Konoha.
Ninjas from every village had arrived one after another.
Many merchant caravans also did not want to miss this opportunity.
They brought novelties from various countries to Konoha for trade.
Large caravans and small independent merchants alike.
Ninjas from every country and travelers from every land flooded into Konoha.
The surge in population greatly increased the pressure on Konoha's Military Police Force.
With the Hyuga Clan short on manpower in Konoha,
they had no choice but to transfer all Hyuga personnel patrolling outside the village back inside.
The village's safety took priority.
As for outside the village, all patrols were replaced with Sarutobi Clan personnel conducting carpet-style sweeps.
The Sarutobi Clan might not have had much else, but they had plenty of people.
They had started with five hundred. After Sarutobi Ko became an Advisory Elder,
Orochimaru cited security concerns for the Chunin Exams and had the Sarutobi Clan transfer more people back.
Over the past two months, Sarutobi personnel had been returning in a steady stream.
Among this batch, the ratio of genin to chunin was roughly two to one, and their overall strength was gradually improving.
Their numbers were also around five hundred.
In other words, more than a thousand Sarutobi Clan ninjas had returned.
Even Orochimaru found that number somewhat outrageous, and he knew the Sarutobi Clan still had people who had not been transferred back.
Just how much money had Sarutobi Hiruzen embezzled over the years?
How had he supported so many Sarutobi Clan members?
After taking the position of Fifth Hokage, Orochimaru had first investigated the financial accounts under Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Orochimaru had only given them a cursory look before finding numerous inexplicable expenses.
It was clearly not wartime, yet there were so many border outposts.
Every year, personnel supplies and equipment