Thoughts on Governing the Village: The Safest Way Is to Make the Cake Bigger

Hiruzen Sarutobi shifted his gaze to the portrait of Senju Tobirama in the office and smiled faintly.

He cupped his hands in salute.

The key to how smoothly this conversation with Shimura Danzō had gone was that he had used the reputation of "Senju Tobirama's disciple" as a guarantee.

Rounded up, he had basically used the Second Hokage's credit score.

Still, loans alone would not do. He had to give Danzo a little sweetness and make him feel as though he had actually profited...

When it came to internal conflicts, political credibility was extremely important.

"Those fan-made videos focused on using fire as a metaphor for history. There wasn't much serious substance in them."

Hiruzen Sarutobi considered his intelligence advantage:

"At present, there are two things I can confirm. First, opinions of me in videos from my previous life were polarized, but both sides believed that if I had done better, many tragedies could have been avoided..."

"That means there are many angles from which I can approach my work, and most people can be won over."

"Second, this world seems to have a Deus ex Machina problem. I absolutely cannot slack off in terms of personal strength."

As Hiruzen Sarutobi analyzed the current situation, he pondered the five major modules of the Red-Headed Document in his mind.

Authority, diplomacy, economy, military, education...

Aside from the combat awareness that still needed a little polishing and integration, these were important sources of his strength!

What help they could provide was still uncertain.

But judging from the memories he had digested while pretending to be ill, compared to his former self, his hidden ailments had vanished, his body had become visibly healthier, and his energy was far more abundant...

They were worthy of his trust.

Gazing at those five major modules, Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled in relief.

This was far too familiar to him...

It was a stripped-down Performance Appraisal Form!

It required him to raise every aspect of Konoha to a higher level.

He had to seize all five areas. Every finger had to be strong!

But for Hiruzen Sarutobi, this was a blessing.

He had gained a body capable of soaring through the skies and burrowing through the earth, and he could still experience life in a new world...

What was wrong with doing some work for the village!

"First, let's look at the scroll Danzo left behind." Hiruzen Sarutobi read through it carefully.

This was clearly dirty material Shimura Danzō had prepared against Orochimaru. Naturally, he did not believe it was an accurate record.

But the dirt had been mixed with truth, so some of it was still worth referencing.

All he could say was that the old man had swiftly immersed himself in the role of a Hokage candidate.

He had already begun tripping up his competitor...

Present-day Konoha.

Although the overwhelming majority still believed Orochimaru would take over Hiruzen Sarutobi's position.

His favoritism toward Orochimaru had always been obvious.

But some among the highest ranks had already keenly noticed that, since the Second Shinobi World War, the relationship between the Third Hokage and his beloved disciple seemed to have undergone certain changes...

"Using trade to acquire experimental subjects from clans within the Land of Fire that have not joined Konoha?"

"The Iburi Clan, the Tsuchigumo Clan..."

"Ninjas from other countries abducted by Root..."

When he saw that some of the experimental subjects were quite young, Hiruzen Sarutobi instinctively felt discomfort.

After smoking half a pouch of tobacco, he swiftly accepted reality and reminded himself inwardly:

This was a world where children had fought and killed on battlefields only a few decades ago.

Among the so-called geniuses of today, it was perfectly ordinary for teenagers in their early teens to have dozens of lives on their hands.

It was a thoroughly chaotic age.

"Orochimaru truly is a precious talent, and a rare research-oriented one at that. After all, science and technology are the primary productive forces."

"I need to find a way to maximize his talent..."

"But he must be placed under supervision. Ninjutsu development cannot be allowed to become a wild horse that has broken free of its reins!"

"Casting aside the bottom line in the name of research will only destroy public trust and the direction of progress. Even if there are short-term gains, they are far outweighed by the hidden long-term losses."

Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered.

Orochimaru had been a disciple he treasured immensely since childhood. When Orochimaru was young, their relationship had been like that of father and son.

But after Hiruzen became Hokage, his extremely conservative governing style had gradually begun to clash with the grown Orochimaru.

To the point that, after the Second Shinobi World War.

Orochimaru had actually preferred to work for the rougher, more uninhibited Root under Shimura Danzō!

This was undoubtedly a failure on his part, both as Hokage and as a teacher.

Fortunately, there was still room to save things.

Judging from his memories, he and Orochimaru had not yet had an open conflict. Rather than differing political views, it was more like a sulking son leaving home to start his own business...

Hiruzen Sarutobi considered the direction of the future.

The problems before him were countless: the shortcomings in combat power exposed by the Second Shinobi World War, outdated systems, and the shadow of the next war;

Internal financial shortages, division among the upper ranks, and conflict between the Ninja Clans and the Hokage Office Building.

