Chapter 24: Alliance! The Foundation of the Negotiation!Inside the Konoha Council Chamber, sandalwood incense curled, yet it could not suppress the murderous aura permeating the air.The thick stone walls shut out the clamor from outside the village, but could not lock away the confrontational fury within the hall; the atmosphere was heavy.At the very center of the circular conference table, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat upright, his brows tightly locked, his expression full of conflict.Seated in order on both sides were the KonohaAdvisors, heads of various major clans, and high-ranking members of the Anbu.Dozens of sharp gazes, as if tangible, fell entirely upon Uzumaki Naruto, who stood in the center of the hall.The matter of taking in orphans and establishing Windmill Village atop Hokage Rock, although backed and tacitly approved by Hiruzen Sarutobi...…this act of setting up a separate settlement still drew deep suspicion from the conservative high-ranking officials of the village and became an excuse for those with ulterior motives to attack.Danzo Shimura stepped forward slowly, his single eye gleaming with cold light. He spoke sternly, every word aimed at the heart:"Uzumaki Naruto, as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki of Konoha and an inheritor of the Will of Fire, you dare to openly violate the laws of Konoha.""Building a private village is tantamount to splitting Konoha and intending to carve out territory! I must ask you, where do you place the rules of Konoha? Where do you place the alliance of the Land of Fire!"Naruto's eyes suddenly turned cold. Without fear, he met Danzo's pressure and retorted sharply:"Where is the unauthorized act? Where is the private construction? Where is the division?""The matter of taking in orphans and building the village has been tacitly approved by Hokage-samafrom beginning to end. Windmill Village has been under construction until now; how could you, you old immortal, be unaware?""Now you jump out to flip black and white, maliciously framing us. What kind of heart do you have!"Being contradicted by Naruto in public, Danzo's expression instantly turned sinister and vicious, his tone becoming increasingly sharp:"Audacious madman! You privately established a new village, set up a separate portal, and separated the citizens of Konoha to form your own entity. If that is not an intention to split, then what is!"Before Danzo could continue to escalate the matter and pin a heavy charge of treason on him, Narutoimmediately stepped forward and interrupted, his tone steady yet resounding:"Yes, we were indeed negligent in this matter and did not report everything in advance. I came here today to give the Konoha high-ranking officials a clear answer.""Windmill Village voluntarily submits to Konoha, to become an affiliate clan of Konoha forever, to obey the orders of the Hokage, and to strictly abide by the laws of Konoha!"Danzo clearly did not expect Naruto to make such a statement; the heart-piercing words that had reached his lips were stuck firmly in his throat.After a moment of stunned silence, he sneered, his tone turning sharp and contemptuous again:"An affiliate clan? It is nothing more than a tiny village that takes in orphans from all over, pieced together by a group of refugees and vagrants. How dare you audaciously call it a clan?"Naruto stood tall with his head held high, not yielding an inch. His voice was sonorous and powerful, resounding throughout the entire council chamber:"My Windmill Village stands in the world in the name of the Uzumaki!"Hearing this, Danzo was first stunned, then let out a harsh, mocking laugh, his tone full of disdain and sarcasm:"Uzumaki? What a huge joke! The Uzumaki Clanwas wiped out in the war long ago, its members dead and gone. You dare to use such a name to swindle people!"Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been silent all along, suddenly sank his face. He immediately interrupted sternly, his majestic gaze fixed tightly on Danzo:"Danzo, watch your words! The Uzumaki Clan has rendered great service to Konoha and their kindness is as heavy as a mountain. Even if their bloodline is now scattered, it is absolutely not something you can casually belittle or comment on recklessly!"The atmosphere in the hall tightened to the extreme in an instant.The two great Konoha Advisors, Homura Mitokadoand Utatane Koharu, rose slowly. One had a face as cold and hard as iron, while the other's eyes contained contempt.One on the left and one on the right, their spearheads were aimed directly at Naruto.Homura Mitokado slapped the table edge heavily, his deep voice suppressing the remaining echoes in the hall:"Let's put aside the suspicion of division for now. Today, let's just discuss this matter of joining as an