Tsunade: Alright, I'm the Hokage!

Konoha, Hokage Office.

Tsunade stared at the scroll in her hand, and her mind went blank for a brief moment.

She looked down at the contents of the scroll, lost in deep thought.

This thing...

Is it really possible to get through to those three old men?

Even she thought Kyohiko's idea was too audacious.

"Kyohiko, do you want to think about it again?"

Tsunade rubbed her temples and put the scroll down.

Currently, the Old Man Third is attending to Maru Ichikyu and cannot attend the meeting. Therefore, at present, it is just an internal discussion between her and Kyohiko, and it has not yet reached the point of convening an important meeting of Jonin and advisors.

but.

Kyohiko's strategy was too bold.

If it's to be implemented, internal discussions will definitely be needed, since Kyohiko's idea involves the entire structure of the ninja.

"We definitely need to think about this carefully."

Kyohiko nodded. "This is a first draft, just for the Feudal Lord to see so he can have a general understanding. Many things aren't written in too much detail. If it's really going to be implemented, it will definitely need to be made more detailed."

"For example?"

Tsunade, however, got serious.

Kyohiko's strategies rarely go wrong, but many of his ideas are indeed very bold, and she must be cautious about them.

"For example, regarding this point, your concern is that the Guardian Ninja are taking up a lot of the Genin and Chunin's missions. How will the Genin and Chunin make a living in the future, right?"

Kyohiko asked.

Tsunade nodded.

"Although the protection of the Guardian Ninja mainly involves the protection of Kyoto and the village, if it spreads, it will inevitably be used by powerful clans and nobles, which will eventually squeeze our village's living space."

Who will train the Guardian Ninja?

Kyohiko countered with a question.

Tsunade hesitated for a moment, then said, "We."

"That settles it, right? The Guardian Ninja training certainly isn't free; they have to pay tuition, right? Besides, apart from the Feudal Lord's Guardian Ninja, the others only receive basic instruction."

A cold glint flashed in Kyohiko's eyes. "If anyone violates the rules and makes the Guardian Ninja do things beyond their duties, we will punish that clan and ensure they never receive support from Konoha again."

Basic ninja skills are something even wandering ninjas can do; they require very little skill and don't allow for many actions.

To put it bluntly, this is a business deal.

The level of Guardian Ninja is definitely lower than that of a true ninja; only the Guardian Ninja around Feudal Lord can be compared to Jonin squad.

"What's the point of risking your life? Only the mine owners have the money!"

"Are you serious about cooperating with Sunagakure?"

Tsunade pondered for a long time, then looked at Kyohiko and realized his plan.

Konoha's missions are becoming more advanced and professional, aiming to earn more bounties, instead of everyone from Genin to Jonin risking their lives as they do now.

"Of course, I'm very serious. That kind of mission would be more dangerous, but cooperating with Sunagakure is advantageous. Their Magnet Release is indeed more efficient than the one I developed."

Kyohiko answered.

Tsunade fell into deep thought.

Half a minute later, she asked again, "What about the Genin and Chunin, the mid-level ninjas?"

"Hire them! Some of our neighboring allied nations can't afford to build their own ninja villages, right? We'll help them protect their countries, keep them from being harassed by wandering ninjas, and our village will also give them missions..."

Kyohiko answered.

In fact, the practice of villages assigning tasks still exists extensively today.

Most of the tasks in the D-level missions, such as carrying water and transplanting rice seedlings, are subsidized by the village.

Konoha has a large number of ninjas, but compared to the entire Shinobi World combined, it is definitely far inferior.

In the short term, this is the best expansion plan.

Tsunade had a vague feeling that something was wrong. Kyohiko's goal was not just to change the ninja mission hierarchy, but had more to do with it.

She understands Kyohiko.

This kid thinks three steps ahead for every one he takes; his previous mining plan for Sunagakure has already influenced his current ninja expansion plan.

Step by step, it becomes irresistible.

"Sister, there's no need to hesitate. We'll have to take this step sooner or later."

"Alright, I'm the Hokage!"

Tsunade glanced at it.

This kid...

What's the rush?

If she doesn't get to the bottom of things, how will she have a legitimate reason to argue with the Old Man later?

certainly.

These things certainly can't be so crudely brought up in public. She explained earnestly, "I need to understand them clearly before I can hold meetings with others; otherwise, going back and forth in meetings will only reduce efficiency!"

but...

Regarding ninja hiring, she suddenly remembered something.

Do you know about the Land of Tea?

