The sun rose as usual. Sunlight shone through the sealing runes above Konoha, reflecting a rainbow of colors that made the entire village look like a dream.
This has become the most famous sight in Konoha, and merchants coming and going praise it highly, even attracting many tourists who come here specifically to see it.
"Have you heard? The great name is dead."
"Really? Does it have anything to do with the Hokage?"
"How can it not be related? It's said that the Hokage sent ninjas to kill him."
"Really? Shinsei doesn't seem like a bad person to me. Could there be some misunderstanding?"
"I don't know, but I figured it out a long time ago. Our Hokage didn't accept the Daimyo's investiture, did he?"
"The daimyo is dead, will that cause problems? Will other countries take this opportunity to invade us?"
"You're worrying unnecessarily. I don't see any impact. Maybe it's a good thing the daimyo is dead. After all, hasn't the war always been our Konoha's responsibility?"
The Anbu Ninja crouching in the corner of the rooftop adjusted his mask, listened to the villagers' chatter below, and wiped away imaginary sweat from his face.
As a formal ninja, he naturally knew what had happened in relation to the daimyo's death.
The Hokage issued a notice overnight yesterday, but since it involved Madara Uchiha, much of the information remains top secret.
He desperately wanted to go down and stop the villagers from gossiping and slandering the Hokage.
But this idea only lingered in my mind and I didn't put it into action.
Shinsei never really paid attention to the villagers' opinions; in fact, since becoming Hokage, he has encouraged them to express their views.
This has led to the villagers of Konoha becoming arrogant and never yielding an inch to the ninjas. If they make even the slightest mistake, they will go straight to the Hokage Building to complain to him face to face.
However, today, the villagers' discussion was quickly replaced by something else.
A huge notice was posted on the outer wall of the Hokage Building.
The notice was as tall as a person, the ink was still fresh, and it emitted a faint smell of pine smoke. At the bottom of the notice were two bright red stamps, the flame emblem of the Hokage.
The other one is a newly engraved seal of the " Land of Fire Development Committee ".
More and more villagers and ninjas gathered to watch, with those in the front reading aloud and those in the back standing on tiptoe to listen.
"Effective immediately, the position of Daimyo of the Land of Fire is hereby abolished. All administrative powers previously held by the Daimyo are hereby transferred to the Land of Fire Development Committee."
The committee comprises three departments: military administration, civil administration, and finance. The Hokage serves concurrently as the committee chairman.
"Furthermore, all ninja armies within the Land of Fire will be rotated out immediately."
The city-guarding ninja squads, border patrol squads, and lord's guard squads, which were originally under the direct control of the daimyo, were all brought under the unified command of the committee's Military Administration Bureau.
Konoha, as the highest military institution in the Land of Fire, dispatches inspector ninjas to various regions to oversee military reorganization and daily management.
"Furthermore, to ensure the smooth operation of the troop rotation, the committee has opened the Ninjutsu Library to all Konoha Ninja."
Chunin and above can unconditionally acquire one A-rank Ninjutsu after completing a defense rotation mission.
A vial of cell culture medium is also provided to increase baseline Chakra levels.
When this passage was read, a barely suppressed commotion erupted from the crowd.
A-rank Ninjutsu —that's something most ninjas can never even touch in their entire lives.
The mere name of cell culture medium is enough to make one's blood boil.
It is said that Kakashi's Chakra level increased several times over, which was due to the Lord Hokage's cell culture medium.
As for where this cell culture medium came from, these ninjas had their own guesses, but they either didn't or dared not say it aloud.
But it doesn't matter, Lady Tsunade didn't say anything. Besides, wasn't Hashirama Senju's Impure World Reincarnation Tensei body still in Konoha not long ago?
The announcement clearly states that it is not "available to those with outstanding performance," but rather "unconditionally awarded upon completion of the rotation duty."
This isn't a reward; it's standard.
The Hokage's meaning is clear: I'm going to send someone to take over the entire nation's army. I'll give them the best equipment and the strongest Ninjutsu. Anyone who objects can give it a try.
The ninjas watching had already begun discussing where people were needed, how many openings were available at the border post, and who would be the most reliable partner for them.
No one asked whether the removal of the daimyō (the emperor's name) was legal or whether the committee had usurped power.
Those two bright red stamps on the announcement are the law. Besides, with A-rank Ninjutsu and cell fluid right in front of them, who would turn down such an opportunity?
Isamu Hyūga stood on the outer edge of the crowd, looked up and read the announcement twice from beginning to end.
He is Chunin from the Hyuga Branch Family, and he is nineteen years old this year.
His Byakugan abilities were only moderately developed, and his Gentle Fist wasn't particularly outstanding either. Within the Hyuga Clan, he was the type who would blend into a crowd and be easily overlooked.
He barely passed the Chunin Exams last month, ranking third from the bottom.
Following a normal career path, he would probably spend his entire life patrolling Konoha, occasionally being assigned to escort caravans, eventually earning the title of Special Jōnin at the age of forty, and then retiring.
But now, that line on the announcement caught his eye like a fishhook—"Dispatch surveillance ninjas to various locations."
Inspector ninjas. Not high-ranking officials, but their duties are very clear:
Representing the Hokage, they oversee the reorganization and rotation of the local army. In other words, a Chunin, when stationed in a local area, becomes the Hokage's representative.
Isamu Hyūga hesitated for about five seconds. Then he made the boldest decision he had made in nineteen years, turning around and walking towards the Hokage Building.
The first floor of the Hokage Building was temporarily converted into a mission registration area.
A dozen or so tables were lined up in a row, with a clerk sitting behind each table, and a long queue in front of them. The usually quiet corridor was now crowded with people, and the air was filled with the smell of ink and sweat.
Isamu Hyūga waited in line for almost an hour before it was his turn.
The clerk ninja sitting behind the desk asked about ninja status, rank, and area of expertise without looking up, then pulled out a pre-printed appointment letter from the drawer and filled in his name in the blank space.
" Isamu Hyūga, Chunin, dispatched to the Land of Fire Northwest Border Third Outpost. This is your letter of appointment. Tomorrow morning, go to the Military Administration Bureau to collect your equipment and supplies, and depart at noon."
"Um," Isamu Hyūga accepted the letter of appointment, hesitated for a moment, "... A-rank Ninjutsu and cell fluid—"
"Distributed before departure." The clerk finally looked up at him, his gaze lingering on the Caged Bird Seal on his forehead for less than half a second before moving away. "Next."
When Isamu Hyūga walked out of the Hokage Building clutching his letter of appointment, his palms were sweaty.
The Northwest Border Third Outpost —he'd never even heard of the name. But the bright red Hokage seal on the appointment letter told him this wasn't a drill.
On the night before departure, Isamu Hyūga couldn't sleep.
It wasn't because I was nervous.
Okay, it's not just because of nervousness.
He sat up in bed, lit the oil lamp, and unrolled the scroll of Gentle Fist left by his father, wanting to review the basic moves once more.
He had practiced the starting stance of the Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms no less than two thousand times; he could perform it with his eyes closed.
But he also knew that with his limited skills, if he went to the border post, let alone supervise the rotation of troops, it would be a problem whether he could even get the veterans to look at him properly.