Chapter 85: The Courage to Reform
The aftermath of the Six Kage Summit and the war reparations would be handled by specialists. Even the most important matters could be relayed back to the villages. There was no need for the Kage to remain in the Land of Iron.
The newly minted Amekage, Hanzo of the Salamander, of course, had a long and thorough discussion with his "big brother," the Third Raikage.
Upon returning to the Hidden Cloud, the Third Raikage and his party, along with the "Special Attack Force" that had withdrawn from the Land of Rain, were greeted with the grandest of welcomes. The Cloud was a martial village, and its war heroes were held in the highest esteem. The welcoming committee, organized by the village elders and clan heads, stretched from the main gate all the way to the Raikage's tower. To allow everyone to fully savor the joy of victory and to allow the heroes to bask in the village's adoration, the procession took nearly an hour.
The return of the war heroes sent the village into a frenzy. The tales of the "Three Hundred Spartans of the Cloud" and the "Four Heroes of Mount Tenmoku" had become legendary. Everyone in the streets could tell you a story or two, especially the imaginative students of the Ninja Academy, who spoke with such authority you would think they had been riding on the Third Raikage's shoulders during the battle.
And after this war, not to mention the already famous Third Raikage and Hanzo, or the rising star Arashi Yotsuki, the youngest of the "Four Heroes," the one with the powerful Kekkei Genkai, Yotsuki Dana, had officially stepped into the spotlight. He was now a world-renowned genius. All the major powers were desperately trying to gather information on him. He had become a person of interest for every village, the brightest new star of the ninja world. And in the Hidden Cloud, he had earned the embarrassing title of "The Noble Prince of the Cloud."
Yes, the little girls in the Ninja Academy who had first come up with the name had formed some kind of strange fan club and were spreading the ridiculous moniker everywhere.
Many in the ninja world were either dismissive or shocked. But among the younger generation, many now looked up to Yotsuki Dana as their goal.
Onoki, in particular, who had faced him in battle, was convinced that he would become a major problem in the future and had secretly placed a bounty on his head in the underground exchange. Whether it would be effective or not, the bounty was there, and the price was high.
It was unknown if any foolhardy individuals would try to hunt the son of the Third Raikage, the number one genius of the Hidden Cloud, for a bounty.
And while the village was still in a state of revelry, the high-level leadership had already gotten back to work.
The Cloud's leadership had already prepared a package of reforms, waiting for the end of the war, the time of least resistance.
Dana, the Third Raikage, Dodai, and the Yotsuki clan elders had prepared everything.
The war had shown that the combat effectiveness of an elite ninja far surpassed that of an ordinary one. In a high-level battle, Chunin and Genin didn't even have the right to be cannon fodder. Therefore, the village's method of training ninja would be changed. Graduating from the Ninja Academy at the age of twelve was too barbaric. Following the establishment of the advanced ninja school, a further "specialized" ninja school would be created, even if it was small in scale.
This would correspond to the three stages of Genin, Chunin, and Jonin. The traditional master-apprentice system was too inefficient. Even a famous master might only ever train one successful student to carry on their legacy. The chances of the legacy being diluted with each generation were much higher.
And those with average combat talent were not unimportant. At Dana's suggestion, the Cloud would gradually divide its ninja into two different categories: research-type and combat-type.
Research-type ninja would have their own independent evaluation standards, also with the three ranks of Jonin, Chunin, and Genin. They would be assigned to the ninja hospital, research departments, the sealing corps, and even the Ninja Academy, to meet the growing demand for research and education.
Those with combat talent would become combat-type ninja. Not everyone could apply. At the very least, you had to have the potential to become an elite Chunin or a Special Jonin. As for the ordinary ninja who were not good at either, especially the perennial Genin, it was a waste of both their time and the village's.
In the final year of their training, the children of the Ninja Academy would be given the choice of which path to follow. If their talent in both areas was mediocre, they would, as before, graduate at the age of twelve and become Genin.
Dana estimated that, for now, most would still choose to become combat ninja. It was more in line with the traditional concept of a ninja. But the foundation for the research-type ninja had to be laid now. The secrets of chakra, the development of ninjutsu, the treasures of the human body, the profound art of sealing—all of these required researchers.
Of course, extending the training period, though it might result in a higher success rate, would also increase the village's education expenses. At the same time, dismantling the master-apprentice system would face some resistance from the ninja clans. The Cloud was much better off than Konoha in this regard, but there was still resistance. If the clans were to selfishly hoard their traditions and experience, it would greatly hinder the reforms and slow the village's development. And this was not something that could be forced.
But the Third Raikage, with a courage that was truly astonishing, had come up with a plan that had surprised even Dana.
Upon his return, he had personally met with the Yotsuki clan elders and the various factions within the clan, one by one, and had either persuaded or forced them to agree.
The "blacksmith's shop" project, which had been entirely controlled by the Yotsuki clan, a massive enterprise that spanned half the ninja world, monopolized the economies of several countries, and brought in a fortune, would be handed over to the village.
Before the war, during that late-night meeting, the Third Raikage had told Dana and Nakazawa that the time was not yet right. When Dana had asked when the time would be right, he had said it would be won in battle.
Now, the time had come.
The Yotsuki clan would transfer the management and a portion of the ownership of the "blacksmith's shop" project to the village for a price. The original personnel and structure would remain unchanged. The Yotsuki would retain a 40% stake. Of the village's 60%, 20% would be secretly sold to the other clans within the village, 10% would be centrally managed, with the dividends given to the village's outstanding non-clan ninja, and the rest would become a new source of revenue for the village.
The clans would have to pay to get in, and they would only have dividend rights. The money they paid, plus a contribution from the village, would be used to compensate the Yotsuki.
This was a fire sale. It was practically giving money and industries to the other clans.
But to get in, they had to promise to fully support all of the village's reforms. And all clans and individual ninja had to acknowledge the village's right to collect taxes from now on. This tax would no longer be limited to a cut of mission fees, but would be a gradually perfected system, and would even include the income of the "blacksmith's shop" project itself.
From now on, the relationship between the village and its ninja, especially the clans, would be much closer, and the village's finances would have two new, important sources of revenue.
The Third Raikage had used his own family's business as the foundation for a grand project that everyone in the village could participate in.
"Dana," he said, "many years ago, you told me that the village was not deeply involved in the daily lives of its ninja. I have never forgotten those words. From this day forward, the Hidden Cloud will be completely different."
The Third Raikage laughed heartily.
Dana guessed that a lot of the clan elders would be grumbling about this.
"In a few months, you'll be fourteen," his father said. "Fifteen by East Asian reckoning. Rounding up, you're about at that age."
"What age?" Dana asked curiously.
"You haven't forgotten you have an engagement, have you?" the Third Raikage said with a teasing smile.
"..."