Promotion

The intrusion of Inoue Reina eased the tense atmosphere, but the standoff between the new generation and the conservatives would not end simply because of it.

The two men, both harboring grievances, arrived at the Temporary Command Post together, and someone as shrewd as Nara Motonari could naturally read the unusual atmosphere between them with ease.

He knew full well that this kind of work—acting as a mediator or peacemaker—required not just eloquence, but the weight of status and authority; an ordinary person simply could not handle it.

Fortunately, times had changed!

With the Third Hokage's orders in hand, Nara Motonari, as the overall commander of the operation, was essentially wielding a golden decree; he had no fear that the two would fail to show him respect.

However, having said that, considering the need to maintain a cooperative relationship for the foreseeable future, Motonari decided to be tactful in his approach, striving to achieve a "soft landing" while ensuring the superiors' arrangements were implemented.

"Gentlemen, thank you for the cooperation of the hospital staff regarding last night's events. The loss of supplies has been reported to the Hokage Office immediately, and the Third Hokage has personally ordered the Amber River region to fully cooperate. The supply convoy should rendezvous with us before we make camp next."

"We appreciate the effort."

"Think nothing of it, it is simply my duty."

Taking the first step toward earnest management, Nara Motonari first set aside his usual lazy and unrestrained demeanor.

He stood up to welcome them, guided them to their seats individually, and with his very first words, gave the hospital representatives peace of mind.

—Since there were no casualties and the damaged supplies could be replenished in time, last night's battle could be considered a complete victory for Konoha!

In this way, while the Guard Unit led by Motonari himself would naturally be highly commended, the medical team supporting the front line would also be seen as having shared in the credit.

With such a "win-win" situation as a foundation, the atmosphere of the conversation immediately softened.

But on the other hand, neither the seasoned Director Chosokabe nor the sharp-witted Director Usami let their guard down.

Both men were clear-headed and knew that Nara Motonari, as the overall person in charge of the operation, could not have called them both here just to report on supply conditions.

And the development of events was indeed just as they had anticipated.

After offering the carrot, Motonari quickly cut to the less pleasant "truth-telling" portion.

"To be honest, the construction of this Field Hospital is a task with a tight schedule and heavy responsibilities. Considering the complex geopolitical situation at the border, perhaps important figures from Konoha Hospital like yourselves should not have had to accompany us personally..."

"But then again, it is precisely because this mission is arduous and significant that we need everyone to be united and work together!"

Nara Motonari turned his body toward Director Chosokabe: "The old Director is highly respected. In an unexpected situation like last night, it is only with an experienced senior like you providing guidance that everyone can pull together."

As he spoke, he turned his head to look at Usami Hanbei on the other side: "Director Usami is young and promising, and as the opinion leader of the Young Doctors Group, it is only with you stepping up at critical moments that this young team will have more drive."

Having finished the flattery, Motonari feigned a grave expression and furrowed his brows: "It is just that neither of you are combat personnel, and your usual division of authority conflicts with the current realities of the Frontline Support Battalion. The Third Hokage is concerned that this might cause unnecessary friction between the Logistics Unit and the Combat Unit, and has therefore repeatedly instructed us to be considerate of one another and prioritize the big picture."

"..."

Nara Motonari's words were tactful, but the phrase "prioritize the big picture" still placed invisible pressure on the two!

After all, if one viewed it from the perspective of the Third Hokage, the use of this phrase clearly carried a tone of reprimand, and as the targets of that rebuke, they naturally could not take it lightly.

Yet, as the party initiating the challenge, Nara Motonari had never intended to leave them any room for thought from the very beginning!

Taking advantage of the rare opening, Motonari directly threw out the solution he had been planning for a long time.

"Of course, I understand the difficulties you both face."

"But so as not to live up to the expectations of the Third Hokage... and to complete the mission the village has entrusted to us as quickly as possible, I have already requested instructions from the Hokage Office through the Communications Squad."

"The Third Hokage and the Advisory Council have approved my personal idea to appoint a 'Coordination Commissioner' specifically responsible for coordination and scheduling between the medical team and the combat units. I wonder what you two think of this?"

"This... Captain Nara, the affairs of the Frontline Support Battalion are already complex and numerous; bringing in a new person rashly, I fear..."

Director Chosokabe remained silent, while Director Usami took the initiative to pick up the conversation.

Beyond the concern that his own status and authority would be further weakened, the underlying worries he hinted at were not entirely without merit.

Generally speaking, the more people in the decision-making layer, the more power is diluted, and the harder it is to unify opinions.

For a Frontline Support Battalion at the border, having orders coming from multiple sources would only exacerbate internal friction. Therefore, it was hard to expect a "parachuted" Coordination Commissioner to hit the mark and improve the current predicament in a short time.

It was more likely to evolve into a tragedy of "600,000 against 800,000"—a case of lifting a rock only to drop it on one's own feet.

Hanbei believed that Nara Motonari must also understand this logic, so he assumed this was merely a move the other party had deliberately created to vie for greater influence: by expanding the voting group, he was diluting the hospital's weight in the decision-making process for this construction mission!

However, to Usami's surprise, Motonari had no intention of arguing with him at all.

In fact, after Hanbei mentioned the keyword "new person," Motonari even revealed a meaningful smile...

"Apologies, Director Usami, I think you may have misunderstood me—the Hokage does not intend to pull more manpower from the village to supplement the Frontline Support Battalion."

"This Coordination Commissioner will be selected from within the battalion."

"Then, who is the Hokage's intended candidate..." Hanbei was stunned, then straightened his body, gripped the armrests of his chair with both hands, and unconsciously shifted half a body length forward.

On the other side, Chosokabe Masayuki also turned his head at Nara Motonari's statement.

The old Director knew very well that with his own status, he was destined to have nothing to do with this position, but he did not believe that Sarutobi Hiruzen would hand such an important position to Usami.

—If the intention was to create a check and balance, the deployment should have been made when the members of the Frontline Support Battalion were first finalized; there was no reason to wait until now to try and mend the fold after the sheep had been lost.

Following this line of thought, a name that seemed unexpected, yet reasonable, immediately flashed into the old Director's mind...

At this thought, Chosokabe Masayuki instantly pressed his pale, cracked lips together.

And at the same time, Nara Motonari provided the answer.

"Since we must select from within the Frontline Support Battalion, we must naturally consider the attitudes of all parties."

The escort squad, including the communications squad, only totaled fourteen people; it was clearly inappropriate for us to provide the personnel, yet while the gentlemen from the hospital possessed exquisite medical skills, they rarely had candidates with outstanding combat proficiency.

Therefore, after considering the situation in its entirety, the Hokage decided to break convention and employ a newcomer—the heavy responsibility would be shouldered by Yamada Soji, a student originally from Team Five.

"Him?"

"Hmph!"

No sooner had Motochika finished speaking than Director Usami instinctively tightened his grip on the armrests.

Although Director Chosokabe had anticipated this beforehand, he still could not help but let out a cold snort.

As the focal point of the dispute between both parties, Soshi himself received the notification from his superiors at the same moment—after bringing the person to the Temporary Command Post, Inoue Reina immediately contacted the youth and announced the news in front of Erina and Todo.

And so, Team Five, having only just formed, immediately erupted into an uproar.