Jonin Class Meeting

Konoha.

Hokage Building.

The Jonin Class meeting is generally held once a year.

Among Konoha's many institutions, the Jonin Class functions much like a parliament; the vast majority of policies require discussion and approval by this body.

Every jonin, in any nation, is a precious asset.

Konoha jonin, in particular, are the elite among the elite. Among the Five Great Nations, Konoha possesses the highest quality and standard of jonin.

In the grand hall serving as the conference room.

Over a hundred ninja are seated, mostly in their prime, with a small number of youths and elders.

There are over 120 ninja participating in the Jonin Class meeting. The Uchiha Clan alone accounts for thirty-six of the jonin present. It is not without reason that Third Hokage fears the Uchiha Clan.

No matter who held the position of leader, they would be wary of such a massive ninja clan.

The Uchiha Clan is not the only one standing out; not far away sits the Hyuga Clan, with thirty jonin of their own, showing no signs of falling behind.

If either the Uchiha or Hyuga clans were to be pulled out to establish their own ninja village, they would absolutely qualify as one of the Great Nations.

Third Hokage sits on the dais with his two advisors, sighing inwardly with every meeting.

The original Senju Clan once possessed such magnificent momentum, but unfortunately, due to one of his own misguided policies—the Wood Release experiments—the Senju lineage has withered away.

The once-great Shimura Clan saw Shimura Danzo emulate his teacher, Senju Tobirama; the clansmen retreated into anonymity, blending into Konoha as civilian-class ninja. With no further worries, Shimura Danzo ruthlessly suppressed the major ninja clans.

The Sarutobi Clan, which also suppresses other major clans, has nearly a dozen jonin members, effectively ranking third among the clans. During his tenure as Hokage, Third Hokage has developed the Sarutobi Clan into a formidable force.

As for other ninja, most clans only have a jonin as their patriarch, or perhaps one elite member who has reached that rank. Very few clans possess more than five jonin.

One Uchiha is worth ten other clans. And this is only the result of Third Hokage capping the number of Uchiha jonin; if he did not, Uchiha ninja who awaken the bloodline limit Sharingan could reach jonin-level strength without needing years of training.

Utatane Koharu gave a light cough, and Third Hokage snapped back to reality.

Third Hokage took a puff of his pipe and said indifferently, "Elites of Konoha, the Jonin Class meeting is now in session. Any suggestions from the jonin, or important matters from various departments, may be reported and discussed here."

His tone was flat, yet everyone present could hear him clearly. The Shinobi Hero truly still possesses his old flair; this level of chakra manipulation is something an ordinary person could never pull off.

Uchiha Fugaku was among the Uchiha jonin attending. He had received instructions from Naraku before the meeting. Fugaku turned his head to look at Naraku, only to see Naraku glancing back at him with a slight nod.

Uchiha Fugaku understood the intent and stood up.

"Lord Hokage, the budget for the Military Police Force is too low. I request an increase. The current funding cannot support the massive number of personnel and operations of the Military Police Force. The staff works hard, yet their pay is meager. I hereby request a thirty percent increase, and I hope Lord Hokage will grant it."

After standing up, Uchiha Fugaku spoke concisely.

"I support this."

"I support this."

Many jonin expressed their support for Fugaku's request. A closer look revealed that these supporting jonin were all from the Uchiha Clan.

The Military Police Force is indeed severely underfunded. If there were more money, Naraku could support more ninja and members. The current budget is kept on a tight leash; whenever they want to do something or conduct research, they simply cannot scrape the funds together.

"Hmm, Jonin Fugaku, you have worked hard. What you say is true; the Military Police Force is an important department of Konoha. You must report any issues that arise, and I will give your request serious consideration."

Third Hokage exhaled a ring of smoke. With so many people in the Jonin Class, as long as the request isn't particularly outrageous, he generally doesn't refuse on the spot. He usually says he will study it, and more often than not, the matter slowly fades into nothingness.

Third Hokage's political acumen is extremely high. As Hokage, he is busy with work—who would dare not be understanding?

Uchiha Fugaku stood up and sat back down.

Tsunade, however, stood up: "Third Hokage, the Medical Department needs increased funding. Training medical ninja is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and expensive. The role of medical ninja has already shown remarkable results on the battlefield. During the Second Great Ninja War, the mortality rate of Konoha ninja was the lowest among all nations. Now that more and more ninja squads are graduating, they should be equipped with medical ninja! I request a 50% increase in funding for the Medical Department!"

"I support this."

"I support this."

"I support Lady Tsunade's proposal."

As soon as Tsunade finished speaking, the majority of the jonin in the hall raised their hands in support.

The Medical Department concerns their own safety, so naturally, the stronger it is, the better.

Because of the death of her younger brother Nawaki during the Second Great Ninja War, Tsunade's proposal to increase the deployment of medical ninja was passed. This led to every Konoha ninja squad being equipped with a medical ninja, which drastically reduced the mortality rate of Konoha ninja and proved its exceptional value, leading other ninja villages to follow suit.

Third Hokage could no longer bring himself to smoke his pipe; he pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead. The Medical Department is good, but it is far too expensive. Tsunade's demand for a 50% increase made even the Third Hokage break into a cold sweat.

