14, Transaction

"Then it's settled. Tomorrow morning at 6:00, the entire Team Five will meet at the lakeside training ground for a mock battle. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Sensei!"

"Very good. That's all for today. Dismissed."

"Thank you for your hard work."

After finishing a luxurious sushi meal, Soji first bid farewell to Akimichi Todo before seeing Sarutobi Erina home.

Once everything was settled, he tucked away his newly acquired Flash Tags and Explosive Tags and headed back to his own apartment.

Although it wasn't exactly appropriate to keep such dangerous items in a civilian residence, given that the hospital's experimental facilities were always open to all staff doctors, Soji truly couldn't find a more suitable place to store his private belongings at the moment.

He was just calculating how to find the right opportunity to bite off a piece of the pie during the hospital's annual project approval meeting to establish a private laboratory, when a black shadow suddenly darted into his empty living room.

The figure moved with extreme speed, but it wasn't a simple Body Flicker Technique.

Subjectively speaking, it felt more like a specter dwelling in the shadows that had suddenly split off into a physical form.

"Doctor Yamada, did the graduation ceremony go smoothly today?"

"There were a few minor accidents, but overall, it was within an acceptable range."

Facing the suddenly appearing guest, Soji did not show the slightest panic.

After all, this wasn't the first time Director Inoue Hisahide had contacted him in private—in fact, long before he had fallen out with Director Chosokabe, Yamada Soji had already been making friends throughout the hospital, actively seeking out potential partners.

It went without saying that he sought out young talents with similar stances... he had even considered poaching the old veterans of the Conservative Faction.

—Having lived two lifetimes, the thirty years of experience Soji possessed beyond that of an ordinary youth gave him a unique perspective on the complex political ecology of Konoha.

Human communication methods and physiological structures objectively limited the mobilization capacity of any single individual...

To make others wholeheartedly understand your thoughts and support your views not only requires a huge investment of time, but also requires that both parties' values naturally align and possess the possibility of coexistence.

Therefore, if one truly wanted to rely on "Talk-no-Jutsu" to build a faction, it would ultimately be no different from scooping the moon from the water—a pipe dream.

In Soji's view, a group that truly possesses cohesion and the ability to act must represent the interests of a certain class of people, and from there, derive more concrete action programs and ideal pursuits.

In other words, the fundamental factor maintaining a large group is not "comrades," but "shared interests." It lies in the fact that the economic base determines the superstructure.

Therefore, even though the conflict between the Conservative Faction and the new generation within Konoha was becoming increasingly sharp, the youth always firmly believed that as long as the basic requirement of "shared interests" was met, the old veterans in the hospital might not necessarily be unable to seek common ground while reserving differences and reach a stable cooperative relationship with Yamada Soji.

It was precisely by following this action program that Soji had indeed unearthed a potential partner from the seemingly impenetrable "nursing home"...

As the surgical director with the highest prestige and strongest professional level in the hospital, aside from Chosokabe Masayuki, Inoue Hisahide—that old fox—was not only adept at reading the room and coordinating organizational relationships, but his strategic vision was also a cut above his colleagues.

At a time when the Conservative Faction generally believed that they could compete with the inner cabinet led by the Third Hokage by relying on their advantageous position in the administrative field, Director Inoue had long ago seen through the irreversible laws of historical development.

—A door hinge that is constantly used never rusts, and flowing water never goes stale; the constant renewal of the old with the new is an eternal and irreversible truth! Any individual or group that challenges objective laws will eventually be crushed by the wheels of history, with absolutely no room for survival...

And as the footsteps of war gradually approached, this process would show a clear trend of acceleration.

The suddenly rising external pressure would inevitably further solidify the leadership position of Sarutobi Hiruzen, and the new generation, which would eventually control the machinery of violence, would win this power struggle with the force of a landslide!

Therefore, unlike his outwardly firm image as a member of the Establishment Faction, Director Inoue had actually been "flirting" with the Sarutobi faction behind the scenes for a long time.

It was just that his many years of experience in high positions also made him deeply understand that those who waver often do not meet a good end, so before meeting Yamada Soji, this goodwill of surrender had never had a proper channel to be cashed in...

