Hiruzen Sarutobi took a long, satisfied drag from his pipe.
Lighting it had been a small thing. It involved no transfer of power, no shift in authority.
Everyone present had known each other for decades.
And yet it meant something.
This time, Danzo Shimura had truly acknowledged what Hiruzen was saying. He genuinely wanted to hear the rest.
Not as a rival for the Hokage seat.
Not as the leader of Root.
Just listening to the content itself.
How many years had it been since a moment like this?
Even Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado could not remember.
"Danzo," Hiruzen said calmly, "forget the benefits to the village and the Jonin for now. Tell me, what advantages does establishing the 'Konoha Commissioners' bring to me as Hokage?"
"Don't mention opening a promotion path for them. Even a Chunin could figure that out."
He exhaled a stream of smoke.
Danzo frowned and began thinking seriously.
Koharu and Homura considered the question as well.
After a while, Danzo spoke.
"For the Jonin, it would motivate them, as you said. They'd create more value."
"For the village, if loyalty is ensured, it would probably operate more efficiently."
"But for you, as Hokage… aside from the gratitude of those you promote…"
He shook his head. "You'd gain more time. That's about it."
"Time is certainly part of it."
"Consolidating grassroots demands would let me focus on strategy and leave me space to train."
Hiruzen nodded, affirming his reasoning, then smiled faintly.
"Let me say something that might interest you."
Danzo's lips twitched slightly.
Interest me? I lit your pipe because you forgot your lighter.
"With these twenty people in place, future conflicts within the village will no longer focus solely on the Hokage."
Hiruzen's tone remained mild.
"They will serve as a buffer between the Hokage and the Jonin and Chunin. From now on, a large number of demands, disputes, and operational errors will have clear, specific individuals responsible."
"They will interface directly with the shinobi and the clans. Whether it's workplace issues, resource complaints, or misunderstandings that escalate into conflict, the accountability will land on named members of the upper structure."
"That is human nature. When something goes wrong, most people do not blame themselves first."
"With the Konoha Commissioners in place, they will bear that responsibility. Meanwhile, the Hokage can step in after issues arise, adjust direction, deal with incompetent personnel, and in doing so actually gain prestige from the resolution."
Hiruzen glanced at Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane.
"The Administrative Department deals with the Land of Fire. You two must have heard the common saying among civilians."
'The daimyo is good. It's the ministers who carry out his orders poorly.'
"It's the same principle."
Homura and Koharu exchanged a stunned look.
What happened to him? Did nearly dying unlock enlightenment?
"That saying does exist," Koharu admitted. "I've thought about the concept before, vaguely. I didn't expect you to have refined it and applied it to village governance."
"I fully support this proposal."
Homura nodded. "Hiruzen has explained it clearly and logically. I agree."
Danzo's eyes widened slightly as he processed every word with growing excitement.
So that's how it can be used?
This monkey is ruthless.
The faint thread of realism woven into Hiruzen's thinking struck directly at Danzo's instincts.
"As senior leadership, our most important task is to establish a healthy system, observe its operation, and adjust it as circumstances change."
"No system is free of competing interests. Conflict is not inherently bad. In any organization, it is as natural as eating and drinking."
"If we want Konoha's future secured, if we want enough authority to carry out the next reform, we must learn to act as referees who mediate disputes, not as players on the field."
Hiruzen spoke with deliberate weight.
Koharu and Homura offered light applause.
Danzo listened, increasingly exhilarated, as if he had just received sacred teachings.
Not only was Hiruzen revealing genuine insights, he was exposing his own governing philosophy.
Hiruzen caught the shift in Danzo's expression.
"Danzo, I need you to change your way of thinking."
"The buffer layer bears responsibility for the Hokage, but it also provides upward mobility. There will be matching benefits and honors."
"What I've just said could be printed by our enemies and handed to the entire village. No one would object."
"Why? Because this system creates a win-win between the shinobi and the upper leadership. If you keep applying the Root mentality you use against enemies, you will never earn true loyalty."
His tone sharpened.
"You gave your word publicly. If I find you clinging to your old mindset, don't blame me for forgetting past friendship."
Danzo stiffened. He wanted to retort.
But facing Hiruzen, he swallowed the impulse.
"I understand."
"Good." Hiruzen nodded. "The framework is clear. Now we assign tasks."
"Danzo, Koharu, Homura. Each of you draft a list of roughly thirty candidates for Konoha Commissioner. Mark their proposed responsibilities and your reasons for recommendation."
Koharu frowned slightly. "Hiruzen, aren't we selecting twenty?"
"I also plan to establish about ten reserve positions," Hiruzen replied with a smile. "A larger pool helps clarify consensus. I will choose from your lists and add a few names of my own."
Homura felt reassured. "Understood. I will treat this seriously."
It was a sign of the Hokage's trust.
But in Danzo's ears, something else echoed.
Was that a warning not to stuff the list with personal loyalists?
Cross-referenced lists. Hokage final selection.
Or was he overthinking it?
Hiruzen's earlier lesson had left the so-called darkness of the shinobi world unusually wary.
"Koharu, Homura, release word to the upper circles of the Land of Fire. Say that Konoha has achieved major breakthroughs in human body research, and that I, as Hokage, have already benefited."
Hiruzen's tone turned grave.
"This concerns a major future interest of the village. Execute it thoroughly and report back on reactions. I will brief you on details later. For now, just act."
They both acknowledged the order seriously.
"Promote Sakumo Hatake to Deputy Director of the Anbu."
Danzo's expression shifted. A trace of dissatisfaction flickered inside him.
That puts him on my level.
When Root was dismantled, this had been the position Hiruzen publicly designated for him.
"Danzo, show me that you can maturely command a large department."
"If you want to do more for the village, prove it."
Hiruzen's voice lowered.
"You have two missions. One urgent. One long-term."
"The Lightened Boulder Jutsu of Tsuchikage Ohnoki has enormous strategic value. Find a way to gather intelligence on it. It is a closely guarded secret of the Hidden Stone, and relations between our nations are currently stable."
"I understand," Danzo replied.
Reasonable enough.
Not a trap.
"And obtain intelligence on the Jinchuriki of the Hidden Cloud. By any means necessary."
"They dared to lay hands on Kushina Uzumaki…"
Hiruzen's eyes suddenly flashed with a fierce light.
"I want at least one of their Jinchuriki dead."