The Jonin Meeting

Inside the conference room of the Hokage Building.

Representatives of the various Ninja Clans and the elite among the Jonin were gathered around the spacious table.

Qingguang was seated there as well.

As one of Konoha's latest sensations, he had won people over with his extraordinary charisma. In the end, Fugane and Fugaku, father and son, had sent him to represent the Uchiha Clan.

Across from Qingguang, Orochimaru's eyes flickered with anticipation. "Qingguang-kun, I didn't expect you to represent the Uchiha at this meeting."

"Senior Orochimaru, today's meeting is extremely important. The clan head and the department head naturally had to take extra care to prevent spies from other villages from gathering intelligence."

Orochimaru wasn't the only one surprised by Qingguang's arrival. The others present were too.

Before long, a figure appeared, wearing a Konoha flak jacket, with black, shoulder-length hair hanging loose. His face looked somewhat youthful, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's.

"Qingguang, it's been a long time. The changes you've made to the Uchiha lately have been impressive." Senju Itsuki sat down with his arms crossed and glanced at Qingguang.

Qingguang merely gave a slight nod, offering no further response.

He knew Senju Itsuki's temperament. He was taciturn, and most of the time, he preferred to remain silent.

But no one questioned his standing among Konoha's High Command. He ranked just below the Hokage and the three advisers, and was the head of the Jonin Squad.

Once Hiruzen Sarutobi and the three advisers entered the conference room, the Jonin meeting officially began.

"Everyone, according to the intelligence we currently have, the number of ninja stationed near the Land of Rain's borders has risen sharply in recent days—not only from Konoha, but from Sunagakure and Iwagakure as well."

"The new year is approaching. To maintain the village's stability, no missions below A-rank may take anyone outside the Land of Fire until the start of spring."

Most people could understand the decision and raised no objections.

Everyone present had known for months that war might be coming, so it came as no surprise.

After the various departments finished their reports, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned to Tsunade, seated beside Qingguang. "There's one more matter you should all know about. Due to her age, Utatane Koharu no longer has the energy to continue serving as head of the Medical Department. Not long ago, she handed the department over to Tsunade."

"Tsunade, tell us what you have in mind."

Tsunade took a deep breath, stood, and distributed the copies of the document in her hands, passing them to everyone present.

Then she began explaining the plan according to the proposal's original contents.

Most of the people listened in silence. Only Utatane Koharu looked displeased, her expression shifting as she read the document.

So, Tsunade, you've barely taken office and already you're making a show of sweeping away the old arrangements to prove yourself?

Hmph. The power struggles among the village's leaders aren't as simple as you think.

Once she had finished explaining every part of the plan, Tsunade was left somewhat parched. Her gaze swept across the room before settling on Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Whether the Medical Department's reforms could move forward ultimately depended on the Hokage's decision.

Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped his fingers lightly against the armrest of his chair, making a steady series of thuds.

When the tapping finally stopped, he spoke. "Tsunade, if every Konoha ninja squad could really have a medical ninja among its four members, the number of casualties would indeed drop significantly."

Hearing this, Tsunade's face immediately lit up with delight.

It seemed the old man wasn't as rotten as she'd thought.

Watching Tsunade's reaction, Orochimaru smiled. She was as naïve as ever.

"But..."

"But what?" Tsunade asked, already sensing that something was wrong.

"The village doesn't have enough funds to continue supporting the Medical Department's reforms. We'll have to discuss this plan again in the future."

Hiruzen Sarutobi left it at that.

No one else expressed support for the Medical Department's reforms. Instead, one after another, they voiced agreement with Hiruzen Sarutobi's decision.

"It's a good idea, but the timing isn't right. It's a shame that Lady Tsunade went to all this trouble."

"Lady Tsunade, there's no need to worry. These reforms would benefit Konoha in every way, but the village's external threats haven't been dealt with yet. We can discuss it again later."

"Lady Tsunade..."

The repeated honorifics and words of regret kept pouring into Tsunade's ears.

As she looked at their false smiles, she finally understood the helplessness Qingguang had shown that night when he'd spoken to her about Minato.

So it really was like this...

She clenched her fists and lowered her head in silence.

Was the plan really going to be shelved indefinitely?

Just then, Qingguang stood up. His voice seemed to give Tsunade hope.

"Lord Hokage, although we can't implement this entire reform plan right away, I think there are a few measures we can put into practice now."

"If war really breaks out, the advantages offered by medical ninjas will greatly help preserve the village's fighting strength. Don't you agree?"

Of everyone present, Qingguang was the first to openly oppose the majority.

His words were unexpected, yet they made perfect sense.

After all, he was the village's "radiant sun."

Hiruzen Sarutobi furrowed his brow and began considering whether Qingguang's suggestions were feasible. Several parts of the proposal could indeed be implemented, but doing so would affect some of the many vested interests he had spent years maintaining.

In the past, that network had been the foundation on which he, as Hokage, kept the village stable. He had allowed nothing to threaten it.

But now, the village's safety mattered more than anything else. Konoha stood above all, and he had to reconsider those few measures.

Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi hesitated, Senju Itsuki, who had yet to speak, opened his eyes. "Lord Hokage, I think the medical preparatory classes at the Ninja Academy and the drug research team are feasible."

"If war breaks out, we'll have to be prepared for the poisons used by Amegakure and Sunagakure."

Senju Itsuki wasn't an expert in medical ninjutsu, but as head of the Jonin Squad, he knew the first measure wouldn't cost much. Although the Senju Clan had disbanded and its members had blended into the civilian population, many ninjas, like him, had kept the Senju surname.

There were at least several hundred of them still in Konoha.

Aside from some of the old veterans, most were young people from the baby boom after Konoha was founded.

Now they were around thirty, under forty, and part of the village's core strength.

Among the Jonin, Konoha had over a thousand on record. The Uchiha were the largest group, with nearly a hundred. The second-largest group were the ninjas with the Senju surname, numbering more than fifty.

And that didn't even include the dozens of Jonin like Tsunade, who were descendants of the Senju but hadn't inherited the surname.

Taken together, the number of Jonin with Senju blood might even exceed the number of Uchiha.