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Would the Daimyo agree?
He definitely would. As long as Konoha guaranteed safety, even if the screening process wasn't 100% successful.
As long as the newly established villages didn't become spy nests, the Daimyo could accept it.
Because a larger population meant higher productivity, which in turn meant more tax revenue and food for the Daimyo.
Compared to the long-term tax income, the initial costs of the ninja teams' wages and expenses were insignificant.
As long as the Daimyo wasn't an idiot, he would agree to these terms.
"....."
'Kazuki, if you don't fleece the Daimyo, do you just feel uncomfortable all over?' Tsunade's expression turned peculiar.
Kazuki smiled and pinched Tsunade's cheek, only to have his hand swatted away immediately.
"The Land of Fire is rich and fertile, capable of supporting many, many people. Taking in large numbers of refugees also means indirectly reducing the likelihood of bandits and rogues emerging. Of course, we only want the refugees, not ninja—whether they're rogue ninja or missing-nin."
Ordinary people, even if they were spies, could at most gather some peripheral intelligence.
For Konoha and the Land of Fire, that was inconsequential.
Such spies were countless and impossible to root out completely.
Having a few more or a few less made little difference.
Even if they tried to cause trouble, they would be obliterated in an instant, unable to make any waves.
The key was to keep the rogue ninja and missing-nin out.
"Fine, I'll write to the Daimyo. The Daimyo probably won't refuse. After all, in the long run, this will only benefit the Daimyo more. He has the foresight to see that."
The letter reached the Daimyo.
After reading Tsunade's letter, the Daimyo's expression turned somewhat strange. He wasn't opposed to Tsunade's proposal, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he was indirectly footing the bill to support a group of Konoha ninja who couldn't get suitable missions and had low incomes.
'Was it just my imagination?'
"Sigh, I wonder how the situation is progressing," the Daimyo of the Land of Wind muttered gloomily, drinking sake beside him.
Forget it. Supporting them is fine. At least when Konoha spent his money, they genuinely improved their strength.
Unlike a certain relative of his, whose village remained weak whether he spent money or not. That was truly frustrating.
Reflecting on the Daimyo of the Land of Wind's miserable mood and restless predicament, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire quite readily agreed to provide the funds.
Coincidentally, he had recently made a considerable profit, so what was wrong with investing a bit more in Konoha?
The stronger Konoha became, the more secure his safety would be.
The Daimyo of the Land of Wind, oblivious to how his woes had indirectly aided the Hidden Leaf, would surely spit blood if he knew what the Daimyo of the Land of Fire was thinking
If he knew what the Daimyo of the Land of Fire was thinking, he'd probably be furious enough to spit blood.
The funds were quickly approved. The Daimyo was very straightforward.
The money was given, and Konoha could take its time managing the details.
If it wasn't enough, they could approach him again. As long as Konoha wasn't blatantly swindling him, everything was negotiable.
With the funds secured, Tsunade also gained confidence and immediately began reassigning the patrol teams, giving them new missions.
Take in refugees? And even help them build villages?
The ninja who discovered the mission changes were somewhat puzzled, but fortunately, the mission rewards were quite good—much higher than those for patrol duties.
Since there were missions and rewards, what more was there to say?
They just had to get it done.
On another front, Kazuki summoned the academy teachers and informed them that the students of Naruto's year were to graduate early.
"What? Early graduation?"
Hearing this, the teachers immediately became restless.
"Lord Advisor, surely Konoha doesn't need these children on the battlefield yet, does it?"
"That's right! The war hasn't reached the Land of Fire's borders. Even if it did, it shouldn't be this batch of newcomers who are sent to the front lines, right?"
Pushing a large number of new genin onto the battlefield wasn't training; it was a act of desperation.
After several years of interaction, the teachers didn't want to see the students they had taught thrown into bloody battles with the enemy right after graduation, only for a large number to die and a lucky, stronger few to survive.
"Quiet!"
Kazuki raised his voice, and the teachers in the conference room fell silent, looking at him with hopeful eyes, wishing he would change his mind.
"Huu..."
He let out a heavy sigh and first gave these teachers a reassurance.
"First of all, having this year's students graduate early is not about sending them to the battlefield. You are correct; Konoha has not fallen to the point where we need new genin on the front lines. Unless they are under the guidance of a team leader, and besides, Konoha isn't even involved in the war yet. The main reason for having these students graduate early is to allow them to gain experience sooner. After graduation, the new genin will be led by team leaders to patrol within the Land of Fire, accumulate experience, and drive out people or ninja who have secretly infiltrated the country. That's all."
You should have said so earlier! You scared me!
Hearing this, the group of teachers felt relieved.
Recalling their earlier remarks, they felt so embarrassed they wanted to find a hole to crawl into.
They had thought Kazuki wanted to throw these students onto the battlefield. Only upon reflection did they realize they had overthought it.
Dammit, Konoha isn't even involved in the war yet! How could they send students to the battlefield?
Patrolling within the Land of Fire and driving out enemies was undoubtedly the best way for them to train and grow.
"Alright, don't all stand there blushing. Your task is to go back and relay the message to the students, telling them to prepare for early exams. The Hokage has already begun selecting team leaders."
After sending the teachers away, Kazuki opened the piles of documents stacked on his desk one by one and began screening them step by step.
The vast majority of these documents were profiles of civilian-born ninja. The fact that these profiles were sent here meant these individuals were qualified to become team leaders.
This was how Konoha had always operated.
Team leaders were mostly selected from civilian ninja or clan ninja the Hokage trusted.
As for others, even if you were qualified, this kind of opportunity wouldn't come your way.
Kazuki's workload was heavy. Not only did he have to select suitable teachers, but he also needed to assign the students to teams appropriately.
This was originally Tsunade's job, but it had all fallen into Kazuki's hands.
The number of graduating students each year wasn't excessively large, but it wasn't small either. Apart from a small portion of outstanding students who would be led by jōnin, the team leaders for most students were chūnin, or occasionally, special jōnin if they were luckier.
During the Third Hokage's tenure, a peculiar phenomenon occurred.
Aside from the few he deeply trusted, other team leaders were rarely jōnin or special jōnin.
The vast majority were chūnin leading teams, and clan ninja serving as team leaders were even rarer.
If one carefully investigated, they would find that only the Sarutobi clan had a relatively larger number of ninja in such roles. Other clans... well, it seemed they couldn't lead student teams.
Kazuki did not plan to continue this model. He would select a group of civilian ninja to become team leaders, accounting for about one-third of the total.
The remainder would be assigned to ninja from various clans.
It was like dividing a cake.