October 31. Evening. Hokage's Residence.
Intertwining of Lives. Part IV.
Yellow light from electric lamps steadily illuminated the meeting hall of the great council of clans of Konohagakure no Sato. Shadows of eighteen people, like spokes on a wheel, evenly alternated behind the large round table.
Eighteen people who influenced politics, the economy, the social sphere, and most importantly, the military council. Everyone present here was a clan head, their direct representative, or... a member of the Hokage's advisory staff council.
Bulletins-agendas with the mon of the clans and representatives: Senju, Uchiha, Hyuga, Yamanaka, Nara, Akimichi, Inuzuka, Kurama, Aburame, Sarutobi, Shimura, Hatake, the Jonin union, Hokage, and Uzumaki... now lay on the common table. With the exception of the last bulletin-agenda! Representatives of that clan were absent! For understandable reasons. But, one way or another, discussion of important issues could not be delayed, and so the meeting began.
From the central seat by the southern wall, a fifty-year-old short brunette man rose. This was Hiruzen Sarutobi, the previous elder shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato. He had held the post of Hokage for many years, and therefore was now an authoritative figure that did not cause strong contradictions from various sides. Hiruzen coughed a couple of times, attracting attention, and then, in a properly placed voice, began the assembly.
"So. Once again, good evening to everyone present and hello to those I haven't seen. Since everyone has gathered, and no one else is expected," Hiruzen swept his hand over the hall and paused, emphasizing the empty seats of the Uzumaki, Senju, and Daimyo representatives, "we begin the meeting. And on the agenda, we have quite a few topics and diverse issues. And all of them," here, Sarutobi raised his voice, "one way or another, are connected with the Kyuubi attack, as well as the ensuing list of unresolved tasks!"
"Today, a multitude of important data will be presented." Here, for support, the Third Hokage exchanged glances with the advisors – Shimura, Homura, and Utatane, and asked an ANBU operative to distribute the bulletins. "I will announce this information by the list. You can familiarize yourself with it right now. And yes, please, respected assembly, do not interrupt! We will stop at each topic separately, examine it in detail, and miss nothing.
"So." Sarutobi encountered no contradictions and therefore continued. "We begin.
Question No. 1: Damage from the Kyuubi attack on Konoha. Namely: Losses to military and civilian infrastructure. Irreplaceable human losses and... the cost of the blow to Konoha's budget.
Next up is...
Question No. 2: Allocation of financial resources and military forces for the restoration of Konoha. Additional sources of funding. And," the Third glanced at the empty Uzumaki seat, "division of the property of destroyed clans and deceased clanless shinobi, as well as destroyed civilian families without heirs.
The hall did not react to the last topic in any way. The assembly was silent. The people, out of habit from wartime meetings (and now martial law had been declared), listened attentively to Hiruzen. Seeing that the people were paying attention to him as the unspoken leader, the Third delved into the list-bulletin.
Question No. 3: Kyuubi attack. More specifically: Causes of occurrence, time, death of Kushina Uzumaki, the Fourth Hokage, and... overall analysis of this situation.
"So. Next up, Question No. 4. And a rather complex topic: The new jinchuriki. And everything connected with it.
Hiruzen scanned the assembly once more, noted that everyone had already read the list-bulletin, but for the sake of formality, continued to voice it.
"And finally, according to tradition, the last topic will be a vote on Question No. 5. Namely: Selection of a candidate for the Hokage position.
"With that, the list of topics will be completed. And then, there will be a vote on Konoha's budget. And discussion of less important tasks. Does anyone want to discuss the order of discussing the issues?" But for now, the entire hall continued to remain silent.
"Good. And yes," Hiruzen suddenly remembered and interrupted himself, "Respected assembly representatives, all five announced questions have been preliminarily agreed upon between the Hokage's apparatus and the clans, so I hope for your understanding and cooperation. And therefore, we will begin with the first question.
Damage from the Kyuubi no Yoko attack on Konohagakure no Sato.
So: Losses to military and civilian infrastructure." Here, Sarutobi, following established tradition, passed the floor to Shimura Danzo and Koharu Utatane, as Hokage advisors and heads of those areas of affairs. First, rising and leaning on his cane, the head of intelligence and counterintelligence – Shimura Danzo – began his report.
"On the first point," his raspy voice sounded, "Konoha's troop contingent, as of October 10th, totaled four thousand eight hundred forty-two shinobi." Seeing surprise on some faces from the village management financial apparatus – Seiki Butai – Shimura Danzo decided to clarify. "Yes, no one misheard. At the end of the previous war, our troop numbers fell by more than half. That's for reference. Now, however..." The scout returned to the main topic. "And with the Kyuubi no Yoko attack, we lost another three hundred eighty-seven shinobi killed. And two hundred seventy-one of them, unfortunately, are genin. That's almost seventy percent of all losses. Of the remaining one hundred sixteen shinobi, ninety-two were chunin rank, seven were jonin, and the remaining seventeen, due to partial destruction of the central hospital... these are members of the Iryo-han (medical shinobi squads), ANBU, and support division personnel.
