After listening to Hiruzen lay everything bare like that…
The three Sannin sank into a long silence, stunned.
Why had their teacher always emphasized caution and conservatism in the past?
Why did the current Hokage feel like a completely different man?
Now it all had an explanation.
Tsunade and Jiraiya exchanged a look, and both of them could see the same tangled emotions in the other's eyes.
When it came to why they didn't want to become Hokage, they shared the same reason.
It wasn't just because the job was drowning in paperwork.
On a deeper level, it was also because the previous Hokage shone too brightly…
Hashirama Senju was the God of Shinobi. His reputation didn't need to be repeated.
And the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, might not have had Hashirama's overwhelming might, but the jutsu he created and the policies he established were all a full era ahead of the shinobi world.
In a way, the fear he inspired in the enemy was almost on the same level as Hashirama's.
After all, the God of Shinobi was powerful, but he loved peace a little too much.
Tobirama, on the other hand, was the kind of ruthless man who would revive an enemy's loved ones and turn them into human bombs…
Deep down, both Jiraiya and Tsunade had once had the same thought Hiruzen confessed to.
If they became Hokage… could they really surpass the people before them?
Even if they didn't compare themselves to Hashirama Senju and Tobirama, just looking at the talent and ability Hiruzen had shown in his youth, the two of them probably couldn't match it either.
Orochimaru's gaze softened.
Compared to Jiraiya and Tsunade, he didn't feel the village's "responsibility" nearly as heavily.
What he cared about more was the bond between himself, Hiruzen, Jiraiya, and Tsunade.
Especially Hiruzen, the man who had been both teacher and father to him.
That teacher had once poured everything into him, valued him above all else… and then one day, they'd started drifting apart. That distance had become a hard knot lodged deep in his chest.
And geniuses were always proud.
Orochimaru had never considered apologizing to Hiruzen, and he didn't believe he was wrong…
He would accomplish something huge, force his teacher to see it, and then right and wrong would speak for themselves…
But today, Hiruzen had been so honest, so open.
Clearly, he still considered Orochimaru a trusted student.
And on top of that, the way he brushed off the report so lightly, the way he showed concern for him right in front of the others…
A sharp, sour ache rose in Orochimaru's chest.
Hiruzen quietly took in all three of their reactions.
At this point, his sudden change in personality had a reasonably solid explanation.
From now on, even if he did things that didn't fit the "old him," he wouldn't need to worry about it.
Just as he'd expected…
With the foundation of their teacher-student bond, even if there had been misunderstandings and distance in the past, as long as things hadn't reached the point of no return, it was always possible to talk it out.
It was different from how it worked in front of the village.
In front of the masses, Hiruzen couldn't show this side of himself. At most, he could be "enduring." Because what the shinobi needed was a reliable leader, not an old man people felt sorry for.
But with his three students, this kind of "weakness," this laying-bare of the heart, could make them feel it with him.
They were teacher and students, not just superior and subordinates.
Being too closed off, or too perfect, would create distance. Showing flaws made him feel more real, more complete, and it would stir that instinct to give back, to support him.
"Sensei… you've had it rough…"
Tsunade spoke slowly. There was a faint shimmer of tears in her eyes. "You've already been trying so hard. Don't push yourself until you break…"
So the old man's pressure had once gotten so heavy that even dying felt like relief?
And she, as his student, hadn't even noticed…
Or maybe she'd noticed something, just a trace, and still hadn't cared for him in time.
That was unforgivable.
Jiraiya's eyes were steady as he spoke in a low voice. "Sensei, don't underestimate me. Yeah, I'm your dumbest student, but I can still shoulder some of this with you!"
Orochimaru added softly, "Sensei, I'll help you."
Hiruzen smiled. "Good… with you three saying that, I feel like I've finally got solid ground under my feet."
"Right now, Konoha has a lot of problems."
"The first major problem is factionalism. The clans don't trust the village's leadership, and they don't cooperate. The Hyuga Clan is like that, and the Uchiha Clan is even worse, they're already carrying an attitude of confrontation."
"And even clans like the Inuzuka, Aburame, and Kurama, while they're willing to work with the village, the closeness of that relationship is far from ideal."
"Why?" Hiruzen tossed out the question.
"Because they don't have the Will of Fire?" Jiraiya thought hard, then offered it hesitantly.
Hiruzen laughed. "Good student. I didn't think Mount Myoboku would teach you an S-rank forbidden technique. That's a method even I, as Hokage, don't casually use, slapping a label on people…"
"And you mastered it without a teacher."
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. "So the great sage of Mount Myoboku is so mighty he's already kicking people out of Konoha, huh?"
"If you became Hokage, Konoha would probably lose a third of its population."
Tsunade couldn't hold it in either. "Jiraiya, I think you're the one with the least Will of Fire. What do you have to say for yourself?"
