The Special Administrative Region's First Council Meeting

After discussion, the general direction was decided.

In any case, the Memorial Service proposed by the Daimyo provided much-needed relief.

It can change the perception of Konoha as cold-blooded to outsiders, and it can also unite people's hearts and minds internally, achieving two goals at once.

Regarding the procedures, no one present was familiar with this formal memorial ceremony, so they unanimously agreed to strictly follow the regulations given by the Daimyo.

Hashirama made the decision, ordering Tobirama to take Daimyo Nara Shikahiko to learn from the daimyo, and to leave the specifics to the Daimyo.

After this matter was settled, the atmosphere in the Meeting Room visibly relaxed.

Shimura Clan Head Shimura adjusted his bandaged right arm to a more comfortable angle, glanced around the Meeting Room, and then fixed his gaze on Hashirama.

His lips moved, as if he was choosing his words carefully.

Sarutobi Clan Head first, his tone tinged with caution. "Speaking of which, how is Lord Izuna now?"

The atmosphere in the Meeting Room shifted subtly for a moment.

The Clan Head, who had just been discussing the Memorial Service arrangements, almost simultaneously stopped what they were doing.

The brim of the Aburame Clan Head's hood Hashirama, the Yamanaka Clan Head put down the pen he had been twirling, and even the Hyuga Tennin with his eyes closed, opened them.

Hashirama immediately raised both hands. "Why are you asking me? Ask Madara."

He thought to himself, "If I answer for Ban, that jealous guy will definitely turn on me right then and there."

In fact, Madara's expression was not good at all. The corners of his mouth turned down slightly, and he exuded an aura of displeasure.

Everyone turned to Ban in unison and spoke almost simultaneously.

Clan Head Sarutobi said, "It was my oversight, please forgive me, Lord Madara," Clan Head Shimura quickly followed with "I'm sorry for the offense," and even Aburame Clan Head out a low "Excuse me" from under her hood.

Hyuga Tennin didn't apologize, but instead asked again in a more serious tone, "Lord Madara, how is Lord Izuna's injury?"

Ban leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, and uttered four stiff words. "Still recovering from injuries."

The Meeting Room was silent for a full three seconds.

No, so is his injury serious or minor? You just left us with those four words, how are we supposed to respond? How can we give a gift without expressing gratitude?

They all knew in their hearts that Madara probably wouldn't say another word.

So everyone silently turned away and began discussing other issues.

"Now, next," Tobirama record board, his gaze sweeping over the assembled Clan Head, "The arrangements for the Memorial Service are finalized, but that's not our only topic of discussion today. There are a few other issues that need to be addressed as soon as possible."

The atmosphere in the Meeting Room became serious again.

Tobirama went through the Roster on the whiteboard from top to bottom, his voice steady and clear, without any emotional fluctuation, as if he were reading a pre-battle reconnaissance report.

"First, the care of the wounded. Currently, there are 76 seriously injured, some of whom will be unable to perform Ninja missions even after recovery. A clear plan is needed regarding how to care for these people and who will be responsible for their continued living conditions."

"Second, the timeline for restoring the mission system. All mission requests within the village have been suspended for the past few days, and everyone is waiting. The sooner we resume accepting missions, the faster the outside world's confidence in Konoha will recover."

"However, resuming the mission requires that we have enough manpower to carry it out. Each family needs to submit a detailed Roster of available personnel to determine the current number of combat forces available."

"Third, a reassessment of the defense system." Tobirama paused here, looked up, and moved his Red Eyes from the scoreboard to the faces of everyone present. "We all experienced one thing firsthand in that battle."

"The existing village defense Barrier and patrol system are practically useless against intruders with Space-Time Ninjutsu abilities. That white monster is dead, but what about next time? If a second or third enemy with space-time abilities appears, can we detect them before they even step into the village? If not, how can we do it?"

Everyone looked grave.

They were all eyewitnesses to that battle, and they Isshiki witnessed how Isshiki escaped the seal of Gate of the Great God using a teleportation portal, and how he conjured a black cube and pressed it Hyuga Clan's child in the blink of an eye before anyone could react.

That's a gap that can't be bridged by fighting spirit alone. This time, they barely managed to win thanks to Izuna's strength. But if they encounter a similar enemy next time, will they still have to rely on Uchiha Izuna?

