"There exists one institution among all current organizations in Konoha that is most closely tied to the Hokage, with the most comprehensive functions and irreplaceable importance—the Anbu."
Haseo continued his report, bringing up the topic of Anbu.
"During the Second Hokage's era, the sources and composition of Anbu shinobi were relatively complex. However, starting from when the Third Hokage took over the village during wartime, the selection process for Anbu adopted a simpler and more focused method—specifically cultivating Anbu ninja through a dedicated branch."
Haseo's words were dangerously skirting the edge of death. Everyone knew this department used to train Anbu was "Root," which fell under Danzo's domain… or even more directly stated, belonged entirely to him.
"This specialized approach to training Anbu definitely had its advantages compared to earlier methods. However, from a dialectical perspective, it inevitably came with disadvantages too. Objectively speaking, without considering personal biases, these ninja already carried a different style before becoming part of Anbu.
Furthermore, if the Hokage's orders conflicted with other commands, there would be no guarantee that the Hokage's instructions received absolute priority.
These problems might not come up right away, but institutional loopholes will eventually lead to such issues. There may seem to be nothing wrong at present, but that doesn't mean real dangers don't exist—they could erupt ten or twenty years later, and by then they might've grown beyond control.
Therefore, to prevent such conflicts, two solutions are possible: First, the Anbu's responsibilities should be further divided; the village needs to establish another department parallel to Anbu. Second, the authority to train Anbu shouldn't rest solely within one division—it should at least be split into two separate branches to create separation and competition."
Anbu always maintained its recruitment system across all ninja in Konoha—whether past, present, or future. Otherwise, how did Haseo himself become part of Anbu? Yet as time passed, the core structure of Anbu would gradually shift toward becoming "Root."
Therefore, Haseo's remarks carried sharp insight and long-term foresight.
As long as the Third Hokage didn't act emotionally, he certainly understood what Haseo meant—that this potential danger wasn't just paranoia. It had nothing to do with how much trust the Hokage placed in Danzo. What Haseo pointed out was a structural flaw in the system itself.
By now, Haseo's true intentions were crystal clear—he was proposing the creation of a new legal ninja organization in Konoha. This body should either run parallel to Anbu or fall beneath Anbu while operating independently from Root.
And when someone proposes setting up a new department to their leader, even a complete idiot would understand the underlying implication—this new department should rightfully be controlled by the proposer themselves.
Thus, these weren't things that could simply be exchanged merely for battlefield achievements.
The structure of the Hidden Leaf Village was originally established by the Second Hokage. After the Third Hokage took over management of the village, during the most difficult period of war, he made minor adjustments to the existing framework. Once the war ended, the Third entered his true era of governance.
So, every new Hokage needs to bring something fresh and different. Innovation isn't just about leadership skills — it's also demanded by the constantly shifting times around us... To put it even simpler: if a new leader doesn't shake things up, how will anyone know they're really different?
Although Haseo's suggestion couldn't be directly exchanged for battle achievements, first of all, his combat record alone had already earned him respect; second, this idea actually filled a gap in Konoha's current system — sound advice, really; third, it tapped into exactly what the Hokage wanted deep down — not just change, but something particularly valuable to any supreme leader...
Separation of powers and checks and balances.
You might even call it "imperial statecraft," but for a Hokage... it's more like "village politics 101."
However, structural reform is a major matter. The Third Hokage needed time to think and discuss it with others before making a decision... Truth be told, no matter how right Haseo was, saying these things out loud was never his place to begin with. So even the Third not outright rejecting him counted as showing considerable courtesy.
Even if it were a good suggestion, there would inevitably be opposition within the village — after all, this adjustment might disrupt the existing political structure and potentially infringe upon others' interests. Plus, similar roles mean both healthy rivalry and the risk of duplication. And with the Hidden Villages always short on ninja manpower, that wasn't something to ignore.
But such drawbacks weren't what Haseo needed to consider right now. What occupied his mind was, if the new organization got approved, what should its name be?
Survey Corps? LogHorizon? Thirteen Court Guard Squads? Ho-kago Tea Time?
Nope. Since it was a brand-new organization, naturally one should start by kissing up to leadership. Well then, they'd begin right from the institution's name.
Thus, after some contemplation, Haseo wrote down two crucial characters on that piece of paper:
"Kagenami"
Remaining in the shadow of the leader is how one proves true allegiance.
This was an important official document. Upon finishing it, Haseo carefully reviewed the entire text from beginning to end, modifying anything inappropriate — whether concerning word choice, tone, or formatting — he needed everything to be as perfect as possible. And once revised, he would need to copy it over again neatly.
"Tsunade, aren't you really curious about what I'm writing? Want to find out? Here's your chance — help me rewrite it neatly, and then you'll know everything… Just copy it normally, none of Doctor's special handwriting styles," Haseo said to Tsunade beside him who had been showing obvious curiosity.
He was no stranger to making use of free help when it was readily available.
"...If you want free labor, just say so directly."
Tsunade hesitated for a moment, but in the end still accepted the documents Haseo offered… Yes, after all, he was still recovering from his illness. A patient really shouldn't be working like this.
As Tsunade began carefully copying the documents for Haseo, she suddenly heard him go on, "Tsunade, could you help me contact Mito Uzumaki? I'd like to meet her."
Haseo suddenly mentioning Mito Uzumaki caught Tsunade completely off guard, causing her to miss a stroke in her writing… And just like that, everything she had just copied became ruined.
"Why do you want to see Lady Mito? She has fully retired and no longer involves herself with village affairs."
It was rare for Tsunade not to get angry at an interruption like this; instead, she simply set aside the ruined page.
"It's just... a small matter, something only you can help me with."
If Haseo wanted to meet someone as high-ranking and disengaged as Mito Uzumaki, his only path forward was through Tsunade; there was absolutely no other way. As for Tsunade's claim about Mito retiring, Haseo gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head. After all, Mito was a Jinchuriki—and a Jinchuriki could never truly retire before death.
"I… will try, but I can't guarantee anything good will come of it."
This was the first time Haseo had ever asked Tsunade for a favor, and in the end, she still agreed—even though she knew perfectly well that she shouldn't bother her grandmother.
"That'll do. Thank you."
He used the nickname "Tsunade" only when he needed something, yet just moments ago had treated her more like a junior assistant… Who could possibly understand what Tsunade was really thinking?
Perhaps not even she knew herself…
No—scratch that. She definitely didn't know at all.
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