The Tailed Beast Collection Effort Gradually Gets Underway / A Hall Full of Traitors, the Hokage in Revolt, and I'm the Only Honest One

The fact that both the ANBU and the Police Force, two military departments, are headed by the Aburame Clan is one of the more significant personnel changes made by Uchiha Shingen after he took power, a move that reassured many people.

After all, the Aburame Clan is known for doing things without making a fuss, and the Aburame Clan have never been involved in any of the messy events since the founding of Leaf Village.

The Minister of Ministry of Education is also an old acquaintance.

Sarutobi Torabu.

This man, who was a complete mess when he was a cadre leader in the ANBU, has now found a second spring in his career after changing positions.

He did an excellent job at the Ministry of Education.

He is currently the Minister of Ministry of Education and the Executive Vice Principal of the Ninja Academy.

Uchiha Shingen's promotion of him to work in the Ministry of Education put the entire Sarutobi Clan at ease.

Although the bearded men were known for their dramatic flair during the Third era, this clan was also quite straightforward, much like the Uzumaki Clan.

Everyone should stand up when they see Uchiha Shingen enter.

"Hey, sit down, sit down, no need to be so polite." Uchiha Shingen waved his hand.

He didn't care much about such formalities, after all... none of the people here could beat him.

This is also related to the old university.

Senju Hashirama never showed any leadership qualities when he was the head of the Senju Clan. He was constantly being reprimanded, but that did not prevent him from being a man of absolute authority and making decisions unilaterally.

Those who like to engage in empty formalities are just paper tigers.

Uchiha Shingen plopped down in his seat and signaled that everyone could speak.

So the three ministers began to speak according to their generally accepted relationship of closeness or distance.

Listening to the three men's statements, Uchiha Shingen nodded repeatedly.

Now it was Sarutobi Torabu to speak. As the Minister of Ministry of Education, the biggest difference between him and the two guys before him was that the ministers of the ANBU and the Police Force were required to act on their own initiative; they were responsible for solving problems, not for giving the Hokage questions. But the Minister of Ministry of Education was exactly the opposite.

If the Ministry of Education of Education makes decisions on his own regarding matters within the Ministry of Education, then that is a fundamental error.

But this perfectly aligns with Sarutobi Torabu's expertise.

Seeing Uchiha Shingen, who was once a troubleshooter but is now his superior, nodding repeatedly, and Sarutobi Torabu becoming increasingly talkative and eager to share his honest opinions, he decided to say more and clear up all his pent-up thoughts at once.

Chapter 42 The Gradual Collection of Tailed Beasts

In the conference room, only Sarutobi Torabu's voice could be heard.

He has said more than Aburame Shibi and Aburame Torune combined.

Of all those present, Aburame Torune was the most familiar with Uchiha Shingen, and he always felt that the Lord Hokage was daydreaming.

But he also knew about Sarutobi Torabu, so there was no need to remind him. After all, the main character today should have been the Ministry of Education.

As for Uchiha Shingen, he didn't feel like he was daydreaming; he was listening attentively.

He was just expressing his feelings.

The Sarutobi Torabu underwent a complete transformation upon arriving at the Ministry of Education, becoming incredibly efficient and capable.

So why did Namikaze Minato have such a stupid decision back then, to send him to the ANBU?

Sarutobi Torabu was still chatting away, but what he said was all quite meaningful. Gradually, he started talking about Jinchūriki.

This is also the highlight of today's event.

"Lord Hokage, the department has come up with a preliminary plan regarding the establishment of a separate Jinchūriki management organization and the organization of related training. However, there are still many points that conflict with the village's original confidentiality regulations." Sarutobi Torabu's expression was a little hesitant. If he could, he wouldn't really want to take on this job, but since his boss had spoken, there was nothing he could do.

"What are they?" Uchiha Shingen asked succinctly.

"There are two main issues. First, the official numbering system could easily lead to the Jinchūriki's identity being leaked. Second, if a special agency is established to Jinchūriki, it will be difficult to clearly define its authority and responsibilities. These issues require your explicit instructions."

Sarutobi Torabu did have some sense of propriety. He didn't leave everything to Uchiha Shingen, the Hokage. Instead, he picked out two key points, and it was absolutely not up to him to explain how to do them in his report.

"The numbering issue doesn't matter. In the future, the environment will change, and the identity of the Jinchūriki will no longer need to be kept secret." Uchiha Shingen first defined the nature of the first issue, and then began to talk about the second.

This is the real key point.

He understood what Sarutobi Torabu meant. The so-called difficulty in clarifying ownership simply meant that everyone wanted to get involved, but Sarutobi Torabu couldn't make the decision.

"It will become the norm for Leaf Village to have multiple Jinchūriki in the future, and the way Jinchūriki will also need to change. The old one-on-one single-line management model is definitely not going to work, and it is necessary to establish a separate organization."

At this point, Uchiha Shingen paused and glanced at the reactions of everyone present.

From the moment he announced his plan to collect the Tailed Beasts, Jinchūriki became the next power hotspot for the Leaf Village ninja clan.