With this as a premise, it is not difficult to understand why, when the youth extended an olive branch using mature and sophisticated political language, hinting that he was willing to act as a buffer zone and a mouthpiece, the two sides were able to hit it off in just half a year and deepen their cooperative relationship to its current state step by step.

To Inoue Hisahide, the young Yamada-kun was both an investment object and the final insurance policy to help his family achieve a soft landing in case of emergency.

Therefore, in terms of accumulating merit and increasing his influence, Director Inoue was even more diligent than the youth himself...

Because of this, Soji appeared so calm and indifferent when privately contacting the messenger sent by the other party, showing not the slightest bit of unease.

"According to the jonin leader, my Team Five will soon be going to the border to carry out a mission."

"The Lord has already heard of this matter. He believes that with your wisdom and ability, you will certainly be able to seize the opportunity and stand out."

The messenger, his face covered by a black cloth, knelt before Soji and truthfully conveyed Director Inoue's meaning: "The Lord has ordered that if you have any needs during this time, you can instruct me directly, and I will do my best to satisfy them."

"Hmm, then regarding the casting materials I ordered earlier, I hope a batch of Summoning Scrolls can be made and sent over as soon as possible."

"May I ask for the specific quantity?"

"The more, the better."

"I understand..."

As the saying goes, public money is not real money.

The reimbursement limit for an ordinary doctor was limited and could not satisfy Soji's daily requirements at all. Now that he had finally found a reasonable and legal reimbursement channel, Soji naturally had to utilize it to the extreme.

However, if one were to talk about the benefits of cooperating with Director Inoue, it was clearly not just limited to economic support.

Although Inoue Hisahide was not qualified to squeeze into the inner circle of the management, the Director, backed by family resources, was a bona fide upper-class figure regardless of how you looked at it.

With him secretly tipping him off, Soji's single channel for information acquisition was finally able to be broadened.

This also helped him narrow the gap between himself and the great clans to a certain extent, helping the youth avoid harm, seek profit, and grasp the trends.

"Try to hurry with the scrolls. Besides that, I want to know the specific target of Team Five's border mission this time, so that I can make preparations in advance."

"Regarding this... the conflict between Konoha and Sunagakure has become increasingly frequent recently. Although the fighting is currently mainly erupting in the direction of the Land of Rain, in order to guard against the enemy taking the southwest route to bypass the main battlefield, the Third Hokage has issued an order in advance to build border defenses and protect logistics transport routes.

In order to cooperate with the superior's policy, Konoha Hospital is also preparing to build a Field Medical Center in the border area in advance to ensure that the wounded retreating from the front line can receive timely treatment and to minimize casualties as much as possible."

"I see..."

Soji merely nodded upon hearing this, showing no sign of surprise. In fact, through the recent personnel transfers at the hospital, the youth had already sensed such an arrangement.

Given the relationship between himself and Director Chosokabe, being assigned to the frontline support list was not strange at all.

He steadied himself and continued to inquire about the details: "What is the scale of the Medical Team being formed this time?"

"The first support team accounts for about one-fifth of the hospital's total staff."

"Voluntary sign-ups?"

"Part of it comes from volunteers, while the other part was personally selected by the Director." As the messenger said this, he cast a subtle glance at Soji, the implication of which was self-evident.

Regarding this, the youth, who had long been mentally prepared, naturally remained composed and did not suggest the foolish idea of asking Department Head Inoue to intercede on his behalf.

He steadied himself and continued to ask: "Who will serve as the team leader? Department Head Kobayakawa?"

"No, Department Head Kobayakawa will assist Department Head Inoue in managing rear-echelon affairs."

"You mean..." Soji was stunned, then immediately realized, "Director Chosokabe will go out personally?"

"Yes."

"Tsk... that old man is truly full of energy."

In all fairness...

Considered purely from the perspective of universal morality, the upright Chosokabe Masayuki was definitely more trustworthy than the calculating Inoue Hisahide.

But a clash of ideologies is not child's play.

Starting from the reality of the situation, the old man and Yamada-kun could only be opponents! Regardless of whether they were willing in their hearts or not.