Sarutobi Hiruzen shifted his gaze toward the portrait of Senju Tobirama hanging in the office and smiled faintly.
He clasped his hands together in a small salute.
The core reason this conversation with Shimura Danzō had gone so smoothly was that he had used the reputation of "Senju Tobirama's disciple" as a guarantee.
Rounding it off, it was essentially cashing in some of the Second Hokage's credit.
However, loans alone would not do. He still had to give Danzō a bit of sweetness—enough to make him feel that he was actually coming out ahead…
When it came to internal conflicts, political credit was extremely important.
"Those fan-made videos focus on sensationalized retellings of history and contain little in the way of serious substance."
Hiruzen reflected on his own intelligence advantage: "At present, there are two points that can be confirmed. First, evaluations of me—videos from my previous life show a polarized trend, but both sides believe that if I had done better, many tragedies could have been avoided…"
"That means there are many possible angles from which my work can be carried out, and most people can be brought over."
"Second, this world seems to have an issue of deus ex machina. Personal strength absolutely cannot be allowed to slacken."
As Hiruzen analyzed the current situation, he also pondered the five major modules within his consciousness.
Authority, diplomacy, economy, military, education…
Aside from combat awareness—which still required a bit of refinement and integration—these were the primary sources of his strength.
As for what kind of help they could provide, that was still uncertain at present.
But when compared against the memories he had processed while feigning illness, relative to his former self, he had now not only eliminated his hidden ailments—his body was markedly healthier, and his energy was also extraordinarily abundant…
Worthy of his trust.
Looking at these five major modules, Hiruzen smiled with relief.
This was far too familiar to him…
This was simply a minimalist version of a performance evaluation form!
It required him to push every aspect of Konoha upward with full effort.
All five aspects had to be grasped; all five fingers had to be strong!
But for Hiruzen, this counted as a blessing.
Having obtained a body capable of flying through the skies and moving freely through the earth, and being able to experience life in a new world…
What was wrong with doing some work for the village!
"Let's first take a look at the scroll Danzō left behind," Hiruzen said, leafing through it carefully.
This was clearly Danzō splashing dirty water on Orochimaru; of course, he did not believe it was a truthful record.
However, this dirty water was mixed with some truth, and still had partial reference value.
It could only be said that the old man had swiftly stepped into the role of a Hokage candidate.
He had already begun tripping up his competitors…
As for the current Konoha—
Although the vast majority of people still believed that Orochimaru would succeed Hiruzen's position.
In the past, his favoritism toward Orochimaru had been very obvious.
Yet some people at the highest level had already keenly noticed that, since the Second Shinobi World War, the relationship between the Third Hokage and his beloved disciple seemed to have undergone certain changes…
"Using transactions to exchange for experimental subjects from clans within the Land of Fire that have not joined Konoha?"
"Iburi Clan, Tsuchigumo Clan…"
"Ninjas from other countries abducted by Root…"
When he saw that some of the experimental subjects were not very old, Hiruzen instinctively felt discomfort.
After smoking half a pouch of tobacco, he quickly accepted the reality and reminded himself inwardly: This was a world where, several decades ago, children were already fighting and killing on the battlefield.
So-called geniuses of the present—teenage youths—having dozens of lives on their hands was an everyday occurrence.
It was, in every sense, an age of chaos.
"Orochimaru is indeed a valuable talent, and a rare research-type one at that. After all, science and technology are the primary productive forces."
"Ways must be found to maximize the use of his talent…"
"But he must be brought under supervision. Ninjutsu development cannot be allowed to become a runaway horse!"
"Discarding bottom lines under the banner of research will only cause public trust and the direction of progress to collapse. Even if there are short-term dividends, they are far outweighed by long-term, hidden losses."
Hiruzen pondered this.
Orochimaru was a disciple he had treasured greatly since childhood; when Orochimaru was young, their relationship could be described as that of father and son.
But after he became Hokage, his extremely conservative style of governance gradually came into conflict with the Orochimaru who had grown up.
So much so that after the Second Shinobi World War, Orochimaru had instead been more willing to work with the cruder and more unrestrained Root, under Danzō's command!
This was undoubtedly a failure on his part—as Hokage and as a teacher.
But fortunately, there was still room for salvage.
From what he could tell from his memories, he and Orochimaru had not yet had any open, head-on conflict. Rather than a clash of political views, it was more like a son throwing a tantrum, leaving home to strike out on his own…
Hiruzen contemplated the direction of the future.
The difficulties before him were tangled and numerous: the combat power shortcomings exposed by the Second Shinobi World War, outdated systems, and the looming shadow of the next war; internal fiscal shortages, divisions at the top, and tensions between the ninja clans and the Hokage Tower.
