I'm Done. Who Agrees? Who Objects?

"Next is the Director of Chancellery. The Hokage recommends Senju Tobirama for the post. You may now vote by raising your hands."

The moment those words were spoken, the entire audience fell silent.

The Director of Chancellery—the highest official of the Chancellery—held the authority to review the Hokage's orders and reject and return them if anything was improper. It was a position capable of vetoing the Hokage's decisions. Of the Three Departments, the Chancellery held the greatest and most sensitive power.

A position like this could only go to either the Uchiha Clan or the Senju Clan. There was no way it could be handed to an outsider.

Uchiha Yan understood this perfectly. Since the Hokage was already from the Uchiha Clan, the post of Director of Chancellery had to go to the Senju Clan. This was not merely a matter of dividing benefits; it was the bedrock of stability for the alliance between the two clans.

He, Uchiha Yan, was not like that evil Senju Tobirama—that old bastard only knew how to suppress the Uchiha, guarding against them as though they were thieves. What Yan wanted had never been for one family to dominate alone, but for the Uchiha to enjoy lasting peace and prosperity in Konoha.

If one clan dominated alone, it would sooner or later become the target of everyone else. Only by giving the Senju sufficient weight could the alliance between the two clans remain unbreakable, and only then could Konoha's foundations be as solid as a rock. In the original story, although the Uchiha Clan was wiped out, apart from Tsunade, not a single other Senju clansman could be found.

Below the stage, the representatives of the major ninja clans exchanged looks before raising their hands one after another.

The vote passed unanimously.

No one objected, nor did anyone dare to. As one of the two founding clans of the village, the Senju Clan's contributions and strength were plain for all to see. Giving the Director of Chancellery post to Senju Tobirama was entirely reasonable. If the position had truly gone to another clan, no one would have accepted it—it was far too hot a seat for an ordinary clan to hold.

Senju Tobirama remained expressionless. What he had wanted was never this damn Director of Chancellery position, but the title of Hokage. Still, circumstances were stronger than him, and he could only accept the outcome.

Uchiha Yan continued, "Next is the Director of State Affairs. The Hokage recommends that the Hyuga Clan take this position."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone below turned in unison toward the Hyuga Clan's seats.

Hyuga Tennin sat upright, his pale eyes as calm as water. He had long known that the Hyuga Clan would receive this position; it was a condition Uchiha Yan had privately negotiated with him.

The Hyuga Clan had always been an established and powerful clan. It was no exaggeration to say that aside from the Senju and Uchiha, the Hyuga Clan was absolutely among the top three major clans. Anyone who had fought the Hyuga Clan knew just how useful the Byakugan was on the battlefield. Moreover, as the department responsible for carrying out government orders, the Department of State Affairs naturally needed military strength to back it up. A clan without enough martial might could never hold the Director of State Affairs post securely.

The Hyuga Clan happened to possess that strength.

"Agreed." Nara Shikato was the first to raise his hand, returning the favor.

"Agreed." Sarutobi Sasuke followed close behind.

"Agreed." "Agreed." "Agreed..."

The major ninja clans raised their hands to vote one after another. There were no objections, and the measure passed unanimously.

Although the Hyuga had entered the village later than the other ninja clans, their overwhelming strength had earned them the crucial post of Director of State Affairs. From this day onward, the Hyuga Clan's position in Konoha was completely secure.

Uchiha Madara was the Hokage, Senju Tobirama was the Director of Chancellery, Hyuga Tennin was the Director of State Affairs, and the Boar-Deer-Butterfly alliance had also obtained the Secretariat Director post. The distribution of authority among the Three Departments both considered each clan's interests and maintained a balance of power.

"Now that we've covered the Three Departments, next come the Six Ministries." Uchiha Yan raised his voice, drawing everyone's attention back to the stage.

The crowd below immediately quieted, countless eyes fixed on him. The stronger clans had already begun making their own guesses.

"The first is the Ministry of Medicine. It oversees Konoha Hospital, pharmaceutical research, and the training of medical ninja."

"The second is the Ministry of Revenue. It oversees Konoha's household registration, land, taxes, fiscal income and expenditure—in short, Konoha's money and grain."