"The best method is to make the cake bigger and use newly created benefits to correct old flaws—but making the cake itself is difficult."

Hiruzen Sarutobi understood that the core of being Hokage was ensuring the village "could fight and had money."

Building combat strength could not be done overnight.

But he already had an idea for "making money."

Konoha's finances relied on appropriations from the Daimyo Mansion and mission rewards.

He had once considered taking over the Daimyo Mansion by force, but after digesting his memories, he had temporarily shelved the idea.

The risks were high, and the returns were low.

By rough estimates, the Land of Fire had a population of at least tens of millions. Though ninjas held an advantage in force, they lacked administrative ability and could not replace a million bureaucrats.

And having the already limited number of ninjas take on tax collection would further weaken their combat strength.

Furthermore, the Land of Fire's tax laws were outdated. If there were no wars, ninjas could naturally assume power like shoguns after several generations. But there were too few ninjas now. Acting rashly would only force the Nobles to flee and give enemy villages an excuse to send troops.

Hiruzen Sarutobi organized the documents in his hands.

This was the "money bag" he had prepared for Konoha.

"It's difficult to seize taxes from the Nobles' pockets, but it's easy to make them spend willingly."

"To harvest the rentier class, sell anxiety, sell health, and add virility as an eye-catching gimmick."

As long as virility was involved, men would always be willing to spend unreasonable amounts of money to give it a try.

Longevity, health, virility—combine all three and create a "Konoha Special Ten-Complete Tonic Pill," and it would absolutely become a blockbuster product that swept across the Shinobi World.

Why would those Nobles not scramble to hand over their silver, stuffing money into his pockets while shouting, "Lord Hokage, I want more"?

Hiruzen Sarutobi was confident no one else could imitate this trick.

There were the three top-tier endorsements of Hashirama's story of hand-sign-free self-healing, Tobirama's reputation for inventing ninjutsu, and Mito's Yin Seal.

Orochimaru and Tsunade, the Shinobi World's foremost medical ninjas, could fine-tune it in real time, while the pharmacological classics of the Akimichi Clan and Nara Clan could serve as references.

And with him, a living example who had grown younger—who cared whether it was a Golden Finger or a tonic pill?

As for the actual effects...

It only needed to work a little and not kill anyone. The placebo effect, combined with a bit of the real stuff, would already be enough!

"I have plenty of ideas, but putting them into practice is the hardest part..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed inwardly.

The first step.

Was rebuilding a solid teacher-student relationship with Orochimaru!

Hiruzen Sarutobi shifted his gaze to the compromising material on Shimura Danzō.

This was an important prop.

Sarutobi Clan Grounds, the Hokage residence.

Hiruzen Sarutobi returned to the spacious, brightly lit house.

The moment he arrived home, Sarutobi Biwako led the servants in removing his conical hat and haori.

With a quick glance, he saw that the house had been cleaned until it was spotless.

"Hiruzen, you've worked hard today. What would you like for dinner tonight?"

Sarutobi Biwako asked softly.

Normally, whenever he returned home, hot food would already be prepared. If he returned late, the Anbu would deliver it to the Hokage Office Building.

But today, he had gotten off work early for the first time in ages, so she had not yet finished preparing anything.

The old Hiruzen Sarutobi had worked overtime until late every day. When he returned home, he was so exhausted that he had no appetite and often could not even finish a bowl of rice.

"I asked Orochimaru to come over for dinner tonight. We agreed on six o'clock..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered. "He likes hot food. Make sure there are apples and eggs. The rest can be whatever you like. Warm two jugs of wine."

"Sorry for the trouble."

Sarutobi Biwako raised her head in surprise. Looking at the Hokage, who seemed a few years younger and stood tall and straight, she smiled shyly. "What are you saying?"

Her light, cheerful figure as she departed made Hiruzen Sarutobi sigh inwardly.

So easy to appease!

Rather than a wife, Sarutobi Biwako was more like the "steward" of the entire Hiruzen Household. She had never disobeyed his orders and handled every aspect of his clothing, food, and daily life with meticulous care.

Even in bed, Hiruzen Sarutobi had the final say...

All he could say was that these feudal Ninja Clans really did have some merits!

Hiruzen Sarutobi strolled into the rear courtyard, changed into training clothes, and headed for the training ground.

Though his stats had risen, combat reactions and execution still accounted for a huge portion of one's strength.

A top-tier account could produce vastly different results in the hands of an expert and a novice.

Training was something he could never relax about.

At the training ground.

"Senju, Uchiha..." Hiruzen Sarutobi silently recited the two surnames as he warmed up with his staff. The staff tore through the air, making it hum.

He thought while integrating his combat instincts.