"The best approach is to make the cake bigger—use the distribution of new interests to correct old abuses. But making the cake itself is difficult."
Hiruzen understood clearly that the core of the Hokage's role was to ensure the village could both fight and afford it.
Being able to fight was not something that could be achieved overnight.
But as for "making money," he already had ideas.
Konoha's finances relied on allocations from the daimyō's residence and mission rewards.
He had once considered using force to take over the daimyō's residence, but after reviewing those memories, he temporarily set the idea aside.
High risk, low return.
By rough estimation, the population of the Land of Fire easily numbered in the tens of millions. Although ninja held an advantage in force, they lacked administrative capacity and could not replace hundreds of thousands of bureaucrats.
Having the already limited number of ninja take on tax collection would further erode combat strength.
Moreover, the Land of Fire's tax system was outdated. If there were no wars, several generations later the ninja might naturally come to hold power like shoguns. But at present, the ninja population was too small—acting rashly would only drive the nobility to flee and give enemy villages an excuse to mobilize troops.
Hiruzen organized the documents in his hands.
This was the "money bag" he had prepared for Konoha.
"Snatching taxes directly from the nobles is difficult, but getting them to spend money voluntarily is much easier."
"Harvesting the rent-seeking class requires selling anxiety, selling health—and adding sexual enhancement as eye-catching bait."
Whenever sexual enhancement was involved, men were always willing to pay far beyond reason just to try it.
Longevity, health, and sexual vitality—bundle all three into a "Konoha Special Vitality Formula," and it would immediately become a flagship product throughout the shinobi world.
Why would those nobles not rush to empty their pockets, stuffing money into his hands while shouting, 'Hokage-sama, I want more!'?
Hiruzen was confident this move could not be copied by others.
With stories of Hashirama's seal-less self-healing, Tobirama's reputation as a ninjutsu inventor, and Mito's Yin Seal—three top-tier IPs providing endorsement; with Orochimaru and Tsunade, the foremost medical ninja of the shinobi world, handling real-time tuning; with medicinal texts from the Akimichi and Nara clans used as reference; and with himself—rejuvenated—serving as a living advertisement—
Who cared whether it was a cheat ability or just a supplement?
As for the actual effects…
As long as it worked a little and did not kill anyone, it was enough. A placebo effect plus a bit of real substance would already do the job!
"So many ideas—but carrying them out step by step is the hardest part…"
Hiruzen sighed inwardly.
The first step was to re-establish a solid teacher–student relationship with Orochimaru.
Hiruzen shifted his gaze toward the black materials Danzō had left behind.
These were important tools.
...
Sarutobi clan grounds, the Hokage residence.
Hiruzen returned to the spacious and brightly lit estate.
As soon as he arrived home, Sarutobi Biwako brought servants with her to remove his straw hat and ceremonial robes.
At a glance, the house was spotless.
"Hiruzen, you've worked hard today. What would you like to eat tonight?"
Biwako asked softly.
In the past, whenever he returned home, a hot meal would already be prepared; if he came back late, she would have ANBU deliver it to the Hokage Tower.
But today, for once, he had left work early, and she had not yet finished making arrangements.
The former Hiruzen almost worked overtime until late every night. When he returned home, he would be so exhausted that he had no appetite, often unable to finish even a single bowl of rice.
"Tonight I'm having Orochimaru come over to eat at home. It's set for six o'clock…"
Hiruzen thought for a moment. "He likes hot food. Make sure there are apples and eggs; the rest can be anything. Warm two pots of sake."
"Thank you for the trouble."
Biwako lifted her head in surprise. Looking at the Hokage—who seemed a bit younger and stood more upright—she smiled, slightly shy.
"What are you saying?"
As she left, her light, brisk figure made Hiruzen feel somewhat reflective.
So easy to reassure!
Rather than simply a wife, it would be more accurate to say that Biwako was the "chief steward" of the entire Hiruzen household. She never defied his instructions, and she handled clothing, food, housing, and daily life with meticulous care.
Even matters of the marital bed were decided by Hiruzen alone…
It could only be said that this feudal shinobi clan did indeed have aspects worth appreciating!
Hiruzen strolled to the rear compound, changed into training clothes, and headed for the training grounds.
Although his numerical attributes had increased, situational reactions and execution still accounted for a large portion of one's strength.
The same top-tier account, in the hands of an expert versus a novice, could produce results worlds apart.
Training was something that could never be relaxed, not even for a moment.
...
On the training ground.
"Senju… Uchiha…" Hiruzen silently recited the two surnames in his mind as he swung the staff to warm up. The staff cut through the air, producing a low hum.
He thought as he moved, merging thought with combat instinct.
In his memories, the two legendary shinobi—Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara—had left an immense impression on him.
