Chapter 55.3- One Thousand Hands

I walked with her until she took her seat and then I walked across the room, saying my final hellos to everyone I passed before I took my seat opposite her and next to Uzume. Was it strange that we were next to each other? It would have been if I was the Senju clan head as they were on the opposite end of the room, diametrically opposed to the Uchiha and all that. As the most recent clan to join the village, the Uxumaki should probably have been somewhere off to the side maybe closer to the entrance but I had taken this seat at my first meeting and no one had said anything about it so it seemed to be fine.

“We can now begin this meeting” Danzo said, taking the authority over the clans— and through the village— with the ease of someone who was long used to it. He surely didn’t expect to be challenged here at all. Sadly, I would have to disappoint him today.

“Hold on. By what authority have you convened us here today, Shimura-san?” He narrowed his eyes at me, and wasn’t that something? Danzo with two eyes. Maybe he didn’t become the arsehole that fans of the show knew him as until he lost his eye, but that was doubtful.

“By my authority as acting-Hokage, of course.” He said.

“Yeah, that doesn’t work. Who made you acting Hokage?”

“Sandaime-sama”

“Nope. I have with me a copy of the writ the assigned you the powers you so carelessly toss about. All the clans get these, you know. Beyond the fact that he never grants you the rank of acting Hokage and even limits your powers to administrative matters, not including assigning or approving missions, there is the additional fact that your powers were slated to expire either at the end of the year or upon Hiruzen’s return to the village. Surely no one here can dispute that Sandaime-sama is within the village?” I asked the final question, getting nods rom all concerned. Uraume looked like she was trying to figure out what game I was paying, Uzume was smirking, and Shika had her fingers around the bridge of her nose. Inoken had leaned over to begin whispering in her ear.

The both of them had avoided being shipped out to war on account of a sudden contagious chakra illness that only infected the two of them. My theory was that they were too grief-stricken about Choni to be sent out to the front lines and since the village did not recognise grief as a reason for dereliction of duty, they had to figure out something creative.

“What are you trying to say? Speak plainly, boy”

“You must be slower than expected Danzo. What I’m saying is that you ain’t shit, and this body has the right to decide an interim Kage for the period that Hiruzen is unable to rule in his own name”

“He chose me”

“He chose you to stamp papers while he was off waging war and covering the village in glory. We’re fucked, and I doubt he’d choose you for getting through this mess we find ourselves in”