In his memories, the two legendary ninjas, Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, had left him immensely shaken.

In the current Shinobi World, Hiruzen Sarutobi should have been considered a first-rate expert...

But he was not on the same level as those two.

Studying history was a good way to understand the world.

"Since ancient times, every few decades or centuries, both the Uchiha and Senju would each produce a ninja who defined an era, leading the entire Shinobi World into war..."

The adamantine staff spun once in his palm, bringing with it a faint whistle through the air.

"And yet they appeared in such neat pairs every time, fixing the Warring States period's structure for nearly eight hundred years. It was only when Madara and Hashirama broke precedent by joining hands that the deadlock was finally broken."

"Was it a coincidence?"

The Sarutobi Clan Chronicles recorded that the Senju and Uchiha were descendants of a Sage in ancient times, but the words carried the insubstantial air of myth.

Could the protagonists of this world truly be the "Senju" and the "Uchiha"?

But what of it?

The problems before Hiruzen Sarutobi could not be solved by waiting for a "saint to descend from heaven."

It was plain to see that another Shinobi World War would break out within a few years. Who knew when another pair of Uchiha and Senju would emerge?

Besides, apart from Madara and Hashirama, the other "era-defining Senju and Uchiha" recorded in history had not all been as invincible as those two.

Their recorded strength was exceptional, but not enough to make people despair.

"If true immortals do appear, the Senju would be manageable enough. The Second Hokage scattered their clan members throughout Konoha, so they would ultimately stand with the village."

"But what about the Uchiha?"

At the thought of the Uchiha Clan, Hiruzen Sarutobi developed quite a headache.

How exaggerated. There was actually a Ninja Clan with such a setting?

They were naturally sensitive and harbored deep love in their hearts, but after suffering blows, their personalities could change drastically. Their hearts would manifest in their eyes as the Sharingan, and they would grow arrogant as they immersed themselves in power...

It sounded extremely troublesome, as if they had some terrible inherited mental illness.

Even more troublesome, although the Uchiha Clan were Konoha's founding shareholders and possessed tremendous value as a military force to be united, they always seemed to step on political landmines and cross red lines.

First, Uchiha Madara had inexplicably left the village and fought Hashirama to the death, causing the First Hokage to die far too early.

Thankfully, the clan members had not followed Madara in rebellion and had all remained in Konoha.

Then, during the Second Hokage's era, Uchiha Setsuna launched the Hawk Faction rebellion. After Senju Tobirama suppressed it, the Dove Faction rose to prominence. They fought and bled for the village during the First Shinobi World War, which counted as paying their Blood Tax.

But now that it was his turn to govern, the Hawk Faction was stirring again.

Although the Uchiha Clan was difficult to deal with, as Hokage, he absolutely could not choose the convenient path of crudely isolating or even eliminating the Uchiha Clan in a one-size-fits-all manner...

Besides, the Performance Metrics for governing the village were right there.

If he could make the Uchiha Clan develop complete loyalty toward Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi believed his Performance Metrics would definitely increase considerably...

"The strongest fortress is often breached from within..."

"If only I could find someone within the Uchiha Clan who could carry out my will."

"But that would be difficult. This person would need to understand the Uchiha well enough, possess the strength to subdue everyone, and also comprehend my way of thinking..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed. He also felt that he was being overly idealistic, then focused on his martial practice.

Shaking the sweat from his temples, he felt comfortable from head to toe.

Since arriving in this world, this body had grown stronger by the day. His understanding of ninjutsu, which had previously been stuck at bottlenecks, had also loosened somewhat, waiting for him to test it piece by piece.

He had originally been a tall, upright man in his youth, but the Hokage position had suddenly fallen upon him, and its pressure had seemed to transform into a mountain—not only crushing his spirit with exhaustion, but visibly shrinking his height and build.

The body was the vessel of politics. Though true Authority ought to transcend superficial appearances and be built upon achievement...

But unnatural aging was clearly harmful to one's prestige.

In a sense, the rise of the Uchiha Hawk Faction was also connected to his previously aged appearance.

"A clan that worships strength?" Hiruzen Sarutobi swung the Adamantine Staff fiercely, and a blast of air erupted, sending sand and stones flying across the training ground.

As the staff rose and fell,

His insights into techniques and battlefield experience gradually fused into one. Between sudden restraint and release, every strike carried the seamless harmony of hand and mind, along with the vigor and vitality of renewed youth.

The staff technique, balancing hardness and softness, also seemed to mirror Hiruzen Sarutobi's planned approach to dealing with the Uchiha Clan.

And just then,

Orochimaru stood at the entrance to the training ground, staring blankly at that familiar yet unfamiliar, ferocious figure.

This... was the teacher who had called him over for dinner?!