Jiraiya looked at Tsunade, then waved his hands awkwardly. "You're the pure-blooded, proper one. Whatever you say is right… Snake, I didn't mean it like that. I just can't figure it out…"
"Then what do you think?" Hiruzen asked.
"Probably because there's no future in it," Orochimaru said quietly.
"In the village, the people who can be called 'high level' are basically just the four of you, sensei, and at most one more, the Jonin Commander, Shikazan Nara, who barely has any presence."
"The First passed it to the Second. The Second passed it to his student, you. The other three students sit alongside you."
"And the Nara Clan is your base. Where's the room for anyone else?"
"If you're a jonin looking at that, whether you resent it or not, once the path upward is blocked, other feelings are bound to grow."
Jiraiya opened his mouth, then shut it again.
"You, the Hokage's student, don't want to be Hokage. That's your personal freedom. I'm not judging it."
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed. "But do you know how many clans would sell their pots and pans just to get the identity you have?"
Tsunade unconsciously twisted her fingers together.
Sure, her grandfather, her second grandfather, and her teacher had basically done her entire life's worth of "work" just by being Hokage.
But hearing it said out loud still made her chest feel uncomfortable.
"Good kid. No wonder you can rally a bunch of people into backing you," Hiruzen scolded with a laugh, then nodded. "Orochimaru's basically right."
"The village's promotion route is too narrow. We need to motivate the major clans and the civilian shinobi too, make them see sincerity."
Jiraiya nodded immediately. His mind was simpler, so he liked this kind of policy the moment he heard it. "So you're going to let other clans into the high level? I'm in!"
Tsunade frowned slightly. "Then do we have to accept the Uchiha Clan? And the Hyuga Clan? If they take power but keep doing whatever they want, what then?"
"It could even feed their ambition."
Jiraiya stared at Tsunade in surprise. He'd always assumed this woman only studied medicine, gambled, and drank. Since when did she have this kind of brain?
Orochimaru's pupils tightened like a snake's. "This is serious. If we wait until they enter the high level and start subversive activity, even if we kill them afterward, the village will be badly crippled."
Hiruzen looked at Orochimaru with satisfaction.
Good at research, strong, and able to follow his line of thought…
A truly useful right-hand man.
And what Orochimaru wanted, at least for now, was "research support" and a position as heir apparent.
That didn't conflict with Hiruzen.
At least, not right now.
"We need a layered structure. Not just the four who make decisions. We also need a new promotion channel among the jonin."
Hiruzen spoke slowly. "Out of a little over a hundred jonin, we establish a new tier. Around twenty people."
"These twenty shinobi will receive better待遇 than ordinary jonin. Those with administrative ability will be brought into management and given the right to participate in, and propose, village affairs."
"Those who don't want to deal with administration, like the ones who specialize in frontline combat, will receive extra subsidies in combat resources."
"That way, we solve most of the promotion-channel problem for jonin."
"As for keeping the members clean…"
Hiruzen said evenly, "the candidate list will be designated by me, the Hokage. And the main body voting will still be based on the jonin. I won't allow that step to go wrong."
Jiraiya blinked. "But that still means the Hyuga and Uchiha will take seats, right? Because if we ignore them, then…"
Tsunade nodded slightly.
Jiraiya was putting it bluntly, but he wasn't wrong. If this reform still shut the Hyuga and Uchiha out, it might actually deepen the conflict between those clans and the village.
After all, they couldn't enter the decision-making level, and now they couldn't even become core jonin either?
Orochimaru seemed to realize something. His eyes suddenly lit up, and he looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi with burning intensity. "Sensei, you already thought that far ahead, didn't you?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled and nodded.
"Thought what?" Jiraiya demanded, suddenly impatient. He leaned in beside Orochimaru so close their faces were practically touching. "Stop talking in riddles. Just say it!"
"Get away from me, idiot Jiraiya."
Orochimaru shoved him off with disgust, but there was a smile at the corner of his mouth. "It's simple. We put the great clan shinobi who lean toward the village, or who can only lean toward the village, onto the list."
"You remember, right? Sensei publicly had Hizashi Hyuga join the Anbu. As a member of the Hyuga branch house, once he accepts the Hokage's protection, he becomes one of the best candidates."
Tsunade reacted too, slamming a fist on the table.
"Wait, you two actually get it?" Jiraiya slapped the table as well. "You're seriously leaving me out? He's branch house, isn't he? He's got the Caged Bird Seal on his head…"
"Who would dare use the Caged Bird Seal on Anbu directly under the Hokage?"
Orochimaru chuckled, his eyes growing more excited. "Would they be trying to probe village secrets, or preparing a coup? The Hyuga main family doesn't have the guts."
Tsunade picked up the thread. "Exactly. As long as Hizashi Hyuga, as branch house, stands up to the main family and isn't punished, he naturally becomes a third force inside the Hyuga."
