Three: You only ever think about yourself

A moment later, the Hokage's secretary came forward with the ballot box, poured its contents onto Hiruzen Sarutobi's desk, and began counting the votes one by one.

Two signs sat on the desk, one on either side. One read "Support," and the other "Oppose."

Once the Hokage's secretary had finished counting, he turned around, bowed slightly, and addressed Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Lord Hokage, the votes supporting Lady Tsunade and those opposing her are tied at forty each."

"Oh?"

At that, Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at the jōnin present. Many of them lowered their heads slightly under his gaze.

The lingering influence of the First and my teacher is still at work...

Hiruzen Sarutobi leisurely took a puff of his pipe. He was a little displeased, but he suppressed it.

The First, Hashirama Senju, had dominated his era, his Wood Release unparalleled in the world.

Though the Second, Tobirama Senju, had died somewhat ignominiously, he was nonetheless acknowledged throughout the Shinobi World as a master of forbidden techniques and a pioneer in research.

They had both passed away not long ago, and their influence still lingered. It was only natural that Konoha's shinobi revered them and unthinkingly supported their granddaughter, Tsunade.

But... why only eighty?

He looked around the office once more, then fixed his gaze on Uchiha Sakuya, seated at the back.

Of the jōnin in Konoha today, excluding those away on missions, ninety-three had remained in the village.

Twelve of them had to be stationed permanently with the Konoha Barrier Team to guard the village's great barrier, so eighty-one jōnin had attended this meeting.

Yet only eighty had voted. That meant there was only one person who hadn't...

"Sakuya, why didn't you vote?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi forced a smile as he asked Uchiha Sakuya.

There were twelve Three Tomoe in the Uchiha Clan of this generation. The most talented and youngest of them was the Uchiha Sakuya before him.

He had awakened his Sharingan at six and gained Three Tomoe at thirteen. At just fourteen, he was already a renowned elite jōnin in the Shinobi World, one of Konoha's strongest fighters, second only to the White Fang of the Leaf.

Though his teacher had left them with a final warning to be wary of the Uchiha Clan, Sakuya was Kagami's nephew and one of the few levelheaded Three Tomoe in the clan. That alone was enough to make Hiruzen Sarutobi treat him favorably.

"Why bother voting?"

Uchiha Sakuya's expression didn't change as he answered Hiruzen Sarutobi. "This whole discussion is childish and ridiculous. Why make a vote out of it? Lord Hokage, haven't you already vetoed the proposal?"

"Ha... just as I'd expect from Sakuya."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded in satisfaction.

Another reason he treated Uchiha Sakuya well was that he was clever.

Like the White Fang, he was a shinobi with both strength and intelligence.

Sometimes, all it took was a glance for them to understand what Hiruzen Sarutobi meant.

"Hey, you Uchiha brat, what's that supposed to mean?!"

Tsunade turned around, glaring at him. "What do you mean, the old man had already vetoed my proposal?"

"Now, now, Tsunade, don't get angry."

Seeing Tsunade flare up, Jiraiya instinctively tried to play peacemaker. But Tsunade hated his habit of acting as though everything he did was for her own good. Seeing him butt in only made her angrier. She ignored him completely and glared furiously at Sakuya, as if she wouldn't let this go until he explained himself.

"I also think Lady Tsunade makes a very good point."

Beside Tsunade, a purple-haired man stood and spoke to Uchiha Sakuya. "Sakuya, you're still young. You don't understand what medical ninja mean on the battlefield.

"Some time ago, I was out on a mission with a Genin squad when a team of shinobi from Amegakure ambushed us. My teammates suffered terrible losses. My younger sister, the most promising Genin in the squad, died from blood loss on the way back because we couldn't stop the bleeding in time. If Lady Tsunade's new system had been implemented in my squad, I doubt that would ever have happened!"

"Well said, Dan Katō!"

Hearing him, Tsunade brightened and gave Sakuya a smug look, as if to say, "See? Look at him—and then look at you."

"Dan Katō, huh?"

Sakuya looked up at him, then shook his head. "You still haven't grasped the heart of the matter."

He looked around before speaking. "Changing the squad system to include medical ninja might seem like a benefit for generations to come. But whether it's Tsunade or Dan Katō, you've both overlooked a crucial issue: age."

"Age... Uchiha brat, what are you talking about?!"

"Age... I understand. I was too naive..."

Tsunade looked confused, while Dan Katō's face went pale in an instant. He sank back into his seat, suddenly drained of strength. Seeing him like this only deepened Tsunade's confusion, and she hurriedly pressed him. "Hey, Dan, why are you...?"

"Senju."

Sakuya stood up and stared at Tsunade. "You still don't understand? Let me ask you: what's the average age of the Genin squads in the village?"

"Thirteen."

The cold-eyed, golden-haired man who had sat beside Jiraiya in silence finally spoke, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

"So what if they're thirteen?!"

Tsunade pressed him.

Her naive question made Sakuya pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration. "As expected of the Senju Clan's young lady. You still haven't figured it out? Let me ask you something else: how old were you when you created medical ninjutsu?"

"I..."

At that, Tsunade's face stiffened.

She had only started developing medical ninjutsu at twenty-two, and it was only this year that she had managed to organize it into a system she could teach.

"Do you expect freshly graduated Genin to ignore the established techniques they could already learn and come study your newly developed medical ninjutsu instead? Don't be ridiculous."

Sakuya scoffed. "That might be fine in peacetime. But Amegakure is stirring, and the Second Shinobi World War is escalating. Every additional offensive technique those Genin learn, every extra day they spend training in Taijutsu, greatly improves their odds of surviving the battlefield ahead. If they really did what you're asking and devoted all their time to learning this rudimentary medical ninjutsu, they might make no progress at all for months."

He stared at Tsunade and spoke mockingly. "You old Senju woman, do you know what months without progress would mean for these Genin in the coming Second Shinobi World War?"

"I..."

"You're not reforming Konoha. You're trying to destroy its roots!"

Sakuya snapped. "Konoha's villagers—even your classmates and your own family—could die because of this proposal. That's the brutal reality hidden beneath your plan to improve medical ninjutsu!"

"I didn't! I, I was only..."

Tsunade's face had gone pale under his words, but she still replied instinctively. "I was doing it for..."

"For Konoha? Ha!"

Sakuya looked scornful, as if he'd just heard something hilarious. "I think you're doing it for your own political future, aren't you? You've got it all figured out: build up your personal reputation by promoting medical ninjutsu, then lay the groundwork for succeeding as Fourth Hokage. The fact that you call Lord Hokage 'old man' says it all. He's only forty—why call him old?"

At this, Hiruzen Sarutobi subconsciously touched the beard he had only recently grown.

Sakuya was right. He was still young. He ought to be able to remain in the Hokage's position for at least another twenty years.

"All right, that's enough. Let's not argue."

Even so, he gently tried to stop them. "Since we haven't reached a conclusion this time, why don't we continue the discussion next..."

"I just call him that out of habit!"

Tsunade hadn't paid any attention to what Hiruzen Sarutobi said. She glared angrily at Uchiha Sakuya instead. "Besides, what do you know about me? I'm not doing this for my political future. The old man knows that too. I'm..."

"Show a little respect when you address him, Tsunade Senju! That's the Third, not some 'old man'! Unless you no longer acknowledge that you're the last descendant of the Senju in the world!"

Sakuya glared at Tsunade and scolded her. "You deliberately call the Third old to make everyone think he'll step down soon, and that you'll succeed him as Hokage—so you can turn Konoha into the Senju Clan's private property!"

Sakuya scoffed. "You only ever think about yourself."