand, looked restless.

Feng Lan glanced at the four people with unhurried eyes, and finally decided to kill the lone one first.

"Chief Inuzuka."

Upon hearing him speak, Inuzuka Tsuru instinctively clenched his fists and stood up abruptly like a schoolchild being called on by the teacher: "Here!"

"No need to be so nervous. Now that I've brought Inuzuka Tetsu under my command, I have no intention of pursuing the matter from before." Feng Lan chuckled. "The main reason I've kept you here this time is to discuss the Five Kage Summit."

"The Five Kage...meeting?" Inuzuka Tsuru was slightly taken aback. She rarely even had contact with the higher-ups, and she never expected that the Inuzuka clan would be involved in something of this level.

"My request is not much. Please transfer the best young men and ninja dogs of the Inuzuka clan to me for tracking purposes."

"Who are you tracking?" Inuzuka Tsurugi felt embarrassed to ask, but he couldn't help but ask anyway.

Feng Lan knew that this girl was a complete novice in this area, so she simply explained it to her in a way that even a monkey could understand: "Tracking down the guys who attacked us or were attacked by us."

"But, but that's the Five Kage Summit!" Inuzuka Tsuru asked doubtfully. "Violence is absolutely prohibited during the entire summit according to the rules."

"Rules are meant to be broken," Feng Lan said calmly. "Back then, the Second Hokage was caught off guard during the peace talks in Kumogakure, which is why he was ambushed and died in battle."

"But, but it was the Gold and Silver Brothers who rebelled, not the Second Raikage's intention."

"Can you guarantee that the rebels from other villages won't start making trouble during the Five Kage Summit?"

"Well……"

"Let me put it another way. Sunagakure was the first village to sign a peace treaty with Konoha, but over the years, Sunagakure and Konoha have had the most minor and major conflicts. If even a treaty between nations can be broken, what is so unbreakable about the rules of a mere meeting?"

He looked at Inuzuka Tsurugi, who was completely terrified, and softened his tone slightly: "Of course, I was just taking precautions. As the saying goes, even if a man has no intention of harming a tiger, a tiger may have the intention to hurt a man. I am just making full preparations for the Five Kage Summit from the perspective of an advisor. In principle, I will not attack others proactively."

"Then... can't iron meet your requirements?" Inuzuka Tsuru tentatively asked.

“Even an outsider like me can see that he and his ninja dog don’t have much chemistry, so I plan to have him stay in the village for the Five Kage Summit this time,” Feng Lan said with a smile. “Besides, dogs… while they may be dispensable, if we’re going to use them, we should use the most capable and loyal ones, shouldn’t we?”

"I...I understand." Although he didn't understand the power struggles between major nations, Inuzuka Tsurugi at least understood that this mission was Fenglan's last chance to choose sides. If he didn't know what was good for him, this advisor could use Inuzuka Tetsu to tear the Inuzuka clan apart, just like the Hyuga clan before.

Although Fenglan spoke in a relaxed tone throughout, she kept saying what she needed and didn't give herself any choice to refuse.

The Uchiha and Hyuga clans possess formidable combat power and bloodline limits. Shikaku is Konoha's top strategist, and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio advance and retreat together. Shiki Aburame was among the earliest veterans to join the clan and played a significant role in ensuring security during the Hokage's speech.

Since my small family doesn't have the resources or experience, it's best to just obey.

She took a deep breath: "My daughter, Inuzuka Hana, is the most talented woman of this generation. She can control three ninja dogs at the same time. The three Haimaru brothers are rare triplets. Not only do they cooperate perfectly in battle, but they can also divide the work and fill in the gaps when they want to track scents. They will definitely be able to complete your mission, sir."

"Okay." Feng Lan smiled with satisfaction. "There will be a high-level meeting tomorrow morning. Have her come to report to me tomorrow afternoon."

As Inuzuka Tsuru walked out of the banquet hall, he let out a long sigh of relief and then saw his clansmen waiting for him not far away.

Looking at Inuzuka Tsuyoshi, who was completely unaware that he had almost been sold and was grinning foolishly because he was able to attend the banquet; and Inuzuka Aoi, who was slightly tipsy from being happy because her son was praised, she suddenly felt a deep sense of envy.