Everyone could see that Uchiha Izuna was not in a good state at the time.

That was incredibly powerful, capable of snatching people from beneath the black cube and unleashing techniques comparable to Hashirama's Wood Release.

With a single strike, the monster was killed; the radiating power even allowed the soul to be forcibly preserved, buying them time to survive.

But that power was probably obtained at a huge price. Just look at Hashirama and Madara's attitudes; they hesitated and refused to reveal more every time they were asked. What does that mean? It means that Lord Izuna's current situation is not optimistic.

In that battle, they were completely helpless; their Ninjutsu attacks were ineffective, and they couldn't defeat the man in Taijutsu.

Aside from rushing in as a human shield, they are utterly useless.

If they always seem so useless, what face will they have left? They must become stronger, at least to have a way to deal with space -Space-Time Ninjutsu!

"There's one more thing." Tobirama put down the clipboard, placed his hands on the table, and leaned forward slightly. "Compensation for the seriously wounded and the deceased."

"Warring States Period, these matters were handled by family members. But Konoha is not a continuation of the Warring States Period. Hashirama said at his Appointment Ceremony that we should establish a system of compensation for the deceased's family."

"The first group of people in need of compensation has now been identified, and a plan for its implementation needs to be developed immediately."

Hashirama nodded vigorously beside him.

Clan Head Sarutobi was the first to speak, "We, the Sarutobi Clan, will offer our suggestions on how to care for the wounded."

"Those wounded soldiers who are determined to be no longer able to carry out Ninja missions can be assigned to the Training Grounds as instructors."

"Those with rich mission experience can take care of the children. Several retired Ninjas in our clan were arranged this way, and I think it can be implemented in Konoha as well."

"That reminds me that the Akimichi Clan can also be of some help." The Akimichi Clan Head put down the snacks he was holding. "Not only do we need cooks, but our family's Merchants' Association also needs people who can do accounting and manage warehouses."

"These jobs don't require physical strength, but they do require care and patience. If any injured person is willing to learn, we guarantee they'll learn. We'll pay according to the Chamber of the Merchants' Association's standards and provide free lunches, as much as they want."

The Shimura Clan Head frowned and remained silent for a moment before speaking, "The Shimura Clan can provide some supplies. We have reserves of Ninja Tools, Medicinal Herbs, and food in our warehouses. I'll give you a precise figure by tomorrow after I take inventory when I get back."

Other families also offered to provide resources.

Hashirama grinned and said happily, "The way you all eagerly helped each other is much more interesting than when you were fighting over territory."

Several Clan Head glared at him simultaneously, but none of them were truly angry.

"I'll compile the personnel Roster and hand it over to Lord Tobirama by tomorrow." The Yamanaka Clan Head steered the conversation back on track, tapping his finger lightly on the table. "But there's a problem now."

"Our Yamanaka Clan is responsible for intelligence and perception, as everyone saw in Haeharu's performance during this battle. If perception abilities could be combined with Barrier Ninjutsu, we might be able to develop a Sensory System that can quickly transmit information to various Ninjas, but this requires specialized knowledge of Barrier Ninjutsu, and our clan doesn't have many people with that kind of talent."

"We can incorporate the Byakugan's Byakugan -ray vision from the Hyuga Clan," said Hyuga Tennin. "The Hyuga Clan's Byakugan is the best sensory tool; the question is how to combine the Byakugan's sensory range with Barrier Ninjutsu."

Hyuga Tennin said this, the Meeting Room fell silent.

Several Clan Head turned to look at him simultaneously, their eyes showing varying degrees of surprise.

The Byakugan has always been Kekkei Genkai that the Hyuga Clan guards closely. Even the lives of the Branch Family are held in the hands of the Main Family by the Caged Bird Seal Seiryu, all to prevent the Byakugan from leaking out.

The fact that Hyuga Tennin taken the initiative to propose adding the Byakugan's X-ray vision ability to the Barrier system, even if it's just to provide vision support, is unprecedented for the Hyuga Clan.

Tobirama shifted his gaze from the record board to Hyuga Tennin's impassive face.

He certainly knew the weight behind this.

