One morning, Yagami was in his office reviewing scrolls. Having a private workspace felt truly excellent.
Purple Cat walked in. "Jonin Fox, a notice came from the Jonin Standby Station. All Anbu Jonin are required to attend the Jonin Assembly."
Yagami could finally attend these meetings—not as a security guard, but as an official Jonin of the Hidden Leaf. "Understood. I'll head over now."
At the Anbu base entrance, Yagami saw Yellow Dog, Black Ant, and Lynx. He was now on equal footing with these Battalion Commanders; for a Jonin assembly, he had to be summoned. The Anbu was touted as the Leaf's elite, but the actual number of Jonin within its ranks wasn't high. Many ninja, upon reaching the rank of Jonin, would eventually find an opportunity to leave the Anbu and become "Jonin under the sun."
Yagami glanced at Lynx. The man was one of Danzo's confidants; Yagami wondered what his specific abilities and specialties were.
The four of them left the base together and entered the assembly hall on the second floor of the Hokage building. Wearing his Fox mask, Yagami took a seat on a cushion in the third row.
One by one, the Jonin arrived. Excluding those currently on the Earth and Whirlpool fronts, as well as the Daimyo's Guardian Shinobi, there were 121 Jonin present. The first and second rows were reserved for Elite Jonin and Clan Heads. Hatake Sakumo and Tsunade, having served as battlefield vice-commanders, sat in the front row.
Finally, the village's top brass entered: Sarutobi Hiruzen, Mitokado Homura was in the Land of Earth, and Danzo was in Whirlpool—each serving as Commander-in-Chief on their respective fronts. Utatane Koharu and Nara Shikaku took their places alongside the Hokage.
Yagami thought to himself, 'So this is what it feels like to be close to power? Let's see what kind of closed-door meetings you hold away from the Chunin and Genin. What is it that can't be said in the open?'
After Shikaku signaled for silence, he spoke first:
"We have achieved a brilliant victory in the Land of Rivers. However, the Second Ninja War is far from over. The Hidden Mist has declared war on the Leaf and invaded the Land of Whirlpools. Today's agenda consists of two items. First, we will summarize the gains and losses of the Land of Rivers campaign. Second, we will discuss the mobilization of ninja to the Land of Whirlpools to end that conflict as quickly as possible. The village intends to appoint an additional Vice Commander to the Whirlpool front and dispatch twenty Jonin and one thousand ninja."
Yagami looked at Yellow Dog's back. Yellow Dog's battalion would certainly be sent. He wondered how Yellow Dog planned to secure the position of Anbu Vice Minister. The simplest way would be to achieve a monumental feat of merit, making it impossible for Danzo to oppose his promotion. Danzo's lust for power was immense; he would never willingly let others dilute his authority.
Shikaku continued:
"The war reparations from the Hidden Sand have begun to arrive. In the next few days, we will begin distributing death benefits to the families of the more than 900 ninja who sacrificed their lives. We paid a heavy price, but we completely thwarted the Sand's strategic intentions. Our quota of Guardian Shinobi for the Daimyo of Rivers and our mission shares remain secure. During the war, we destroyed Shapo Port and twenty-one oases along the Wind border. Both the Land of Wind and the Hidden Sand are now exhausted and weak; they will not pose a threat to us in the near future."
Tsunade was the first to stand up.
"The Leaf lost over 900 ninja, but the front-line medical units allowed over 600 wounded ninja to return to combat. If the village were willing to invest more medical resources, that death toll would be significantly lower than 900."
Hearing Tsunade's sharp tone, Yagami noted that only she would dare to interrupt Shikaku in such a setting. Shikaku quickly replied:
"Princess Tsunade, I am not suggesting the loss of 900 lives was due to medical inefficiency. That number is far lower than the 1,700 deaths suffered by the Sand."
Tsunade countered, "My point is that the village should increase investment in the medical field to ensure more Leaf ninja survive! The medical supplies on the River front were scarce. In the later stages, we ran out of medicine entirely; every injury and illness had to be treated solely with medical chakra. How can a medical ninja's chakra possibly handle that volume of casualties?"
Hiruzen spoke up. "Tsunade, during wartime, medicine and doctors are scarce everywhere. It's not that the village doesn't value medical care, but the Earth and Whirlpool fronts also require supplies. Naturally, the allocation to the River front was reduced."
Utatane Koharu added, "Tsunade, you can come with me to the storehouses after the meeting. The village has been dealing with multiple fronts simultaneously; our reserves are empty."
It took several high-ranking officials to finally soothe Tsunade.
Hatake Sakumo stood up next.
"As Vice Commander, I wish to address one matter as well. On the River front, we implemented a ninjutsu assessment system. Post-war statistics show that many Chunin and Genin saw significant improvements in their strength. I believe this system should be expanded village-wide, granting common elemental ninjutsu to those with excellent mission records and a spirit of sacrifice."
Shikaku was looking weary. First Tsunade, now Sakumo. He said:
"Sakumo, the effectiveness of the assessment system still needs evaluation. According to intelligence from our spies, the Sand gained a lot of intel on our Leaf ninjutsu during the war. The mass distribution of ninjutsu leads to information leaks, allowing other villages to develop specific counters. This is a risk we must consider."
Hiruzen and Koharu didn't even bother to explain further; they simply gave Sakumo a cold, dismissive look. Seeing the apathy from the top brass, Sakumo sat down, looking disappointed.
It was too difficult to push for reform. Even a simple ninjutsu assessment system faced immense resistance; a total overhaul of the ninja ranking system would be nearly impossible. If they hadn't won the war, the higher-ups would likely be looking for a way to charge Sakumo for the "mass leakage of village secrets."
Yagami thought the leadership must be having a hard time. A defiant Tsunade and an idealistic Sakumo were both causing headaches. Why couldn't all Leaf ninja just raise their hands in agreement and clap on cue? To the leadership, the ideal subordinate was one who jumped for joy while voting 'yes' and nodded frantically while applauding.
"Now, for the second item," Shikaku said. "After deliberation, the village has appointed Tsunade as Vice Commander for the Whirlpool front. She will lead twenty Jonin and one thousand ninja to the front lines."
Yagami looked at Tsunade. She didn't object; it seemed she accepted the appointment.
Following this, Shikaku began reading the names of the Jonin to be deployed. Neither Yellow Dog's nor Yagami's names were on the list—Anbu operations were only reported to the Hokage and did not require the Jonin Assembly's knowledge.
Once the names were read, the Jonin accepted the draft calmly. Some who weren't called even looked a bit disappointed.
Sakumo stood up again. "Lord Hokage, Commander Shikaku, my name should be on that list. I am willing to help the village end the Whirlpool war as quickly as possible."
Shikaku replied:
"Sakumo, the Commander-in-Chief in Whirlpool is Advisor Danzo, and the Vice Commander is Uchiha Murakumo. Princess Tsunade's arrival is intended to supplement the deficiency in medical logistics on the front lines."
"Commander Shikaku, I don't need to be a commander. Just send me to the front; I am happy to lead a single battalion."
***
Read 30 Chapters early on P-atreon.com/Redestro666