Chapter 164: The Concept of Absorbing Soragakure, The Hokage's Marriage Prospects
Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his large hand.
The Anbu distributed the prepared documents to each Commissioner in the conference room.
"Everyone, read it first."
Hiruzen lit a cigarette and began smoking unhurriedly.
The contents of this document were the important strategic decisions for Konoha's future that he and Kakuzu had anchored after chatting for several nights.
To use economic control to make Soragakure work for Konoha!
Hiruzen exhaled a puff of smoke.
To his side, Danzo frowned, seriously reading through the short but highly informative document.
Three key points of information.
First, the refinement process of the Sovereign Sage Pills had been iteratively optimized, and production had once again achieved a breakthrough. However, the number of nobles in the Land of Fire who could easily afford them was already approaching saturation.
Second, the number of artisans in the Land of Fire capable of basic scroll processing had also reached saturation.
Third, the Land of Rain did not, like most hidden villages, shelve the peace treaty and treat it as waste paper after signing it.
On the contrary, Soragakure vigorously guided public opinion within its borders, propagandizing that in the Second Great Ninja War, both Konoha and Soragakure were parties instigated by others.
The two countries should have been friendly neighbors, and all disputes were caused by the conspiracies and instigations of Sunagakure and Iwagakure.
Hanzo had sent multiple friendly communications to Konoha's Administration Department, showing a strong intent for further deep cooperation, and had repeatedly hinted at wanting to visit Konoha.
"Everyone finished reading, right?"
Hiruzen exhaled a puff of smoke. "Let's first talk about our internal problems. The first point: even with the increased production of the Sovereign Sage Pills, apart from keeping some for officials who might need them temporarily, we cannot continue selling them in the Land of Fire."
Danzo frowned and asked, "Hiruzen, why?"
Hiruzen rolled his eyes at Danzo. "You need to read more books in the future. As the second-in-command of the village, you must learn to continuously improve yourself in all aspects..."
Danzo froze. This is related to reading books too?
But he still nodded silently.
Hiruzen is ultimately doing this for my own good...
Kakuzu raised his hand, stood up, and explained, "Although the efficacy of the 'Sovereign Sage Pills' is astonishing, it's only because the great nobles have an extraordinary focus on health that they have this irresistible psychological and physical need."
"They don't care about this amount of money. But wealth is often concentrated only in the hands of a small number of people. The lower- and middle-tier nobles underneath simply cannot afford these sums."
"Furthermore, the 'Sovereign Sage Pills' in the Land of Fire are no longer just a highly effective health supplement; they are also high-end social tools used to prove status."
"The consequence of over-issuing and over-selling would be destroying the brand credibility we've built up, which is far from something that can be compensated for by selling a few more pills."
Kakuzu spoke with assurance and composure.
His confidence at this moment was just like Tobirama's when discussing the Sharingan, carrying an unquestionable yet trustworthy flavor.
Hiruzen looked at Kakuzu with admiration.
He had known for a long time that Kakuzu liked money. After chatting freely these past few days, Hiruzen was surprised to find that he also possessed a mind for economics and grasped some financial concepts very quickly.
Or rather, Kakuzu himself inherently had a similar understanding, just lacking the systematized professional terminology to summarize it.
Finding a comrade with such cognitive awareness among shinobi was much more precious than discovering a Kekkei Genkai.
After all, for a long time, the prevailing ideology was the 'tool theory', so only the higher-ups of the hidden villages would come into contact with some financial knowledge, but their main profession was still being military leaders.
Someone like Kakuzu...
Because of his long lifespan, he could wander leisurely, not joining any hidden village, touring the entire ninja world, doing freelance work all day while reading and thinking...
He could truly be called a genuine intellectual!
He should be called a genuine financial expert among shinobi!
And the reason Kakuzu felt a sense of identification with Konoha was also because, after seeing Konoha's cash flow and financial allocation, he was astonished by Hiruzen Sarutobi's economic mind.
