The next noon, a certain troublemaking figure sat at his desk, dark circles shadowing his tired eyes.
"What the heck is that kid up to lately? Two days ago he pulls off some grand dragon-and-phoenix spectacle, yesterday he throws an EDM Festival, and today he's probably stirring up trouble again?"
Even the Third Hokage's hands trembled slightly as he held his documents.
Breaking News Alert! The Legendary Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi Diagnosed with Alzheimer's!
Ahem... Actually, it was because last night he ran all over Konoha breaking barriers and confiscating these oversized sound devices.
However, each time he confiscated one and hadn't even moved on to the next location yet, more new sound systems somehow kept popping up out of nowhere.
Running around the entire village throughout the night had left him completely exhausted. Being Hokage really was too difficult.
Not only did he have to handle Konoha's upper ranks and balance interests between influential clans, but also monitor major events across the shinobi world and maintain ties with the Land of Fire.
He needed full understanding of every little event occurring in Konoha before delegating matters to Anbu or other personnel for resolution.
Most importantly, he also had to deal with that troublemaker's antics happening every few days.
Even though he hadn't caused any major incidents in over a year, what happened two days ago and yesterday alone had already given the Third Hokage quite the beating.
Rubbing his temples, the Third Hokage muttered to himself, "This damn headache won't quit. This afternoon I've got that meeting on power splits between the two Uchihas, and tonight I still need to finish reading Qing's report."
Therefore, during the afternoon meeting, he solemnly pointed out that Konoha wasn't what it used to be—it required fresh energy and a newly invigorated leadership team.
That meeting room became incredibly lively—verbal fights were flying everywhere like confetti, with Danzo almost grabbing a chair and swinging it at the Uchiha couple across from him.
Once again, Kazushi delivered the decisive blow: "Do you have something against the Uchiha clan?" instantly silencing the other side.
Then Aiko clearly stated they didn't ask for much—they simply wanted the new research department and authority over Commercial Street management.
The rest of the higher-ups strongly opposed this, insisting repeatedly that such requests violated tradition and advising them to give up hope.
In response, the Uchiha couple slapped down a massive stack of documents proving that both positions should originally have been led by the Uchiha clan, which was why those places thrived so successfully in the first place.
If these positions weren't granted, then the Uchiha would shut down the laboratory and Commercial Street entirely, leaving these higher-ups to choke on dust instead.
The higher-ups greatly disliked their "mutual destruction" strategy, immediately criticizing the couple for lacking broader vision and only focusing on short-term gains.
Watching this unfold, the Third Hokage's migraine worsened again. He couldn't understand how the very elites he'd personally promoted back then could now fixate solely on petty personal gains.
Konoha's prosperity is real prosperity—that's when he realized it was high time to purge these parasites.
"Out! All three of you—get the hell out of this conference room now! I, Hiruzen Sarutobi, hereby strip you of your seats on Konoha's elite council!" Thus, with a bold display meant to scare others into compliance, the Hokage expelled the loudest three participants from the meeting room.
These three men grumbled loudly as they left, one of them even claiming that Konoha would suffer massive losses without him remaining in the upper ranks.
The Third Hokage merely scoffed inwardly, making a mental note about him. He decided to throw this person into prison after some time had passed.
Seeing the cooling atmosphere in the conference room, he immediately seized the opportunity to make his decision known: "I hereby appoint Uchiha Kazushi as the new director of Konoha's Research Department, and Uchiha Aiko as the chief administrator of Konoha's Commercial Street."
He paused briefly, recalling the words that the notorious troublemaker always tried to say but had never successfully voiced.
Immediately leaning back with an arched eyebrow, he spoke rather forcefully: "That's it. So—who agrees? Who objects?"
With such a move from him, no one in the conference room dared to respond directly. If their reply displeased him even slightly, wouldn't they be locked away immediately?
However, Danzo, the great schemer, was not convinced. Clapping both hands on the meeting table, he stood up to voice his objection: "Hiruzen, you're practically handing these two departments over to the Uchiha!"
