In the new year, the entire Land of Fire underwent drastic changes. After coordination from all parties and several months of deliberation, the draft details of the "Supreme Law of Fire" were finalized. This officially established the political system and power structure of the Land of Fire. Based on this supreme law, its subordinate laws will also be discussed and enacted in the future.
According to the supreme law, the Daimyo will serve as the national symbol. Specific powers will be held by the national leader jointly nominated by the Konoha Ninja Village and local lords. In the inaugural National Representative Assembly, due to the strength of Konoha Ninja Village and the checks and balances among local nobles, Fumori Masaki was elected as the national leader.
Fumori Masaki is currently the most powerful ninja in the Land of Fire, enjoying high prestige within Konoha Ninja Village. Local nobles also trust him greatly, believing he can look after the interests of every local noble without undue bias. It was only natural for him to serve as the first national leader.
After his election, Fumori Masaki swore an oath before the supreme law in front of everyone, stating his commitment to abide by its provisions and to take on the responsibility of establishing a prosperous, civilized Land of Fire where everyone can live in peace and contentment.
In response, all national representatives present applauded without exception, expressing their congratulations to the new national leader of the nascent Land of Fire.
Including other countries, whether they welcomed it or harbored concerns, all sent congratulations to the new leader of the Land of Fire. The former were allies of the Southern Alliance, while the latter were northern countries, as the emergence of a national leader from a ninja village raised doubts among various countries about their own ninja villages.
Of course, the allied countries of the Southern Alliance did not share this concern. The Southern Alliance was closely centered around the Land of Fire. After the Land of Fire promulgated its supreme law, its allies followed suit, beginning discussions on supreme laws tailored to their own situations, based on the "Supreme Law of Fire."
As for the northern countries, Fumori Masaki told his fellow disciples, "Although the relationship between their Daimyo and ninja villages is still harmonious now, if they want to keep up with the pace of the Land of Fire, they will inevitably have to adopt such measures. It's only a matter of time." He believed that such reforms would certainly appear in the northern countries in the future, differing only subtly based on each country's specific conditions.
After Fumori Masaki took office as national leader, he also held the position of Hokage. His main work was carried out within Konoha Ninja Village. According to the plan, the national administrative agencies would gradually transfer from the capital to Konoha Ninja Village. From now on, the capital would be a cultural capital, and the true administrative capital would be Konoha Ninja Village.
Because of this, some people have already proposed officially renaming Konoha Ninja Village. In the future, it should not be called Konoha Ninja Village, but Konoha Capital.
In short, under the leadership of Fumori Masaki, who held both positions, the Land of Fire began to enter a stage of rapid development. Projects that were previously constrained by the Daimyo system and could not be fully integrated began to advance significantly.
In the following year, a new development caused a stir throughout the country: the qualified plant material, responsible for guiding natural energy, finally appeared. This material was managed by Nawaki, Tsunade's younger brother. It could guide any power with natural energy properties, such as Tailed Beast Chakra and Dragon Vein Chakra.
According to the report from the Scientific Research Department, burying these plant materials underground to form conduits could connect chakra transmission across various parts of the country, facilitating the use of certain large-scale chakra technologies. Some even boldly suggested that the information age, as depicted in the fairy tales written by Fumori Masaki, could be realized with the emergence of this new material.
Fumori Masaki attached great importance to this, demanding that it be treated as top secret, with the Scientific Research Department responsible for its research and other departments providing assistance. Due to the high-level attention, Nawaki's reputation soared.
As the grandson of Hashirama Senju, and possessing the Wood Release kekkei genkai, he had been responsible for related research since childhood, with far less public recognition than his sister Tsunade. As the saying goes, he who does not sing, sings to amaze. Even though he gave up his childhood dream of becoming Hokage, through his research into new plant materials, he suddenly became the focus of public attention.
Looking at Nawaki on the newspaper's front page, Tsunade couldn't stop smiling. Hattori Hanzō and Hatake Sakumo, sitting beside her, found it a bit hard to watch, thinking her smile was a bit too much. Hatake Sakumo lightly coughed and said, "Tsunade, try to be a little more reserved. This is in public."