There's actually a shinobi who is better at making money than me? And much better!
This feeling of meeting a kindred spirit and someone with shared interests allowed a unique bond to form between Kakuzu and Hiruzen.
"Is that so?" Danzo took a deep breath and chose not to retort against Kakuzu.
Because he saw Shikayama Nara looking at Kakuzu with an interested gaze.
If it was a theory that a Nara clan shinobi could agree with, it was probably flawless.
"But we cannot let the increased production of 'Sovereign Sage Pills' go to waste; we must let the product continue to generate value."
Kakuzu coughed lightly and continued, "The 'Sovereign Sage Pills' undoubtedly have extremely strong appeal to the nobles of various countries... But regarding the great hidden villages, infiltrating them is very difficult."
"Kirigakure's closed-door policy naturally won't work. The offensive and defensive alliances between the Daimyos of the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth and their Kages are extremely tight; using them as a breakthrough point would be highly unwise."
"So, to find a country that is friendly to Konoha and has wealthy nobles, the only one left is Soragakure..."
The Konoha High Commissioners nodded slightly.
It was similar to the principle of there being five 'Four Heavenly Kings'.
Currently, there was a sentiment in the ninja world that Soragakure could barely be counted among the Four Great Hidden Villages.
Because in the Second Great Ninja War, Konoha, Sunagakure, and Soragakure could be considered to have all fought with distinct styles on the main battlefield, while Iwagakure engaged in petty thievery on the sidelines.
Status is, after all, earned through fighting.
Being able to face off against the other three major hidden villages head-on meant Soragakure's status in the ninja world was hard to summarize with the traditional label of a "small hidden village."
Even Takigakure, which possessed a Tailed Beast, couldn't compare. After all, strength on paper isn't real strength.
Furthermore, among the Five Great Hidden Villages, there was the anomaly that was Sunagakure.
Although Sunagakure possessed exclusive puppetry techniques and desert-based ninjutsu, making their homeland combat strength formidable...
The land they occupied was simply too barren, and their relationship with the Daimyo was publicly known to be tense.
Soragakure, with its year-round heavy rain, could actually be considered to have a superior environment compared to Sunagakure.
Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled and took over Kakuzu's point: "Therefore, I have decided to allocate the surplus 'Sovereign Sage Pills' production to supply Soragakure, but they must be repackaged as an 'Overseas Edition', with decreased efficacy and an increased price."
Orochimaru nodded thoughtfully.
He didn't know much about economics, but he understood human nature.
The "Sovereign Sage Pills" were already a rigid demand for the great nobles of the Land of Fire and were also viewed as an honor and reward for outstanding administrative work. So, if sold overseas, they couldn't be the authentic original version.
They had to let the nobles of the Land of Fire maintain this exclusive sense of superiority.
"This way, we can earn a massive amount of foreign exchange from the nobles of the Land of Rain."
Hiruzen Sarutobi pointed to the second item on the document: "Currently, the artisans in the Land of Fire capable of processing scrolls and ninja tools have been fully reorganized under the Daimyo's organization, engaging in collective workshop labor."
"Their production capacity has already been tallied. There is a significant gap between their capacity to manufacture rough scrolls and Konoha's current needs."
Hiruzen tapped the document.
Under normal circumstances, the Land of Fire's production capacity for rough scrolls was absolutely sufficient for Konoha's use.
But the problem was, Konoha was developing portable medical scrolls.
In order for Konoha's industrial shinobi to quickly and proficiently master the technique of infusing medical chakra, a massive number of rough scrolls was needed for practice.
Good industrial shinobi are fed with massive amounts of scrolls.
After all, most people's aptitude couldn't be considered top-tier and could only be compensated for with resources. Otherwise, the timeline for mass-producing medical chakra scrolls would be dragged back considerably.
If it was dragged out, and the Third Great Ninja War broke out due to a black swan event, the loss would outweigh the gain.
