Hibari immediately bristled at that. He quickly retorted, "What do you mean 'for money'? Isn't paying debts perfectly natural? If you think there's something wrong, just lend me some money; I won't pay you back."
Hiruzen was about to refute something when Hibari spoke again, "Besides, I'm also offering advice for the village's affairs. Think about it, situations like Hashirama-jiisan's aren't uncommon in the village, are they? We can't just pay people when we need them and then treat them as burdens when we don't, can we?"
Hearing Hibari's words, Tobirama, who had been enjoying the show, also paused. Then he said, "Alright, alright, you two, stop bickering... But what you said, Hibari, is very true... There should be a related measure for this."
As mentioned before, being a shinobi is a high-risk profession. There's no telling if a person will return after a mission. If they're lucky enough to survive, they'll likely come back with a body full of injuries and chronic illnesses. Especially since the chaotic era hasn't been over for long, there are many injured and disabled shinobi in Konohagakure.
How these shinobi should live in the future, and how the village should take care of them, had no clear system before. Now that Hibari brought it up, Tobirama also began to ponder these matters.
However, a detailed procedure couldn't be formulated quickly. They would definitely need to return and discuss it with others.
But through these recent exchanges, Tobirama had become very interested in the novel ideas that occasionally popped into Hibari's mind.
Although he had long known Hibari was clever, he was mostly busy with external affairs back then, so he hadn't paid much attention to Hibari's seemingly great talent in certain areas.
Thinking of this, Tobirama looked at Hibari with interest and said, "Hibari, it seems you have quite a few ideas. So, Ojiisan will test you..."
Hearing Tobirama's words, Hibari was also stunned. Then he said, "Test what? My wrist was just 'severed' by you, Tobirama-jiisan. I can't move it for a while..."
Tobirama glared at Hibari somewhat angrily and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? Anyone who didn't know would think I was torturing you. Wasn't it just a tiny accident? Aren't you still perfectly fine?"
Then, as if fearing Hibari would badmouth him in front of everyone again, Tobirama quickly asked, "Since physical combat isn't an option, I'll test your 'literary' abilities. Tell me, what ideas do you have for the village's development and so on?"
When Tobirama asked this, the other people in the room looked at Hibari with great interest, wanting to hear if he had any surprising ideas.
Hibari touched his head and thought for a moment, then said, "As for ideas, I do have a few. One thing is... Shouldn't our Konohagakure have a hospital or something? Otherwise, if someone like me has Tobirama-jiisan to treat them, what happens when ordinary people get injured?"
"You don't need to tell me about the hospital. We're already planning to build several, including hospitals specifically for shinobi," Tobirama said softly.
"In that case, another thing is... I think we should set up a large defensive barrier around the village. Take this incident, for example. If it weren't for your miraculous Flying Raijin Technique, Tobirama-jiisan, this village would have been directly hit by a Tailed Beast Ball. Who could withstand that? What if there's a next time and you're not in the village?" Hibari suggested after thinking.
Tobirama, Sasuke, and Hashirama all nodded repeatedly upon hearing this.
"This barrier can't just be set up and then ignored. What if someone tampers with it? So there definitely needs to be corresponding personnel to handle such matters, like organizing daily maintenance. Therefore, I suggest forming a brand new department, let's call it... the Barrier Team. It would specialize in handling all matters related to barriers. How about it? If you think it's too expensive, Tobirama-jiisan, you could also teach me the Flying Raijin Technique. I'll stay in the village from now on, and wherever a Tailed Beast Ball appears, I'll teleport it away," Hibari said with a cheerful laugh.
Tobirama completely ignored the latter half of Hibari's words. Instead, he seriously considered it for a moment, then said, "That's a very good idea. We indeed need such a department..."
Seeing that Hibari had genuinely proposed such a constructive idea, Hashirama and Sasuke became even more interested. Hashirama asked, "Then, brat, think again. Do you have any other ideas?"
Hibari grinned, a smile spreading across his face. He said, "I have quite a few ideas, but there should be some reward for them, right? Even the landlord's house doesn't have surplus grain. Not long ago, I went out for yakiniku with Hiruzen-jisan, and I almost couldn't even pay for the meal. I'm offering ideas for the village; shouldn't the village give me some bonus?"
Tobirama snorted upon hearing this. "Hmph! You brat, you're constantly falling for money!" However, after saying that, he reluctantly added, "Come to the Hokage Residence to collect your reward after your injuries heal..."
Hibari immediately burst into laughter upon hearing this. He said, "Exactly! How can you expect a horse to run without feeding it grass?"