At last, Jiraiya understood. He blurted out, suddenly enlightened, "Behind him will be an endless stream of Hyuga branch house members. And they'll have to support the old man, because they need the Hokage's protection."
"And as for the other neutral clans, they just lack a path upward. They won't oppose sensei when he's the one opening the road for them…"
Jiraiya bared his teeth, marveling. "Man, man… I really can't be Hokage. Old man, how do you even think of this stuff?"
Tsunade took a big swallow of sake and laughed loudly. "Yeah. It really does feel like you've got a heart as black as Second Grandpa's, just like Great Grandpa always said!"
Hiruzen couldn't help laughing too.
Back when the First was alive, he loved vetoing the Second's ideas for no reason, always saying Tobirama wasn't "sincere" enough…
"As for the Uchiha Clan, I still haven't found a truly suitable candidate. For now, we start with the doves in the open."
Hiruzen continued, "Until there's a proper person, I won't let them into the highest level. And besides, out of the seven seats I'm envisioning, there's no need to fill them all immediately."
"Me, Danzo, Orochimaru. One seat chosen from the neutral clans. And one to represent the civilian shinobi, Sakumo."
"The remaining two seats… we use that leverage of interests to nurture dove factions inside the Hyuga and the Uchiha…"
A shiver ran down Jiraiya's spine for no reason.
Thank god he wasn't from some major clan, and had been lucky enough to be taken in by sensei. He didn't have to get tangled up in any of this.
"Hold on, sensei. Why does Snake get into the high level too?" Jiraiya finally reacted. "Hey, don't stick me under him, okay? I'm not working for him!"
"Sensei, that's a very good design," Orochimaru said.
He worked hard to suppress the upward curl of his mouth.
Sensei had casually handed him a seat. That meant he'd always had him in his heart.
"Should Orochimaru not be in?" Hiruzen asked Jiraiya, smiling.
"He should…"
Jiraiya wanted to argue, but when he thought about how Orochimaru's thinking matched sensei's so closely, he could only stubbornly huff, "It's just that I'm too lazy to deal with this stuff."
"The system is a good system," Orochimaru said. "But how do we make it real, sensei? The subsidies for jonin, the appeasement for the elders, all of that takes resources. It takes money."
"Is the village's treasury really that full? Or is the daimyo's court willing to increase the budget?"
Hiruzen looked at Orochimaru with approval.
It sounded like a cold splash, but it was a grounded question.
You couldn't build castles in the air. Everything had to start from reality.
"That's right. Without money and resources, even the best system can't land."
"So we need to increase revenue first, then reform…"
Hiruzen asked, "In the Land of Fire, who has the most money?"
"Obviously the daimyo," Jiraiya answered without thinking.
"Correct. But the daimyo is just the single richest person. In terms of class, it's the many nobles of the Land of Fire who hold the most wealth," Hiruzen said.
Jiraiya thought for a moment, then his eyes grew wary. "Sensei… you're not planning to kill those nobles, are you?"
This time Tsunade couldn't hold it at all. "Jiraiya, are you trying to kill my family? What, are you going to slap a 'no Will of Fire' label on them first, too?"
"There are still descendants of my grandfather and my father in there!"
Jiraiya waved his hands frantically. "No, no, I'm not. I'm just worried sensei's going to go too extreme…"
Orochimaru and Hiruzen both burst out laughing.
"Our population isn't large enough to take over the Land of Fire's entire system. Declaring full-scale war on the nobles would be a terrible trade."
"It would also drive the nobles to flee to enemy countries. Those countries' daimyo would then fully support the other hidden villages because of our attitude, and that would only be strengthening our enemies."
"And as Tsunade said, there are also Hokage relatives within the daimyo's court."
The delicate relationship between the daimyo's court and the hidden village wasn't just because turmoil in the shinobi world affected population and forced both sides to stay relatively united.
It was also because the daimyo's court absorbed a portion of the various Kage families.
One move could shake everything.
"So we need to make those nobles willingly take out their money…"
"And for that step, we need you," Hiruzen said slowly. From his palm, he produced a lump of earth and placed it on the table.
"Do you know what this is?"
Jiraiya and Tsunade looked at each other. This time, even Orochimaru wore a puzzled expression.
"It's… dirt, sensei?" Jiraiya said uncertainly.
"This is a special pill Konoha developed," Hiruzen declared with absolute seriousness, "made by extracting Lord Hashirama's self-healing genes, perfecting the scrolls left behind by Lord Tobirama, refined by the shinobi world's number one medical ninja, Tsunade, and the research expert Orochimaru…"
"Tested for safety by Lady Mito Uzumaki, enthusiastically recommended by the three great sage regions, Ryuchi Cave, Mount Myoboku, and Shikkotsu Forest, and possessing the qualities of gentle nourishment, life extension, elimination of hidden ailments, and even strengthening yang vitality!"
Hiruzen said it like it was the most natural thing in the world.