"Then where do we make up for this deficit?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi said slowly, "We make it up from the Land of Rain! We will use their nobles' money to hire their artisans to manufacture rough scrolls for our Konoha to use for practice..."
Danzo's eyes lit up. He had always been very interested in things that sounded like free-riding.
"Feasible."
"The manufacturing capabilities of the artisans in the Land of Rain are very strong, approaching the level of the Land of Wind." When it came to intelligence with military elements, Danzo was still a professional. "If we can make them work for Konoha, that would absolutely be a good thing!"
Due to the year-round rain, although the Land of Rain had food shortages, dealing with this extreme weather also catalyzed a group of excellent artisans.
"Exactly." Hiruzen nodded. "Currently, we have already given Konoha's artisans very generous treatment. Even if we added more money, we couldn't break through their objective production capacity."
"Moreover, for primary processing like manufacturing rough scrolls, our artisans shouldn't waste their time on this. Instead, they need to proceed with further optimization and upgrading."
Sakumo Hatake raised his hand, stood up, and asked curiously, "Lord Hokage, then why not continue to recruit corresponding artisans in the Land of Fire? It should still be better to keep it domestic, right?"
"That won't work."
Kakuzu shook his head and answered, "Lord Hokage has already considered this point."
"You must understand, during the practice period, the village needs a massive amount of production capacity. But once the manufacturing process stabilizes, there will be a surplus, and the temporarily recruited domestic artisans will become unemployed."
"The extra artisans won't just grow out of the ground. If we only emphasize domestic sourcing, it would require screening out a portion of qualified people from other industries."
"This is unnecessary. Just having the Land of Rain act as an OEM is sufficient. Forcibly disrupting the Land of Fire's stable industrial structure would actually be detrimental to our economy."
Kakuzu said in a deep voice, "Lord Hokage is the Nation-Defending Great General overseeing all affairs. The Land of Fire's tax revenue can be temporarily requisitioned. You must view the Land of Fire's money as Konoha's money."
Hiruko looked at Kakuzu and nodded slightly.
He liked shinobi with genuine knowledge and real skills like this!
Speaking with substance was the style scientific researchers liked.
"Although I am on good terms with Hizashi, Orochimaru, and the others, Hizashi is a workaholic, Orochimaru and Tsunade both aim to be Hokage, and Jiraiya is elusive..."
"I still need friends in the village. This Kakuzu is clearly directly subordinate to Lord Hokage at first glance. Interacting with him won't cause trouble. After all, I am also a staunch member of the Hokage faction..."
Hiruko thought secretly to himself.
Even before Hiruzen made arrangements, Hiruko already wanted to proactively get to know Kakuzu.
The so-called Hokage faction didn't mean there were other factions in Konoha.
It meant that, like "Anbu" and "Root," all actions and interests were completely aligned with Hiruzen Sarutobi, carrying no other labels or ambitions.
Hiruzen gave Kakuzu an encouraging look.
This was a stage for him to show his abilities.
"The shinobi and artisans of the Land of Rain and Soragakure will definitely not refuse our order, because they have no money. The money is with the nobles."
"As a small hidden village located at the junction of three great hidden villages, Soragakure's nobles prefer to hire the great hidden villages for missions. The share for Soragakure shinobi is pitifully small."
Kakuzu smiled coldly. "It is impossible for them to refuse this order. Even if it means converting some of their combat sequence shinobi into industrial shinobi working for Konoha, they must swallow this share."
"Since the end of the Second Great Ninja War, Soragakure's economic deficit caused by the war has never recovered. This money is extremely important to them."
Kakuzu, who had wandered the ninja world and taken commissions everywhere, could be considered a living encyclopedia of the economic conditions of the various hidden villages.
Kakuzu both took missions from nobles and gathered intelligence in underground bounty stations. He had interacted with all strata of a country and had also conducted on-site investigations and research.
This kind of experience was extremely rare and highly needed for Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Tsunade's eyes lit up, and she said loudly, "Sensei! If you can supply me with enough rough scrolls, I am confident that within two years, medical chakra scrolls can be mass-produced and used on the battlefield!"
