Chapter 80: Dividing the Spoils; How to Spend Three Billion Ryo?
A few days later. The Hokage Briefing Room.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat at the head of the long obsidian table. Directly to his right sat Danzo Shimura, now officially the Commander of the Anbu. On the flanks of the raised dais sat the Elders, Koharu and Homura.
The seating arrangement was a visual map of Konoha's new power structure. Below them sat the twenty members of the Konoha High Commission.
The roster was a delicate balance of the village's factions:
The Great Clans: Isshin and Fugaku Uchiha, Tenzo and Hizashi Hyūga, and the heads of the Aburame, Inuzuka, and Kurama clans.
The Ino-Shika-Cho: Shikayama Nara, Torifu Akimichi (fresh out of retirement), and the head of the Yamanaka clan.
The Sannin: Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya.
The Elite Professionals: Hiruko, Sakumo Hatake, Kosuke Maruboshi, Shinku Yuhi, and Goyama Shirakumo.
Though many of the "Professionals" came from minor clans, their small numbers and direct loyalty to the Hokage made them the de facto representatives of the "Commoner Shinobi" interest. It was a compromise, but a brilliant one—it satisfied the elite while giving the rank-and-file a voice.
Hiruzen scanned the room. Every single High Commissioner wore a look of genuine satisfaction. Even the old fox, Isshin Uchiha, sat with his chest puffed out, radiating a pride the Uchiha hadn't shown in years.
Interestingly, Hiruzen hadn't assigned specific seats, allowing the members to sit where they pleased. The resulting "cliques" were revealing.
Orochimaru's group—the "Research Faction"—sat with Hiruko, deep in conversation. The clan heads huddled together by lineage: the Ino-Shika-Cho in one corner, the tracking clans in another.
Tenzo Hyūga and Isshin Uchiha sat side-by-side. When Tenzo caught Hiruzen's eye, he gave a quick, subtle wink. The message was clear: I'm only sitting with the Uchiha to keep up appearances. My heart belongs to the office.
Hiruzen offered a small smile. He didn't mind the sub-factions. Ninjas were human; they gravitated toward those with shared interests. A room of perfectly uniform, mindless drones would have been a sign of a dying village.
"First, I want to congratulate each of you on your appointment to the High Commission," Hiruzen began, his voice warm but resonant.
The Commissioners beamed back at him, though a ripple of nervous energy went through the room. How were they supposed to respond to the God of Shinobi? If everyone spoke at once, it would be a circus.
Orochimaru caught the moment. He spoke up, his voice smooth and professional. "We thank the Lord Hokage for his trust. We will not fail the Leaf."
The others immediately followed suit, echoing the sentiment in a unified chorus. Despite the "no hierarchy" rule, Orochimaru had just established himself as the unofficial "Class President" of the Commission.
Danzo felt a sharp sting of jealousy. Hiruzen's student is a shark. He's already positioning himself as the leader.
Then Danzo remembered his secret mission—the Izuna-Tobirama revival. He felt the weight of the crystal pendant against his chest and relaxed. Let the Snake have the spotlight for now. When I unveil the Uchiha Savior, I'll be the one who unified the village forever.
"Your specific departmental roles have been briefed by Koharu and Homura," Hiruzen continued. "From now on, you are the ears and hands of this administration. You find the flaws; we fix them together."
"Today's primary agenda: The Budget."
"Leveraging the heritage of the Sannin and our medical elite, Konoha has launched a specialized line of products in the Land of Fire. Thanks to the coordination of the Anbu and the Administrative Department, we have secured an initial capital injection of 3.2 Billion Ryo."
"This revenue stream is guaranteed to recur annually, with projected growth as our market expands."
"However," Hiruzen added, "while this sounds like a mountain of gold, it is barely a foundation for the Konoha I intend to build."
The room was stunned. 3.2 Billion was an astronomical sum—a literal ocean of wealth. Most of the Commissioners had expected the Hokage to start asking them for "donations" now that they had their new titles. Instead, he was dropping a fortune on the table and saying it wasn't enough?
"Koharu, the floor is yours."
Hiruzen lit his pipe, watching the expressions of his elite as the Elder stood up with a thick ledger.
"Following Lord Hiruzen's directive," Koharu announced, "the Administrative Department has conducted a census of non-active shinobi households."
"We are targeting the most vulnerable: orphans, elderly veterans with no surviving kin, and families who lost their primary breadwinners to war or high-risk missions. Many of these families are currently drowning in debt or living in poverty."
"The count is 943 households. We are budgeting for a round 1,000 to allow for a margin of error."
"Lord Hiruzen has mandated an annual Social Stipend of 500,000 Ryo per household. This support will continue for orphans until they achieve the rank of Genin, and for disabled veterans, it is a lifetime pension."
"The total cost for this initiative: 500 Million Ryo annually."
The math was simple: 500,000 Ryo was roughly equivalent to a lower-middle-class salary. It was enough for a family to live with dignity, to buy quality food, and to ensure their children had the resources to train. For an elite Jonin, it was pocket change. For a widow struggling to feed her kids, it was a miracle.
"The shinobi who died for this village gave their lives to protect our future," Hiruzen said, his voice dropping to a somber, gravelly tone.
"Now that the village has the means, we have a moral obligation to ensure their parents and children never go hungry. We must ensure their fire is never extinguished by the cold of poverty."
Hiruzen looked around the room. "Does anyone object to this allocation?"
Even Danzo kept his mouth shut. To speak against "Widows and Orphans" in a room full of veterans was political suicide.
A moment later, the room erupted into thunderous applause.
Sakumo Hatake clapped so hard his palms stung. He didn't care about the money—he cared about the humanity. He thought of young Obito Uchiha, a boy Kakashi had mentioned. The kid lived with his grandmother, his parents long dead, struggling to afford even basic shinobi tools.
The Hokage is actually doing it, Sakumo thought, his heart swelling. He's turning the 'Will of Fire' into a living, breathing system.
Hiruzen raised a hand, and it took a full minute for the cheers to die down.
"This is not a gift," Hiruzen reminded them. "It is a debt. It is what the Leaf owes its heroes."
"Where the Leaf flies, the Fire burns eternally. The brave souls who burned their lives for our sake deserve to know that their light still warms their families."
"Item one is passed unanimously."
Danzo watched the Commissioners. Their eyes were shining with a fervor he hadn't seen in decades. Even Isshin Uchiha looked genuinely moved.
Danzo realized that in ten minutes, Hiruzen had just made his authority in the village absolute. No one could ever claim the Hokage was a cold-blooded politician after this.
"Homura, next item."
Homura Mitokado stepped forward, offering a small, respectful smile toward Hiruzen. He had noticed a shift in the Elders' behavior: Koharu no longer spoke unless she mentioned "The Hokage's Directive" first. She was learning that being the Hokage's loyal voice was much more profitable than being his rival.
"Based on Lord Hiruzen's strategic vision for our industrial future..." Homura began, leaning into the new terminology. "We will now discuss the Jutsu R&D Subsidies."
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