[Domestic Affairs Evaluation]
The voice from the Sky Screen rang out again. Across countless timelines in the Shinobi World, people involuntarily sat up straight and held their breath.
Especially the great clans of Konoha—the yet-to-be-annihilated Uchiha, the cautious Hyuga, even the Ino-Shika-Chō clans who had good relations with the Sarutobi—none of them were willing to miss any information.
Uchiha Fugaku even called his eldest son, Itachi, to his side, ready to use the Sky Screen's content to instruct him at any moment.
After all, judging from the previous Combat Ability evaluation, the information revealed by the Sky Screen was likely true. And now, it was about to evaluate the domestic governing ability of Konoha's leader.
This involved power distribution, resource allocation, popular support… every word could potentially affect the current political landscape of the village.
[Sarutobi Hiruzen succeeded as the Hokage in a time of crisis, when Konoha's internal divisions had yet to heal and powerful enemies surrounded it from outside. After taking office, he continued the policy established by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, of 'supporting civilians while checking the power of the clans.']
The visuals on the Sky Screen complemented the narration, showing Prime Sarutobi Hiruzen standing by the window of the Hokage office.
Outside the window was a slightly desolate Konoha Village in the aftermath of war. In the distance, the Hokage Rock still bore only the stone faces of the First and Second Hokage—the space for his own face was still blank.
[On one hand, he expanded enrollment of civilian children into the Ninja Academy, breaking down bloodline barriers and allowing the 'Will of Fire' to take root in broader soil. On the other hand, using mission assignments and resource allocation as leverage, he gently checked and balanced the power of the various ninja clans, maintaining a superficial Konoha community.]
[Under his leadership, Konoha remained the strongest hidden village in the Shinobi World, earning him the title 'Shinobi Hero'! This was the 'Light' side.]
The image shifted:
The Ninja Academy classrooms were filled with children, many of them wearing simple civilian clothing. At the mission assignment desk, clan ninjas and civilian ninjas were mixed together in teams. In front of the resource warehouse, representatives of the Hyuga, Uchiha, Sarutobi, and other clans were receiving supplies in an orderly manner.
Finally, the image showed Hiruzen standing on the Hokage Rock, looking down at the village from above, sunlight falling upon him—a truly imposing figure.
---
[Another Timeline, Land of Lightning]
When Tobirama heard that Hiruzen had continued his domestic policies, a rare look of satisfaction appeared on his always-stern face.
"It seems Saru understood my philosophy."
"Giving talented civilians a chance to rise, preventing any single shinobi clan from becoming too dominant… this is the foundation for Konoha's long-term peace and stability."
He thought of the policies he had been promoting over the years—establishing the Ninja Academy system, reforming the ANBU structure, standardizing mission assignment procedures… every step was aimed at strengthening the Hokage's authority, weakening clan monopolies, and reinforcing the village's collective identity.
And from what he could see, Hiruzen had not only inherited these policies but had also carried them forward well.
However, Tobirama also felt a vague sense of unease.
The phrase "superficial Konoha community" suggested that perhaps the village was not truly united underneath the surface.
---
[Another timeline]
Fugaku, who had been about to teach his eldest son, did not look pleased.
"Supporting civilians while checking the power of the clans."
He repeated those words softly, his expression blank. Clearly, as a clan head, his ability to maintain composure was quite well-honed.
After the Senju clan had retreated from the spotlight, the largest clan in Konoha was none other than the Uchiha. As for clans like the Hyuga—not that Fugaku looked down on them, but they simply didn't measure up.
However, no wonder the Uchiha had become the target of public criticism and were constantly being targeted!
'Damn that Senju Tobirama!'
The clan elders were right—the root of the problem lay with him.
---
Prime Hiruzen heard the Sky Screen's evaluation of his domestic governance and looked somewhat embarrassed.
"This… directly exposing my strategies like that."
He rubbed his nose and gave a wry smile.
"But at least the evaluation is positive. The title 'Shinobi Hero' doesn't sound bad."
He walked to the window and looked down at the prosperous village below.
At this moment, Konoha was indeed, as the Sky Screen had said, in a delicate state of balance.
The major clans maintained a facade of harmony, but there were constant underhanded maneuvers behind the scenes. The number of civilian shinobis was increasing, yet high-level positions were still controlled by the clans.
External threats loomed from Kumogakure and Iwagakure, while internal contradictions required constant mediation.
"Supporting civilians while checking the power of the clans…"
Prime Hiruzen repeated those words.
"This is indeed what I should be doing."
He recalled the most recent meeting, where Danzō had proposed strengthening surveillance on the Uchiha clan, while an Uchiha elder had complained about unfair mission assignments.
The decision he had ultimately reached was to strengthen monitoring of the Uchiha, but at the same time, assign them more missions.
That was balance.
Not completely suppressing, nor completely indulging—finding that delicate equilibrium between all parties.
"However, 'superficial Konoha community'…"
Hiruzen's brows furrowed.
"That phrasing stings a bit."
He knew that Konoha's interior was not a monolith.
Between clans, between clans and civilians, and even within the clans themselves, there were various conflicts and competing interests.
But he had always believed that as long as the facade of unity was maintained, as long as the shared ideology of the "Will of Fire" remained, Konoha could continue to move forward.
"Now that the Sky Screen has put it this way, it makes me look like I've been deceiving myself."
Hiruzen smiled self-deprecatingly.
"But isn't that what governing is? More often than not, maintaining superficial peace is more important than tearing down facades in pursuit of absolute fairness."
Balance. Balance was always needed.
But the Sky Screen's evaluation was not over.
After a brief pause, the flat voice resumed—and this time, the content instantly changed the atmosphere across the entire Shinobi World:
[However, as Sarutobi Hiruzen grew increasingly aged, his art of balance gradually entered amurky and subtle realm.]
[He won people over with gentleness, yet tacitly allowed Shimura Danzō's influence to spread through the roots of the ANBU. He sang the praises of the 'Will of Fire,' yet deliberately turned a blind eye to the Uchiha clan's growing alienation, resorting only to isolation and surveillance instead of resolving their grievances. He promoted civilian talents like Namikaze Minato, yet allowed the elder advisors to cling to power.]
[Thus, in the middle and later periods of his reign, major crises erupted: the suicide of the White Fang, the estrangement of the Sannin, the Nine-Tails' Rampage, the massacre of the Uchiha clan, and the defection of Orochimaru.]
[If not for the fact that Orochimaru eventually caused him to die in battle, his reputation would likely have been terrible! This was the 'Dark' side.]
The visuals on the Sky Screen complemented the narration, now showing a different scene:
The funeral of Hatake Sakumo. Jiraiya leaving Konoha. Tsunade's departure. The devastation of the Night of the Nine-Tails Rampage. The blood-soaked Uchiha clan grounds. The retreating figure of Orochimaru during his defection… And finally, an aged Hiruzen standing alone on the Hokage Rock, his back hunched and lonely.
[Truly, he was 'bright in the beginning, dark in the end'—mysterious indeed!]