"He's my little brother, you know. How can I not be happy?" Although Tsunade was a forthright and generous woman, she still had a certain degree of reserve. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself down, then looked at her brother's image in the newspaper again. He looked so confident and full of glory. The more she looked, the happier she became.
Due to his achievements in new plant material research, Nawaki was on par with research masters like the ninjutsu expert Orochimaru and the Wind Wing research pioneer Fumori Akemi. In today's Konoha Ninja Village, even without military achievements, such contributions could earn him universal respect.
"He probably never imagined when he was little that, let alone becoming Hokage, he wouldn't even become a combat ninja, but would achieve what he has today through researching special plant materials," Tsunade said, putting down the newspaper and addressing the two.
"Let alone him, even we couldn't have imagined this," Hatake Sakumo said. "After Sensei became the national leader of the Land of Fire, the entire country's development has accelerated, almost to the point of changing with each passing day."
"This is just the beginning. According to the high-level plans, many new things are yet to emerge, including administration, science, commercial entertainment, military, and so on," Tsunade counted them off one by one. "I originally thought Sensei Kazamori had already done amazing things in the past, but now it seems I thought too simply."
"Sensei has high hopes for the future. He is now working hard for what's to come, and we must also assist him well," Hatake Sakumo said.
"Speaking of which, you should have already decided, right?" Hattori Hanzō looked at Hatake Sakumo. "That matter about you serving as a Guardian."
Given that the supreme law must be thoroughly enforced, and considering that chakra leads to extraordinary individual power, there must be other forces to check the national leader. Therefore, after discussions by national representatives, an institution will be established that is not accountable to the national leader or the Hokage personally, but directly to the supreme law.
Such a Guardian Corps must not only be composed of powerful chakra practitioners but also possess noble character, capable of upholding the dignity of the supreme law and preventing anyone from violating it by force.
Although Hatake Sakumo was Fumori Masaki's student, his decisive and upright character was recognized by all parties during the Second Shinobi World War. Even with this connection, many people believed that Hatake Sakumo would certainly uphold the supreme law, and would not condone even his closest associates violating it.
"It's hard to say," Hatake Sakumo smiled.
"Is it because of that matter?" Tsunade smiled mischievously, hinting at something. Although she didn't say it explicitly, the others immediately understood, and Hatake Sakumo's face showed an embarrassed expression.
Now that peace had entered, with the end of the Uchiha Katsuya incident, Asuna's responsibilities were finally lifted. Apart from her daily work, she could consider her own life. With her family's tacit approval and mutual recognition, Hatake Sakumo and Asuna's relationship was officially established. Even Asuna's sister Akemi and Orochimaru also confirmed their relationship.
Since Hatake Sakumo became the son-in-law of the Kazamori family, his appointment as a Guardian naturally required more consideration.
However, Hatake Sakumo believed he had a clear conscience. He also highly approved of the supreme law, as it was jointly promulgated through coordination among all parties, and naturally protected the interests of all. He also believed that his teacher (or future father-in-law) would not take actions that violated the supreme law. After all, the supreme law was first proposed by Fumori Masaki.
Fumori Masaki attached great importance to the restraint of power. He believed that while he currently held the responsibilities of both national leader and Hokage, such a concentration of power in one person must not occur in the future. The system of collective leadership was to be implemented not only within Konoha Ninja Village but throughout the entire country.
In the planned outline, responsibilities such as judiciary and supervision would no longer be solely handled by the Hokage. Proposals for judicial independence have already begun discussion, and corresponding judicial institutions are to be established. The Guardian Corps is also a type of supervisory institution.
Such a restraint of power was also a reassuring matter for the ninja clans within the village. While Fumori Masaki's peers all trusted him, they also carried the interests and needs of their own clans. Fortunately, Fumori Masaki was understanding and able to balance all parties, bringing peace of mind.
And when their own families no longer had to worry about their survival, as long as they could get what they deserved under the new system, people like Hiruzen Sarutobi would fully assist. They were not insatiable people and understood that an overly expanded family would invite trouble. This clear understanding would make them cooperate in restraining their families. They could take what they deserved, but they had to stay clear-headed about what they couldn't touch and not push their luck.