"The third is the Ministry of Works. It oversees Konoha's construction projects, waterworks, land reclamation, mineral resources, and craftsmen."

"The fourth is the Ministry of Justice. It oversees Konoha's laws, case trials, prisons, and judiciary."

"The fifth is the Ministry of Rites. It oversees education and examinations, cultural development, and foreign diplomacy."

"The sixth is the Ministry of War. It oversees Konoha's ninja forces, military equipment, border defenses, and military orders."

The six ministries and their six great authorities covered every aspect of the village's operations.

Each time Uchiha Yan named one, a wave of buzzing discussion rose from below. The more the representatives of the major ninja clans heard, the more excited they became, their eyes growing brighter and brighter. These six ministries reported directly to the Hokage and were undeniably part of Konoha's upper echelon. Whoever could secure any one of these positions would see their clan soar overnight.

Everyone waited for Uchiha Yan to announce those names one by one.

"The Ministry of Medicine—" Uchiha Yan deliberately paused, sweeping his gaze across the audience. "The Hokage nominates the Aburame Clan's patriarch, Aburame Shibi, for the post."

The crowd first fell silent, then erupted into hushed discussion.

"The Aburame Clan? That clan that deals with insects all day?"

The Aburame Clan could cultivate all kinds of venomous insects and beasts, and they were also highly proficient in pharmacology. Those insects could kill, but they could also save; they could poison, but they could also detoxify. Handing the Ministry of Medicine to the Aburame Clan was reasonable enough.

For a moment, the Hatake Clan, Kurama Clan, and Inuzuka Clan all looked at the Aburame with envy. The Inuzuka Clan patriarch in particular—their ninja hounds were familiar with medicinal herbs too... What a pity they had not pulled any strings. Had he known, he would have privately offered the Hokage a little something.

"The Ministry of Revenue—" Uchiha Yan's voice rang out again. "The Hokage nominates Uchiha Yan for the post."

The Ministry of Revenue controlled household registration, land, taxes, and fiscal income and expenditure—it was the Hokage's purse and held Konoha's economic power. The Uchiha would never relinquish such an important post. Besides, Uchiha Yan's abilities were obvious to all; this was called recommending worthy talent without avoiding one's own relatives.

"The Ministry of Works—the Hokage nominates the Shimura Clan's patriarch, Shimura Yuno, for the post."

The Shimura Clan was a small clan. In terms of strength and reputation, it did not rank among the notable clans of the Land of Fire. However, some time ago, Uchiha Yan had accepted Shimura Yuno's son, Shimura Danzo, as his disciple.

Senju Tobirama simply looked away in disgust. Uchiha Yan was a great traitor disguised as a loyal man, using his power for personal gain. He was nothing but a parasite of Konoha.

"The Ministry of Justice—" Ignoring the whispers below, Uchiha Yan continued, "the Hokage nominates Senju Momoka for the post."

Senju Momoka, Senju Hashirama's cousin, was an elite jonin backed by the Senju Clan. This nomination did not cause much of a stir.

Senju Tobirama held the Chancellery, while Senju Momoka held the Ministry of Justice—the Senju Clan had seized two important positions at once. They were indeed one of Konoha's two founding clans.

"The Ministry of Rites—the Hokage nominates the Sarutobi Clan's patriarch, Sarutobi Sasuke, for the post."

Like the Shimura Clan, the Sarutobi Clan was currently only a small clan, with no standing among the ninja clans of the Land of Fire. In strength, they could not compare to the Hyuga; in connections, they could not compare to the Boar-Deer-Butterfly alliance; and in seniority, they had even less to speak of.

The patriarchs of the other clans exchanged looks, their expressions complicated. All this time, small clans such as the Sarutobi, Shimura, Hatake, Kurama, and Inuzuka had banded together for warmth. Shimura Yuno had a sharp face and monkey-like cheeks, with none of a gentleman's bearing, so his betrayal was hardly surprising. But who would have thought that Sarutobi Sasuke, with his thick brows and honest-looking eyes, would betray them too, secretly forging a connection with the Uchiha?

As for the Ministry of War, it fell directly under the Hokage's jurisdiction.