As soon as he finished speaking, a noisy discussion broke out in the meeting room.
No one expected that of the six thousand ninjas on the border, nearly three thousand were connected to those traditional forces.
This is all under the condition that Grandma Chiyo and Ebizo do not interfere.
"Give up? Do you know what you're saying? That's nearly four thousand ninjas!"
Rasa was the first to disagree with Hoshino's proposal.
Unlike Konoha, Sunagakure only has about eight or nine thousand ninjas in total, including retired ones.
Eliminate those six thousand ninjas on the border.
Now only over 1,800 ninjas remain in the village, of whom nearly 700 are associated with traditional forces.
This doesn't even include the ninjas secretly trained by traditional forces.
If they were to abandon those three thousand ninjas, how would Sunagakure defend against attacks from ninjas from other villages?
Yes, the Armed Forces Department has indeed assembled a considerable number of Prosthetic Corps, which remains unknown to outsiders.
Rasa still didn't think they could directly replace the ninja forces.
Besides Rasa, Kankuro and Temari also voted against it, believing that so many ninjas should not be abandoned directly.
Gaara, as always, supports Hoshino.
Three against two!
Hoshino tapped the table and said, "In that case, we'll primarily recruit the four thousand ninjas covertly, giving them only one chance."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Things have developed to this point, and those ninjas should know what's going on; one chance is enough.
"If there are no objections, let's move on to the next topic!"
Hoshino tapped the table lightly with his fingers, and the projected image switched to a set of complex data charts.
"Next, we will discuss the ethical issues surrounding prosthetic technology."
He pulled up a report from the Medical Department.
"In the past month, there have been 47 cases of prosthetic rejection, of which 12 cases showed abnormal neural connections."
The atmosphere in the meeting room immediately became tense.
Temari clenched her fist; this was the technical risk she had been worried about.
Hoshino's eyes flickered slightly as he said, " The Scientific Research Department has developed a second-generation neural stabilizer that can minimize the rejection reaction."
He paused for a moment, "But that's not the problem."
The projector switched to a surveillance video.
A construction worker with a prosthetic body collapsed and convulsed after working continuously for 18 hours.
"Our prosthetic body design truly doesn't tire; if it breaks, we simply replace the parts!" Hoshino said. "However, the user's mental endurance has its limits."
Hearing this, Kankuro frowned and asked, "So, we're going to limit working hours now?"
"No." Hoshino pulled up a new plan. "We need to develop a matching mental stabilization device so that users can endure longer periods of work."
These words were spoken.
Temari on the table and stood up angrily, shouting, "This is treating people like machines! I don't agree!"
"I've wanted to ask that for a long time!"
" Hoshino, what do you take the villagers for?"
"First they extended working hours, and now they're developing some kind of mental stabilization device? Is their next step to turn them into emotionless machines?"
The air in the conference room froze instantly.
Hoshino did not respond immediately.
Look at this!
Temari pulled a stack of crumpled letters from her bosom and slammed them on the table.
"This is a letter a child wrote to his father! 'Dad, does your metal arm hurt?' 'Mom always cries secretly at night.' Is this the future you want?"
Rasa picked up a letter with a gloomy expression; the handwriting on it was crooked and messy.
"Dad, I'd rather go hungry than have you pretend to have that iron hand anymore..."
Hoshino stared silently at the letters, the projector light casting shifting shadows on his face.
" Temari, this is just the growing pains before change!"
He suddenly spoke, his voice unusually calm, "Do you know why these children can still write letters?"
"Because their parents have prosthetic bodies, they can earn enough for two more meals a day."
Temari's fists clenched until they turned white. "But this shouldn't be the way Sunagakure lives! We could have..."
"What can I do?"
Hoshino suddenly raised his voice, "Does the Reform Society fund them out of its own pocket?"
His fingers slammed on the table, and the projected image instantly switched to the financial statements of Sunagakure.
"The village has a population of 136,000. Each person needs at least 200 taels of silver per day to survive, which adds up to 10 billion taels of silver per year."
How much money does the Reform Society have to support so many people?
Hearing Hoshino's rebuttal, Temari opened her mouth, but no sound came out.
" Temari, do you think I don't feel sorry for those villagers? But the reality is, Sunagakure is walking a tightrope right now."
He brought up a holographic projection, displaying a military comparison chart of Sunagakure and surrounding forces.
" The Iwagakure Village has 12,000 standing troops, the Konoha has 10,000, while the village itself, including its border troops, has only 8,000."
Hoshino continued, "Furthermore, traditional powers control 70% of the village's grain reserves."
"They would rather let the grain rot in the warehouse than sell it at a fair price; the Reform Society's relief grain was already the best they could do."
Temari clutched the letters, her knuckles turning white. "But this cannot be a justification for exploiting the villagers!"
"Exploitation?" Hoshino raised his voice, and the projector switched to two sets of data.
"Look at this! In a mining area controlled by traditional powers, workers work 18 hours a day and are paid only half of what we do!"
Rasa added, "And there were no safety measures in place."
Hoshino walked to the window and pointed to the brightly lit ninja mansion in the distance.
"They live in mansions and eat delicacies, yet they rely on the villagers' blood and flesh to sustain them. At least we gave the villagers the right to choose; by getting prosthetic bodies, they can earn an extra bite to eat."
As he spoke, he slammed his hand heavily on the glass.
"A civil war is bound to break out sooner or later, and the death toll will be much higher than this!"
Temari's pupils suddenly contracted.
The letters slipped from her fingers and scattered on the ground like withered leaves.
"Now you understand?" Hoshino's voice suddenly softened.
"We are not creating a tragedy, but racing against time."
"Every additional villager fitted with a prosthetic body might save one more family in a future civil war."
Hoshino returned to his seat, straightened himself, and continued.
" Temari, think carefully, who delivered those children's letters to you?"
The meeting room fell silent.
Temari looked up abruptly, "You mean..."
"Traditional forces have planted spies in the relief stations," Gaara said. "They collect these letters specifically to sow discord among us."
Hoshino pulled up a surveillance video.
A ninja wearing the insignia of his clan is secretly rummaging through a villager's mailbag.
Temari's face gradually turned pale.
She looked down at the letters and felt like she was being used as a pawn.
Hoshino sighed. It's normal for girls to be emotional; there's no need to make a big deal out of it.
He then changed the subject, saying, "Let's skip that topic and discuss the cybernetic weapon upgrade plan next."