"Um."

Kyohiko nodded.

Tsunade shifted to a more relaxed sitting posture.

"I'm quite familiar with the Wasabi Family of the Land of Tea. After the incident in the Land of Waves, they sent someone to contact me to inquire whether Konoha was willing to lend ninjas to the Land of Tea."

"However, at that time, I wasn't the Hokage yet, and our strategy didn't include hiring ninjas, so I didn't agree."

"Tsunade said."

The Land of Tea and the Land of Fire are neighbors, the two countries have a good relationship, and both countries are relatively wealthy, but there are no ninja villages within them.

They are capable of hiring ninjas.

Kyohiko nodded.

"If it's suitable, we can contact them after the Guardian Ninja training is completed, rent a group of ninjas to be stationed there, set an example first, and then see how other ninja villages react."

Many countries may not be unwilling to hire, but simply lack the personnel for this profession.

As for Kirigakure...

Although there are precedents of hiring people for the Land of Sea, the Land of Sea's situation is special, and the reputation of the Bloody Mist Village is not something that countries Land of Tea can trust.

In comparison, Konoha is different.

The good reputation accumulated by the First to the Third Hokage, coupled with the fame gained from the last war, was enough to make countries without ninja villages believe in Konoha.

Tsunade clenched her fists.

If it can really be facilitated, it will indeed earn much more money than a simple task.

only...

"Wrong!"

"What's wrong with it?"

"I haven't agreed yet! Why are we talking about what will happen next?"

Tsunade on the table, feeling that her earlier statement, "I am the Hokage," was utterly unconvincing, making it seem as if Kyohiko was the Hokage.

She interjected, then sighed.

"However, what you said makes sense. We can earn higher-end money, outsource the low-end, ordinary tasks, and then share a portion of the higher profits with the Genin..."

Tsunade already understood Kyohiko's plan.

As for the next step...

Perhaps it was in preparation for confronting Madara Uchiha, or perhaps it was for greater expansion.

If it's the latter...

Tsunade recalled the past, Kyohiko spoke of the path to peace.

Unify the Shinobi World!

Ambitious, unattainable goals.

Now, it seems that Kyohiko has already started to leave.

but.

For now, this is just the second step, and it's all beneficial to Konoha. Whether or not to take the third step remains to be seen.

Upon realizing this, Tsunade on the table and stood up.

"Okay, please add some more details to this proposal. Once you've added them, I'll talk to them for you, so you won't be too young to argue with them."

Meeting room.

"Tsunade, have you gone mad?"

Utatane Koharu, was the first to jump out again.

this...

That's insane!

One wrong move and it could be another war, and then Konoha would have to deal with even more people!

Mitokado Homura didn't speak, but instead pondered the contents of the proposal.

Guardian Ninja.

A ninja was loaned out.

They are venturing into the mining industry, forming a complete ninja service chain with Sunagakure.

Does this seem feasible?

A thought flashed through Mitokado Homura's mind.

He suddenly shuddered.

How could I possibly think it was feasible?

Mitokado Homura was stunned for a moment, but after thinking about it carefully, he felt there was nothing wrong with it.

because...

Konoha is strong now!

Let's not talk about the older generation.

With top-tier combat power including the legendary Sannin, Minato Namikaze, and Kyohiko, plus reinforcements from various clans, their combined strength is definitely formidable.

In addition, Might Duy and Chen Baojun.

The next generation, Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy, all displayed their outstanding talent and abilities.

Look ahead.

There are quite a few highly talented people in the Ninja Academy.

Take Gekko Hayate as an example.

This child has lived up to his mother's expectations; he works very hard and his abilities are improving day by day.

Furthermore, there's the development of the Flying Raijin Formation Technique...

This technique gives Konoha the ability to provide flexible support.

Konoha is powerful!

So powerful that, without expanding, he could handle all mission requests simply by relying on the tasks at hand, without even needing powerful figures like Minato Namikaze to intervene.

Thinking this through, Mitokado Homura didn't even wait for Hiruzen Sarutobi to speak before saying, "I think this method is feasible!"

"Oh?"

Tsunade lit up, and she couldn't hide the surprise on her face.

Isn't this Mitokado Homura?

Surprisingly, without needing to be persuaded several times, one could hear a single human word from the mouths of these three stubborn old men.

She almost thought she had misheard!

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at his old friend with undisguised surprise, but after a moment of contemplation, he did not immediately refute him.

