Two days after Anko went to the Third Hokage to get custody of Naruko Uzumaki, she now finds herself at the village council meeting, which is held once a month. The village council is made up of three different groups.

The first group is made up of the Shinobi Clan heads of the numerous shinobi clans that call Konoha home.

The second group is the Civil Council, which is made up of civilians who are elected to speak on behalf of the civilians of Konoha. The Hokage and the Council of Elders have no say in who joins this group, it is an entirely democratic vote.

The third, final and smallest group is the Council of Elders, which consists of three people: Danzo Shimura, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane. The elders act as advisors to the Hokage, they are considered the leaders of Konoha and are only subordinate to the Hokage, which gives them a lot of power over Konoha.

Naruko and the World Tree

Adoption Arc

Chapter 6 – Village Council Meeting Part 1

Hokage Tower

Council Meeting Room

14:00

The Hokage is also present, he attends all official meetings, his role during the meetings is to act as a mediator, he says when the meetings have officially begun and ended, no debates are allowed before or after.

The Hokage calls for order when debates and discussions become too heated. He prefers that people can finish talking without another council member interrupting, talking over them or whispering in the background. Therefore, he will reprimand conuncil members who do any of these three things while someone is already talking, but he will also cut off someone who has been talking for too long in case they're doing it to stop someone else from talking. He can intervene and overrule decisions whenever he feels it necessary.

Asuma and Kurenai accompanied Anko to this village council meeting. {Anko will need emotional support during this meeting, so I have asked Asuma and Kurenai to accompany her.} Hiruzen thought and looked at Anko.

Kurenai holding Naruko in her arms, she has put the little girl to sleep with a genjutsu. {I don't want her becoming stressed by all the noise that is likely to occur, especially the shrieking that will surely come from the Council of Elders.} Thought Kurenai, and to keep her own sanity, she is wearing soundproof earmuffs so she could concentrate on keeping the genjutsu on Naruko going, so Kurenai will not be part of the conversations. Kurenai's genjutsu is putting Naruko into a very pleasant dream.

The presence of Anko and Naruko caught everyone's attention, but no one could say anything because the meeting had not yet officially started and so no one was allowed to speak until then. {That damn Snake Princess, she's in my way of breaking the fox girl, I need to get rid of her so I can get control of the Nine-Tailed Fox.} Thought Danzo giving Anko the meanest look he could muster, Homura and Koharu had similar thoughts as Danzo.

Hiruzen stood up and coughed into his right hand to get everyone's attention. "Now that everyone has arrived and taken their seats, it is time to begin the meeting of the village council!" Hiruzen spoke in a loud, clear voice, making sure everyone in the room knew he was speaking, showing his authority just by the tone of his voice, Hiruzen sits back down to let the meeting begin.

Koharu wasted no time in pointing at Anko. "What is that Snake Bitch doing here? Why is she sitting next to the Nine-Tails Jinchúriki?! She should have been executed immediately when she was caught helping her father Orochimaru! How she lured his victims to their doom! I call for a vote, and I call for the immediate execution of Anko Mitarashi!" Koharu immediately and aggressively went on the attack.

"Anko is undoubtedly here today because she was caught continuing her father's work, that makes sense considering who her father is, cruelty is in their blood, she was caught trying to conduct research and experiments, she was clearly targeting the Nine-Tails Jinchúriki, why else would it be here? I vote for the immediate execution of Anko." Homura looked at Anko in disgust, he did not care if what he said was logical or not, he just wanted Anko dead, just like Koharu.

"She is clearly under the orders of Orochimaru to seduce the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, or find a way to allow himself to host the fox in his own body, most people would do anything to gain control over the immense power of the Nine-Tailed Fox, Orochimaru and his daughter Anko are undoubtedly among those people, for the safety of Konoha I vote for the immediate execution of Anko." Danzo spoke in a cold, emotionless tone. {I will get rid of you.}

Almost the entire Civil Council quickly agreed with the elders, but without giving any explanation, they too vote for the immediate execution of Anko. {They're all voting for my execution? If that happens, it means Naruko will be forced to live alone in isolation, forced to endure abuse from the whole village alone, no, I will not allow that, I will not allow Naruko to be alone.} Anko is readying herself to fight, to protect Naruko and be with her she will put her life on the line.