"As long as the shinobi don't suffer fatal injuries, they will be able to recover rapidly!"
"I have already mastered the core infusion technology. What remains is to simplify it so our industrial shinobi can proficiently master it. I will do this at the fastest possible speed!"
Tsunade said with immense momentum, "At worst, I'll sustain myself with medical ninjutsu. I can go a month without sleeping!"
Tsunade truly wanted to see the medical scrolls bearing the name "Nawaki" appear in Konoha as soon as possible, protecting and treating Konoha shinobi.
Hiruzen waved his hand, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
Why does everyone love to go to extremes? Even with work...
"That won't be necessary. Just proceed according to the normal schedule, steady and continuous."
"If you work yourself to exhaustion, who will the Konoha shinobi seek for treatment in the future?"
Tsunade chuckled. "I understand, Sensei!"
"Not only rough scrolls, but the primary processing of some ninja tools can also be outsourced to the Land of Rain, because essentially this isn't spending our money; it's getting the Land of Rain's production capacity for free."
Hiruzen said slowly, "During this process, we also need to gradually expand the recruitment of our artisans. Without affecting the overall industrial structure, we will make them become 'Master Craftsmen' one by one!"
"The skills for primary processing cannot be forgotten, but the main focus must be on mastering advanced craftsmanship."
Kakuzu echoed Hiruzen: "Like the outer packaging of the 'Sovereign Sage Pills', explosive tags, shuriken, kunai, etc. These processed goods that don't involve Konoha's core technology can all be supplied to Konoha by the Land of Rain."
If Soragakure wanted to swallow this very lucrative order, they would inevitably have to make a large portion of their shinobi transition.
For a hidden village, which is a military violent group, combat power is always the top priority. Having a large number of shinobi engage in production and undertake engineering projects would absolutely impair their combat power.
This was also why, while replenishing the population, Hiruzen also emphasized that Konoha's products must be small but beautiful, "high value-added" products.
But the Land of Rain wasn't Konoha. As a small hidden village, they wouldn't bear the same pressure as Konoha, being coveted by the great hidden villages of the entire ninja world.
Letting the shinobi have work to do, to be able to eat their fill and stay warm, was their first priority.
Kakuzu coughed lightly. "This way, under various bindings, Soragakure will be deeply tied to Konoha, gradually becoming our de facto subordinate hidden village."
"Because after a massive number of their shinobi transition to industry, only Konoha's various high-tech developments require a massive amount of primarily processed goods for practice. Other hidden villages don't have this need, nor this economic strength."
"Given their geographical location at the junction of three countries, they will effectively become a barrier defending the north of Konoha, acting as sentries for us alongside Kusagakure."
Even Danzo, who had a bad impression of Kakuzu, couldn't help but nod slightly.
This was using Konoha's technological advantage to fleece the nobles of the Land of Rain and the shinobi of Soragakure!
Compared to the so-called treaties signed after defeat, this kind of deep exchange of interests would make the two villages an unbreakable alliance.
If this cooperation was achieved, Soragakure would become Konoha's diehard supporter and blood donor.
However, the term "blood donor" wasn't quite appropriate either.
Because Konoha gained practically free production capacity, the nobles of the Land of Rain gained health, and Soragakure gained missions.
No one lost anything. Hiruzen didn't like playing zero-sum games. Everyone had to get a little bit of the profit grease; only then could it be maintained long-term.
Hiruzen said in a deep voice, "The decision regarding Soragakure is a pilot program for Konoha."
"We must clearly see that the Great Ninja War will break out in the future, and Konoha will not lose! But just winning isn't enough; we need to learn how to digest the fruits of victory."
"Like in the past, defeating the invaders and just asking for a bit of reparations has no real meaning."
"Whoever dares to attack Konoha, we will transform them into the next Land of Rain, pulling their fangs and claws and making them work for Konoha!"
Hiruzen's voice was steady, but it revealed a trace of killing intent.