After all, everything that could be divided has already been divided on the existing betting platform. Based on this, every adjustment is just a tearing apart of the market.

Take the heads of the ANBU and the Police Force as examples. If it weren't for the fact that the Aburame Clan, while having few friends, also had no enemies, and given the special background of these two departments, it would have been impossible not to bring down several people.

Making the cake bigger is the key, everyone knows that, but making the cake bigger is not so easy.

The new slots created by the Jinchūriki Management Organization are the kind of opportunities that only come around once every few decades, so there's no way they wouldn't fight for them.

Just considering a few departments, the ANBU and the Police Force would fight over it. They have good reasons for fighting over it. The ANBU simply wants the right to monitor, while the Police Force has a wider scope.

Needless to say, the Ministry of Education is Ministry of Education for the continuing education of ninjas, even though the Ninja Academy is just formal education.

This is conceptually similar to continuing education on Blue Star, which involves updating, supplementing, expanding, and improving the knowledge and skills of ninjas in active service. Exchanging ninja military merits for Ninjutsu is also part of continuing education. In addition, psychological treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder in ninja wars is also included here.

The management of Jinchūriki is lifelong, and they have the same formal and continuing education needs as normal ninjas, so the Ministry of Education's demands are perfectly legitimate.

The Jonin Council would also do the same, and their reasoning is equally valid. Since they have been officially numbered, it's only a matter of time before the Jinchūriki enters the Jonin. And since they are Jonin, it's perfectly reasonable for the Jonin Council to demand the right to be deployed.

However, the ninja clan will be the most aggressive in their pursuit.

Currently, the only two ninja clans in Leaf Village capable of suppressing Tailed Beasts are the Uchiha Clan and Uzumaki Clan. These two don't need to fight too hard, as they have professional advantages.

As for the others, we will leave no stone unturned and will put in our utmost effort.

Being able to squeeze in is both an extension of power and a guarantee of the family's survival.

The Shimura Clan of the past has already proven that without bloodline limits or a special system of secret techniques, a ninja clan that relies on inheritance to maintain cohesion is simply not enough to compete with the ninja village's Ninjutsu exchange mechanism. Once the support of the ninja village's higher-ups is gone, they will collapse sooner or later.

However, high-level positions are limited, so as an alternative, special, influential positions, even if not high-ranking, become the preferred choice.

This is what Jinchūriki management organization would be.

Uchiha Shingen was more than happy for these ninja clans to fight over it, since in his eyes as the Hokage, they were all just tools.

But while it's important to compete, it's unacceptable to exclude others.

Uchiha Shingen had no intention of turning this organization into a ninja club, as that would contradict the Will of Fire and ruin the character of Hokage.

Uchiha Shingen's gaze was undisguised. The three department heads present were alright, but his underlings didn't have such good mental fortitude.

Uchiha Shingen withdrew his gaze and continued, "But Jinchūriki are different from ordinary people, and they cannot be managed in the traditional way, otherwise chaos will ensue. Therefore, the organization should also operate in a deliberative manner, so let's call it the Jinchuriki Management Committee."

This term was quite new to the Hokage world, and everyone was taken aback.

However, the Fifth Hokage's penchant for creating new terms is nothing new; he was like this even before he became Hokage, and everyone was used to it.

Anyway, the important slot isn't the name.

"The Ministry of Education will take the lead in drafting a set of regulations." Uchiha Shingen had complete faith in Sarutobi Torabu's expertise in this matter and, adhering to the principle of not interfering with two parties, directly delegated the task to Sarutobi Torabu. "The basic principle is that we cannot impose too many restrictions on the Jinchūriki's activities. They are comrades, not prisoners. The highest-ranking members of the management committee must be an odd number, and their knowledge and expertise regarding Tailed Beasts and Jinchūriki must meet the required standards. The rest can be discussed fully by everyone."

"Yes, Lord Hokage." Sarutobi Torabu breathed a sigh of relief.

Once the tone is set, that's fine.

He's not afraid of having a lot of things to do, he's only afraid of having no direction.

"Oh, by the way, the former Kumogakure's Jinchuriki has passed the examination," Uchiha Shingen added. "He's the first Jinchūriki to join Leaf Village. The Ministry of Education needs to do a good job; they can't let others think Leaf Village is intolerant and always treats him as an outsider. However, before the committee is established, the Police Force will be responsible for his arrangements."

Aburame Shibi, indicating that she knew what to do.

That guy's personality is quite similar to Uchiha Tekka's, so he thinks it's easy to arrange—just pair him up with a woman.

He probably wouldn't be interested in the Aburame Clan, but there are still Uchiha Clan, Hyuga Clan, and Inuzuka Clan, right? That's a good range of options. I can just arrange a meeting with the heads of the three clans to discuss it later.

"Then this topic is settled." Having swiftly resolved the issue, Uchiha Shingen quickly moved on to the next point. "Regarding the matter the ANBU mentioned earlier, which involved needing manpower from the Police Force to capture the Four-Tails, Five-Tails, and Six-Tails Jinchuriki, let's hear everyone's opinions."

