Chapter 128: Chapter 128
Choosing Jiraiya was definitely an acceptable result for Kaito after so much deliberation.
Jiraiya's character isn't really suited to be a Hokage. In the original story, he had a clear understanding of his own character, abilities, and so on.
With such self-awareness, his final decision was clear - to let Tsunade become the Hokage while he continued to do what he wanted to do.
What Jiraiya wanted most was to investigate the Akatsuki organization and explore the path to peace through mutual communication between individuals.
Of course, he could also 'gather materials' on the side, given his inherently unruly nature.
This guy almost ignored the Three Ninja Rules, but even so, his abilities were unquestionable.
But now Kaito had no plans to let him continue to do as he pleased. Though bringing Jiraiya back would be a hassle.
But don't forget, Jiraiya was still a Konoha Shinobi.
As long as he was a Konoha Shinobi, he had to fulfill his own duties.
Once he received 'universal' approval, he would have to step up, whether he wanted to or not. After all, this was not the original story.
In the original story, he had a second choice, Tsunade, another of the Legendary Sannin. And the fact proved that Tsunade was indeed a qualified Hokage.
Whether it was her internal balance of compromise and strength, her conduct when facing enemies, or everything she did when the people of the Hidden Cloud Village came.
She truly lived up to being the granddaughter of Hashirama Senju. Even though she had her own issues, they were trivial compared to her overall performance.
But Kaito didn't want a future Hokage who was normal and capable.
Moreover, if Kaito was to do this, he naturally had to involve other clans.
According to his previous conversation with Shikaku Nara, he knew that these clans probably didn't want a competent Hokage.
Therefore, Kaito was their best choice, and not just one among many!
But this couldn't be rushed. Many things needed to be carefully planned. However, this plan wouldn't take too much time.
...
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, the heavy snow that covered the whole Konoha had quietly receded, replaced by gentle sunshine and slight spring rain.
Everything in the Konoha was stable during this period, although Kaito had almost brutally eradicated all the remaining Root ninjas.
But this didn't cause any impact in the end because the Konoha eventually stepped in.
Hiruzen Sarutobi clearly stated that it was those people who attacked Kaito first, forcing Kaito to retaliate.
Interestingly, this intervention was completely different from the previous ones.
Before, they would add something like, 'Kaito was too harsh; after all, they were Konoha ninjas.' This time, there was none of that.
This time, it seemed like they took a stance that leaned towards Kaito, so this incident passed without causing any ripples.
However, while the Konoha was at peace, the members of the Guard Department were anything but calm.
These few months have undoubtedly been their most tiring, most painful, and yet also the most frustrating time.
This fatigue, pain, and frustration are entirely due to the series of reforms initiated by Kaito.
They had to learn the knowledge revised by the family education reform. They admitted that these studies significantly expanded their understanding of the world.
It even allowed them to comprehend many things they had failed to understand before, and correct previous misunderstandings. The gains from this education were indeed unimaginable for them.
But the problem was that they had to take exams after studying. If they didn't pass, their names would be put up on a wall for everyone to see.
The people of the Uchiha clan are so proud. Except for that slacker Obito from many years ago, few would ignore their performance.
One can imagine, if their names were posted on the wall, it would be a social death penalty. This is something they would do anything to avoid.
To avoid such a misfortune, they naturally worked hard to review and study. But the problem was that they still had jobs in the Guard Department, and the department was also undergoing reform.
The new behavior manual was of the utmost importance. They had to study and abide by it, and they had to take tests on these rules and regulations.
When these two assessments were added together, it drove them to the brink of despair. They would rather fight an enemy than face various exams.
Beyond this, the Guard Department not only demanded they take these assessments but also that they follow all the rules in the action guidelines.
And such practices made them feel incredibly suffocated. They felt like they were being treated like grandchildren.
But these demands were made by Uchiha Kaito, their new clan leader.
None of them dared to resist this new clan leader. Under such circumstances, they could only accept obediently.
However, as time went by, they suddenly found that this extremely suffocating approach seemed to have brought some decent returns?
In the past, when the villagers of the Konoha saw them, almost all of them wore expressions of disgust and fear. It was as if they were plague-bringers or enemies.
Such situations were also unpleasant for them, but they got used to it over time because they felt it reflected their authority.