"And all I can say to that is bullshit!" A man from the Civil Council spoke loudly and confidently, catching everyone's attention. "My name is Kizashi Haruno, I have been trying to get into the Civil Council for two years because I want to expose the elders and their lies because-"

"Do not talk about things you obviously do not know anything about!" Barked Koharu, interrupting Kizashu." I would suggest-"

"I would suggest that you keep your mouth shut." Hiruzen spoke without shouting, but still in a tone that showed his authority. "Kizashi was in the middle of talking and therefore has the right to be heard by everyone in this room, do I make myself clear?" Hiruzen gave Koharu a look that would have killed her if looks could kill. Koharu did not dare answer, but instead looked at Kizashi glaring daggers at him. "Please continue with what you were saying, Kizashi."

"I thank you, Lord Hokage." Kizashi bowed respectfully to the Hokage.

"Anyway, I have been trying to get into the Civil Council for two years because I want to expose the Council of Elders and their lies, because just before the rumours that Anko helped her father started, my wife Mebuki and I heard that Anko was proved innocent of everything she was falsely accused of, by Inoichi of the Yamanaka clan himself." Kizashi's assertion raised a murmur throughout the council.

"I, Inoichi Yamanaka, can confirm that Anko is innocent, she never lured any of Orochimaru's victims to him, she never helped him with his research or experiments, she submitted fully to the Torture and Interrogation team and offered no resistance throughout the entire process, we found nothing to indicate her involvement." Inoichi confirms what Kizashi said.

"Thank you, Inoichi." Said Kizashi, both men nodded respectfully to each other. "And then there's the information that leaked out almost a month ago that the Nine-Tailed Fox is sealed inside the child Kurenai is holding. I know that I'm a failed shinobi who failed the final graduation exam at the academy, but I do know that such information about the Tailed Beasts and the people they're sealed inside should be an S-rank secret. If such information is leaked, it won't only put Konoha in danger, but also threatens to ruin Naruko Uzumaki's life."

Kizashi has just earned the respect of all the clan heads, the Hokage, Anko and Asuma, because he's not a spineless coward who goes along with everything the elders say, he's a man with a backbone, and that's someone they can all respect, except the elders who inwardly wish Kizashi would just drop dead right now.

"Everyone in Konoha talks about Naruko like she's the Nine-Tailed Fox and that's just stupid, that's like saying pouring water into a cup makes the cup become water, so why are you Council of Elders trying to endanger our village and ruin Naruko's life at the same time." Kizashi glared at the elders, he wasn't afraid of them, his wife is much scarier than them, it was like comparing a meowing kitten, the elders, to a roaring tigress, his wife.

"You impudent fool! Don't talk about things you have absolutely no idea about! That Snake Bitch managed to get that information herself, and leaked it out to everyone for her own benefit." Barked Homura, visibly annoyed. {I'll have this peasant and his family murdered after this meeting is over.}

"What a complete load of bullshit!" Shikaku hissed with venom in his voice. "The only ones who had access to that information were you elders and the Hokage." Shikaku wasn't buying this bullshit.

"Information like that is kept in scrolls as stored records, kept in the most secure locations known only to a small handful of people personally chosen by the Hokage, with security measures designed and tested by Lord Jiraiya himself, the best shinobi at infiltration Konoha has ever had, even he would have trouble infiltrating that, and he is considered the best at what he does." Explained Shikaku as a matter-of-fact.

"If Jiraiya would have trouble, what makes you think Anko, a fucking rookie by comparison, could do it? Nothing against Anko, but comparing her infiltration skills to Jiraiya's is like comparing a baby taking its first steps, Anko, to a record-breaking hundred-metre runner, Jiraiya, it's not even a competition." Shikaku was not trying to badmouth Anko's abilities, he was simply stating the facts. "You guys need to stop selling the bullshit that Anko is behind this, you are just making fools of yourselves."

"I can assure everyone here that Lord Third had nothing to do with the information leak, he even went so far as to voluntarily submit himself to the Torture and Interrogation team, just like Anko, he offered no resistance when we probed his mind, completely compliant, we found no memory of him having anything to do with the information leak." Inoichi quickly defended the Third Hokage before the elders could try to shift the blame onto him next, because Inoichi is not known for lying, that is why he is the leader of the T&I team.