Chapter 43 A Hall Full of Treacherous Officials, the Hokage Rebels, Only I Am the Honest Man

After Uchiha Shingen finished speaking, everyone present fell silent.

There's no way around it, I'm just too sensitive.

The fact that the ANBU borrowed personnel from the Police Force was brought up in front of the Hokage seems like they were just making trouble out of nothing and trying to get attention at the meeting.

But those sitting here all know the inside story, so of course they know what the ANBU service is up to.

At the same time, everyone lamented that when Shimura Danzō, he had drawn too much firepower, and no one had realized that these young people in Root, with their thick eyebrows and big eyes and seemingly ruthless demeanor, were actually quite bureaucratic.

He actually Shimura Danzō's mathematical methods.

The ANBU is now run by the original Root members, there's nothing we can do about it, only they can keep up with Uchiha Shingen's wild imagination.

Yes, everyone understands Uchiha Shingen's idea of collecting the Tailed Beasts as a "brainstorming" concept.

"Minister Shibi, what do you think?" Uchiha Shingen certainly wouldn't let his subordinate be so embarrassed at the meeting, so he took the initiative to remind him.

Aburame Shibi's expression was completely unreadable to others, so they had no idea whether he was cursing in his heart.

But after thinking about it carefully, everyone felt that it was unlikely. After all, Aburame Torune was also from the Aburame Clan. Would Aburame Shibi insult the mother of a young man in the clan? He was very familiar with Aburame Torune's biological father.

Everyone burst into laughter. The Aburame Clan family has two departments; if they really started fighting, it would be quite entertaining, and they could laugh for days.

Aburame Torune sensed Aburame Shibi's gaze, but he pretended not to notice.

The ANBU is unique among Leaf Village's various departments because it is essentially the Hokage's lackey, serving the Hokage rather than Leaf Village.

The task of collecting the Tailed Beasts naturally fell to the ANBU.

This is where the awkward part comes in: even if ANBU ninja manages to find a wild Jinchūriki, they might not be able to defeat him...

The ANBU, mainly composed of Special Jōnin and Chunin, is simply too weak to handle the situation.

Although Uchiha Itachi was there to hold things together, he could only take care of one side of the Jinchūriki. While the ANBU were searching for wild Uchiha Itachi, they also discovered Uchiha Madara and Nagato Rain Village, who were doing the same thing.

Therefore, this matter cannot be resolved by Uchiha Itachi alone; more people are needed. However, apart from the few humanoid strategic weapons in the village, all the usable people are in the Police Force.

If we don't clarify the nature of this "borrowing someone" incident today, it will be portrayed as something the Police Force did.

The worst part is that the task was not completed by the ANBU, which led to the credit going to the Police Force. This means that the ANBU staff worked themselves to the bone for nothing and not only did they get no credit, but they were also ridiculed.

Aburame Torune is the head of the ANBU, so naturally he has to scheme against his own clan leader from the ANBU's perspective. There's pressure, but it's not a big problem. He did it before when he was in the Root Clan, so he might as well keep doing it.

At worst, I'll get a beating when I get home.

"Lord Hokage, the ANBU needs to borrow some of the best personnel from the Police Force." Aburame Shibi finally decided not to Torune; this was not the time to show concern for her family's juniors.

The reason is the same: he is the Minister of Police Force.

"So, does this matter belong to the ANBU or the Police Force?" Aburame Shibi asked Uchiha Shingen. "The Police Force is a member of the village, and it's only natural for them to serve the village, but... when it comes to assigning credit, whoever does it gets it, that's always been the case."

This wasn't just stubbornness; it was based on Aburame Shibi reasoning and evidence.

As everyone knows, Aburame Torune was Uchiha Shingen's subordinate, but in the end, the ANBU were just his new favorites.

The Police Force is like family.

Can a concubine compare to a wife? A dignified Lord Hokage cannot forget his old love just because he has a new one.

Sarutobi Torabu glanced at Aburame Shibi, then at Aburame Torune, and felt quite at ease.

Anyway, it's none of his business, let's just watch the show.

Uchiha Shingen was also having a headache.

New love or old love, it's so hard to choose...

Damn it, it's all Ōtsutsuki Clan's fault!

If it weren't for that damned Ōtsutsuki Clan, would he have bothered to capture all the Tailed Beasts? He could have just gone out and stolen a piece of Chakra, wouldn't that have solved the problem?

At this point, it's unacceptable for adults to want everything without making choices; neither the ANBU nor the Police Force can accept doing things haphazardly.

The rise and fall of the nation is something only a few high-ranking officials sitting in the Hokage Building would consider; most ninjas wouldn't even think about it, they only care about how to gain merit.

The most practical way is to exchange merits for Ninjutsu. Once you accumulate enough merits, you can even exchange for Book of Seals.

Uchiha Shingen wants to retire early again, but considering that he hasn't even been Hokage for half a year, it would be ridiculous for him to volunteer for retirement at this time, and he would probably be opposed by everyone.

We should take things one step at a time. Let's bring Minato Namikaze Minato back as an assistant first, and let him handle all the wrangling meetings from now on.