Part-time job × three and five

In the course of daily life in Konoha, besides visiting the training grounds and clan grounds, Izuna occasionally dropped by the Hokage Building.

It wasn't that he was particularly interested in handling official business. He just liked watching Hashirama's soul leave his body and his brother Madara surrounded by the oppressive gloom of an overworked corporate drone.

Seeing them look so utterly fed up with life was just too entertaining!

Inside the Hokage's office.

On one side, Hashirama Senju lay slumped behind a mountain of paperwork, as though his spine had been pulled out. His eyes were unfocused, and meaningless groans escaped his mouth. "Ah... why is there so much paperwork... territory divisions... budget overruns... the clans squabbling... I want to go to the training ground... I want to fight Madara... I want..."

A visible cloud of gray resentment seemed to swirl over his head, and he was practically turning into a sheet of paper.

On the other side, Madara Uchiha sat behind another, slightly smaller desk, his back straight as a pine and his expression cold as ice.

The paperwork before him was likewise piled high, but he worked through it at an astonishing speed.

The brush in his hand moved so fast it almost left afterimages. His annotations were concise and sharp, every character like a blade.

But the oppressive air he gave off, seemingly cold enough to freeze the air itself, and his unapproachable indifference made even the Anbu who occasionally came in to report wish they could walk on tiptoe.

This peculiar sight was what drew Izuna there. He would usually sneak up to the doorframe and poke half his head around it, watching the two men inside "suffer" until he couldn't help bursting out laughing.

Then he got pressed into service.

"Izuna! You're just in time!" As though he'd seen his savior, Hashirama's eyes snapped back into focus, and he sprang up from behind the pile of paperwork.

In a flash, he appeared at the door and reached out a large hand to scoop up Izuna, who was trying to slip away. "Quick! Help me with this! The Nara Clan and the Yamanaka Clan are arguing over the right to use a shared training ground! What do you think we should do?!"

Madara also put down his brush and looked up. He said nothing, but his gaze clearly said: Now that you're here, don't expect to sit idle.

Izuna: "..."

He was only here to watch, okay?! Not to work overtime!

But faced with Hashirama's expectant gaze and his brother Madara's silent stare, Izuna could only sigh in resignation and sit down in a nearby chair.

"First things first, I don't know exactly what to do either!" Izuna raised his hands in surrender. "I can't make heads or tails of financial statements or budgets. I didn't study that stuff!"

He was just a bright-eyed humanities student, and the sight of numbers gave him a headache.

"That's fine, that's fine!" Hashirama thrust the file on the training ground dispute into his hands. "Just give us some ideas! Help your big brother think. How can we handle this so everyone's less angry and we still get things done?"

Madara spoke up calmly as well. "You needn't worry about the details or the exact numbers. Just tell us what you think."

Give them ideas? This job... maybe he could give it a try?

Izuna scratched his head and looked at the petty matters described in the file.

Both clans had their eyes on the same prime-time slot at the training ground, and neither would give way. Each thought the other was getting the better deal while they were getting the short end of the stick.

Wasn't this just... a resource allocation dispute?

A bunch of terms flashed through his mind: "taking turns," "reservation and scheduling system," "usage efficiency assessment," "rewards and penalties"...

"Uh... how about making a 'schedule'?" Izuna ventured. "Divide the day into several time slots, like morning, afternoon, and evening.

"Then have the Nara and Yamanaka clans, along with any other clans that need the grounds, apply in advance for the slots they want next week or next month.

"When they apply, they should state what they'll use it for and roughly how many people are coming. Then... the Hokage Building could handle it, or we could set up something like a 'Public Facilities Management Group' to review and coordinate the applications, scheduling them based on how reasonable and urgent they are, as well as past usage.

"Once it's settled, send out a notice and have everyone follow the schedule. No fighting over slots. If anyone uses the grounds without permission or damages them, fine them or suspend their right to apply for a while..."

As he spoke, he did his best to recall how school clubs had applied for activity rooms in his previous life, or how meeting rooms were booked at companies, and tried to explain it as simply as possible.

As Hashirama and Madara listened, their eyes gradually lit up.

A schedule? Applying in advance? Reviewing and coordinating? Penalties for violations?

It sounded much clearer and more effective than their previous ideas of either imposing a strict division or trying to smooth things over through mediation!

"Great idea!" Hashirama slapped his thigh. "That's what we'll do! I'll have Kakuze and Haiji come over to discuss the details right away!"

Madara nodded slightly as well, a hint of approval entering his gaze as he looked at Izuna.

Before Izuna could breathe a sigh of relief, he was hit with the next document.

This one concerned planning discussions for Konoha's initial infrastructure.

The village had only just been built, and everything needed doing. They had to build roads and houses, bring in water, plan commercial and residential districts, and consider defensive fortifications...

There were countless things to deal with, and Hashirama and Madara were struggling over a few rudimentary maps and all sorts of conflicting opinions.

"The Ninja Academy needs to be built here, but the Akimichi Clan says that's too close to their barbecue restaurant, and the smoke and grease will affect the children..."

"The Uchiha want to expand the edge of their clan grounds a little, but that area is close to land reserved for the Hyuga..."

"Will routing the water channel through the Aburame Clan's insect valley have any effect?"

"Should the commercial district be in the center or near the main gate?"

As Izuna listened to the hair-pulling details, his head felt twice its size. What did he know about urban planning?!

But seeing Hashirama and Madara looking at him like a lifeline once again, he gritted his teeth and dug into what little he remembered from history and politics classes, as well as... a certain down-to-earth understanding of "construction" etched into the DNA of the Flower Country.