"If our enemies manage to get hold of that information, which we must assume they have, Konoha could be dragged into another war, it could very well be that an infiltration mission is being planned as we speak to kidnap Naruko Uzumaki, the Nine-Tailed Fox is the most powerful Tailed Beast, the price alone of getting it is worth starting a war for for many." Shikaku finds it disturbing that the elders have so little regard for the safety of Konoha, worse, they do not seem the least bit sorry.

"I'm sorry for all who hear the angry tone in my voice." Choza tried to hide his anger but could no longer. "I'm angry, the information leak is worrying, but what makes me most angry is that it threatens to destroy the life of a little girl whose life hasn't even really begun, that is what makes me most angry." Choza is a very kind man and finds it really upsetting that a toddler is suffering the most from the information leak while the elders just sneer at Choza.

"I strongly suspect that the elders leaked this information to alienate Naruko from the village." Said Fugaku in a calm tone. "Knowing that she has the Nine-Tailed Fox inside her, most of the people of this village will blame her for the Nine-Tails attack over three years ago, they'll not see her as a girl or a person, but as the monster that almost destroyed their village, killed their Fourth Hokage, and stole the lives of many loved ones. The elders are most likely tying to break Naruko's mind and spirit, then they'll try to manipulate her and turn her into a weapon they can control. They don't see Naruko as a girl or a person, but a monster and a weapon they want control over."

Danzo looked at Fugaku with an ugly sneer on his face, he despised the Uchiha. {I'll make you regret opening your mouth, you filthy Uchiha scum.} Thought Danzo hatefully.

"My clan is going through the exact same thing Naruko is." Fugaku closed his eyes, he really didn't want to mention this in front of the entire council but his gut told him to, Fugaku firmly believes in trusting one's own gut feeling.

"After the attack by the Nine-Tailed Fox, rumours immediately began spreading the next day that the Uchiha clan didn't help the village the night of the attack because we were behind it, believe me when I say we really wanted to help protect our village that night, but we couldn't because Danzo and his men prevented us from helping, since then the Uchiha have experienced what Anko experienced with her father and what Naruko is beginning to experience because she has the Nine-Tailed Fox inside her." Fugaku sounded like a beaten man and a man who was at his wit's end, for the discrimination his clan had faced over the past three years was taking a heavy toll on him and the Uchiha clan.

"You filthy Uchiha scum! Your clan didn't help because you were behind it!" Barked Danzo in a rage. "Besides the Uzumaki with their Adamantine Chains and powerful seal jutsu, only the Uchiha are known to have been able to control the Nine-Tailed Fox with powerful genjutsu using their Sharingan, plus the fox had Sharingans in its eyes, which is proof that you filthy red-eyed bastards were behind the Nine-Tailed Fox's attack on this village!" Danzo's anger is preventing him from noticing that everyone is getting more and more fed up with him and the other two elders.

"It's true that the records mention an Uchiha controlling the Nine-Tailed Fox outside the Uzumaki clan, but that doesn't mean the Uchiha clan is behind the attack, it could have been a single renegade Uchiha acting independently of the clan, it could have been a shinobi with a stolen Sharingan or two. Before this meeting, I might have sided with the elders, but after seeing how you acted during this meeting, I can't believe a word any of you three fuckers say." Shikaku won't side with the elders again, not after what they did.

"After what the elders did to ruin the lives of Anko and little Naruko, I now believe that Fugaku and the Uchiha were falsely accused of abandoning our village to save their own skins, I now believe that they were prevented from protecting Konoha that unfortunate night. And I now believe that the elders have placed their crimes on the shoulders of innocent people." Before this meeting, Choza would have sided with the elders, as would Shikaku, but not after this meeting.

"Speaking of the elders ruining lives and doing injustice to the Uchiha." Hiashi spoke in a clear, dignified voice, he had no intention of entering the conversation, considering it unimportant to him, that was until Fugaku decided to speak up. If the head of the Uchiha clan is willing to put his pride aside to join the ongoing conversation, then Hiashi will put his dignity aside to do the same, not because of any rivalry with the Uchiha clan or anything, baka, but out of respect.

"How about we talk about how Fugaku was one of our most important comrades-in-arms during the Third Great Ninja War, for which none of his accomplishments and exploits during that war were even appreciated, but swept under the rug as if they never happened, I worked with the man during that war and saw some of Fugaku's exploits, they were on par with the exploits of Minato, Kushina and Guren." Hiashi decided to mention Fugaku's ignored feats during the Third Great Ninja War.