Currently, a political organization called the "Shinobi Socialist Association," which represents the interests of the people of the Land of Fire and is based on the New Shinobi Sect ideology, is being established. It will become the ruling organization of Konoha, reorganizing Konoha's existing systemic framework within it. Its origins trace back to the ancient Shinobi Sect, and it is now established by the standards of a new era.
Anyone who recognizes the New Shinobi Sect ideology can join after passing an assessment and receive instruction on how to use chakra. The reason is simple: because of the existence of chakra, all high-level national officials need to have the strength to protect themselves and cannot rely solely on others. In the future, with the widespread application of chakra, it will be very difficult to live in the new society if one cannot use chakra.
The popularization of chakra is a trend of the times. Although it is somewhat troublesome, as long as the inheritance of techniques is strictly regulated, it can be controlled. More importantly, the Shinobi Association will play a role in political reform and ideological unification. Because forming a group based on ideology will further bridge the gap between ordinary people and chakra practitioners, and unified ideological reform will make them self-disciplined and restrain their behavior. Once it forms a strong momentum, it will not be something that a small group of old-era people can change.
To ensure such a trend, the Shinobi Association will inevitably undergo continuous self-improvement and self-transformation, establishing sound internal democracy and ensuring that it does not deviate from the correct path through collective leadership. As long as it operates well, there will generally be no major problems.
In the future, the Shinobi Association will establish subordinate organizations nationwide to cultivate new members and strengthen the association's power. In time, even if they are not from Konoha Ninja Village, they will be the fundamental force for Konoha to lead the country, becoming grassroots officials managing the country. Currently, Konoha Ninja Village and local nobles jointly govern, but in the future, it will be a situation where the Shinobi Association, centered around Konoha, leads, with other nobles or political organizations assisting.
If one is not from the Shinobi Association, they might be able to climb to relatively high positions, but they will never reach the highest position in the country. The vast majority of positions, including important ones, in the Land of Fire must be held by those from the Shinobi Association. The Shinobi Association, established on the foundation of Konoha, is the ruling organization of the country and is absolutely unshakable.
Hatake Sakumo and others will inevitably join it. After joining the Shinobi Association, in addition to chakra training, they must also pay attention to daily learning and improve their other abilities. The Shinobi Association is not a military organization like Konoha Ninja Village; its functions are more complex, requiring higher administrative capabilities, and purely military organizations will be placed under the management of the Shinobi Association.
Within the Shinobi Association, numerous departments will be established to maintain its normal operation. The Jōnin Representative Council, which originally only voted for the Hokage, will take on more responsibilities. Their deliberative power will be increased, and they will play their part in all aspects of the Shinobi Association.
"In the future, we must work hard. No matter where we are assigned, we must not forget what our goals are," Hatake Sakumo said.
The two nodded.
A few months later, the charter of the Shinobi Association was officially promulgated. The ninjas within Konoha reorganized and joined based on actual circumstances. After internal discussion and election, Fumori Masaki was appointed Chief of the Shinobi Association, while Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzō Shimura were appointed Vice-Chiefs. They, along with Kagami Uchiha, Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, and Torifu Akimichi, formed the Deliberative Council to comprehensively lead the activities of the Shinobi Association.
Although many people joined the Shinobi Association due to the influence of the Shinobi Sect revival movement, it was still insufficient for comprehensively leading the Land of Fire. The nascent Shinobi Association still needed to undergo the tempering of time to mature. When that day arrived, it would be the moment to comprehensively lead the Land of Fire.
Facing the vibrant Konoha, other countries knew they had to embark on a path of reform, and their activities had already begun. Even the remote Land of Water, after internal struggles, saw the aging Third Mizukage step down. The newly appointed Fourth Mizukage, while engaging with the Shinobi Continent, was also planning long-distance explorations... The wheels of time had completely turned in a different direction. No one knew where they would lead, but the high-ranking Konoha officials, centered around Fumori Masaki, would undoubtedly continue to strive and contribute to the new era.