In the present shinobi world, Hiruzen should be considered a top-tier expert… but he was still not on the same level as those two.
Studying history was a good way to understand the world.
"From ancient times onward, every few decades to a century, the Uchiha and the Senju would each produce a generation-defining shinobi, who would lead the entire shinobi world into war…"
The steel staff spun once in his palm, stirring a faint sound as it cut the air.
"And each time, they appeared in neat opposition, locking the Warring States pattern in place for nearly eight hundred years—until Madara and Hashirama unprecedentedly joined hands, finally breaking the deadlock."
"Was it a coincidence?"
The Sarutobi clan records stated that the Senju and the Uchiha were descendants of sages in ancient times, but between the lines there was an unmistakable sense of mythic vagueness.
Could it be that the true protagonists of this world were the "Senju" and the "Uchiha"?
But even so—what of it?
The problems facing Hiruzen were not things that could be solved by waiting for some "heaven-sent savior."
What was plainly visible was that another Shinobi World War would erupt within a few years. Who knew when the Senju and the Uchiha would manage to produce another such pair?
Moreover, aside from the pair of Madara and Hashirama, the other so-called "generation-defining Senju and Uchiha" recorded in the historical annals were not all as overwhelmingly invincible as those two.
The strength described in the records could only be called outstanding—not to the point of driving people to despair.
"If a truly godlike figure were to appear, the Senju would be manageable at least. The Second Hokage dispersed the clan and integrated them into Konoha; in the end, they would still stand on the village's side."
"But what about the Uchiha?"
The moment he thought of the Uchiha clan, Hiruzen felt a splitting headache.
Absurd—there was actually a ninja clan with such a setting?
Innately delicate in temperament, bearing profound love in their hearts, yet once struck by trauma they could undergo drastic personality changes; the reflection of the heart manifested in the eyes as the Sharingan, and immersion in power bred arrogance…
Just hearing it sounded troublesome—like a clan burdened with some terrifying, hereditary psychological disorder.
Even more problematic was that although the Uchiha were original stakeholders of Konoha and possessed tremendous value in terms of unified combat power, they always managed to step on political landmines and cross bottom lines when it came to governance.
First, Madara inexplicably left the village and fought Hashirama to the death, indirectly causing the First Hokage's early demise.
Fortunately, the clan members did not follow Madara in rebellion and instead all remained within Konoha.
Then, during the Second Hokage's era, Uchiha Setsuna launched a hawkish revolt. After it was suppressed by Senju Tobirama, the dovish faction finally rose, shedding blood for the village during the First Shinobi World War and, in effect, paying their blood tax.
But now that it was his turn to govern, the hawkish faction was once again stirring.
The Uchiha clan was difficult to deal with, but as Hokage, he could never seek convenience by resorting to crude, one-size-fits-all measures—brutally isolating the Uchiha, or even cutting them out entirely…
Besides, the village's governance performance was right there in plain view.
If he could make the Uchiha clan develop genuine, wholehearted loyalty toward Konoha, Hiruzen believed his governance performance would rise by no small margin…
"The strongest fortress is often breached from within…"
"If only someone could be found within the Uchiha who could carry out my will."
"But that's difficult. This person would need to understand the Uchiha thoroughly, possess the strength to overawe others, and also comprehend my line of thinking…"
Hiruzen sighed at the thought, recognizing that his expectations were somewhat idealized, and focused fully on his training.
He shook the sweat from his brow, feeling refreshed throughout his body.
Ever since his transmigration, this body had grown stronger by the day. Even his previously stalled insights into ninjutsu seemed to have loosened, awaiting verification one by one.
In his youth, he had been a tall, well-built man, but when the position of Hokage suddenly fell upon him, the pressure was as if it had condensed into a mountain—crushing his spirit with exhaustion, and even causing his height and build to visibly shrink.
The body was a carrier of political authority. Although true authority should transcend superficial appearance and be built upon achievements… abnormal aging was clearly detrimental to prestige.
In a sense, the rise of the Uchiha hawkish faction was also related to the image of his earlier physical decline.
"A clan that worships strength?" Hiruzen swung the steel staff hard. The air burst outward, sending sand and gravel flying across the training ground.
As the staff rose and fell, insights into technique and battlefield experience gradually fused into one. In the alternation between restraint and release, every strike carried a seamless unity of mind and body, and an added vigor—fresh, fierce, and brimming with life.
The balance of hardness and softness in the staff techniques also seemed to mirror the approach Hiruzen intended to take in dealing with the Uchiha clan.
And at that moment—
Orochimaru stood at the entrance of the training ground, staring at that familiar yet unfamiliar ferocious figure, frozen in place.
This… was the sensei who had invited him over for dinner?!