"I find it a crime in itself that Fugaku was denied the chance to compete with Minato, Kushina and Guren for the title of Fourth Hokage, I no longer have any doubt that the elders were responsible for that, oh and telling us that Fugaku and the Uchiha never attempted to help the village on the night of the Nine-Tailed Fox attack is complete and utter nonsense, from my personal experience I know for a fact that Fugaku would have been one of the first on the front lines to defend the village had he been given the chance." Hiashi spoke without shame as he defended Fugaku.

"Well, I've decided to vote against the execution of Anko, instead I'm calling for a new one, for the immediate execution of the three elders!" Growled Tsume.

"Members of my clan have been accused and executed over the years for crimes I was told they committed, told by you three, but now I'm being told that you have been falsely accusing others of your crimes, not only told, but actually hearing you do it front of me. Those executed from my clan all tried to claim innocence, and now I'm actually being told they may have been innocent all along." Tsume feels grief and pain spreading through her.

Tsume takes a deep breath to calm herself. Although the Inuzuka clan is known for being hot-tempered, the village council meeting is not the place for it. "Instead of Anko, I call for a new vote, and that is to execute the three elders for all their crimes." Tsume managed to calm down.

"Their actions could drag our village into another war in which countless more of our people will die, I vote for the execution of the three elders." Shikaku cast his vote, his feelings indifferent but his love for his village absolute.

"Like Tsume, I lost members of my clan to the same false accusations and more, only I was never told until after they were killed, so I never had a chance to fight for their innocence, I vote for the execution of the three elders." Fugaku is very angry but manages to keep his emotions to himself.

"Although they did not spill the blood of members of my clan, I vote for their execution, not only for the protection of my clan, but for the protection of all the innocent who reside in Konoha." Hiashi cast his vote, showing more of his honourable side.

"I find it unforgivable how willingly the elders are to ruin the lives of others for their own gain, so many lives have been ruined and ended, my heart weeps for those people, I vote for the execution of the elders." Choza cast his vote, sincerely upset about the loss of so many innocent lives.

"Like Tsume and Fugaku, I too have lost members of my clan for threatening to expose the elders, so I vote for the execution of the elders." Inoichi cast his vote feeling indifferent about it.

"I have not lost anyone in my family, but I have heard from others how they have lost loved ones to the false accusations of the elders. I find it unforgivable that the elders have ruined and ended so many lives, I vote for the execution of the elders." Kizashi cast his vote.

All the members of the Civil Council began to tell how they were blackmailed by the elders. The reason they were always on their side was because they were threatened with imprisonment and execution with the same false accusations made against them if they did not agree with everything the elders said, and they always made good on their threats, so everyone in the Civil Council was too afraid to speak out or tell the Hokage, but Kizashi Haruno and Fugaku Uchiha gave them the courage to speak out against the elders now.

All the members of the Civil Council agreed that Inoichi should search their memories for evidence, but since that would take too long, their collective word counts as evidence, and so they all voted for the execution of the elders so that they would no longer have to live with a guillotine constantly hanging over their heads.

Hiruzen stands up getting everyone's attention he makes a one-handed half ram hand-sign and activates some seals under the elders' seats, suddenly all three are completely paralysed and cannot move.

"For years the Council of Elders have tried to stab me in the back at every chance they ever had." Hiruzen spoke loudly to make sure everyone was listening. "And I have grown tired of it, I hereby declare these three traitors to Konoha: Village Hidden in the Leaves. Each and every one of their crimes has resulted in others being hurt or killed, and worse, they have jeopardised the safety of our village. For the act of treason against Konoha, I sentence Danzo Shimura, Homura Mitokido and Kohara Utatane to death, and their punishment shall be carried out immediately!"

Before any of the elders could protest, all their heads were quickly and swiftly removed from their necks, without any unnecessary suffering, even though the elders did not deserve this mercy.

{Thank God Naruko is under Kurenai's genjutsu so she did not have to see this.} Anko was shocked, but also thankful for Kurenai who had suggested she hold Naruko to put the little girl under a genjutsu, which was good because Anko did not want Naruko to see that.

To Be Continued

Next Chapter - Chapter 8 - The Village Council Meeting Part 2

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