With a single wave of his hand, the Third Hokage easily overturned Danzo. "That's impossible," he coughed.
Staring wide-eyed at him, the Hokage fixed his gaze firmly: "Danzo, what if they really walked away? Who would bear responsibility for the village's losses then?"
Officially speaking, both the Commercial Street and the Research Department already belonged to the Uchiha. Now, they were simply returning management rights.
High-ranking officials understood the hidden meaning: It meant Kazushi and Aiko should know when to stop pushing further and refrain from making additional demands.
Maintaining control over their own small territory was currently the biggest concession Hiruzen Sarutobi, as Hokage, could offer to the Uchiha clan.
Now was exactly the period of rapid development for Konoha. The five villages that suffered losses in Uzumaki territory certainly wouldn't just give up so easily.
The Third Hokage intended to take full advantage of the current peace before war arrived, strengthening Konoha's foundation so it would surpass those five rival villages by far in both economic and military strength.
Economically, with the help of civilian merchants, Konoha had begun exporting various new inventions created by the Uchiha clan throughout the Land of Fire.
Militarily, several vehicles and other battlefield tools designed by Konoha's notorious troublemaker were also attributed to the Uchiha.
The choice was quite clear now—either let these higher-ups continue holding authority, which might lead to passive resistance and delays from the Uchiha, or allow them self-management. After all, if progress slows, there are still the Uchiha couple around to handle things.
If the four-year plan were now changed to three years instead of four, it would still work out fine.
If Shen hadn't arranged the telephone system and aircraft order by the end of year three, those two would definitely discipline him thoroughly!
This headache-inducing monster truly had a well-calculated plan—it managed to suppress the Konoha troublemaker while significantly increasing the success rates of these two projects.
He really wanted to let out a roar to the heavens, releasing the pent-up frustration he'd carried for years.
But right now, Shen was actually capable of sending "messages" to Shadow Clones.
One Shadow Clone could assemble an airplane, another could conduct research, while the original body could happily remain within Konoha playing around.
It still consumed a massive amount of chakra—possibly draining him into a dried husk within ten minutes or less.
Back in the conference room.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, confident that everything was settled, placed his hand on the table and casually said, "That concludes our discussion. This meeting is adjourned."
Without waiting for reactions from the elders, he rose first and walked out of the conference room.
Kazushi and Aiko exchanged glances, both satisfied with the Third Hokage's decision.
The couple trailed right behind the Third Hokage, walking tall as they exited the conference room.
The elders exchanged glances before one by one filing out of the room seconds later.
Today's meeting was clearly a signal showing that the Third Hokage had begun ruling with absolute authority. They all understood perfectly well that big changes were coming to Konoha.
After all the elders had left, Danzo remained alone, his face dark with fury.
He knew his childhood friend had changed his stance toward the Uchiha purely for the sake of Konoha's development.
But he felt bitter—previously, all the elders had agreed unanimously to suppress the Uchiha; now they suddenly switched sides, eagerly buttering up the very same group because they brought benefits to Konoha.
This made the mastermind start doubting whether his mentor—the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju—had actually been mistaken in policy.
It wasn't entirely unreasonable either; previously, the Uchiha were indeed a stubborn bunch, so suppressing them undoubtedly benefited Konoha.
But now the circumstances were different—the advantages the Uchiha brought to Konoha clearly overshadowed any possible threats they posed.
Besides, politicians were just fair-weather friends—never trust a word they said, not even the commas or periods.
To be a good politician meant always chasing the biggest payoff—whether for yourself or for the village.
Danzo had remained in the shadows for too long—gradually, he came to prioritize personal gains over the common good.
In contrast, Hiruzen Sarutobi always valued collective interest above all else—even willing to sacrifice himself by sealing Orochimaru's hands to eliminate anything threatening peace.
That's why their teacher, the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, chose Hiruzen Sarutobi as his successor—an act that proved his ability to put aside personal interests.
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