Chapter 197 (Patreon)

Morning sunlight rose over Konoha, driving away the chill of autumn.

Seated behind the desk in the Hokage’s office, Kizaru held a list of names in his hand.

The list contained the five people he intended to appoint as permanent secretaries of the Secretariat.

Of those five, one came from the Shimura clan and another from the Sarutobi clan. Both were, admittedly, connection-based appointments. There was no point pretending otherwise.

The remaining three were talented individuals Kizaru believed had considerable potential. He intended to train them into the village’s next generation of political leaders.

One of them was Kizaru’s former classmate, Nara Shikaku, who had recently been promoted to chūnin. Of all the candidates, Shikaku was the person Kizaru considered most suitable to become his future adviser and assistant.

The second was a civilian-born shinobi named Oikawa Kimiyama. He was twenty-one years old, an elite among chūnin, and possessed the potential to become a jōnin.

However, Kimiyama’s combat talent was not the main reason Kizaru had chosen him.

What Kizaru valued most was the man’s serious and methodical nature. Kimiyama always thought matters through before taking action and maintained a perfect mission-completion record. Every shinobi who had worked alongside him spoke highly of his abilities and character.

Kizaru had first learned about him through the village intelligence gathered by Root. After observing Kimiyama personally and confirming that Root’s assessment was accurate, Kizaru added his name to the list of permanent secretaries.

The final candidate was a shinobi from a minor clan named Yūhi Shinku.

In the original timeline, he was the father of Yūhi Kurenai, who would eventually become Sarutobi Asuma’s partner.

Shinku was thirty-three years old and currently served as the captain responsible for overseeing Konoha’s chūnin and genin. His primary duty was to supervise and guide their training.

He already possessed jōnin-level strength and had a mature, steady temperament. Since most of the permanent-secretary candidates were relatively young, Kizaru had deliberately chosen Shinku to provide the group with an experienced and levelheaded presence.

“Tanin, head over to the office next door and ask the three elders whether they’ve finished drafting the list of frontline commanders. If they have, tell them to come over, would you~?”

A new workstation had recently been placed in the left-hand corner beside the entrance to the Hokage’s office.

Shimura Tanin, one of Kizaru’s younger clansmen and another name on the list of permanent secretaries, immediately rose from his seat.

“Yes!”

He answered as loudly as he could, pushed the glasses that had slipped down his nose when he stood too quickly back into place, and hurried out from behind his desk.

Compared with Shimura Yoshihiko and Shimura Yūki, both of whom possessed outstanding combat talent, Tanin’s abilities were relatively ordinary. Even now, he had yet to attain the combat strength expected of a chūnin.

There was no denying that his close relationship with Kizaru had played a part in his selection as a permanent secretary.

However, Kizaru had not chosen Tanin merely because of that connection.

Tanin had his own strengths. He was loyal, honest, obedient, and extremely meticulous in his work.

According to Kizaru’s plans, the permanent secretaries would handle many routine and lower-priority matters on the Hokage’s behalf. They would even possess limited authority to use the Hokage’s seal, making theirs an undeniably important position.

For such a critical role, Kizaru needed at least one person he trusted completely. Otherwise, someone might abuse their authority for personal gain, conceal their wrongdoing from those above, and deceive those beneath them.

People were fickle, especially after obtaining power.

Kizaru could not guarantee that those who were currently talented and upright would remain true to themselves after holding authority for many years.

His teacher, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and his uncle, Shimura Danzō, were both clear examples of that.

A leader could trust his subordinates, but he should never create an environment that made it easy for them to make mistakes.

Proper oversight and balance were essential.

Tanin would serve as Kizaru’s watchful eye among the permanent secretaries, supervising the others while being subject to their supervision in return.

Kizaru did not have to wait long.

The door to the Hokage’s office soon opened again, and Tanin stepped inside. Behind him were the three elders, led by Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Upon seeing them, Kizaru left his desk and gestured toward the guest area on the left side of the office, inviting them to sit.

He took the central seat on the sofa and looked at the three elders seated on either side of him.

“So, have you settled on the commanders for this war~?”

As he spoke, Kizaru turned his gaze toward Hiruzen, who was sitting to his left.

“We’ve already finished discussing it. All that remains is for you to make the final decision,” Hiruzen replied before glancing at Tanin, who stood behind Kizaru.

Understanding the signal, Tanin quickly removed a document from the folder in his hands and presented it to Kizaru.

Kizaru accepted the document, lowered his head, and carefully read through it.

Shimura Danzō, Mitokado Homura, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, Hatake Sakumo, Nara Shikei—Nara Shikaku’s father—and Katō Dan.

The document contained more than a simple list of names. It also explained the reasons each person had been recommended and included several proposed combinations for commander and deputy commander.

The draft was exceptionally thorough.

As Kizaru studied the names and recommendations, he thought of his own disciple, Might Duy, who also possessed Kage-level strength.

There was also Namikaze Minato, who had mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique and recently displayed its power in battle for the first time, as well as Uzumaki Kushina, who had begun to master the power of a perfect jinchūriki.

Setting aside Kizaru himself, whose strength had long since surpassed common sense, Konoha currently possessed nearly ten Kage-level shinobi. Several among them had even risen beyond the level of an ordinary Kage.

The village was truly overflowing with talent.

Kizaru estimated that even if he did not personally intervene, Konoha possessed enough strength to win the coming war. The only difference would be that the village would suffer far greater losses.

Of the combinations listed in the document, the three elders most strongly recommended two.

The first placed Jiraiya as commander with Mitokado Homura serving as his deputy.

The second placed Orochimaru as commander with Elder Danzō serving as his deputy.

Both combinations followed the same principle: an experienced veteran would support and guide one of the village’s rising young shinobi, helping the younger generation gradually assume positions of leadership.

“Looks good~. If fighting breaks out on two fronts, these first two pairs will serve as commander and deputy commander. The others can support them.”

Kizaru raised his head and gave the three elders his approval.

Smiles appeared on their faces. Kizaru’s acceptance of the list they had drafted put them in an excellent mood, allowing them to prove that their experience remained valuable to the village’s younger generation.

“Five hundred casualties—that’s the limit for this war.”

Kizaru’s relaxed expression remained unchanged as he continued.

“If more than five hundred of our shinobi are rendered unable to fight, I’ll step in and bring the war to an end myself~.”

For the three great shinobi villages, this would be a decisive war upon which the fate of their respective nations depended.

For Kizaru, however, it was little more than a whetstone meant to temper the shinobi beneath his command.

Casualties were unavoidable in war. Kizaru’s only demand of the commanders and their deputies was that they inflict the greatest possible damage upon the enemy while minimizing losses on Konoha’s side.

“Hahaha! If Jiraiya and Orochimaru hear about that condition, they’ll certainly feel the pressure!” Hiruzen said with a laugh.

He had no objections to the limit Kizaru had established. On the contrary, he felt genuinely pleased.

Many years had passed since the death of the First Hokage, and it had been decades since Konoha had faced the prospect of war with such confidence and ease.

When the First Hokage was alive, Konoha had never needed to fear war. The other shinobi villages had not even dared to provoke one.

Hiruzen believed that once this Shinobi World War ended, Konoha would regain the overwhelming status it had enjoyed under the First Hokage, once again standing above the entire shinobi world.

How wonderful.

To think that, within his own lifetime, he might witness Konoha’s golden age reach its greatest peak.

Hiruzen looked at Kizaru sitting beside him, unable to keep the broad smile from spreading across his face.