Over the years, Mitokado Homura has been very focused on the work at the Ninja Academy, which may have given him a lot of knowledge and considerations that he was unaware of.

In terms of overall strength...

While he was still thinking, Nara Shikaku also raised his hand.

I support it too.

!!!

Hiruzen Sarutobi's thoughts were interrupted once again.

He was still thinking about it.

Nara Shikaku has already begun his analysis, but he differs from Mitokado Homura.

"Currently, 40 percent of the ninjas in our village are active on missions, while many others are idle."

"In the short term, there really won't be much of an impact."

"But everyone, Kyohiko's education, the reforms of the chunin Genin, and the constant innovation of various Ninjutsu have had a significant impact, and the overall strength of Konoha is still continuously improving."

"In the future, two, three, or five years, if there is no war, will this proportion continue to increase?"

"This is only a portion of the data..."

Shikaku spoke eloquently.

Mitokado Homura considered the current strength, while Shikaku also considered future growth, changes, and the future situation of Konoha.

The increasing number of ninjas is also a problem.

How to provide ninjas with jobs and income is also a very serious problem.

Relying solely on tasks and delegations is absolutely insufficient.

"As Kyohiko said, the cake is only so big. We can't always think about how to divide it; we also need to consider how to make it bigger and stronger so that more people in our village can enjoy the cake!"

Tsunade shared her thoughts.

Shikaku nodded. "Yes, including the plan for Kumogakure, Kyohiko's consideration is also to earn more and bigger commissions, rather than being limited to the small commissions of the past."

Utatane Koharu.

Before her...

I hadn't considered all of that.

After listening to Nara Shikaku's explanation, she couldn't help but think that Kyohiko's plan was quite good and could indeed be considered.

Different perspectives lead to different answers.

Shikaku hesitated for a moment, then said, "Also, Kyohiko must also be considering gaining the support of the Feudal Lord and nobles, right? After all, we do need some reconciliation with those people."

He looked at Tsunade.

With Kyohiko absent, Kyohiko is undoubtedly the one closest to Tsunade.

Tsunade nodded slightly.

"Right."

"I support Guardian Ninja, but initially, I wasn't too keen on expanding the operation to such a large scale, but your considerations make sense..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said a few words, looked up, and suddenly realized—

I am no longer the Hokage of Konoha!

He coughed lightly.

"I support this plan now, but Tsunade, does he have other ideas?"

Just like Tsunade.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had a feeling that Kyohiko's thoughts weren't so simple.

Tsunade said, "That person's threat is growing stronger, so we definitely need to be prepared. As for the rest, I don't know."

"Um."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat back down.

Tsunade smiled and said, "In that case, let's do it this way."

Easy!

She got up and walked towards her office, but soon, Shikaku followed her from behind.

Tsunade entered the office, followed closely by Shikaku...

"No need to knock, just come in and close the door."

"Yes!"

Nara Shikaku and then closed the door.

He said in a low voice, "Lord Hokage, there's something I'd like to remind you and Kyohiko."

"What's up?"

"If we're going to implement these plans, it's best to keep things stable on the Uchiha side. It would be ideal to talk to Fugaku and ask him to maintain stability."

Nara Shikaku a low voice.

Tsunade seemed to be deep in thought.

Shikaku didn't spell it out clearly, but she understood what he meant.

If expansion is to be achieved, internal stability is necessary.

This is indeed the key!

Her expression was grave.

Your reminder is very helpful.

"I think Kyohiko must have considered this as well, but he hasn't taken any action yet, so... I think I should still remind him."

Shikaku answered.

From Kyohiko's previous actions, he vaguely sensed that Kyohiko had some ideas about the Uchiha, but he had too little information to say for sure what those ideas were.

Tsunade nodded, thanked her again, and asked for advice on other matters.

However, Shikaku didn't offer much advice or reminders on other aspects, because Kyohiko's proposal was already quite perfect, and specific problems would only become apparent after implementation.

but.

Just as he was about to leave, he turned back.

"Has there been a lot of turmoil within the Hyuga Clan lately? Is everything alright?"

If powerful clans like the Uchiha and Hyuga were to encounter problems, it would absolutely affect Konoha's strategic plans and future direction, so it must be considered very carefully.

"They're fine. They can handle Hiashi and Hizashi."

Tsunade answered with a smile.

She had heard some things about the Hyuga Clan before.

The issues of Hiashi and Hizashi have already been largely resolved; the remaining ones are like grasshoppers in autumn, unable to hop around for long. The current commotion is merely due to the unwillingness of some Main House.