The Inuzuka clan originally disliked getting involved in these messy affairs and just wanted to raise dogs and live their own quiet lives, but now... that's probably not going to be the case.

Inuzuka Tsurugi's gaze finally landed on Inuzuka Tetsuya. Looking at the other's deliberately imitated Feng Lan's squinting smile, her mouth opened several times. Now she really felt that this kid was more suitable to be the clan leader than herself.

Although her mind couldn't comprehend these things, her animal instincts told Inuzuka Tsurugi that it would be dangerous for the Inuzuka clan to fall under Iron's control. She said nothing, but walked heavily towards her home.

……

On the other side, Shikaku was naturally not as passive as Inuzuka Tsurugi. After the latter left, he took the initiative to ask, "Lord Fuuran, are you really planning to make a move during the Five Kage Summit?"

Fenglan knew that Shikaku was not as intelligent as Inuzuka Tsurugi, and would not believe what he said as soon as he was told, so she nodded frankly: "I am indeed considering this issue."

Even if the First and Second Hokage were not around, and Shisui stayed behind in Takumi Village, Jiraiya and Tsunade might not have been willing to cooperate with his plan. Obito alone would have been enough to carry out the assassination of the Kage.

Obito is just too strong now. He has two Kamui, Susanoo, Wood Release personally taught by Hashirama, and ninja tools tailored to his own... No wonder Tobirama is so wary of him. To be honest, if it weren't for holding Rin as his trump card, Fenglan would never have dared to give him so many enhancements.

Furthermore, his Kamui dimension is essentially a transport ship. Just like when he captured Killer Bee, it looked like he was coming alone to assassinate him, but in reality, he could pull out a whole truckload of breadmen to gang up on him at any time. He demanded that Inuzuka Tsurugi take him back, all for this purpose.

As for the assassination target... it's naturally not the Raikage or the Kazekage. If the former dies, the blame will definitely fall on Konoha. The latter just made a dirty deal with me. As for the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, killing him would make it easier for Kisame to cause trouble. However, Fenglan wouldn't do something like that without a profit. It's best to wait for that guy to come to us for help.

The best target would undoubtedly be the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki of the Two Scales. Iwagakure preserved its strength the best during the Third Shinobi World War, and this old guy is quite intelligent and experienced, making him a very troublesome character.

Killing him would prevent Iwagakure from falling into a leaderless state, but as can be seen from the Fourth Shinobi World War storyline in the original work, there are no outstanding talents. The Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Roshi, is stubborn and at odds with the Tsuchikage, so it's only a matter of time before he leaves the village.

Since the Fourth Hokage, Kurotsuchi, has not yet grown up, the successor will most likely be her father, Kotsuchi, or Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki who didn't have much screen time in the original work. This would greatly reduce the threat to Iwagakure.

Of course, the risks were not small. Although the rule of the Five Kage Summit was that each Kage could only bring a maximum of two guards, Feng Lan did not believe that he was the only one carefully selecting and preparing to bring an entire team. Even out of the most basic sense of precaution, each village would definitely bring no fewer people. At most, they would just have them wait outside the border of the Land of Iron.

Onoki is a highly experienced fighter who can fly. If he realizes something is wrong and escapes, Konoha and I will become the target of everyone's anger.

The risks and rewards were equally high, which is why Fenglan had been hesitant and even inclined not to do it; otherwise, he wouldn't have left Shisui in Takumi Village. After all, the risks were borne by himself and Konoha, but the benefits of killing Onoki might not necessarily come to him.

However, he still subconsciously made all the preparations in advance, just in case something happened and he was caught off guard.

"Lord Fenglan..." Seeing that the other party actually had such dangerous thoughts, Shikaku frowned. "The Fourth Hokage will not agree to such a thing."

He was also a smart man, so he didn't say things like it was too dangerous, that Iwagakure was not to be trifled with, or that it might cause a war, because Fenglan must have already analyzed the situation before he had the intention to kill. Instead, he directly pointed out the most crucial point, trying to nip the other party's insane idea in the bud.

"If I really intend to do it, I won't let him know," Feng Lan said noncommittally.

Shikaku's brows furrowed even more. Fenglan's actions... were becoming more and more like Danzo's. Konoha had lost Danzo, and now another Danzo had appeared? If that were the case, he dared not gamble away the entire fortune of his three clans, because Danzo was the kind of person who would devour people without spitting out the bones.