"In total, Konoha's troop numbers have dropped to four thousand four hundred fifty-five people. In one night! We lost eight percent of our shinobi!" Danzo emphasized weightily, then supplemented the report and addressed the assembly with a question.
"The attack was sudden and colossal in scale, instantly affecting all of Konoha in the middle of the night! Does anyone want to speak on this topic? Briefly and to the point?" And here, first, the hand of the Uchiha clan head rose – Fugaku Uchiha.
"Advisor Danzo Shimura-dono. I think many of those present are interested in... also the ratio of wounded shinobi to killed. Timelines for their return to service. And, of course, the percentage ratio by ranks." Many assembly representatives supported the Uchiha clan head on this issue.
"Five seconds." Shimura nodded, pulled out a second sheet, and read. "In total, five hundred twelve wounded shinobi have been recorded. Thanks to the Iryo-han teams and civilian medics, three hundred eight shinobi have already returned to service." The ANBU head did NOT nod to the representative and head of the central hospital, Hiroshi Akihiro. "At the moment, two hundred four shinobi are listed as wounded. Approximately forty percent of them will return to service within one to two months. The rest, alas... are being discharged to the reserves due to varying degrees of disability.
"And so," the Uchiha clan head summed up, "about one hundred twenty people will end their shinobi careers, and Konoha's troop numbers, of course, according to optimistic forecasts," Fugaku, too, but now respectfully, looked at Hiroshi Akihiro and waited for his confirming nod, "will decrease by five hundred people.
"Yes." Danzo confirmed coldly, and took the floor again. "Konoha's total losses amount to ten percent of all our shinobi.
"What about the military infrastructure?" Hiruzen addressed Danzo again, thereby redirecting the uncomfortable topic to neutral ground.
"Military infrastructure," the head of intelligence and counterintelligence covered his left eye and began listing from memory. "The following facilities suffered severe destruction: The northern part of Konoha's defensive wall. The entire protective chakra barrier. The entire sensory barrier. The ANBU base. As well as... the following clan territories and quarters: Yamanaka, Shimura, Aburame, Inuzuka, and Uzumaki. To the list of complete destructions, it is also necessary to add: The armory warehouse, the shinobi academy, the seal school, and military seal shops.
"Financial losses will be announced by advisor Koharu Utatane. That's all from me." Shimura turned and suggested his colleague continue. She, in turn, did not delay and got down to business.
"So. I'll start with civilian infrastructure. The list, in order of damage and importance... is as follows: Water supply canal, electric generator station, northern wind substation, radio tower, first food warehouse, central hospital, scientific laboratory, and," here, Koharu paused for five seconds and closed her eyes, "the eighth children's orphanage.
"As of today, the following have been put back into operation: Fully – the radio tower and, twenty percent, the water supply canal. According to averaged forecasts, all the above destructions will be fully restored within one to one and a half years!
"The list of civilian losses is being clarified. However!" The advisor raised her voice even more. "As of today, six thousand eight hundred two Konoha residents are known to have died." After the announced figure, a quiet murmur of surprise spread through the hall, which Utatane soon interrupted.
"Konoha, after October 10th, lost seven percent of all its people! The census was secretly conducted by Seiki Butai." And, preempting unnecessary interpretations, Koharu quickly added. "Respected assembly! These data, to avoid chaos and civilian unrest, are temporarily, until special permission from the Hokage, according to Konoha Charter Directive No. 42, not subject to disclosure! I hope everyone realizes the possibility and consequences of public panic! As well as the possible financial blow and... collapse that could follow!
"I also think everyone realizes this," Hiruzen picked up, "and it is in our own interests to withhold this information for a minimum of six to eight months, and then, according to analysts' forecasts," here, Sarutobi glanced at Shikaku Nara and received a confirming nod from him, "the situation will stabilize. And measures are already being taken for this. We will discuss them at the end of the meeting. For now... advisor Koharu Utatane, please announce the financial report on the damage inflicted on Konoha." Koharu nodded, switched the sheet in her hands, and steadily read it out.
"In connection with the events of October 10th, we have the following breakdown.
Military department: According to internal general reporting, financial losses amounted to one billion three hundred Re.
Civilian department: Including infrastructure facilities and assistance to the civilian population by 'Evacuation' units of Seiki Butai, total financial losses, at minimum, amounted to four hundred twenty million Re.
"Also," Koharu sighed sadly for show, "a temporary, from one year to one and a half years, seven percent inflation is projected! THIS... Combined with the inevitability of prolonged calculation of ALL" here, a special emphasis sounded, "damage to the 'General Civilian Infrastructure', according to analysis... will consume another about four hundred million Re.
"Whose analysis?" The Kurama clan head rose from his seat. After which, many also nodded in agreement, wanting specifics and accountability from the advisor and especially the village management apparatus.
