"Ah!! Why do we have a meeting right after the New Year?!"
On the seventh day of the New Year, in the Senju Clan's territory, Tsunade, just awakened by Tatsuma, was full of hostility. She pushed open the door and looked at her disciple waiting outside. Tsunade asked irritably, "What's so urgent that we have to have a meeting today?"
"You'll see when you get there, sensei. I'll go prepare for the mission."
Seeing that Tsunade was already up and clearly in no mood to go back to sleep, Tatsuma turned and left. After all, his work time was approaching.
Quickly arriving at the Hokage Building, Tatsuma changed into his ANBU uniform and began his duties as a guard in the Hokage's office.
Hiruzen flipped through the files accumulated over the past week. There weren't many decisions he needed to make personally; most were just backups for him to review. After all, while the village wasn't large, handling everything personally would be overwhelming.
Moreover, there hadn't been any major incidents in the village these days. The most prominent items on his desk were complaints from foreign merchants about the uncivilized enforcement by the Security Department, which could mostly be ignored.
Konoha granted the Uchiha Clan significant autonomy in law enforcement. As long as there were no cases with serious repercussions, they would generally not intervene, a gesture of respect towards the Uchiha.
Of course, the village wouldn't clean up after the Uchiha or help the Security Department maintain their reputation.
During some meetings, Hiruzen would occasionally mention issues, and the Clan Head of the Uchiha would usually respond with promises like "I'll investigate" or "I'll strengthen education and training."
After a while, Hiruzen finished reviewing the files. He signed where necessary and for pending matters, he would wait for further updates before making final decisions.
Setting aside the files, Hiruzen took out his pipe, tobacco box, and other tools, preparing to take a puff. However, Tatsuma hidden in the darkness spoke up:
"Hokage-sama, it's almost time."
Hiruzen's hand paused, reluctant to glance at his pipe. But realizing it hadn't been used in a week, and cleaning it would take some time to rid it of the stale odor, he decided against it. The Jonin meeting was more important after all.
Putting down his pipe, Hiruzen looked towards Tatsuma's hidden location and asked, "Is everyone assembled?"
Compared to Sakumo Hatake, Hiruzen found Tatsuma, the new guard, more reassuring. Not only was he intelligent enough to discuss internal and external village matters with him, but he also possessed many abilities that facilitated his role as Hokage.
For instance, his excellent sensing abilities. Previously, when Hiruzen attended meetings, he either arrived early and waited for others to arrive or waited for a signal to make a grand entrance.
The former wasted his time, and the latter wasted everyone else's time.
Since Tatsuma became the Hokage Guard, his outstanding sensing ability allowed him to accurately monitor the arrival of personnel, ensuring that Hiruzen was always punctual.
"Reporting, Hokage-sama. Except for those currently on village missions, all members listed for the meeting have arrived at the Hokage Building. They are expected to reach the conference room within one minute."
Upon hearing this, Hiruzen nodded and stood up, saying, "Then let's proceed. Let's not keep everyone waiting. By the way, how do you find my new attire?"
Tatsuma, still concealed, was somewhat speechless but replied, "It's made of heavyweight cotton-linen coarse knit fabric, providing better overall support and less prone to wrinkling. You now look more dignified."
Hiruzen nodded approvingly at his words. Although the new fabric felt less smooth to the touch, it made his slender body look more stable—a decision he had discussed extensively with his wife before settling on it.
Hiruzen still expressed some concern, asking, "Will it give others the impression of being crudely made and affect Konoha's reputation?"
"Nowadays, during the post-war reconstruction, every penny needs to be spent wisely. You are setting an example."
"Haha~"
Although there was some suspicion of deliberate flattery, hearing Tatsuma say this made Hiruzen very happy. After all, there were few who truly understood him.
After receiving a few compliments from Tatsuma, Hiruzen proceeded to the meeting room in good spirits. Tatsuma followed all the way until they reached the entrance of the meeting room. Just before Hiruzen was about to enter, he said:
"You stay here on standby. If there are any special circumstances, you may decide whether to intervene."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Upon hearing Tatsuma's reply, Hiruzen pushed open the door and entered. He was the last person to arrive, but no one dared to complain. After all, Hiruzen wasn't late, and compared to before, the efficiency was much higher.
And today, they were not in the mood to pay attention to whether Hiruzen was late, because today's Jonin meeting was quite serious. Hokage Hiruzen, along with Elders Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, were all present.
Several Ninja in research attire were also present, and the three of them, Hiruzen included, all had serious expressions.
This made many Jonin, who had relaxed after the New Year, feel uneasy. Some were even starting to wonder if something significant had happened before or during these past few days.
"Everyone, Happy New Year."
Hiruzen looked at Shikato Nara, who nodded, and then began the meeting, saying, "The first phase of post-war reconstruction has been completed, and Konoha's land planning and image remodeling are also finished."
"However, there are still many new challenges ahead such as investment, livelihoods, education, healthcare, etc., awaiting us in the new year. At the same time, this is also a crucial opportunity for recovery for all villages since the Great War."
