An Outstanding Hokage

Cao Ya had not personally dealt with the small handful of dissenters. He had simply instructed Root members to spread dirt on them.

Take the two advisers, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, for example. They had not climbed to their current positions as Konoha advisers without leaving plenty of filth beneath their seats.

The dirt on Cao Ya had been in Danzo and Root's hands. With Danzo dead and Root under his control, his first move had naturally been to purge Root's various compromising records.

He had not driven them into a corner, either. He had shown them a suitable degree of respect; whether they accepted it was up to them.

If they accepted, everyone would be happy. If they refused... Cao Ya would deal them a lethal hand.

After a round of carrots and sticks, the group soon quieted down.

Cao Ya had actually seized real control over Konoha!

Naturally, Root, a force that obeyed Cao Ya alone, had contributed enormously during this period.

After decades of cultivation under Danzo, Root was extremely powerful, no weaker than the Anbu directly subordinate to the Hokage.

Meanwhile, an envoy from the Land of Fire's daimyo brought a decree approving Cao Ya's succession as the Fifth Hokage.

This was the final link that dispelled the Konoha ninjas' doubts.

Even the daimyo had agreed. Why should they object?

Cao Ya's position as Hokage was secure.

"Jiraiya, you're leaving Konoha?" Cao Ya was briefly taken aback. Regarding his appointment as Hokage, Jiraiya had belonged to the majority who neither supported nor opposed it.

"Yes." Jiraiya nodded and chuckled. "I'm planning to take Naruto out traveling and look for Tsunade along the way."

"All right. Good luck." Cao Ya watched Jiraiya leave.

For the time being, Konoha did not need a top-tier fighter like Jiraiya.

That could wait until Shippuden began three years later.

The Research Department.

"Orochimaru, have you made any progress researching the First Hokage's Wood Release?" Cao Ya asked.

The Research Department was a new department Cao Ya had established, with himself listed as its head and Orochimaru serving as chief scientist. Orochimaru's former subordinates-Kabuto Yakushi, Kimimaro, Jugo, Karin Uzumaki, and Hozuki Suigetsu-still remained under his management, now assigned to the Research Department.

Cao Ya had decided to restructure Konoha's departments. The old arrangement had been both too bloated and too rudimentary.

"I researched Wood Release before. The rejection response was too severe. Only one infant survived."

Orochimaru flicked his tongue over his lips. "As long as you allow me to experiment on human subjects..."

Cao Ya interrupted him. "Stop right there! Wood Release is only one of the Research Department's projects. If someone volunteers to offer themselves, I won't interfere, but I absolutely will not allow you to act in secret! Don't cross my red lines."

Scientific research sometimes required various human subjects. That was unavoidable.

Cao Ya publicly announced the Research Department's projects to Konoha and explicitly stipulated that villagers could volunteer for research, but coercion of any kind was strictly forbidden!

After all, although some of the Research Department's projects were dangerous, success could indeed bring tremendous benefits to the test subjects.

It was a matter of personal choice.

"Heh. Softhearted sentimentality." Orochimaru sneered. "Has that bastard Jiraiya left the village?"

"He went to find Tsunade," Cao Ya replied.

Orochimaru curled his lip but said nothing more.

"By the way, how's the agricultural research going?" Cao Ya changed the subject.

"Simple." Orochimaru could not help laughing as he complained, "Research like that is far too basic. I can finish it without breaking a sweat."

Cao Ya offered no comment. Food was the people's heaven; applying ninjutsu to farming could greatly advance agriculture.

Meanwhile, research departments for ninjutsu, illusion techniques, and Taijutsu had also been established.

Hyuga Hiashi was the head of the Taijutsu Department, with Might Guy as his deputy.

Might Guy was powerful, but he had no backing, and his personality did not suit managing a department. Cao Ya also needed to consider the Hyuga Clan's views, so he had appointed Hyuga Hiashi as department head.