The conflict between the Main Families Branch Family the Hyuga Clan has been ongoing for some time. The existence of the Caged Bird Seal has been questioned by many other clans since the founding of Konoha, but it has not been brought to the forefront because it is an internal matter of the Hyuga Clan.

If the Tennin really intend to use this Barrier Team to promote some kind of change, then the Hyuga Clan Head is bolder than anyone expected.

Hashirama.

When he heard Hyuga Tennin say he was willing to send people, he immediately grinned, slammed his hand on the table, and said excitedly, "Speaking of Barrier Ninjutsu, my wife Mito is an expert in Sealing Jutsu and Barrier Ninjutsu. She was originally the leader of the Barrier Team."

"But she's been too busy lately and probably won't have time to guide the new research project. However, the Uzumaki Clan of the Land of Whirlpools is among the most skilled in Sealing Jutsu and Barrier Ninjutsu in the world. If you don't mind, perhaps we could ask them to send a few people over to assist us."

The moment those words were spoken, the temperature in the Meeting Room dropped several degrees.

Hyuga Tennin spoke first, his tone cold and hard. "Excuse my bluntness, Lord Hokage, the Barrier system involves Konoha's core defenses. It's inappropriate to involve Ninjas from other countries."

Shimura Clan Head nodded, a rare hint of urgency in his voice. "It's not that we don't trust the Uzumaki Clan, but the Land of Whirlpools is, after all, an independent country. Letting their people learn about Konoha's Barrier structure, the distribution of sensory nodes, and the Chakra characteristics of each clan member... if the situation changes in the future, this information will be a dagger hanging over our heads."

Clan Head Sarutobi frowned, his tone more tactful than that of Clan Head Shimura, but his stance was equally clear. "Lord Hashirama, we are not members of the clan who doubt Lady Mito, nor do we distrust your judgment."

"But this is Konoha's defense system, not the private property of one clan. We can find people within Konoha and train them slowly. Even if it takes a few more years, it's better than handing over our vital point to outsiders."

Hashirama opened his mouth, as if to say something, but Tobirama cleared his Tobirama and stopped him.

Tobirama remained calm, his tone unhurried. "Big Brother, let's put this matter aside for now. We'll present alternative plans after I and the existing members of the Barrier Team have conducted a technical evaluation, and then we'll discuss them with the Clan Head."

Let's leave this matter aside for now.

"Regarding the pension system," the Nara Clan Head said, resting his hands on his chin, "This involves long-term expenses and cannot rely solely on voluntary contributions from individual families. My suggestion is to establish a Specialized Compensation Fund, with funding from three sources."

"Special Administrative Region government appropriations, contributions from each family according to their income ratio, and a fixed percentage of the task commission."

"The exact proportions will need to be determined by the finance department. But one thing needs to be decided now: will the compensation be based on the deceased's ethnicity, or will it be a uniform standard?"

"Standardize everything," Hashirama said, his tone unwavering. "They died for Konoha, not for the Uchiha, Senju, or Akimichi. Compensation Branch Family."

The clan Clan Head nodded in agreement.

The next half hour saw the meeting enter its most trivial yet crucial phase.

The contribution ratio for the pension fund was repeatedly debated, and finally, the Akimichi Clan Head slammed his fist on the table and said, "Let's set a trial ratio first, and then review and adjust it after three months of implementation," before a consensus was barely reached.

The mission system's recovery schedule was set for the day after the Memorial Service, with missions being rotated among different races in batches to ensure the wounded had sufficient time to recover.

They also argued for a long time about the allocation of personnel in the newly added facilities in Konoha, such as schools, hospitals, and Konoha Military Police Force Departments.

In the end, a result was achieved that was somewhat satisfactory to everyone.

"Well then, all the issues for today have been resolved." Tobirama his arm and bowed slightly to everyone present. "After the meeting, please have each Clan Head submit a list of available personnel within the clan, a list of recommended candidates for entering important facilities, and Roster supplies that each of you can provide to the Hokage Building within three days."

"Madara Uchiha will be responsible for summarizing and formulating the specific implementation plan for the next phase. As for the first preparatory meeting of our Konoha Military Police Force, it is scheduled for four days from now at Training Ground B16. The specific time will be notified separately."