Chapter 119: Konoha's Human Resource Strategy
Konoha. The Hokage Office.
"Hiruzen... why do you keep laughing the moment you see me?"
Danzo's face was a mask of suspicion. "I get the feeling that every time you
smirk like that, something terrible is about to happen to me."
The last time Hiruzen had smiled this way was regarding the Kakuzu bet. Danzo
had only managed to dodge the "Smiling Patrol" penalty through sheer
stubbornness, and he wasn't eager for a round two.
"Are you still thinking about that rogue from the Waterfall?"
"Forget your fantasies, Hiruzen. Kakuzu has definitely run off with the gold!
It's been weeks since the deadline for the next thread delivery. He's gone."
"If you ask me, you need to file a formal self-criticism. This was a massive
waste of public funds!" Danzo launched into his standard verbal combo. "And you
said he could be useful? You're too naive! Without me to watch your back, this
village would be bankrupt in a month!"
It was a strange phenomenon. Whenever Danzo entered the Hokage's office and
found himself alone with Hiruzen, he couldn't stop himself from picking a fight.
Even when his logic was clearly flawed, his instinct was to find a "leak" in
Hiruzen's authority.
In truth, Danzo had been tracking Kakuzu with his own agents. He had been
annoyed to find that the rogue wasn't taking contracts in the Land of Fire
anymore—he was operating on the borders, and every piece of data suggested he
was actually gathering intelligence for Konoha.
Danzo had no tactical grounds to complain, so he pivoted to "financial
negligence." He had thought about sending an Anbu hit-squad to finish the old
man off, but without a Hokage's mandate, neither Sakumo nor Hizashi would lift a
finger for a private vendetta.
"Yes, yes. The village would collapse without you, Danzo," Hiruzen replied with
a breezy, unbothered grin.
"You're very important. You're the Assistant, the Commander of the Anbu, the
Root, the Darkness... you're a regular one-man government."
Hiruzen had realized long ago that in the Ninja World, almost every elite was
"uniquely fractured." Whether it was obsession, paranoia, or trauma-induced
manic episodes, a "normal" mind was a rarity among shinobi. As long as the work
got done, he was happy to let his old friend indulge in a little ego-boosting.
"You—! Fine! Whatever!" Danzo snapped, deflated by the lack of resistance. He
decided to get to the actual report.
"Hiruzen, the Hidden Stone (Iwagakure) has begun an internal purge."
"Our strike on the Grass Village made them paranoid. Ohnoki is currently
scrubbing his intelligence divisions for Leaf moles."
"Our primary asset in the Stone, Nonō Yakushi, has requested a full withdrawal."
"Her mission is incomplete. She has secured the preliminary blueprints for the
Weighted Rock Technique, but she hasn't even seen the scroll for the
Light-Weight Rock Technique."
Danzo reported this with a clear sense of disapproval. In his view, a spy
shouldn't leave until the job was done or they were dead.
"If the Stone is under lockdown, she should go to ground and wait," Danzo
grumbled. He was wary of Nonō. She was an independent thinker—a "Living Tool"
who had developed her own desires.
To Danzo, a tool with a mind was a tool that needed to be replaced. Or broken.
Especially one as talented as the "Wandering Miko." If she leaked her Stone
intel, the consequences for Konoha's reputation would be severe.
"Nonō Yakushi?" Hiruzen mused. He knew the name well—she was a legend in the
intelligence circles, known as the "Walking Priestess."
"If she's requesting extraction, then we pull her out immediately."
"We must trust our shinobi, Danzo. Her record proves her loyalty. If she says
the Stones' security is too tight for further infiltration, then she's right.
Meaningless exposure is a waste of a high-value asset."
Hiruzen's tone turned sharp. The strategic value of the Weighted Rock technique
was already massive. It was an S-rank earth art. Even a prototype was enough for
the "Professor" to work with—especially with Orochimaru and the newly-revived
Tobirama in the wings.
"I understand," Danzo muttered. Hiruzen's "Kage Tone" made it impossible to
argue.
Danzo was still getting used to the "New Hiruzen." The man was kinder and more
generous, yes, but his decisions were now backed by a momentum that felt like a
mountain. If Danzo argued without an ironclad reason, Hiruzen would simply
"frame" him in a way that made him look stupid.
Danzo still remembered the applause in the arena. Being a "hero" felt good, but
it also meant he was now trapped by his own PR. If he acted like a villain,
Hiruzen would use the "Will of Fire" to crush him with public opinion.
