Konoha Council

The exists to help the Hokage govern the village and to make sure all decisions are made with the best interest of Konoha and its inhabitants in mind.

History
Although the Hokage always has the final say in the matter, the councillors are there to give their opinions and advice, thus making sure the decisions made are fair and take into account all possibilities and viewpoints. Both have decades' worth of experience and knowledge and hold a social position similar to that of the Hokage. They exert great influence over the governing of Konoha and have garnered wide support from the village's shinobi and are regarded with the same respect as that of the Hokage. It was up to them to choose a new Hokage after the Third Hokage died.

Even though they were close friends with the Third Hokage and held the same general view of how to run the village, they are somewhat more draconian. This has caused them to side with the Third Hokage's rival, Danzō, on several occasions. The most notable occurrence of this was when the Uchiha clan started dissenting against the village. Although the Third Hokage wanted to try and solve the situation peacefully, Danzō and the councillors saw this as futile and wanted to remove the Uchiha threat altogether. This eventually led to the Uchiha Clan Downfall. Because Danzō acted without his consent, the Third removed Danzō from the council and officially disbanded the Root organisation.

Because of their advanced age and experience, they see the Fifth Hokage as an inexperienced novice. This often leads to conflicts when they hold different opinions, such as when the councillors wanted to restrict Naruto Uzumaki's movements against the Fifth Hokage's will. They still have respect for the Hokage's position, though, and have been shown to be willing to compromise with her, as long as the village's best interests are kept in mind.