Hiruzen Sarutobi took a few comfortable pulls from his pipe.
Lighting it was nothing. A tiny courtesy, not some transfer of power.
And everyone in the room was an old acquaintance.
But it still meant something.
It meant Danzo Shimura, for once, was genuinely accepting what Hiruzen was saying, and was impatient to hear what came next… not because Hiruzen sat in the Hokage chair, but because the argument itself was worth hearing.
How many years had it been since they'd seen something like this?
Even Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado couldn't remember anymore.
"Danzo," Hiruzen said, exhaling smoke, "setting up these 'Konoha Commissioners'… forget what it does for the village and for the jonin. Tell me this: what does it do for the authority of me, the Hokage?"
"And don't bother with the 'it opens a path upward' angle. Even a chunin could tell you that."
Danzo frowned, thinking hard.
Koharu and Homura did the same, turning it over in their own minds.
After a moment…
"For the jonin, it would obviously light a fire under them. Like you said, they'd be able to produce more value."
"For the village, if you can guarantee those 'Konoha Commissioners' stay loyal, the whole system probably runs more efficiently."
"But for you as Hokage, if we don't count gratitude for being promoted…" Danzo shook his head. "Maybe you gain a lot more time. That's about it."
"Time is part of it," Hiruzen agreed.
"Pulling together all the messy, day-to-day demands at the bottom lets me focus on strategy. It also gives me time to train."
He smiled a little, pipe still in hand. "Let me say something you'll actually care about."
Danzo's mouth twitched, barely there.
Something I care about?
Lighting your pipe was just because you keep misplacing things.
"With these twenty people in place," Hiruzen went on, still sounding almost cheerful, "village conflict won't keep piling onto the Hokage alone."
"They're a buffer layer between the Hokage and the jonin and chunin. A lot of requests, a lot of problems, and a lot of mistakes will finally have specific people responsible for them."
"Because they deal directly with shinobi, the demands of the clans, the problems that come up in work, even conflicts that start from misunderstandings, they'll all get stamped onto the village's upper level."
He tapped ash off the bowl with a practiced motion.
"That's just human nature. When something goes wrong, most people don't blame themselves first."
"But once 'Konoha Commissioners' exist, they carry that weight. And the Hokage only needs to correct course quickly and deal with the shinobi causing the trouble. If anything, that makes the Hokage look more decisive, and earns more prestige from the incident."
Hiruzen glanced at Homura and Koharu.
"The Administrative Department is what interfaces with the Land of Fire. You two have probably heard the saying people love to repeat, right… the Daimyo is good, it's just the ministers who execute things badly."
"It's the same logic."
Homura and Koharu traded a look.
What in the world happened to him?
Did he really get sick once and suddenly break through into enlightenment?
"I've heard it," Koharu said slowly. "I've had vague thoughts along those lines, but I didn't expect you to have it organized enough to apply to the village."
She didn't hesitate after that. "I fully support this proposal."
Homura nodded along. "Hiruzen explained it clearly and reasonably. I agree as well."
Danzo's eyes widened a fraction, the way they did when he ran into something sharp and new. He chewed on Hiruzen's words, piece by piece, and the excitement kept building.
So you could do it like that?
This monkey was vicious.
That little edge of "people are like this" hit straight into Danzo's bones.
"As leaders," Hiruzen said, voice turning heavier, "what matters most is building a healthy system first. After that, we watch it run, and adjust and revise as things change."
"No system exists without interest clashing against interest. Conflict isn't a bad thing. In any group, it's as normal as eating and drinking."
"And for Konoha's future, for the kind of authority we'll need to push the next reform… you have to learn how to be the referee who balances conflict, not one of the players on the field."
He said it like he meant it, like he was laying down something that mattered.
Koharu and Homura gave a light round of applause.
Danzo, on the other hand, looked like he'd just heard a sacred scripture.
Not only was this real, usable teaching, it was practically Hiruzen admitting the dirty truth out loud.
And Hiruzen caught that look on Danzo's face.
"Danzo. I need you to change how you think."
"The buffer layer takes responsibility for the Hokage, but it also opens an advancement path for them. There will be matching benefits and honors to go with it."
"Everything I've said, even if an enemy printed it out and handed it to the whole village, nobody would care."
He held Danzo's gaze.
"Why? Because this system creates a win-win. Shinobi benefit, and the leadership benefits. If you keep using the mindset you use on enemies the way you treat Root, you'll never be able to win people over."
Then Hiruzen's tone snapped colder, suddenly sharp.
"You signed your pledge. If I find out you're still stuck in the same old thinking, don't blame me for not honoring old feelings."
Danzo jolted.
He wanted to argue on instinct, to push back like he always did.
But looking at Hiruzen in front of him…
He forced it down. He didn't bare his teeth this time.
"I understand."
"Good." Hiruzen nodded once. "Now that the idea's clear, we assign work."
"Danzo, Koharu, Homura. Each of you drafts a 'Konoha Commissioner' list. Around thirty names each. Mark their specific responsibilities, and your reasons for recommending them."
Koharu frowned. "Hiruzen, aren't you choosing twenty?"
"I'm planning to set up about ten backups as well," Hiruzen said, smiling.
"Having a few extra makes it easier to see who you all agree on. I'll choose from your lists, and I'll add a few people I'm watching, too."
Homura felt his chest settle.
This was trust. The Hokage putting weight in their hands.
But in Danzo's ears, it sounded like something else.
Was this Hiruzen warning them not to slip their own loyalists into the lists?
Cross-checking. The Hokage doing the final pick…
Or was he overthinking it?
He couldn't help it. After Hiruzen's little "lesson," the so-called shadow of the shinobi world was suddenly jumpy.
"Koharu, Homura," Hiruzen continued, "you also need to let word leak to the upper level of the Land of Fire that Konoha has made a major breakthrough in human body science, and that I, the Hokage, have already benefited from it in a clear way."
His voice turned serious again.
"This ties into a major project that affects the village's future interests. Treat it as one hundred percent real. Do it properly, and report back whatever reaction you get."
"As for the details, I'll find time to talk to you both. For now, just execute."
Koharu and Homura answered immediately, sober and focused.
Then Hiruzen added, almost casually, "Sakumo Hatake. I'm promoting him to deputy commander of Anbu."
Danzo's face shifted with surprise, and a quiet dissatisfaction rose in his chest.
That put Sakumo on the same level as him, didn't it?
After Root was dismantled, this was the position Hiruzen had set aside for Danzo in front of everyone.
"Danzo," Hiruzen said, voice low, "show me you can mature enough to manage a large department."
"If you want to do more for the village, prove it to me."
He didn't soften it. Not even a little.
"Two tasks. One urgent, one you can work over time."
"Ohnoki's Lightened Boulder Jutsu has too much strategic value. Find a way to collect related intel. It's a Hidden Stone secret, and our diplomacy is still… normal, for now."
Danzo nodded. "Understood."
Reasonable.
At least he wasn't making it impossible.
Then Hiruzen's eyes lifted.
"Find me information on the Cloud's Jinchuriki. Any method. Anything it takes."
His tone didn't rise, but the room felt like it tightened.
"Since they dared to make a move on Kushina Uzumaki…"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze turned vicious in a way none of them expected.
"I want at least one of their Jinchuriki dead."