affiliate of Konoha?!"Utatane Koharu followed closely behind, her high-pitched voice carrying undisguised disdain:"A dilapidated village pieced together by wandering orphans, with no family lineage, no foundation, no contribution, and not even decent buildings or combat power.""Just by relying on such a group of picked-up trash, unwanted wild children, you dare to claim the name of a clan?""Naruto! Although you are a descendant of the Uzumaki Clan, you are not qualified to recruit for your clan."Danzo, who was on the side, also sneered and said:"You want to officially join Konoha and enjoy the treatment of Konoha citizens?""What Konoha accepts are Ninjas, families, and combat power, not vagrant scum from a shelter that no one disciplines!""Something like Windmill Village that cannot be brought to the table, even if it voluntarily attaches itself, does not deserve to step half a step into the Konoha system!"Homura Mitokado coldly added, his tone brook no argument:"Correct. No contribution, no qualifications, no proof of loyalty—just by a verbal statement of belonging, you want Konoha to acknowledge its status? It's simply wishful thinking!""If we set this precedent today, in the future any Tom, Dick, or Harry will dare to come and attach themselves to Konoha. Where will the rules of Konoha be then!"The three of them sang in harmony, belittling Windmill Village as worthless.The high-ranking officials in the hall had flickering eyes; clearly stirred by these remarks, they cast questioning gazes toward Naruto one after another.Danzo stood on the side, a sinister smile curling at the corner of his mouth. He folded his arms and watched from the sidelines, waiting to see how Naruto would be forced into a desperate situation by the two Advisors.Naruto sneered and said to himself:"Since I have come here today, I naturally have the foundation that my village can bring to the table."Before the words had faded, he clapped his hands lightly.The next second, in the empty space of the council chamber, ten figures led by Su Youwei and Cang Chao flashed out without warning.Their aura was restrained, and they stood quietly in a semi-circle with Naruto at the center.Everyone in the hall was stunned; the Advisors and elders frowned, their faces full of confusion.Even the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, leaned his body forward slightly, a trace of surprise flashing in his eyes.Danzo narrowed his single eye, his cold gaze sweeping over the ten people who had suddenly appeared, murderous intent surging faintly around him.Under the focus of everyone's gaze, Naruto nodded gently.The next moment...The ten figures lifted their eyes simultaneously, and the Chakra within their bodies erupted with a boom!Red, blue, green, yellow, and purple—five colors of Chakra light representing Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, and Lightning—shot up into the sky within the council chamber like several resplendent beams of light!(In this novel, Chakra is set to have colors, making it easier to distinguish Chakra attributes in the future.)The pure-to-the-extreme Chakra fluctuations swept across the hall, the thick stone walls trembled slightly, and the sandalwood incense smoke was instantly dispersed by the violent energy.Homura Mitokado slapped the table violently, his aged voice carrying an unbelievable tremor:"This is... complete five-element Chakra aptitude?!"Utatane Koharu's complexion changed suddenly, her high-pitched voice coming to an abrupt halt. Her old eyes widened to circles, staring fixedly at the ten people in the center, her lips trembling, unable to utter a complete sentence.All the high-ranking officials of Konoha, clan elders, and high-ranking Anbu members were left with only one expression on their faces at this moment.Extreme shock!Someone stood up abruptly, their chair scraping against the floor with a harsh sound.Ten...A full ten...All of them are geniuses who have perfectly awakened five-element Chakra!You must know that in Konoha, even for major clans with long histories, it is rare to produce one prodigy in a hundred years who can perfectly control five-element Chakra.Yet before their eyes, as soon as Windmill Villagemade a move, there were a full ten!The council chamber was deathly silent, with only ten majestic Chakra auras roaring silently in the air.The two Advisors, who had just been arrogant and wantonly mocking Windmill Village as lowly and unworthy, were now pale as paper, frozen in place, all their sharp words stuck in their throats.The sneer on Danzo's face froze completely, and for the first time, his single eye revealed an unmaskable horror and wariness.The foundation of Windmill Village is not bloodline, nor power!It is the ten peerless geniuses capable of overturning the existing structure of Konoha!