"But Hiruzen," Danzo added, looking for a compromise. "Nonō wants to quit the
Anbu entirely. She's opened an orphanage in the Land of Fire and says she wants
to retire to become the Matron."
"You actually approved a small grant for that place years ago," Danzo noted.
"And now she's asking for a 'Village Endowment' to expand the facility."
"An orphanage, hm?" Hiruzen's eyes lit up. This isn't a problem. This is a
supply chain opportunity!
"Give me the full dossier on the facility and Nonō's personnel file."
A few moments later, Hiruzen looked over the reports and smirked. "She's a
genius."
"She's been funding the entire place out of her own mission rewards? She hasn't
touched a single ryo of village gold for her private project?"
"And she's already trained several of the staff in high-level Medical Ninjutsu
to help the kids? From a rag-tag group of refugees?"
Danzo let out a long sigh. "Yes. She's talented. But her 'obsession' is that
orphanage, not the village!"
"She's been teaching Medical Ninjutsu to civilians, Hiruzen! That's a security
leak in the making! If today she leaks a healing charm, tomorrow she might sell
a poison formula!"
"I only got her to go to the Stone because I threatened to cut off the
orphanage's funding."
Danzo wasn't being petty; this was the "Naturally Evil" mindset of the shinobi
era. Loyalty was a zero-sum game.
"Obsessed with children? Danzo, you really don't understand people," Hiruzen
said, shaking his head.
"A ninja with a 'Fixation' isn't hard to control. They are the easiest to
control. You just have to support what they love."
"She moved mountains in Iwagakure just to keep a roof over some orphans' heads?
That is a woman I can work with."
"Danzo, the village is respected because we solve our shinobi's problems. We
don't rule through fear of our rank; we rule by being the Greatest Common
Divisor of our people's needs."
"A shinobi is a human being. They have souls. They have families. Our job is to
align their personal dreams with the village's strategic interests."
Hiruzen gave Danzo a fatherly look. He didn't expect the "Darkness" to
understand the management theory of a modern CEO, but he had to set the
standard.
"I'm going to dictate a few new Village Ordinances. Hiruko, get your pen."
Hiruko, who was currently the "Administrative Assistant" in the office, snapped
to attention.
1. The Supplementary Intelligence Liaison Act: Leaf shinobi are encouraged to
build external networks, but all "Private Foreign Relations" must be
registered with the Administrative Branch. Disclosure provides the ninja
with full village backing and resources for that relation.
2. The Strategic Resource Reporting Mandate: Any contact with Ocular Traits,
Forbidden Manuals, or high-tier bloodlines must be reported within 24 hours.
The village will provide a "Finding Fee" equivalent to an S-rank mission
payout if the info is secured.
"And as for Nonō... we aren't just giving her a grant," Hiruzen smiled.
"We are going to make her orphanage an Official Anbu Feeder Site. We will fund
the expansion, provide the security, and in return, the 'Walking Priestess' will
help us identify and raise the next generation of 'Shadow' loyalists."
"I'll even send Hizashi to guest-lecture there. Imagine a bunch of orphans being
raised by a High Commissioner. Their loyalty to the Hokage will be...
fanatical."
Hiruzen laughed, imagining the "Will of Fire" factory he was about to build.
Danzo grumbled an agreement, though he was secretly planning his own move. If
Hiruzen is building a 'Feeder Site' for his faction, maybe I should start my
own. An 'Uchiha Elite' squad? If I can brainwash that Seisui brat...
Hiruzen caught the look on Danzo's face. Go ahead, Danzo. Try to 'mentor'
Seisui. I can't wait to see what my Master does to your office when you try to
'Root' him.
"Anyway," Danzo said, clearing his throat. "The Hidden Mist delegation."
"They've been dragging their feet for three months, but they've finally sent a
schedule. They're sending Elder Genji to apologize for the 'Grass Incident.'
They're bringing a 'National Treasure' as a gift for you."
"And they're bringing a group of 'Academy Students' and 'Genin' for a cultural
exchange. They say they want to 'plant the seeds of peace' in the next
generation."
Danzo let out a cold, sharp laugh. "Peace? Please. My scouts say those
'students' are likely mid-tier elite Jonin with youthful faces. It's a
intimidation play."
Hiruzen nodded. "Let them come. If they want to play 'Ninja Dress-Up,' we have a
few experts of our own."
Hiruzen thought of Seisui—a Second Hokage disguised as a student.
"It'll be a nice lesson for our kids," Hiruzen smiled. "The seeds of peace are
best planted in a well-guarded garden."
☆☆☆
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