After wiping his brow, Third Hokage said in a deep voice, "Very well, the role of medical ninja is unparalleled, and we must strengthen the development of the Medical Department. As for the funding, after the meeting, I will discuss it with the elders and give you a satisfactory answer."

Third Hokage had no choice but to use his stalling tactic again. Listen to the reports, and deal with everything after the meeting.

"Hmph."

Tsunade knew the Third Hokage's character; since he didn't agree immediately, he certainly wouldn't grant the full 50% after the meeting.

At this moment, the ninja began to report one after another, covering both major and minor issues.

There were reports of instability along the borders, infiltration by foreign ninja squads, failure to pay pensions to friends on time and in full, and requests to learn powerful ninjutsu.

All sorts of reports were made. Naraku generally dislikes participating in Jonin Class meetings unless specifically invited. He attended once the year he became a jonin and had almost never attended since, always sending Uchiha jonin to represent him.

After the peak of the reports passed, the scene gradually quieted down, as everyone seemed to have run out of things to report.

Third Hokage breathed a sigh of relief, while the two advisors beside him used their notepads to record many of the reported matters.

Jonin Akitani Yuya could not help but feel anxious, as the Uchiha clan head, who had agreed to his application to establish a Medical Mental Health Department a few days prior, had yet to follow through on his promise.

Although Akitani Yuya was a Jonin of considerable strength and popularity, he was still a person of little influence in the eyes of the higher-ups, and he remained deeply worried about the mental state of his team members.

Seeing that everyone had more or less finished voicing their opinions, Uchiha Nara stood up. Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had just let out a sigh of relief, tensed up once more; having sent his underlings to charge first, the man himself was now stepping forward, and the Third Hokage wanted to see what Nara was plotting.

"Lord Hokage, I propose increasing expenditure for the medical corps and establishing a Mental Sanatorium. Over the past six months, the Military Police Force has apprehended twenty-one rampaging ninja. These individuals were all heroes who had rendered meritorious service on the battlefield, yet the high pressure of war and the trauma of losing loved ones have driven them to madness."

"The Mental Sanatorium I propose, as the name implies, is a medical department dedicated to healing the spirits of these heroes. By soothing the wounded hearts of these Konoha heroes, I hope to help those who have sacrificed for the village let go of their obsessions, regain their health, and no longer suffer the torment of their own minds!"

Uchiha Nara spoke with a face full of solemnity and sorrow.

Upon hearing this proposal, the crowd below began to whisper to one another, discussing the potential function of such a Mental Sanatorium.

Those Jonin who had witnessed their own comrades or family members frequently lose control and go insane could not help but show expressions of grief, and one by one, they raised their hands.

"I second this."

"Seconded."

"Seconded."

"I second this."

A large number of ninja in the hall raised their hands in support.

The Uchiha ninja also slowly raised their hands, and the number of those in favor actually exceeded half of the attendees.

Uzumaki Nao, accompanied by three other Jonin from the Uzumaki Clan, also raised his hand; regardless of the politics of the Jonin Class, he felt he had to support his ally's proposal.

Uzumaki Nao had originally attended the meeting just to go through the motions, possessing little real say, usually only chiming in to support Tsunade's suggestions.

Now that Nara had put forward a proposal, they once again raised their hands in unison to support his decision.

Tsunade, still in her youth, frowned slightly upon hearing Nara's suggestion.

This was the first time she had heard of a "Mental Sanatorium," but as the name suggested, it was a place to treat the psychological ailments of patients.

The pressure on a ninja might be manageable while on a mission, but upon returning to Konoha, the sudden relaxation often made them prone to emotional instability and madness.

The passing of a lover, a friend, or a family member...

All of these things caused severe psychological trauma to ninja; although they were treated as tools, they were, after all, still human beings with emotions.

Tsunade herself suffered from severe psychological trauma, which had even led to her developing hemophobia. For a renowned medical expert to be unable to perform surgery due to a fear of blood was nothing short of a cruel joke played by fate.

Having grasped the general purpose of the Mental Sanatorium, Tsunade raised her hand and cast a vote for Uchiha Nara.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage who prided himself on the Will of Fire, could not help but frown as he saw that more than half of those present were in support.

After Nara's brief explanation, Hiruzen understood exactly what kind of institution the Mental Sanatorium would be, and he felt a sense of admiration for Nara's attentiveness.

As the leader of the ninja forces and the village, the Third Hokage was well aware of the condition of his ninja, yet he had never thought to establish a dedicated facility for them; in truth, he had always relied on the Will of Fire to "heal" many of them.

However, it had never occurred to him to establish a department specifically tasked with this responsibility.

The two advisors beside him, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, exchanged a glance, sharing the same thoughts as the Third Hokage.

It is a pity that this proposal came from Uchiha Nara.

Pushing aside these distracting thoughts, Sarutobi Hiruzen exhaled a puff of smoke and said in a deep voice, "Uchiha Nara's proposal is excellent, and since the majority of the ninja support it, I approve. Nara, submit a detailed plan for the construction of the Mental Sanatorium in writing."

The will of the masses was hard to defy, and the Third Hokage, not one to drag his feet, gave his immediate consent.