第41章 火影大楼眼下确实缺人手

Hibari was stunned on the spot, then shouted, "How did you become so stingy? Is that any way for an uncle to act?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen was furious. This jerk—when he needed something, he called him uncle every other word, but when he didn't, he was as arrogant as could be. Still, he explained with some embarrassment, "It's not that... I'm really out of money."

"Where's your money? Didn't we both get over a million ryo a while ago? What, did Grandpa Sarutobi swipe your money too?" Hibari looked shocked.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's old face flushed, and he waved his hands hurriedly. "It's not like that..." As he spoke, he glanced at the two little ones eating nearby, then lowered his voice to tell Hibari, "I recently started seeing a girlfriend... I spent all the money buying her gifts."

"Ah! Big Sister Biwako?" Hibari's eyes widened even further. "I'd say you're a bit too generous, wouldn't you? One and a half million ryo, and you spent it all on Big Sister Biwako in two or three days??? I really admire you."

"Ahem... isn't that what I'm supposed to do?" Sarutobi Hiruzen cleared his throat awkwardly. "You'll be the same way when you're older."

Hibari clutched his wallet, feeling incredibly stifled. He could still count on his own money when the Hokage issued pay, but the money belonging to this guy, Sarutobi Hiruzen, had truly gone down the drain.

Seeing his friend in such a pathetic state that he couldn't even afford a meal of barbecue, Hibari could only sigh. He reached into his robes, pulled out the last few banknotes little Tsunade had left him, and handed them over.

"Fine, let's split it down the middle." He curled his lip, his tone full of helplessness. "Who would have thought? I, the grand young master of the Senju Clan, have to calculate a meal with you, the young master of the Sarutobi Clan, so precisely. It's too miserable... Once I take on a lucrative job or get a salary as a teacher, I'll treat you to a proper meal."

Sarutobi Hiruzen snatched the money, his face instantly blooming with a smile.

"That's all easy to say!" He tucked the money away happily, then leaned in closer and lowered his voice. "But speaking of which, how are things going with you and Big Sister Biwako... wait, no, how are things going with you? You're not exactly young anymore."

Hibari raised an eyebrow, asking with a hint of curiosity.

Sarutobi Hiruzen first looked left and right, then hooked a finger at Hibari. Only when Hibari leaned his ear in did he whisper, "You have to keep this under wraps for me. Don't you dare tell anyone, or I'm done for..."

"What is it? Tell me, tell me!" Hibari was itching with curiosity at his mysterious demeanor.

"Little Biwako... she's pregnant." Sarutobi Hiruzen squeezed the words out.

Hibari froze on the spot, his eyes round as saucers.

Under his shocked gaze, Sarutobi Hiruzen continued to explain, "That's why I'm thinking about heading back and getting the wedding done quickly. It'll be bad for her reputation if we drag it out any longer. I reckon it won't be long before I invite you all to drink at our wedding!"

It took a long time for Hibari to regain his senses. He stared at Sarutobi Hiruzen for a good while before smacking his lips and saying, "Well, you, Sarutobi Hiruzen. You look so upright with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, but I never expected you to... forget it, I don't even know what to say to you. Anyway, be quick about it, I'll definitely keep your secret!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's sudden bombshell left Hibari feeling quite choked up.

They say growing boys eat their parents into poverty, and that saying was no lie. Hibari was a big eater to begin with, Orochimaru was never one to be polite, and Jiraiya was even worse. This one barbecue meal had scraped both their pockets clean.

As a result, after Hibari got home, he didn't dare run out for several days, staying honestly holed up in his room, flipping through the scrolls and notes Tobirama had left him.

The founding of the Ninja Academy, while causing a massive stir in Konoha and dragging everyone into the fray, had fortunately been handled with great skill by Tobirama and the others, so no real chaos had ensued.

With the Uchiha Clan not leading the charge, few of the so-called "opposition" dared to jump out and openly defy the Hokage.

The Hyuga Clan maintained their usual moderate stance, moving slowly and ultimately not issuing a clear opposition, merely releasing a formal, by-the-book statement.

When everyone else saw there was no hope for dissent, they simply went with the flow and joined in to "build a better campus together."

With the village's opinion unified, efficiency naturally soared. Tobirama, Hashirama, the Sarutobi Clan, and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio all pitched in. Within a few days, a respectable Ninja Academy stood in the still-spacious Konoha Village.

This affair was indeed, as Nara Lvxun had anticipated, a "test" by Tobirama and the others of the various clans in the village.

Using this event, they could see which clans would respond to the village's call at the first opportunity and be willing to "sacrifice the small family for the sake of the big one."

Based on this judgment, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio had followed the Sarutobi Clan in expressing their stance quickly, and later contributed both manpower and resources, coordinating with the Hokage Building to swiftly implement the school project.

Their attitude was clear, and the Hokage Building was naturally quite satisfied.

At this moment, in a conference room, Hokage Senju Hashirama was discussing matters with several figures.

"Now that the schoolhouse is ready and the teachers are in place, I don't see any need to drag out the Ninja Academy project any longer," Senju Hashirama said cheerfully. "Let's start enrollment in the next day or two!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Tobirama smiled and added, "It was a lot of thunder but little rain this time. It looked chaotic, but in reality, nothing went wrong, which is a stroke of luck. It's also thanks to the strong support of you three—Lvxun, Kiyono, and Kira."

