Orochimaru

Choza Akimichi stuffed a handful of chips into his mouth and said indistinctly:

"The Akimichi Clan, too."

"Good." Uchiha En set down his teacup and stood. "As of today, the Konoha Think Tank is officially established."

"Clan Head Shikaku will serve as its chief."

Shikaku cupped his fist in his palm, accepting without protest.

"Lord Hokage, since I've joined the Think Tank, there are a few things I'd like to say up front."

"Go ahead."

"First, the point system."

"The direction you've set is right, but we need more detail to put it into practice."

"Missions need to be ranked. D-Rank, C-Rank, B-Rank, A-Rank, S-Rank—we need to decide how many points each rank is worth."

"We also need to draw up a redemption catalog. How many points for each ninjutsu, ninja tool, or training session? Put it in black and white and post it where everyone can see."

"There's something else." Shikaku paused. "Civilian shinobi accumulate points slowly."

"They can't get high-ranking missions, so they can't earn many points."

"So we need to establish a support fund. The village should allocate some money to advance funds to civilian shinobi who have little to start with but are willing to work hard. That will give them the means to take missions and learn ninjutsu. Once they've earned points, they can pay it back."

"That money would be well spent."

Uchiha En listened without interrupting.

Only after Shikaku finished did he nod. "Go on."

"Second, intelligence."

Shikaku looked at Inoichi Yamanaka. "Inoichi's Sensory Ninjutsu is unmatched in Konoha."

"You want to organize our forces along military lines, with the Special Reconnaissance Corps handling intelligence outside the village. That's the right approach."

"But the reconnaissance corps needs a good pair of eyes."

"The Yamanaka's Sensory Technique can detect people miles away, distinguish friend