Chapter 78
"Ding!!! Congratulations…"
"Ding!!!"
"Ding!!!"
"Ding!!!"
When all four missions were completed by themselves, Hiruzen had a headache that, no matter how much he smoked, didn't disappear. And he only expected two missions to complete, not all four, giving him four times the pain.
Name: Hiruzen Sarutobi
Age: 56/86
HP: 100%
Chakra: 100%
Strength: 9
Speed: 8
Stamina: 8
Intelligence: 9
Charisma: 7
Ninjutsu: 8
Taijutsu: 8
Genjutsu: 8
Fuinjutsu: 8
Ninjutsu skills: Shadow Clone, Fireball, Body Flicker, Body Substitution, Transformation, Mud Slide, Fireball, Kirin, Ash Pile Burning, Telescope Technique.
Taijutsu skills: Shurikenjutsu (Advanced level), Drunken Fist (Advanced level), Bo-staff Mastery (Advanced level), Basic Taijutsu (Master level), Chakra Enhanced Strength (Novice level), Parry.
Genjutsu skills: Bringer of Darkness, Temple of Nirvana.
Fuinjutsu skills: Negative Emotion-sensing, Explosive Tag, Sealing Tag, Three Directions Seal, Self-Cursing Seal.
Suddenly, he felt incredible strength in his body. And as the reward indicated, he gained one stat in strength. He would be happy, but he still didn't have any idea of how to use that strength, and he was already struggling to control it as it was. So, it only made it more difficult for him.
Then he saw that he had learned the Telescope Technique, which let him peer at the current activities of anyone whose chakra signature they knew by looking through a crystal ball. He thought that at least he got something useful and a pretty powerful spying tool.
Then lastly, he looked up at the Three Directions Seal and the Selg-cursing Seal. Skills that would have been useful previously. He might have been able to capture Black Zetsu that infiltrated the Chunin Exams while he was at Yashamaru's side.
And if he had known of the Telescope Technique earlier, he would have had time to memorize or familiarize himself with the chakra of Yashamaru or the Fourth Raikage. How much headache he could have spared if he had done that. Well, it didn't matter anymore.
"Fuu," letting go of the smoke in his lungs, Hiruzen finally finished checking on the messages and dismissed them, then he broke his pipe.
For what he had to go through, the results weren't as great as he expected them to be. But that was just his life. Ultimately, it was his high expectations that led to his disappointment. So, he only had himself to blame.
Oh yeah, Hiruzen had completely forgotten he was in the middle of a meeting with the most powerful shinobi in the village. Well, it was their fault for reacting so stupidly to his news, so he just ignored them and read through the system's messages that had bombarded him.
They argued, saying something about how ambitious Hiruzen's plan was. How much trouble it would bring. And if it wasn't handled well, it would be the start of another war. That seemed to be a bit too excessive for Hiruzen. None of them seems to want Hiruzen to take such drastic actions.
Still, he pretended to listen to it before he accidentally broke his pipe, silencing everyone. Of course, Hiruzen knew of the consequences of these actions he was about to carry out. And if it all failed, it would bring a lot of pressure to the village. Meaning, a perfect excuse to retire for him. It was a win-win plan for Hiruzen.
"You were the first ones I shared my plans with, so it is natural for all of you to be worried," Hiruzen said as he looked at each one of them. "But don't be mistaken. You have no hand in this other than helping me to achieve my plan. All the responsibility will be mine and mine alone to bear. After all, isn't that why I am still here?"
That seemed to be enough to placate them for now. In the end, if anything went wrong, all the fault would fall on Hiruzen. No one else needed to worry about themselves. And with that understanding between them all, they could continue their meeting.
"Heh, this is crazy, even for you." Tsunade just laughed at the idea, as she had less play in this game than anyone else. "And what, you want universal healthcare for any and every shinobi and their families? Do you have any idea how much that will cost the hospitals to cover?"
"It doesn't matter," Hiruzen replied without hesitation. "It will be covered."
"The standard salary will be costly too," Jiraiya added. "Many will abuse it and rely on it rather than go on missions. But with the prices rising so much, I guess there will be a shortage of missions, and there isn't another way to support the shinobi."
"If there isn't a better solution, then I don't see a problem," Hiruzen said as this plan was to keep his shinobi in the village, as there were plenty who were bad with money and might do something drastic without passive income.
"Phew," Shikaku sighed heavily as he tried to wrap his head around everything. "In the end, all it comes down to is money. As long as we have enough funds, we can achieve everything. But there will be reactions from other villages. They won't let us go in peace once they hear of this."
"The Uchiha clan will support this plan with all their might and wealth if there is a need," Fugaku was the only one not to even question it and quickly voiced his support as if his life depended on it.
"Haa, I wish I could say the same about the Hyuga clan," Hiashi Hyuga glanced around the room with heavy eyes before deliberating something in his mind and finally saying his piece. "I guess this is as good a chance as it can be. I want to announce that the Hyuga clan shall be disbanded."
"Hiashi-sama," Shikaku was the first to reply to the Hyuga clan head. "What the fuck?"
It seemed everything was giving Shikaku a massive headache as he clutched his forehead and tried to rub it all away. It didn't work, so he decided to just glare at Hiruzen and Hiashi with all his hatred behind his eyes.
"Is that the wish of the rest of the clan?" Hiruzen, on the other hand, wasn't that concerned.
"It is for the most part," Hiashi replied.
"I see, that is your answer," Hiruzen now understood why the missions were completed on their own; it seemed Hiashi had done something remarkable. "I will respect it then and support the clan's disbandment."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama."
