Chapter 253: The Meeting
A few days later.
All Ninjas of Chunin rank and above in Konoha Village were gathered in a temporarily established Underground Grand Auditorium.
Those who arrived were surprised to find that the Fourth Hokage had actually appeared there as well.
In other words, there were currently five Hokage present in Hidden Leaf Village!
The fully resurrected Second Hokage rubbed Nawaki's head.
Honestly, a living body really was more useful than an Edo Tensei body.
This time, it was the Second Hokage, not Orochimaru, who exploited the Shinigami's "bug," because Orochimaru had just used Living Corpse Reincarnation, and it was still on cooldown.
Forcing its use would damage the Soul.
To everyone's surprise, the person standing on the platform was not the Fifth Hokage, Jiraiya, but Uzumaki Naruto.
"Everyone, we are holding a meeting today."
Naruto stood behind the lectern, hands propped on the desk, looking out at everyone in the tiered seating.
"The meeting has five important topics. The first is regarding the Hidden Leaf Village Jonin Uzumaki Naruto becoming the Sixth Hokage. Who agrees, and who objects?"
What is this guy talking about?
Some Ninjas who had just returned from border duty were completely bewildered, while those who had stayed in the Village were quite calm.
He could destroy Hidden Leaf Village in an instant and rebuild it just as fast; wanting to become Hokage was just following procedure—could you actually stop him?
Jiraiya raised his right hand while looking left and right, finding that the representatives of the Hyuga, Ino–Shika–Chō, Aburame, Inuzuka, and Uchiha families had all raised their hands.
These guys are really fast!
As the Hidden Leaf Village higher-ups in the front row raised their hands, those behind them slowly followed suit.
"Good. A total of 1,378 people from the Village are attending this meeting, and 1,196 agree. The first resolution is passed."
"I will now continue to preside over the rest of the meeting in the name of the Sixth Hokage."
Thunderous applause erupted below.
Naruto pointed to the large screen behind him, which began playing clips from Princess of the Storm.
It was a clip of a Train.
"The second topic: to initiate deep cooperation with the Land of Snow, learn their technology, improve the current conditions of the Village, and make freight transport more advanced.
"There is a saying that makes a lot of sense: 'If you want to get rich, build roads first.'
For Hidden Leaf Village, for the entire Land of Fire, and even for the future of the Ninja World, building a Railway is the first step toward prosperity and strength."
He paused briefly to let the attendees digest the concept.
Thoughtful expressions appeared on the faces of many Ninjas.
"The speed of a Train might not match an elite Ninja running at full speed,"
Naruto admitted, "but as a machine, a Train's greatest advantages are its power and endurance. It can tirelessly pull thousands of tons of Materials, running day and night on fixed tracks."
His voice rose slightly, carrying a sense of certainty about planning for the future:
"This can effectively improve the capacity and efficiency of cargo transport, significantly reducing the cost and time of long-distance freight.
Whether it's transporting Hidden Leaf Village's specialties, Ninja tools, and medicinal herbs to various places, or bringing minerals, food, and raw Materials from elsewhere back to Hidden Leaf Village, everything will become more convenient and stable than ever before."
"This will greatly facilitate trade between Hidden Leaf Village and the outside world, stimulate economic development, attract investment, and create more job opportunities.
Not just for Hidden Leaf Village—once the logistics network for the entire Land of Fire is established, the changes it brings will be revolutionary."
Someone raised their hand and, after receiving Naruto's permission, stood up to ask a question.
"So, what is the construction cost of this Train? Also, how can we ensure that other countries don't blow up the Railway?"
The person asking was Fu Yamanaka.
"It's simple. As for that question, you will find out later."
Fu Yamanaka nodded and sat back down.
"The third topic."
His voice wasn't loud, yet it seemed to carry immense weight, suppressing all the noise in the hall.
"It's about the Ninja Academy. I propose to significantly strengthen education in ethics, values, and historical awareness at the Ninja Academy."
He raised his voice slightly: "We must start from the source, guiding Hidden Leaf Village's next generation to truly understand and walk the correct path of striving tirelessly for Hidden Leaf Village's prosperity and the peace of the Ninja World.
Rather than letting the 'Will of Fire' degenerate into a hollow slogan or be twisted and exploited by ambitious individuals with ulterior motives."
At this point, Naruto's gaze became sharp as a drawn blade, slowly sweeping over some of the front-row seats, especially those veteran higher-ups who had lived through the era of the Third Hokage.
"Among these, a very important principle is this:"
"If the upper beam is straight, the lower beam will be straight."
"Erroneous thoughts must be corrected and purged from the source, from top to bottom."
His words began to take on a distinctly critical tone, pointing directly at the dark side of the past:
"We cannot repeat the same mistakes. We cannot be like certain Seniors who spoke incessantly of benevolence, morality, and the Will of Fire, while secretly condoning or even participating in filthy business!"
The list of crimes he enumerated struck the hall like claps of thunder, sentence by sentence:
"Condoning Danzo Shimura and his 'Root' organization to, in the name of 'for the sake of the Village,' actually persecute fellow villagers, engage in corruption and bribery, kidnap innocent people, and assassinate talented Genius Ninjas!"
"Maliciously scheming to entrap the Village's heroes, making them shed blood and sacrifice themselves on the battlefield, while their relatives suffered cold treatment, exclusion, and even persecution in the Village—making heroes bleed and then weep!"
Every word was like a heavy hammer striking the hearts of those in the know, while also making the uninformed young Ninjas wide-eyed, looking at the silent higher-ups in disbelief.
The Third Hokage felt as if he were sitting on pins and needles, lowering his head and remaining silent.
The Second Hokage stared intently at the Third Hokage. It seemed attending this meeting wasn't a complete waste of time after all!
Finally, Naruto's gaze landed on a special spot in the front row of the hall.
Sitting there was an Edo Tensei summon with silver hair, filled with complex and emotional agitation: Sakumo Hatake.
"Here, in my capacity as the Sixth Hokage, I specifically clear the name of Senior Sakumo Hatake."
Naruto's voice was resolute, echoing through the silent hall:
"He, Sakumo Hatake, was an exceptionally outstanding and loyal Ninja who truly understood the meaning of 'comrades.'"
"His choice, his sacrifice, was not cowardice or an escape from a mission. In that twisted environment, it was an adherence to the true 'Will of Fire' and the most profound interpretation of the word 'comrade'!"
He looked around the room, his voice carrying an unquestionable power:
"It is true that the Village and Ninjas need to complete missions to receive payment and maintain operations. That is correct."
"But, let all Hidden Leaf Village Ninjas remember, and teach our juniors:"
"Comrades are more important than missions!"
"If a mission fails, we can take another."
"If a mission objective is lost, we can find another."
"But once a comrade is gone, they are very hard to find again."
He paused, his tone becoming even deeper, as if explaining the very foundation of Hidden Leaf Village's existence:
"Finally, and most importantly, I ask everyone—especially the teachers who will shoulder the heavy responsibility of educating the next generation—to ensure that every child of Hidden Leaf Village understands this."
"Hidden Leaf Village is not a cold building or political entity that appeared out of thin air."
"Hidden Leaf Village is every resident living here. It is the home built and protected together by everyone's united will, their hands, their lives, and their bonds!"
"It is not because of the name 'Konoha Village' that we, the residents, exist."
"On the contrary, it is because we 'Hidden Leaf Village residents,' who are willing to trust and support each other, have gathered together that the shining name 'Hidden Leaf Village' exists!"
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