Therefore, he made one last probe: "Lord Fenglan, when the Fourth Hokage was still lucid, would you have dared to say such a thing so openly?"

"cut."

Feng Lan clicked his tongue, admitting that Lu Jiu's move was spot on. He stared at Minato for a long time, the image of the other's furious, bristling expression flashing through his mind, before finally sighing, "Fine, then we won't do it. But I'll still bring the people with me, just in case."

"Of course."

Shikaku relaxed completely. It seemed that Fenglan was ultimately different from Danzo. The difference was that if the Third Hokage had been spoiled by Danzo, Konoha would have truly become a one-man show by Root. However, the Fourth Hokage had already been spoiled by Fenglan, and he would still consider the other party before making any decisions.

“Then…” He took a deep breath, stood up, and looked at his two close friends. “Lord Fenglan, while you and the Fourth Hokage are at the Five Kage Summit, please leave the village affairs to us.”

Shikaku wasn't talking about "me," but rather "we," which clearly means that the opinions within the Ino-Shika-Cho trio are completely aligned, and they have sworn allegiance to this side.

“Okay.” Feng Lan stood up solemnly and grasped Lu Jiu’s hands with both of them. “Then, please invite Mr. Lu Jiu to attend the high-level meeting with me tomorrow.”

Chapter 110 High-Level Meeting

The next morning, in the high-level conference room.

Konoha F3 were clearly prepared, so they weren't too surprised when they saw Shikaku appear behind Minato's chair and stand next to Furan.

“Shikaku…” The Third Generation stared at Shikaku for a long time.

"Third Hokage, thank you for your guidance over the years." Shikaku bowed deeply, but remained standing still.

"Hehe, it's normal for the younger generation to be attracted to the younger generation." The third generation smiled calmly, then his gaze fell on Feng Lan. "You're here to ask him for a seat as a formal advisor to the Elders' Council, the kind with voting rights."

“That’s right,” Feng Lan said with a smile.

"That's alright... Danzo is dead anyway." Speaking of Danzo, he couldn't help but sigh again. After all, Danzo was his best friend who had been his partner from genin to Hokage. All the past events... couldn't just be swept under the rug.

"Third Hokage." Feng Lan put away her smile and bowed slightly. "I have also arranged for someone to bring back Lord Danzo's body. Although he once went astray, he still made many contributions to Konoha. I will arrange for someone to send it to your residence after the meeting. Let his old friends hold a private funeral for him."

"Ugh!"

Upon hearing this, both Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu were moved and sighed. However, Minato's reaction was even stronger than theirs, with a sorrowful expression on his face.

"Your empathy is truly remarkable." Feng Lan couldn't help but roll his eyes. He played the Danzo corpse card to gain more benefits, not to make you, this blond-haired guy, feel sentimental too!

“With Shikaku’s abilities and qualifications, he is indeed qualified to become the new elder advisor, but before that…” The Third Generation looked up at Fenglan, “Tell us in detail what you have been doing since you left the village.”

Clearly, these were the conditions set by the third generation. As someone accustomed to being in control, he strongly disliked the feeling of being kept in the dark, especially since this included the first and second generations of adults.

Feng Lan then began to selectively reveal information, the first one to be hidden was Kisame Hoshigaki, who was his key trump card for causing trouble in Kirigakure in the future. He couldn't let the Third Hokage have any room to interfere, even though the other party could most likely get some clues from Tsunade and Jiraiya.

As for the matter of the Takumi Village in Tanzaku Town, he did not hide it, because the Third Hokage's men would definitely know the specific situation if they went to the Takumi Village to place an order. He couldn't let Orochimaru kill even the people of Konoha.

The subsequent explanations were quite detailed, as there was nothing to hide. However, Feng Lan didn't elaborate on the specific effects of Kotoamatsukami, only stating that he had Shisui continuously use genjutsu to control Orochimaru, preventing him from recovering. He also withheld some details of the consensus reached with the Second Hokage; he couldn't very well openly tell these old guys that he intended to purge them, could he?

He hesitated for a moment before deciding not to speak about Madara and White Zetsu's situation. After all, the fewer people who knew about it, the better. Otherwise, too many people would gossip, and if Black Zetsu found out that he knew so much about him, there would be problems.