Kakashi, meanwhile, headed the Ninjutsu Department. His title of "Copy Ninja" testified to his extensive knowledge of ninjutsu,

making him a perfect fit. The Genjutsu Department, on the other hand, had only a few big cats and little kittens, with Kurenai Yuhi and the Kurama Clan holding up its reputation.

What could they do? The Uchiha had been wiped out.

Cao Ya personally oversaw the Ninja Academy's textbooks and curriculum, revising them from scratch. Various ninjutsu were taught, along with methods for countering them!

This stirred opposition among many ninjas, but Cao Ya now held power firmly in his hands and had won over too many people. The dissenters failed to raise so much as a ripple.

All the civilian-born ninjas supported this policy.

Some clan-born ninjas did not oppose it, either.

In Cao Ya's view, whether it was A-Rank or S-Rank ninjutsu, gathering enough people to research it would surely reveal its flaws.

One branch of the Ninjutsu Department-the kekkei genkai department-was even secretly researching other ninja villages' kekkei genkai under Cao Ya's orders.

That even included the kekkei tōta-Dust Release!

The implementation of this series of policies made everyone realize that Konoha's future would follow an unprecedented path!

A bright and beautiful path!

Konoha was flourishing.

As Hokage, Cao Ya was deeply loved by all the villagers.

But Cao Ya knew that as long as the Akatsuki, the other ninja villages, and the other nations remained unresolved, the Shinobi World could never achieve true peace.

Not to mention Kaguya Otsutsuki inside the moon and the whole nest of Otsutsuki in the depths of the universe.

They were all at the Six Paths level!

Even the weakest were at the Super Kage level!

"A heavy burden and a long road ahead!" Cao Ya sighed softly.

Kakashi, Might Guy, Mitaraishi Anko, Kurenai Yuhi, and the others looked at Cao Ya. They were his friends as well as capable officers under his command, deeply valued and entrusted with important duties.

They had seen the changes in Konoha during this period and sincerely believed that making Cao Ya Hokage had been the right decision.

Cao Ya would surely lead Konoha to the summit of the Shinobi World!

They did not understand why Cao Ya remained so troubled, often gazing at the horizon and sighing.

"Yes, we have to put in extra hours and work hard to share the Fifth Hokage's burden!"

"Konoha belongs to all of us!"

"We can't pile all the pressure onto the Fifth Hokage's shoulders alone."

They exchanged glances and silently nodded.

Cao Ya blinked, feeling rather baffled.

Night.

Cao Ya entered the system space.

There were no newcomers this time, still just the eight Cao Yas.

After sharing their memories, the other seven Cao Yas saw the Cao Ya from Naruto in a whole new light.

"Holy shit, that's awesome! You've already pulled off Konoha's reforms?"

The Cao Ya from Naruto coughed lightly, his brows dancing and his eyes smiling. "Keep it low-key, keep it low-key."

The seven Cao Yas immediately gave him scornful looks.

They were all Cao Ya. Who did not know exactly what the others were like?

Quit putting on an act!

The Cao Ya from Global Martial Arts sighed. "There's no way to reform my place. All those hidden big shots are too damn troublesome. There's even a whole bunch of them watching from above. It's fucking unreal."

He felt mentally exhausted.

The Cao Ya from The Masters of This World asked, "When are you breaking through to eighth rank?"

"I'll wait a little longer." The Cao Ya from Global Martial Arts tugged at his hair. "I need to enter the Catacombs and kill a bunch of Catacombs martial artists first. If I break through to eighth rank ahead of time, it won't have the same effect."

"You sneaky old bastard," the Cao Ya from The Smiling, Proud Wanderer remarked.

The Cao Ya from Global Martial Arts rolled his eyes. If I were in a low-powered martial world like The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, I'd act openly and honorably too.

In the world of Global Martial Arts, scheming old bastards popped up one after another. Without a little caution, he would not even know how he had died.