"Alright, alright, Hibari, hurry up and tell us if you have any other ideas!" Sasuke asked again.
Hibari's expression became slightly more serious. He said, "There is indeed one very important idea that I've been meaning to suggest to you, Tobirama-jiisan, these past two days..."
"What idea?" Tobirama raised an eyebrow and asked.
"I don't know if you've noticed, Tobirama-jiisan, but the Hokage has too little power..." Hibari paused here, then looked at Hashirama somewhat awkwardly and said, "Of course, I'm not saying your strength is lacking, Hashirama-jiisan. I'm saying the power in your hands is too little."
Clearing his throat slightly, Hibari spoke again, "This incident showed that Konohagakure lacks many things. One crucial point is that the Hokage essentially has no one readily available! When we were gathering at the Hokage Residence, I already felt this way. At such a critical moment, Tobirama-jiisan still had to wait for shinobi from various clans to gather before issuing commands. That's simply ridiculous. Therefore, I suggest forming a special unit directly under the Hokage!"
Sasuke nodded upon hearing this. "Hibari is right. Not only that... As shinobi, we sometimes inevitably have to do some... dark things to protect the village's interests. These matters cannot simply be assigned to ordinary shinobi. Firstly, it's not appropriate, and secondly... information could easily leak. Therefore, in recent years, when such matters arose, we, the trustworthy individuals, handled them personally. But this isn't a long-term solution. If we could form a loyal and directly subordinate special unit under the Hokage, then in normal times, they could be responsible for carrying out these secret and covert missions!"
This point truly resonated with Tobirama. Just as Hibari said, he had already felt that the efficiency was too low. Now, Hibari had even noticed this, which surprised him somewhat. However, it was ultimately a good thing, proving that Hibari indeed possessed talent in this area.
"You're right. I was also planning to form such a unit. However, the candidates must be carefully selected. They must not only be loyal but also possess sufficient strength, otherwise, they won't be able to serve a significant purpose," Tobirama said.
Hibari smiled and said, "Tobirama-jiisan, the candidates you're looking for are far away yet close at hand. Think about it, who is loyal and strong enough?"
As he spoke, Hibari puffed out his chest, looking as if he was just short of pointing at his own nose.
Tobirama naturally saw through Hibari's intentions, but he still chuckled and said, "Indeed, the candidates are far away yet close at hand. Hiruzen... I think you're very suitable! How about this, I'll entrust this matter to you and Hibari. I, on behalf of the Hokage, commission you to be responsible for forming a special unit directly under the Hokage. The name is TBD, but you will serve as the first leader. How about it? Can you do it?"
Was Hiruzen suitable or not? He couldn't be more suitable. As for loyalty, he was Tobirama's direct disciple and the legitimate son of the Sarutobi clan, intimately close with the Senju clan. There was absolutely no trust issue.
As for strength, although Hiruzen was still young, he was also a famous shinobi, capable of handling any situation, so strength was not a problem either.
Hiruzen clearly understood that becoming directly subordinate to the Hokage would undoubtedly grant him great power. This represented both trust and responsibility. Therefore, he did not hesitate to say, "Don't worry, Sensei, I will definitely complete the mission!"
As soon as Hiruzen finished expressing his stance, Hibari impatiently said, "What about me? What about me? Tobirama-jiisan, I was talking about myself! Think about it, my strength is pretty good, right? I can even help Hashirama-jiisan fight Madara. Isn't that enough proof? And I've even completed S-rank missions before. As for loyalty, is there anyone here who doubts my loyalty to the Party and Country... ahem, my loyalty to the village, to the Hokage??"
Tobirama looked at the impatient Hibari with amusement, then said, "That may be true, but you are still too young..."
"Too young? How many years have I heard that? Besides, since when did we shinobi start measuring ability by age??? You're taking a step backward in history, Tobirama-jiisan!" Hibari quickly interrupted.
"Well, even ignoring the age issue, you're still injured, aren't you? I'm simply being considerate of your difficulties..." Tobirama said again.
"What injuries? You know perfectly well these minor injuries will heal in three to five days. It won't delay anything!" Hibari also quickly said.
Seeing that Hibari was getting a bit exasperated, Tobirama chuckled, then said, "In that case, I'll give you a chance to prove yourself. This matter will be handled by you and Hiruzen. But remember, you are assisting Hiruzen. Don't try to steal the show."
"So, I'm the second-in-command?" Hibari asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Exactly!" Tobirama said without hesitation.
'First generation Anbu deputy-commander or something... That's already pretty good...' Hibari thought to himself, then stopped arguing. He nodded and said, "Don't worry, leave it to me!"
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