Nara Lvxun, Yamanaka Kiyono, and Akimichi Kira all laughed upon hearing this. Nara Lvxun then spoke up, "This is a good deed that benefits the village; its merits will last for generations. How could we possibly hold it back? In the future, whenever the Hokage needs anything, just say the word. We will have no objections."

While this sounded like a professional matter, it was actually a subtle way of "pledging loyalty" to the Hokage Building.

Even Hashirama understood the implication. He looked at Tobirama, who gave an imperceptible nod.

Regardless of whether Nara Lvxun had truly guessed the underlying meaning and thus made the correct judgment and response, at least everyone was happy with the current result.

By this point, the stance of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio was clearly laid out on the table.

Since they had taken the initiative to pledge their loyalty, it would be too cold-hearted for the Hokage Building to pretend not to see it, and it would easily discourage those who were willing to work for them.

After all, for the village to develop in the future, everyone needed to pull together. If the people's hearts were scattered, the team would be hard to lead.

Furthermore, just as Nara Lvxun had expected, the Hokage Building was indeed short-handed and urgently needed reliable people to fill the gaps.

Now was the critical time for everyone to twist into a single rope and build Konoha together. The new recruits had to be perfectly in sync with the high-level leadership.

Clans like the Uchiha, who loved to stir up trouble every few days and create problems, were absolutely not to be considered. Otherwise, just coordinating internal conflicts would consume most of their energy, let alone getting any real work done for the village.

At this moment, Tobirama's nod made the meaning very clear.

The school project proved that the Ino-Shika-Cho trio was trustworthy; at the very least, they were willing to concede some of their family's interests for the sake of the village. This aligned with the Hokage Building's path.

Being in step, getting along well, and having sharp minds that knew how to follow orders—weren't those the qualities of good comrades? If you didn't bring such people in to fill the vacancies, who else would you look for? There was no need to overthink it.

Seeing this, Hashirama's face broke into a smile, and he said cheerfully, "Since you've put it that way, Lvxun, we won't beat around the bush. That's right, I do have many matters that require the help of your three clans."

Upon hearing this, Nara Lvxun felt relieved—his bet had indeed paid off!

He immediately responded with a smile, "Hokage-sama, you are too polite. Serving the village is our duty. From now on, whenever you have an order, just say it. We will certainly cooperate fully without any hesitation!"

As soon as he finished, Yamanaka Kiyono and Akimichi Kira beside him hurriedly nodded, their attitudes identical.

Seeing this, Tobirama spoke in a deep voice, cutting to the chase: "Then let's be direct. Lvxun, there are a thousand threads to manage in the village right now, and many things lack proper order. We are truly short-handed and urgently need people who can offer strategies. We have long heard that your Nara Clan produces brilliant minds, and your reputation, Nara Lvxun, is well-known in the village. Therefore..."

He paused slightly and continued, "I intend to establish an Advisory Squad directly under the Hokage, specifically to analyze various affairs and provide strategies for the Hokage. How about you take the lead as the squad leader? You can also scout for other talents you trust; as long as they pass the assessment, they can join and work for the village together. What do you... think?"

Nara Lvxun felt a surge of wild joy. Although he had guessed that this successful display of loyalty would likely allow the Ino-Shika-Cho trio to enter the Hokage Building's power circle, he truly hadn't expected the Hokage and Tobirama to be so generous as to bring him into the core layer immediately to plan for the Hokage!

Therefore, he had no intention of declining. To feign modesty at a time like this would be too pretentious. He spoke directly, "Since the Hokage and Tobirama-sama trust me, I will naturally not shirk this responsibility!"

Senju Hashirama smiled even wider upon hearing this: "Very good! Then I look forward to seeing your performance, Lvxun!"

From this day on, the Nara Clan officially stepped into the power center of the Hidden Leaf Village.

For the next few decades, the Nara Clan remained prosperous, and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, bound tightly together, naturally rose in status along with them.

Although he had only entered this so-called "Advisory Squad" for now, who could have predicted that this position would almost become a "hereditary" duty for the Nara family?

Combined with the Nara family's existing foundation in researching medicinal herbs and developing medical care, the two fields complemented each other, allowing them to firmly secure the top spot in Konoha's medical support sector, holding a position of great prestige.

Having arranged for the Nara Clan, Tobirama's gaze shifted to Yamanaka Kiyono. He smiled and said, "Kiyono, your Yamanaka Clan is best at various mental secret techniques, and your research into the soul is also very deep. Previously, the village's intelligence system, while it existed, was disorganized and inefficient. We have long wanted to reorganize a proper intelligence department. I think you have the ability to handle this."

He looked at Yamanaka Kiyono and asked, "Therefore, we would like to entrust you with leading the establishment of the Hidden Leaf Village's Intelligence Department. This burden... can you carry it?"

Yamanaka Kiyono also smiled, answering crisply and clearly: "Even if I couldn't, I would have to give my life to carry it! Since the village needs it, our Yamanaka Clan will definitely go all out!"