Killing people is secondary; the important thing is to kill the ability to threaten Konoha!
Letting Sunagakure off in the Second Great Ninja War, although it had nothing to do with the current Hiruzen Sarutobi, was also seen by him as a stain on his career.
It would be washed clean sooner or later!
Sunagakure, this village, in Hiruzen's view, was a very restless village. Their barren resources destined them not to be honest.
Their weaknesses were also very obvious.
Their poor relationship with the Daimyo could be fully utilized by today's Konoha.
Was there any 'Kage' more reasonable with nobles than Hiruzen Sarutobi?
Seeing the killing intent in Hiruzen's eyes, Kakuzu couldn't help but nod internally.
"I mentioned to Lord Hokage that there are gold mines hidden in the southern end of the Land of Wind. The ancient kingdom of Rouran inside is said to have special chakra reactions, which is also worth Konoha's research."
"If those brats from Sunagakure dare to reach out towards Konoha again, we'll make them cough up this piece of land!"
"I should go take a look over there more often, to help the village gather more intelligence and lay the groundwork in advance."
Kakuzu became increasingly satisfied and respectful towards the Hokage.
Who doesn't like a leader who responds to everything?
The only problem was...
How could they get others to attack Konoha?
Hiruzen felt somewhat regretful. The Kages of other villages weren't stupid either. An arms race would definitely happen, but no one would easily start a war they weren't sure of winning.
And Hiruzen wouldn't proactively provoke a war.
Since they enjoyed the high cohesion brought by the Will of Fire, they had to give up some behaviors that didn't fit the tone.
You can't have your cake and eat it too.
What Hiruzen didn't know was...
A certain Konoha founder who wished to remain anonymous was currently working intensely to precipitate a war for Konoha, and even felt he was destroying the Will of Fire in the process.
As for what he was thinking...
Hiruzen definitely couldn't understand it, and even his own younger brother probably couldn't understand it either.
He belonged to a unique brand of mental illness in the ninja world.
"Hiruzen, your idea is very good, but Hanzo might not accept it so easily."
Koharu Utatane spoke softly, "Although he has negotiated with the Administration Department multiple times and his words are full of intention to cooperate, you know this person."
"Being able to once harbor thoughts of unifying the ninja world with military force to bring peace..."
"Hanzo will absolutely try to negotiate with us using his combat power."
Homura Mitokado nodded. "This must be taken into consideration, Hiruzen. Hanzo's strength is absolutely not to be underestimated, and is indeed a bargaining chip worthy of our consideration."
Orochimaru and Tsunade's expressions turned somewhat grim.
The two of them had experienced life-and-death battles with Hanzo.
It had to be said, at least the Hanzo at his peak a few years ago was extremely thorny.
In environments with abundant water, his mastery of Water Release and the Body Flicker Technique reached perfection. His kenjutsu was also extremely strong, and his speed was fast enough to interrupt Orochimaru's hand seals.
He also possessed a Hydrification Technique similar to the Hozuki clan's. Combined with the poison mist formation of his summoned beast, the Salamander, he could be considered a walking war machine.
He was also a master in one-on-one duels.
This was also why Hanzo dared to flagrantly launch a war, because in suitable environments, he truly possessed a deterrent power incomparable to ordinary experts back then.
"Hanzo, these past few years, I heard he has grown old."
"Since his defeat, I've rarely heard news of him in the ninja world. I once thought he planned to hole up in Soragakure and stop stirring up trouble. To think he actively contacted the village multiple times?"
Kakuzu looked at Koharu Utatane and said thoughtfully, "There's something not quite right here... It feels like there's a conspiracy. Lord Hokage indeed needs to consider this carefully."
The young Hanzo was a very wild and uninhibited shinobi, a true ambitious hero.
Because he couldn't stand the existence of samurai, he once went to the Land of Iron alone with a scythe, nearly wiping out this country centered around samurai.
At his peak, he also provoked the Great Ninja War with Soragakure; all he did were major events.