"Although we achieved overwhelming victory in this war, the past two years of conflict have exposed many issues within Konoha."
After slowly finishing his lengthy speech, Hiruzen looked at the serious expressions of the crowd and then turned to Shikato, saying, "Next, I won't waste any time. Shikato, distribute the agenda list and summaries. Once everyone has them, take some time to organize and understand today's meeting direction. Let's not waste time with individual introductions."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Shikato stood up and began distributing stacks of documents. Inside the meeting room, the Jonin started flipping through the materials. Tsunade leaned on the table with one hand, her head resting against it, looking at the covers of the documents without intending to open them.
After all, in previous Jonin meetings, she had always been like this. When it came time to vote on the agenda, she would randomly agree, refuse, or abstain.
But others dared not be as lazy as Tsunade. They began flipping through the materials, but after only a few pages, their gazes fell on Tsunade one after another, some even showing expressions of wanting to speak but hesitating.
"Why are you all looking at me instead of the materials?"
Noticing the glances around her, especially the scrutinizing look from Dan Kato, Tsunade straightened up and said discontentedly.
Cough, cough.
On the stage, Hiruzen cleared his throat and said, "Everyone, please take a serious look."
Tsunade frowned, reluctantly opened the materials, skimmed through them without reading the list contents, and directly turned to the next page. When she saw the first agenda item about establishing a new Medical Ninja Training System, Tsunade became more attentive.
She guessed that the reason everyone was looking at her just now might be because of this. She carefully read the project summary and found it similar to what she had submitted, so she relaxed a bit.
She has been piloting several months at the Konoha Hospital, cultivating several little ones who can serve as medical ninjas during wartime without affecting the combat effectiveness of their squads.
This has increasingly convinced her that her ideas were not wrong. Although studying Medical Ninjutsu slows down the original combat strength growth of ninjas, Tsunade feels that medical resources are more valuable than combat power.
"Are they finally planning to allocate funds to me?"
Tsunade thought to herself, a smile unconsciously appearing on her face. At the same time, she felt much more energized, even in the mood to flip to the next page.
"Proposal for the Research and Training of Wood Release Ninjas."
Seeing the title of the next agenda item, Tsunade's smile suddenly froze. But quickly, her lips drooped, and she clenched her teeth tightly, the words in her field of vision trembling continuously.
She wanted to continue reading down, but even the strength to move her eyes was lost. Her hands involuntarily tightened, causing the paper to crumple instantly.
Exerting all her strength, Tsunade finally lowered her gaze and looked at the project summary. As she read through the vague yet pointedly clear words, Tsunade's breathing became heavy.
She lifted her head instinctively, starting to search for her teammates, but Jiraiya was absent, and Orochimaru surprisingly didn't appear in the conference room either. Feeling increasingly helpless and angry, she glared at her sensei.
Tsunade stood up, pressing her hands on the tabletop, her body tensing up, every muscle bursting with powerful force.
Crack, crack~
The surface of the table under her hands began to crack, and Chakra gradually overflowed from her body, causing her clothes to flutter.
Knock, knock, knock~
At that moment, a knocking sound interrupted. Hiruzen, who was thinking about how to calm his disciple, furrowed his brow and looked towards the door. Sensing it was Tatsuma, he felt puzzled but still said, "Come in."
The door to the conference room was pushed open, and Tatsuma's figure appeared, not concealing his ANBU identity. He walked directly to Hiruzen's side, leaning closer to his ear, while placing one hand flat on the table in front of Hiruzen.
Tatsuma's palm bore a few words: "Meeting adjourned."
At the same time, Hiruzen heard the faint sound of Tatsuma's lips touching, but the entire room full of Jonin didn't hear a word Tatsuma said.
Including Hiruzen, because Tatsuma hadn't said anything at all, just stood there with his mouth open but no sound coming out. Hiruzen quickly realized this was Tatsuma's way of intervening, and his expression swiftly turned serious.
The Jonin became puzzled at this sight.
Bam!
Suddenly, Hiruzen slammed the table, stood up, and declared, "Everyone, I have urgent matters to attend to. The meeting is adjourned. Take the documents back and review them. We will schedule a new meeting time."
Having said that, Hiruzen left amidst surprised looks from Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura. Tatsuma followed closely behind. Tsunade, who was on the brink of eruption, stared intensely at Tatsuma's departing figure, her teeth grinding audibly.
Back in the Hokage's office, Hiruzen's face quickly regained its composure. He looked at Tatsuma and asked, "How long will it take?"
"Reporting to Hokage-sama, at the soonest tomorrow, depending on Tsunades psychological acceptance," Tatsuma replied.
"Good, you may go back now. Report to me after it's done," Hiruzen instructed.
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Tatsuma swiftly departed, changed his clothes, and immediately rushed back to Senju Clan's territory without stopping by Mito's house. Instead, he went straight home because Tsunade was waiting for him there.
As soon as he entered the door, he heard Tsunade's voice, which was chillingly calm and completely different from her usual tone.
"Explain to me."
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