"Before any of that, what about the Byakugan? As abhorrent as the sealing was, it served its purpose for generations." Shikaku didn't let the moment pass. "And there is no reversal from what I know. So, those branded will still be subjected to those who branded them."
"Well, there might not be a reversal to it, but there is a way around it," Jiraiya interrupted. "I have been working on it for some time now, and if I am allowed, we can test my seal's effectiveness right now."
"Well, that's a problem solved, moving on." Hiruzen really didn't care about it and was more than happy to let the old traditions of clans like the Hyuga collapse so they wouldn't cause him any further headaches.
"I guess," Shikaku had no choice but to let go of the issue, as no one else disagreed with Hiashi's decision.
As surprising as the news of it was, Hiruzen saw no problem with it and was happy to support Hiashi's decision. As a regular shinobi, it would be a lot easier to deal with the Hyuga. It became a problem when there was a clan of them.
And Hiruzen hadn't liked that most of the clan were nothing but slaves. And rather than speaking for them, the Hyuga clan used its members to solidify its standing and power. So, only a few of the main branch members of the family mattered in the clan, and the others were nothing but fodder.
This kind of dynamic just didn't sit well with Hiruzen, and he had long since been planning to break it. So, it was a pleasant surprise to hear that it was already taken care of. Hiashi suddenly rose quite high among Hiruzen's most liked people in the village.
…
They were mad. All of them. Shikaku had been in the position to support and advise the Hokage for a long enough time. And he did his work as well as he could, even during the war. But nowadays, he was getting less and less sleep because of decisions like these.
Can't there be a normal day in this village? Shikaku swore that everything was going just fine with the Fourth Hokage taking on the reins. And with his death, it was surely going to be hard to get back on their feet as a whole village.
So, he worked even harder than before to support the Third as he took over and held the crumbling wall with his strength alone. And with time, he saw how much work the Third had put into steering the village's future.
He was even more of a Hokage than he was before his retirement. The years of wisdom only helped him as he continued to build Konoha's strength. Yet, one problem presented itself after another.
And Shikaku was only staying in his position because of the Third Hokage's unwavering will. Otherwise, he would have long since given up on his position and retired to sleep for the rest of his life. He just couldn't leave the Third behind like this.
Even as Orochimaru betrayed the village. And then Danzo, too. Shikaku was one of the few who knew the whole truth behind Danzo. The Third never fell. Every time it looked like everything was falling apart, the Third would hold it all together.
Even the Chunin Exams. That, as Shikaku had predicted, almost ended in tragedy. And yet the Third once again held everything together with his unwavering will. The Will of Fire that burned brightly and protected everything.
But he was tired. Exhausted beyond any reason. And there he was, once again hit with one unreal decision after another. Any one of those decisions could shake up the foundation of the village. And yet, it seemed like he was the only one worried about it.
And he hated it all. Because he knew the reason why they all agreed to it in the end. Because the Third once again would shoulder everything by himself. Shikaku hated this feeling of powerlessness.
He should be supporting the Hokage, but all he did was watch as he took every problem himself. And what those bastards did? They just agreed with it, like it was natural. They were all mad. But he couldn't blame them much either, as all of them knew that there was nothing they could do about it.
Before he realized it, the meeting was already over. And he was the only one left behind with the Hokage. In the end, he couldn't even say anything as all matters were done with. There was nothing to worry about for them.
"Shikaku-sama, tea?" Shizune seemed to be one of the few people who noticed how wrong it all was.
"Thanks," he accepted it, as he still didn't know what to say, but he had to say something now, or he would have his mouth shut for all eternity otherwise. "Hokage-sama, please forgive my rudeness, but isn't it too much of a change in such a short amount of time?"
It was way too much pressure for the Hokage to handle on his own. Didn't he realize it? Or did he, but he didn't care? War was simpler than any of this. At least then he knew who the enemy was. But now, the enemy was the Hokage. He was killing himself.
"Change is good, we must move forward," was a standard reply, but it had more weight behind it when the Hokage broke his teacup while speaking. "Who knows how much time there is left? I don't expect to keep this position for long. Sorry, after all, all of it will fall on your shoulders when I am gone. But I must do what I must do."
He wanted to scream, to curse this damn man before him, but Shikaku didn't say anything. What could he say when the person he would be addressing already knew everything? He knew very well that all of it would be the end of him, and yet he accepted it.
Shikaku looked as the Hokage cleaned up the broken cup from his table. Even he probably didn't want any of this. The pressure was getting to him, as he seemed to have a hard time controlling his emotions. And yet, he continues to move forward with all of it.
But it won't be that easy as the Hokage expects it to be. Shikaku was already only sleeping ten hours a day. He could cut it down a few hours more if that meant he could help the Hokage. The Third thought he could take all the responsibility for himself, but Shikaku wouldn't allow it.
He was here to support him. And he would put his whole clan, and even his friends' clans, on the line, not for the village, but for the Hokage. He might be a bit selfish, but he wouldn't allow the Hokage to fail and fall.
All the plans. All the steps taken to secure the future. Shikaku would personally oversee them and make sure they succeeded. There wouldn't even be a problem arising from them. And then they could joke about retirement once again, like in old times.
The Hokage could continue to curse his workload as he usually did. And everything would return to normal. No, this time, Shikaku would work himself to the bone to make sure that everything was even better than it ever had been.
Those reforms would change the village for the better, and the Hokage would gain the recognition he deserved. He will continue to lead them, and Shikaku will continue to support him.
A.N. As always, thanks for reading and supporting me, so I can continue writing without any concerns, and if you want more, up to seven more chapters, you can support me on pa treon. com \ ironwolf852.