Koharu Utatane squinted sharply at the Kurama clan head – Unkai Kurama, who had raised the "inconvenient" but extremely tasty topic in terms of budget allocation, but still answered politely.
"Naturally," the advisor clarified, "the 'Analytics' and 'Financial Forecasting' departments of Seiki Butai of Konohagakure no Sato.
"Good," Unkai Kurama sat back down, "That means, this time, in case of errors and discovery that Konoha's budget was planned incorrectly, in a year, both of these departments, and especially the top leadership, will bear full responsibility. All the way to the top.
"Of course." Hiruzen hurried to extinguish the flaring fire. "Last time, Konoha was at war. Now, everything is different. And the Civilian Council, due to the economic damage to Konoha, is limited in its rights.
"With corresponding punishments!" Shimura added, glaring intently at the Financial Department representative – Imizu Utatane, nearly giving the fat man a heart attack.
"Ahem. Summing up," Koharu coughed, taking the floor, "by December, we will mandatorily reopen the shinobi academy and create a civilian population support fund. As well as, with ubiquitous assistance from Seiki Butai, organize retraining courses for affected shinobi for vacant support squad positions in CHUBU, plus civilian specialist positions in the Iryo-han department and other roles." Here, the advisor paused and, casting a mournful glance at the empty chair with the mon of the red spiral on the backrest, continued her report.
"Unfortunately, due to the death of the entire Uzumaki clan," at this point, the hall became very quiet, "the shops... and production – both military seals and civilian ones... have been practically completely lost in Konoha. Accordingly, the sealers' school cannot be restored either. Not in the near future, at least.
"Are we," the Inuzuka clan head – Kuromo Inuzuka – raised his hand, "left even without kibakafuda altogether?" After such phrasing, almost the entire assembly looked at advisor Koharu.
"Fortunately, this issue has already been resolved. ANBU specialists, as you know, in the form of a special squad, produce this type of seals! For now, limited! As for the details," Koharu turned to the iryonin, "respected Hiroshi Akihiro will tell us.
The sixty-year-old elder Hiroshi steadily met the assembly's gazes and calmly, as if talking about a barbecue party, reported on the situation.
"As of now, two barrier specialists from Konoha's sensory department are alive but in a forced coma. Also, everything possible is being done to save particularly valuable specialists. Totaling three people. Shinodzu Rora, Tisai Shibi, and Ariuma Kasubi.
"Only three people?" Kuromo Inuzuka said stunned and almost in a whisper. "They won't restore the chakra barrier even in a year! What year," the Inuzuka clan head interrupted himself, "can these guys even raise the Sensory barrier?! There are only three of them! They're not even Uzumaki!
And then, it began to dawn on everyone what situation they were in.
"I'll say more! Because the Uzumaki clan put up their own barrier, thereby strengthening Konoha's main barrier... in short, it didn't turn into a GRAVE! ... Namely!" Hiroshi emphasized. "If not for the Uzumaki! Konoha would have lost twenty percent of the population, minimum!!! Think about it! Twenty thousand people! In one night! We would have been wiped off the face of the earth!
"Ahem." Hiruzen interrupted him. "Thank you, Hiroshi-san, for your opinion. However! Let's think constructively. Konoha survived! And that's the main thing!
"I support." Shimura nodded. "I suggest forgetting the reflection and spending time rationally.
"Bitch! That's who you are, Danzo! And Hiruzen, a Nazi! Advocates of genocide!!!" Ichiro Hyuga, standing behind the Hyuga clan head, thought to himself and gritted his teeth, quietly boiling with rage. "Monsters. Slaughtering their own people on a grand scale! Like Hitler with Jews and Slavs. And themselves, out of fear, lick the steroid Eyed One's ass, while pushing patriotic agitation about the Will of Fire! Hopeless hypocrites!
"Advisor Koharu Utatane-dono, please continue." Hiruzen shifted the arrows again.
"Thank you, Sarutobi-dono. So! In total, the damage inflicted by Kyuubi no Yoko on our village – Konoha – financially amounts to two billion one hundred twenty million Re of the Land of Fire. And this," the advisor quickly added so no one would interrupt her, "takes into account all additional costs! And in a year and a half, thus, even in the current financial state, we will reach the postwar economic level.
"That's all from me... on Question No. 1!" Utatane bowed and sat back down.
"Does anyone want to speak on Question No. 1? And yes," Hiruzen Sarutobi interrupted himself, "I say right away! We will discuss Konoha's financial fund at the very end of the meeting.
Seeing that no one was in a hurry to speak, the young Nara clan head – Shikaku Nara – calmly rose, demonstratively scanned all the people, thereby inviting them to an open assembly dialogue, and, observing a negative result, said,
"Sarutobi-dono. Please move on to Question No. 2. We are listening attentively.
"Come on, greedy monster, show your cannibalistic nature!" Ichiro Hyuga thought and mentally addressed his clan head. "Hiashi-sama! Shall we start Operation 'Red Woodpecker'?
"Yes.
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