"Sensei, something is indeed not right."
Orochimaru said softly, "According to the constitution of shinobi, he should be on a downward slope. Just as Kakuzu said, as a mortal body declines, a person's ambition should also decrease accordingly."
"His frequent contact with Konoha doesn't match his so-called 'Demigod' propaganda in the Land of Rain, and he even built up so much momentum for peace talks with us."
"I have a feeling he might have obtained some kind of secret jutsu and wants to display military force during cooperation, in order to swallow a larger share under the cooperation with the village."
What Orochimaru said was not false.
A shinobi's mindset will change with the changes in their physical body.
A great hero commanding respect in their prime might have their mindset shift as they age, perhaps turning them into a detestable person. There are countless similar deeds recorded in ancient texts.
This was also why Orochimaru strongly detested growing old.
But interestingly enough.
In today's Konoha, there were many "immortal and unaging" monsters.
Orochimaru was one, Kakuzu was newly added, and Mito and Tsunade naturally had such traits as well.
The future Hiruko might also have a chance.
Hiruzen Sarutobi needed no mention; he had even started reverse aging, growing stronger day by day.
"Has he grown stronger?"
Hiruzen suddenly burst into hearty laughter. "I still remember when he bullied Team Hiruzen and bestowed the title of 'Sannin' upon you!"
"Our Konoha should follow the tradition of 'beat the young, and the old comes out'. If Hanzo wants to use military force as a bargaining chip..."
"My fists are not light either," Hiruzen said nonchalantly. "Leave him to me."
Hiruzen was currently looking for opponents to spar with.
Jiraiya, who was constantly hyping up his Sage Mode and sending letters to the village when he had nothing to do, was the first.
Minato Namikaze, who was settling down, and Tobirama, who possessed Izuna's power, were the second and third choices.
It was just that it wasn't convenient for him to fight these few right now, because they were all busy with their own affairs. As Hokage, forcibly pulling them out to beat them up under the guise of sparring seemed a bit inappropriate.
But now there was Hanzo added to the mix.
The corners of Hiruzen's mouth curled up slightly. He really wanted to try the Salamander's texture, to test exactly how powerful Hanzo's Water Release Body Flicker Technique and kenjutsu were.
"Sensei, Hanzo is truly very strong." Orochimaru said seriously.
"He is very strong, but not good enough in front of me."
Hiruzen said faintly, "Onoki of Iwagakure, the Third Raikage of Kumogakure, and the Jinchuriki of various villages who deeply master the power of the Tailed Beasts, are the targets I need to take seriously."
"The rest of the so-called experts can only cause me trouble if they form a team."
"Hanzo might be strong, but his 'specialties' are not 'specialties' in front of me."
"..."
"He is countered by me."
Hiruzen's words revealed a touch of confidence.
Hiruzen was not afraid of shinobi without sufficient attack power.
He was different from other shinobi. Hanzo's style was actually somewhat similar to Minato and Sakumo's, both emphasizing rapid harvesting without excessive attack power.
A Tailed Beast Bomb bombardment and slitting a throat with a blade present vastly different scenes, but the result is the same.
But Hiruzen was different.
Shinobi without excessive attack power posed no threat to him.
What he specialized in was margin for error!
Hiruzen was more than happy for Hanzo to come spar with Konoha using military force. His hands were truly itching recently!
And subduing with military force also fit the mindset of an old-school shinobi like Hanzo.
Hiruzen had realized something.
Before possessing military force publicly recognized and known by the masses like Hashirama, reasoning with shinobi truly required backing it up with fists to make them listen properly.
"The 'Overseas Edition' of 'Sovereign Sage Pills', its formula and supply quantity must be put on the schedule."
"Kakuzu's identity will not be made public for the time being, but he will also take on an important task within the village. He will act as an independent third-party auditor, auditing Konoha's various financial expenditures."
Hiruzen said with a smile, "However, everyone doesn't need to be nervous. It's just to check for gaps and fill loopholes."