As for how he knew Killer Bee's location, he didn't specifically mention it, and the other party didn't ask any further questions. Obviously, everyone has their own trump cards, just like Feng Lan wouldn't ask how many people the Third Anbu had.

He didn't stop talking until he finished explaining how he used Amegakure and Sunagakure to make a public announcement. He then slowly picked up his cup and took a sip of tea.

"You really are..." After listening to Feng Lan's description, the Third Hokage sighed again, "You've accomplished something truly remarkable!"

The fact that his teacher, the Second Hokage, had a good opinion of Feng Lan and that he continued to follow his instructions without taking over the leadership of the team filled the Third Hokage with emotion, making him realize for the first time that he was truly getting old.

"It was just a small task," Feng Lan said with a smile. "It's my responsibility as the Fourth Hokage's advisor."

Then, the atmosphere in the conference room fell into an eerie silence. The Third Hokage closed his eyes, seemingly deep in thought or perhaps reminiscing, and no one spoke to disturb him.

After a long pause, he slowly spoke: "Then, let's begin the vote on whether to appoint Shikaku as an elder advisor."

Clearly, it passed unanimously. Although Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu didn't look too good, they still raised their hands in accordance with the Third Hokage. However, Shikaku didn't have much of a happy expression on his face. Even Fugaku, who was recording, was smiling more happily than him.

He pulled up a chair and sat down next to Minato and Shizune, nodding slightly: "Then, I look forward to your guidance from the Hokage and all the advisors. I, Nara Shikaku, am willing to do my utmost for Konoha."

“Oh, right, there’s one more thing,” Feng Lan said. “I’ve arranged for Orochimaru to be stationed in Takumi Village, where he will develop the most advanced ninja tools to atone for his sins. Third Hokage, I’ll leave the handover of these ninja tools to you.”

"Hmm?" The Third Hokage was slightly taken aback at first, then nodded. "Alright, I will take care of it."

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu's gazes softened somewhat again.

Feng Lan's move may seem like a concession, but there are many deeper reasons behind it. First of all, the arms business is indeed very profitable, but the capital required is astronomical. He only has 20% of Konoha's finances and has to support the various expenses of his private army. He simply cannot afford such a large project.

So instead of robbing Peter to pay Paul, it's better to be generous and do the Third Hokage a favor... And this favor actually doesn't cost much, because the trade with Takumi Village was controlled by the Third Hokage anyway. He just intervened and said he wouldn't compete with him for the time being. In any case, the ninja tools he brought back would eventually be distributed to his side anyway.

The most important thing right now is the Five Kage Summit. Both sides still need to unite against external threats. Since the Third Hokage has already made concessions and promoted Shikaku to the Elder position, we should also make appropriate gestures to avoid making the relationship too strained.

Just like how the Third Hokage never mentioned the Rinnegan before, and how he didn't bring the Edo Tensei Twin Shadows back to Konoha, since it's a game of chess, we should play by the rules and use our brains instead of swinging the chessboard at our opponent's head.

"Now, let's talk about the Five Kage Summit." Now that the atmosphere had eased, Feng Lan started a new topic. Everyone's expressions became serious, and even Fugaku, who was writing with his head down, temporarily stopped writing and looked up.

“First of all,” Feng Lan held up a finger, “the location of the talks was proposed by Yunyin and will be held in the Land of Iron. It seems that all parties have reached a consensus on this, but the key is who will go, how many people they will bring, and… where our bottom line is.”

“The samurai of the Land of Iron have claimed to be neutral for many years, but they are not without bias.” Mitokado Homura slowly said, “These guys talk a good game, but they have secretly sent information to Kumogakure. When we get there, we can’t trust the samurai’s words completely.”

"I see……"

Feng Lan nodded. This was something that wasn't in the original story, and only these old guys who had dealt with it would know about it. It seemed that her initiative to make friends earlier had worked.

"In fact, the Five Kage Summit was only held once, during the time of the First Hokage. Although there have been subsequent proposals, they have all failed to be initiated due to various hostile relationships and lack of cooperation."

Koharu Utatane said calmly, "You really caused a huge commotion this time, so much so that even Iwagakure and Kirigakure felt threatened, which is why they agreed."