"Um... we're building a village, right?" Izuna scratched his cheek, trying to organize his thoughts. "I think... shouldn't we start with... a general direction? Or rather... a plan?"

"A plan?" Hashirama and Madara looked at him at the same time.

"Yeah! Like... a 'Three-Year Plan'? A 'Five-Year Plan'?" Izuna gestured as he spoke. "Set a goal first. For example, within three years, the village should have all its basic functions in place, and everyone should have a safe home and clean water to drink.

"Within five years, commerce should be starting to flourish, the defensive system should be complete, and more talented people and ordinary residents should be drawn to settle here, so Konoha can truly gain a firm foothold in the Shinobi World..."

The more he spoke, the more easily the words came, and vague concepts surfaced on their own. "Once you've set the big goals, break them down into smaller yearly and monthly goals. Then turn each small goal into specific projects: which road to build, which building to put up.

"Take it one step at a time like that, and you won't have conflicts everywhere from hammering away at one thing and then another like you do now."

Hashirama and Madara exchanged a glance, each seeing the shock in the other's eyes. Breaking grand goals down into actionable tasks for each stage? That was a good idea!

"Also," Izuna continued, letting his thoughts roam, "as the saying goes, 'If you want to get rich, build roads first'! Once transportation is convenient, goods and people can move freely, and only then can commerce develop.

"Planning the road network is important. Main roads should be wide and sturdy, connecting the different functional districts, and there should be side roads for getting around within them. The drainage system needs to be planned in advance too, or it'll turn into a swamp when it rains..."

He remembered the management games he'd played before. "When planning, it'd be best to draw a detailed map and clearly mark the residential, commercial, administrative, and training districts.

"Leave enough buffer zones or green belts between the different districts to reduce interference. A place like the Ninja Academy, which needs a quiet environment, really shouldn't be too close to a dining area with lots of smoke and grease..."

"As for specific disputes..." Izuna thought for a moment. "I think a table would make things clearer, but the Hokage Building definitely can't keep up if it has to mediate everything on its own. Could we set up a... 'consultation mechanism'? Or establish a dedicated 'Planning and Construction Committee'?

"Have each clan send representatives to lay out their demands and concerns openly and discuss them together. Let the data speak: for example, how much building this road here would improve overall traffic, how much inconvenience it might cause a particular clan, and whether there are compensation or alternative plans. In short, don't think in extremes. Be reasonable and work out the costs and benefits."

The things he mentioned, like "committee," "letting the data speak," and "alternative plans," were all entirely new concepts to Hashirama and Madara.

Traditionally, shinobi clans relied more on the authority of their leaders, the balance of power, and maneuvering behind closed doors. They had never tried such an open, rational, and procedural way of negotiating.

"A table?" Madara picked up on the word Izuna had used.

"Ah, it's... a list of the different factors, like costs, benefits, effects on each party, and feasibility, so you can assess them one by one."

Izuna did his best to explain. "That makes it easier to compare them, and you're less likely to be swayed by emotion. Of course, I don't really know how to calculate the details... but that's the general idea."

"Don't think in extremes..." Hashirama murmured, repeating something Izuna had mentioned in passing earlier, looking thoughtful. "You mean solving a problem doesn't always have to be a choice between two options, one or the other? We can look for a 'Third Way' that benefits everyone or minimizes losses?"

"Exactly!" Izuna nodded. "Take the Nara and Yamanaka clans fighting over the training ground. You don't necessarily have to award it to one of them or rigidly divide the time equally.

"You could see if there are other time slots that can be rearranged, or modify the training ground to make better use of it. Or just build a new one. It might cost more, but in the long run, if demand really is high, building a new one might be more economical.

"Basically, the more solutions you think of, the more options you have!"

Izuna's mouth had gone dry from talking, so he picked up a nearby teacup and took a long drink of water.

He felt that everything he'd said was ordinary "common sense," even a little presumptuous, and there were plenty of details he only half understood himself.

But for Hashirama and Madara, it was already shocking enough.

Hashirama sprang to his feet and paced excitedly around the office, his eyes burning. "Plans! Yes! We need plans! Three years... five years... one step at a time! A committee! Consultation! Tables! This is wonderful! Izuna! You're a genius!"

Madara remained seated, but his fingers tightened slightly around his brush, and his gaze was full of pride as he looked at Izuna.

But precisely because he felt proud, Madara was also deeply worried.

"Izuna," Madara said in a low voice, his tone unusually solemn, "what you said today is very important. Before we can implement it at the right time and in the right way, don't casually mention it to outsiders. Do you understand?"

Izuna: "...Huh?"

Wait, he'd just casually shared a few ideas. Why were his brothers Madara and Hashirama reacting so strongly?

Weren't they just ordinary ideas? Why were they treating them like state secrets?

"I... I was just talking..." Izuna tried to explain.

"No, Madara's right." Hashirama also reined in his excitement and looked at Izuna seriously. "Many of your ideas are new and effective. They've given us a great deal of inspiration. Izuna, thank you."

Seeing how solemn Hashirama and Madara were, Izuna swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue.

All right... as long as you find them useful.

Anyway, he'd only had to do the talking. Figuring out how to put it all into practice was a headache for big shots like them.

"Then, will you come to the Hokage Building again?"

Seeing the expectant looks in Hashirama's and Madara's eyes...

Izuna said, "Unlimited Three-Colored Dango."

"Deal!"

"No!" Madara narrowed his eyes. "Two at most."

"Three!"

"All right."

Izuna flashed a V sign. Yes! What a deal!

And so Izuna's part-time career as an adviser at the Hokage Building began, just like that, in a complete muddle.