They thought that these expressions of fear and disgust were merely due to fear of themselves. As long as they followed the laws and regulations set by the Konoha, everything was fine.
But after they started to act according to Kaito's regulations, they suddenly noticed that the villagers who once dreaded and despised them seemed to be changing their attitudes.
Many people had started to smile at them during their patrols. These friendly smiles seemed to be an acknowledgment of their work.
For those who performed well in the Guard Department, some people would chat with them when they were off duty. Some even invited them for a drink at the tavern!
This change gave the members of the Guard Department a certain feeling. It was as if they were being accepted.
This acceptance was not the previous fear and disgust but a genuine recognition of them from the heart!
"Such a feeling is truly strange, yet so wonderful..."
The members of the security department couldn't help but think silently in their hearts. Those smiles filled with goodwill, even a simple nod, brought them infinite joy.
Moreover, they noticed that after strictly following Kaito's requirements, the people they brought in rarely expressed any negative emotions.
All they did was honestly convey the crimes committed by these individuals, and then handed out appropriate punishments based on the severity of the offenses.
In the past, they did the same, but the reaction they received was invariably negative. No one was content with the outcome.
But now, those guys were very compliant, and even cooperated with them on many matters.
"Is this the wisdom of the Clan Leader? Not only is the Clan Leader incredibly capable, but also his approach to addressing and resolving problems is so incisive!"
Nowadays, all members of the security department tremendously enjoyed everything, and while doing so, they did not forget that all of this was brought about by Kaito.
In the process, their respect for their new Clan Leader was heightened. However, they knew that their new Clan Leader was currently experiencing a great deal of stress.
"Why is this gap so large?"
Kaito helplessly looked at the report in his hand, while Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Sō, and Uchiha Takechi kept their heads lowered, daring not to utter a word.
The report in Kaito's hand was the calculation of how much the security department was short of, and the figures gave him quite a scare.
He had been a mission ninja, so he knew exactly how much he could earn from each task.
For example, he had once completed an A-class mission to eliminate a ninja squad. After completing the task, they had shared almost half of the bounty with Asuma.
A part of this money was deducted by the Konoha, and the lion's share was given to the leading Jonin. The rest was distributed among ninjas like him.
Asuma's bounty was 35 million, but now Kaito had to raise an amount equivalent to the bounties of more than ten Asumas!
And this was just the initial investment. You can imagine how horrific the gap Kaito was facing right now. He was even considering whether he should go and assassinate the Hokage.
Because the bounty for Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, was as high as 500 million!
"It seems we need to speed up. Shisui hasn't returned yet, but we must complete our tasks as soon as possible."
Suppressing the urge to secretly rush to Hiruzen Sarutobi's house, Kaito turned to Uchiha Fugaku.
"Fugaku, how is the inventory coming along?"
"Clan Leader, I have applied for a new batch of materials, which is currently under review in the administration department," Uchiha Fugaku quickly responded, his expression serious.
"In addition, I have taken out all the weapons and materials from our security department. After discarding the expired ones, we have over five thousand kunai, and more than three thousand exploding tags."
"Is that all?"
Kaito couldn't help but shake his head when he heard this number. Although strictly speaking, this was quite a lot of value - after all, not all ninjas in a small country would necessarily have that much.
"But the key issue here is that these things are consumables. During combat, if you throw one, you lose one; if you blow one up, you ruin one. These quantities are actually far from enough."
"What about the ones the family doesn't need and the expired ones?"
"If you count those in, we have more than ten thousand kunai and over eight thousand exploding tags."
Uchiha Fugaku had indeed conducted a thorough investigation, and these numbers were as accurate as he could get. But now he was worried because he had guessed what Kaito was thinking.
"But we cannot guarantee the sharpness of these expired kunai, nor can we assure that the exploding tags will detonate properly. We can't even judge the explosive power of these tags.
Selling these things to them, isn't it a bit..."
"No need to worry!"
Upon hearing that there were so many, Kaito immediately made a decision.
"They might not use them all, and those who do might not survive anyway.
At worst, we can offer them at a price lower than the black market. After all, we're still at a loss!"
Kaito's words left Uchiha Fugaku and the others speechless. They realized their Clan Leader, to put it lightly, was not entirely above sharp practices...
//
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