In the Konoha meeting room, the clan leaders and the elite jonin among the civilian ninjas gathered.
Uchiha Fugaku sat in the main seat and held his first meeting after becoming the Fifth Hokage.
"There are three main things to discuss at this meeting."
He looked at the people participating in the meeting and said.
"The first thing is that I plan to reform the selection of the Guard Department. From now on, the selection of the Guard Department will no longer be limited to the Uchiha clan."
"Does Hokage-sama mean that ninjas from other clans can also join the Guard Department?"
The head of the Hatake clan, Hatake Nobuhiro, asked thoughtfully.
"Yes, ninjas from other clans can also join the Guard Department and serve in it."
Uchiha Fugaku nodded.
The Guard Department was established by the Second Hokage, and its purpose was to isolate the Uchiha clan.
Now that he is Hokage, it is natural to abolish this form of isolation.
However, the duty of the Guard Department is to maintain the village's security, and it is an indispensable unit.
So he chose a compromise and lifted the restriction that only Uchiha clan members could join.
"What do you think?"
He asked as he glanced at the people attending the meeting.
"Other clan ninjas can also join the Guard Department, which can enrich the personnel structure of the Guard Department. I agree with Hokage-sama's proposal."
Nara Shikaku thought about it and felt that this was a proposal beneficial to the village, so he agreed aloud.
"I also agree with Hokage-sama's proposal."
"I agree too."
...
Many clan heads expressed their agreement.
Some of them, like Nara Shikaku, felt it was beneficial to the village.
Others agreed simply because of Uchiha Fugaku's position.
Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that Uchiha Fugaku wanted to lift the restriction and end the Uchiha clan's isolation.
Opposing it would mean directly challenging the new Hokage.
"Very good, then this matter is settled."
Uchiha Fugaku nodded with satisfaction, then continued.
"The second thing, I plan to relax the restrictions on learning ninjutsu at all levels."
Generally speaking, there are two channels for learning ninjutsu in the village.
One is through one's own clan, and the other is through the village's ninjutsu scroll room.
However, there are extremely strict restrictions for learning ninjutsu through the latter.
Not only are there strength requirements, but also contribution point requirements.
Only when a certain contribution is reached can one apply to learn a certain level of ninjutsu.
Now he plans to reduce the contribution requirements to make access easier.
"Hokage-sama, the reason the village imposes contribution limits is to encourage ninjas to take missions. If the restrictions are relaxed, it may reduce motivation to complete missions."
Inuzuka clan head, Inuzuka Tsume, said with concern.
She didn't mean to challenge Uchiha Fugaku, but she was genuinely worried about the potential consequences.
"It may indeed lead to a drop in mission activity. If fewer missions are taken, it could be a loss for the village."
Yamanaka clan head, Yamanaka Inoichi, also frowned in concern.
"I think the proposal is great. Relaxing ninjutsu learning restrictions will raise the strength of all ninjas, and that benefits the entire village."
An elite jonin among the civilian ninjas said.
"I agree too. Civilian ninjas can't access clan techniques. The scroll room is their only source."
Another elite jonin echoed.
Clan ninjas can get ninjutsu from within their families, but civilian ninjas rely entirely on the scroll room.
Relaxing access requirements would greatly benefit them.
In the meeting room, voices rose—some agreed, some opposed.
"It seems opinions are divided, so let's decide by raising hands."
Uchiha Fugaku looked around and said.
"I agree."
"I agree too."
...
Those in favor raised their hands one after another. Uchiha Fugaku looked around and said.
"The majority agrees. This proposal is passed."
The reason he pushed to ease ninjutsu learning restrictions was to raise Konoha's collective strength.
He knew the ninja world, while seemingly peaceful, was secretly turbulent.
The Akatsuki organization lurked in the shadows, plotting a grand scheme. War might break out at any time.
To prepare, he decided to enhance the village's strength by easing access to ninjutsu.
He paused, then continued.
"The third matter is this: after investigation, it was found that the Sarutobi, Utatane, Mito, and Shimura clans abused their power during their time in office for personal gain and embezzled village property many times."
As he spoke, an Anbu ninja stepped forward and distributed documents to the clan heads and elite jonin.
The four clan heads had already been thrown into Konoha Prison for disobeying orders.
However, many clan members had escaped punishment because they weren't directly involved.
He had no intention of letting them off, hence this next step.
And the accusations weren't fabricated—they were factual.
"They actually did such things. These four clans must be severely punished."
A clan ninja spoke with anger after reviewing the data.
"Yes, they must be punished."
An elite jonin among the civilians echoed.
Due to the treatment of Uzumaki Naruto, their impression of the Third Hokage's faction was already poor. These revelations only worsened it.
...
After reading the documents, many voiced their opinions. Most supported harsh punishment for the four clans.
Some were genuinely angry. Others understood Fugaku's political intent and went along.
"These clans abused their positions, harming the village. I propose that their remaining members be exiled to the border as punishment."
Uchiha Fugaku spoke with satisfaction at their reactions.
While war hadn't broken out yet, the ninja villages maintained poor relations. Border regions still saw frequent skirmishes and casualties.
Sending the four clans to the borders meant they would suffer attrition even without direct action from the Uchiha clan.
"I agree."
"I agree too."
...
Everyone at the meeting raised no objections and passed Uchiha Fugaku's punishment proposal.
(End of this chapter)
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