Preparations Before Taking Office!

Konoha.

After returning to Konoha.

Chiba went straight to the Hokage Office.

"Guards."

At Chiba's command.

Two Anbu instantly appeared and dropped to one knee.

"Summon the heads of the major clans."

Upon hearing Chiba's order.

The two Anbu rose to their feet and vanished like afterimages.

Less than half an hour later.

The door to the Hokage Office was knocked on repeatedly.

Shikaku Nara, Fugaku Uchiha, Hyuga Hiashi, Akimichi Choza, Yamanaka Inoichi, Aburame Shibi, Inuzuka Tsume...

These were all powerful figures who could make Konoha tremble with a mere stomp of their feet.

Yet at this moment, they all stood properly before the desk with lowered eyes, barely daring to breathe.

During the transitional period of the past few days, Chiba had delegated authority to them.

It had been both trust and a test.

They understood this very clearly.

Today's report would directly determine their future political standing in Konoha.

"Lord Chiba."

"The preliminary audit of the assets belonging to the Sarutobi, Shimura, Utatane, and Mitokado clans has been completed."

"Other than the funds they previously turned over."

"The shops and ninja tool forges under their names have all been sealed and placed in storage."

"The total value... is equivalent to Konoha's total tax revenue for the past three years."

Shikaku Nara was the first to speak.

Over the past few days, he had been run ragged.

He had used every method at his disposal.

As for whether Chiba would be satisfied?

Shikaku Nara did not know, but he had truly done his best.

Meanwhile.

Upon hearing Shikaku Nara's report.

The other clan heads could not help but twitch their eyelids.

They had long guessed that those four clans were obscenely wealthy.

But.

They had not expected it to be this obscene.

Chiba casually opened the scroll and rapidly scanned the densely packed accounts.

Yet he offered no assessment, merely tossing the scroll onto the desk.

"How is the Police Department reorganization progressing?"

Then.

Chiba raised his head and looked toward Fugaku Uchiha and Hyuga Hiashi.

The heads of the two dojutsu clans immediately straightened their backs.

Fugaku took the lead in reporting.

"The Uchiha and Hyuga clans have each deployed one hundred elites and have fully taken over patrol duties within the village."

"We have swept through every former blind spot in public security and every informant in the underground black market."

Hiashi added without wanting to be outdone.

"The border sensory units have also been replaced with mixed squads of Byakugan and Sharingan users."

"Should foreign enemies invade, they will never escape our surveillance network."

The subtle rivalry between the two clan heads did not escape the others' notice.

Everyone understood without speaking.

Chiba's arrangement was simply brilliant.

He had bound together the two proudest clans.

Not only would they not join forces, they would instead compete with each other for chances to prove themselves.

"The intelligence handover with the Anbu has gone very smoothly."

"However... the Anbu members fiercely loyal to the Third generation seem emotionally unstable."

Aburame Shibi stepped forward as well.

His voice was muffled by his high collar.

Chiba quietly listened to everyone's reports.

The entire office was so silent that only their breathing could be heard.

There was neither praise nor reproach.

That suffocating silence made every clan head's heart leap into their throat.

They could not fathom the thoughts of this Quasi-Fifth Hokage at all.

Just as Shikaku Nara was about to speak again.

Chiba leaned back in his chair, interlaced his fingers, and calmly dropped a bombshell.

"The Daimyo has already agreed to my succession."

"In addition, the Daimyo Palace is willing to increase Konoha's military budget by thirty percent on top of the original amount."

The moment those words fell.

The office instantly erupted.

Akimichi Choza even lost control of his body and staggered half a step forward.

Thirty percent!

That was real money directly allocated by the Daimyo Palace!

Sarutobi Hiruzen had been in office for more than a decade. Every time he went to the capital to request funding, he had to humble himself, and in the end, the amount was often cut anyway.

Lord Chiba had merely made one trip to the capital.

Not only had he secured legitimacy, he had forcibly squeezed out an additional thirty percent in funding!

What terrifying political skill was this?

The way everyone looked at Chiba now held not only their initial awe of his strength, but also fanatical worship of his political cunning.

"Go make preparations."

"For the inauguration ceremony in a few days, I do not want any mistakes."

Chiba waved his hand, interrupting their wild speculation.

A few short sentences had directly set the tone.

"Yes! Fifth Hokage!"

The clan heads all dropped to one knee in unison.

Only after performing the most formal salute did they respectfully withdraw from the office.

The door closed again.

Chiba rose to his feet and walked to the enormous floor-to-ceiling window.

Sunlight fell across his face, yet it could not dispel the depth in his eyes.

He did not care about Konoha's power.

Because he possessed enough strength to command those who wielded power.

But he was about to assume the position of Fifth Hokage.

He did not want the division of power to affect his village.

After all.

Konoha was a vast operation.

The Six Core Departments formed the skeleton of this war machine.

The Administrative Department.

It was the hub that kept the village running.

Shikaku was a clever man with a sharp mind. No one was more suitable than him to handle daily government affairs.

The Anbu.

The blade in the Hokage's hand.

That blade was far too filthy now, stained with the old grudges of Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo.

It needed a thorough purge.

And the Aburame Clan?

They were indeed suited for intelligence gathering.

But the Aburame Clan was not strong enough to take full control of the Anbu.

The Medical Department.

It was the safeguard for the wounded and the core of Konoha's cohesion.

Once Tsunade returned to the village, no one but her could take this position.

With Tsunade's prestige in the field of Medical Ninjutsu, no one could question her.

The Education Department, namely the Ninja Academy.

Chiba let out a cold laugh.

The Will of Fire?

That brainwashing material used to fool idiots should have been thrown into the trash long ago.

The Ninja Academy's textbooks had to be completely rewritten.

What he needed were wild wolves loyal to him and hungry for power, not sheep who only knew how to play house in the village.

The Interrogation Department.

It specialized in torturing missing-nin or spies and extracting intelligence.

It was currently being managed by Yamanaka Inoichi, and no problems had arisen.

The most crucial matter was still the Police Department.

The Uchiha and Hyuga.

Konoha's two strongest double-edged swords.

They would be broken apart and reorganized, then assigned to maintain public order and patrol the borders.

There was nothing more to say about that.

The abilities of those two clans truly made them suited for the task.

But beyond the Six Core Departments.

Konoha also had more than a dozen smaller departments, such as the Barrier Squad, Cipher Department, and Logistics Reserve.

The division of every slice of the pie concerned Konoha's future political landscape.

Even Chiba needed to give it careful thought.

By evening.

The fiery clouds on the horizon dyed Konoha red.

Chiba left the Hokage Building and strolled alone through the streets.

When the villagers saw him, they stopped one after another, lowered their heads in salute, and looked at him with awe and fervor.

He ignored those empty formalities and headed straight back to the Senju Clan compound.

The moment he stepped through the gates.

A golden figure rushed toward him.

"Big Brother Chiba!"

"You're finally back!"

Uzumaki Naruto ran out of the courtyard with excitement written all over his face.

The cautious eagerness to please that he once had was gone.

Chiba gently reached out and ruffled Naruto's golden hair.

Within his senses.

On a large tree beyond the compound's perimeter.

Kakashi Hatake, wearing an animal mask, had completely concealed his presence.

Kakashi did not reveal himself. He silently retreated, eventually melting into the shadows.

He was a smart subordinate.

He knew when to appear and when to disappear.