But even saying so, the Konoha High Commissioners still felt their hearts chill.
Especially Orochimaru and Danzo, who received a lot of funding, were recalling whether they had any non-compliant operations recently, and whether there were any shortcomings in their accounts.
Kakuzu's attainments in economics needed no further elaboration after today's meeting.
Absolutely professional!
This was also the matching job Hiruzen found for Kakuzu.
Konoha's Chief Accountant!
Auditing accounts!
If accounts are never audited, even if there is no intentional corruption, it will inevitably make people slack off.
"Hiruzen, there's another matter I need to bring up."
Homura Mitokado coughed. "Um... here at the Administration Department, many nobles and even Daimyo want to ask if you are taking concubines."
Now it was Hiruzen's turn to have a face full of question marks.
Taking concubines?
How could they have such a thought!
"You are now the Nation-Defending Great General of the Land of Fire... You are the Hokage, but also the greatest noble of the Land of Fire. What noble doesn't take concubines?"
"Political marriage is an important tool for nobles, you know this." When Homura Mitokado first found out, he also almost couldn't hold it together, but thinking about it carefully, it made sense.
"I asked Biwako for you, she actually doesn't mind..." Koharu Utatane added.
The corner of Hiruzen's mouth twitched, and he waved his hand. "There's no need."
Ever since Biwako practiced the preliminary 'Yin Seal', she was sufficient for Hiruzen.
Moreover, given his physique, those delicate noble ladies couldn't handle it. And allying with these nobles through marriage would inevitably trigger a series of troublesome matters.
The nobles could only provide money, but Hiruzen didn't need political marriage to make them willingly pull out the money in their pockets.
"Lord Hashirama, as the founder of the village, revered as the God of Shinobi, only had Lady Mito as his one wife." Hiruzen pondered. "Just say that before peace is achieved in the ninja world, I have no such thoughts. Decline them!"
Taking concubines, equal wives, or political marriages...
Ultimately, it depends on how much benefit it can bring.
Hiruzen was not a pedantic person.
"If there were a female shinobi possessing the strength of Madara Uchiha or Lord First, and if marrying me meant she would work for Konoha, then I would hold the wedding tomorrow!"
"Of course, if there were one with the mighty power of the legendary Sage of Six Paths, that would be even better."
"If that day ever comes, everyone remember to bring a gift!" Hiruzen joked, causing the Konoha High Commissioners to burst into laughter.
"Sensei, how can you eat your cake and have it too?" Orochimaru teased with a smile.
In the ninja world, the upper limit for female shinobi was at Mito's level, and that was already a once-in-a-century occurrence.
Those at Hashirama and Madara's level were truly unheard of.
Orochimaru found that his sensei also possessed a sense of humor.
Danzo also laughed. "Hiruzen, when the time comes, I'll definitely give you a big gift. But I estimate I won't see this day until I die. This is the first time I've heard someone say the Sage of Six Paths is a woman."
Danzo and Orochimaru no longer attacked each other for not addressing him as Hokage.
'Hiruzen' and 'Sensei' were their ways of showing closeness to Hiruzen Sarutobi, distinguishing themselves from other shinobi.
Hiruzen laughed heartily. He was just finding an excuse to decline and liven up the atmosphere.
Never mind whether the Sage of Six Paths was male or female...
Whether he truly existed was also an unknown in the ninja world, akin to an ancient legend.
"Communication with Hanzo must be put on the schedule. Finalize the specific time he will come to Konoha."
"These international students from Kirigakure have also reached the day they should return home. We need to communicate with Kirigakure, and the ninja academy should hold a farewell party for them."
Hiruzen straightened his expression and instructed.
"Yes, Lord Hokage!" The Konoha High Commissioners shouted in unison.
A few days later.
Hizashi came to the scientific research department.
Orochimaru stared at the calm-faced Hizashi and said softly, "Hizashi, do you desire stronger power?"
"Power that can help Sensei even more!"
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