Traveling through three generations: Making Konoha great again!

Chapter 82 Arranging seats and distributing fruit... How to spend 3 billion taels?

A few days later.

Hokage Building, conference room.

Hiruzen Sarutobi occupied the main position, with Danzo Shimura sitting right next to him.

Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado were also on the main stage, but on either side.

This also symbolizes the current power structure in Konoha.

The 20-person roster is composed as follows.

First, there are the various ninja clans.

Uchiha Isshin, Fugaku, Hyuga Tenzo, and Hizashi.

The three heads of the family are Aburame, Inuzuka, Kurama, and Ino-Shika-Cho.

There are ten people in total.

It is worth mentioning that Akimichi Torifu has officially returned to the scene and has been listed as a member of the Konoha Committee.

Next are Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya, and as Hiruzen Sarutobi's apprentice, he is naturally included.

Following them were Hiruko, Sakumo Hatake, Kosuke Maruhoshi, Shinku Yuhi, Kozan Shirakumo, and others, totaling seven people.

Although some of these seven individuals are theoretically considered ninja clan members, they are also seen as representing commoner ninjas due to their small numbers, stances, and inclinations.

This arrangement may have some unreasonable aspects.

But this is already a relatively good result after compromises were reached with all parties involved.

Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced over.

Every single one of the "Konoha Committee members" in the audience wore a genuine smile.

Even the old fox Uchiha Isshin slightly puffed out his chest.

Interestingly, because it was specifically emphasized that the "Committee Members" were not ranked in any particular order, but rather differed according to their assigned roles—

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not assign any seats, allowing them to sit wherever they pleased.

Although it is a bit messy, the so-called factions are clearly visible.

Orochimaru and his two companions sat together with Hiruko, clearly belonging to the same circle, and were having a pleasant conversation.

Several major ninja clans also joined forces, such as the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, Kurama, and Aburame-Inuzuka.

Hyuga Tenzo and Uchiha Isshin sat side by side, while Fugaku looked at the other ninja clans with some envy, seemingly unwilling to sit with these two old men.

Interestingly, Hizashi was sitting with Sakumo and other members of the Miya Committee, who represented civilian ninjas.

When Tenzo saw Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze sweep over him, he blinked quickly and subtly.

The message being conveyed is: "I was just playing along with him!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled; he didn't seem to care about any of that.

Ninja clans that practice eye techniques naturally share some common topics. Ninjas also have different backgrounds, interests, and stances, so it's normal for them to have different preferences when making friends.

What appears to be orderly and harmonious is actually contrary to human nature, and something that should serve as a warning to him, the Hokage.

But that's all talk. If someone tries to collude with Hiruzen Sarutobi behind his back, they'll be in for a world of hurt.

"First of all, congratulations to everyone on being selected as members of the Konoha Committee"—" Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at everyone with a smile.

The "Konoha Committee members" cast heartfelt smiles at the Hokage, but their expressions were somewhat hesitant.

How should I respond to the Hokage?

The chaotic back-and-forth of your sentences is rather unsound.

Orochimaru's eyes flashed, and he said in a deep voice, "Thank you for your trust, Hokage-sama!"

His choice of words was appropriate.

The others immediately and naturally repeated it aloud.

Although the rankings are not in any particular order, this arrangement makes Orochimaru seem like the one in the lead.

In reality, even without an official ranking, how could there not be a distinction?

In the tavern of Konoha, before the village had established a system of Jonin.

Many ninjas have categorized and ranked themselves based on various factors.

There are various titles, such as rookie Jonin, veteran Jonin, and elite Jonin.

Orochimaru is now widely regarded as the top member of the "Konoha Committee".

A top student of Hiruzen Sarutobi, in charge of the research and development of ninjutsu, involved in various operations, and has a large following within Konoha.

Orochimaru smiled slightly.

Danzo Shimura, however, felt a tightness in his chest and sensed a hint of threat: "As expected of Hiruzen's apprentice, he really has some skills—"

But Danzo felt relieved when he thought about the great achievement he would accomplish in subduing the Uchiha clan in the future.

Who can compare to him!

Even if Hiruzen himself came, he could still put some pressure on him.

Everyone else is beneath his notice!

"Xiaochun and Yan have already informed you about your specific responsibilities—"

"From now on, everyone should actively participate in village affairs, identify and rectify the village's shortcomings."

Hiruzen Sarutobi began, "Today's topic is the allocation of funds for village construction."

"Relying on the connection between Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya, the products developed by the Nara and Akimichi clans, with Tsunade and Orochimaru's technology as the core, are very popular in the Land of Fire."

"With the assistance of advisors and consultants, I reached a deep cooperation with the daimyo and obtained funds of approximately 3.2 billion taels."

"This payment will come every year, and the amount will gradually increase."

"It's unrealistic to expect this amount of money to solve Konoha's problems all at once, but it's necessary to build a framework."

Those whose names were mentioned by Hiruzen Sarutobi all smiled slightly.

This is subtly giving them credit.

Many of the Konoha committee members who hadn't participated were quite shocked—

They had assumed that after the village provided them with a location, the next step would be for them to ask for something in return.

This is not out of dislike, but rather a matter of course.

Unexpectedly, before I even accepted it, such a huge piece of cake was thrown at me—

And judging from what the Naruto said, this is only the beginning?

How much more money will need to be poured into Konoha in the future?

Moreover, judging from the Hokage's tone, he's not entirely satisfied? Is it just a preliminary assessment?

"Koharu, you speak." Hiruzen Sarutobi took out his pipe, slowly stuffing it with tobacco, and observed the Konoha committee member's expression.

Koharu Utatane nodded, holding a document, and said, "As instructed by the Third Hokage, En and I led the administration department to count the number of families without active ninjas—"

"This group mainly consists of orphans and ninja families without able-bodied young men. Due to war or missions, they have lost the breadwinner of their families and are living in poverty. Many of them also have loans."

"The number of people is 943, but for the sake of redundancy, we will set it at 1,000 for now."

"The subsidy per person is set at 500,000 taels per year. The subsidy for orphan families will continue until a genin is found. There is no time limit for ninjas without children who are unable to perform missions due to the war."

"This payment requires 500 million yuan in capital."

The figure of 500,000 taels was calculated and is close to the amount a low-ranking ninja could support in a family.

For Chunin and Jonin, this amount of money is not enough to cover the costs of training and the wear and tear on ninja tools, but for the elderly and children, it is enough to allow them to live a much more dignified life.

"Those Konoha ninja who died on the battlefield, they gave their lives to protect their homeland—"

"Now that the village has some money, we want to make their parents and children more presentable and provide them with more resources for cultivation."

Hiruzen Sarutobi scanned the crowd: "Does anyone have any objections to this?"

At this moment, even Shimura Danzo kept his mouth shut, afraid that others might misunderstand him in the slightest.

A moment later, a wave of applause erupted in the conference room.

Sakumo Hatake slapped the camera with extra force.

He certainly doesn't lack the money, but he particularly appreciates such humane gestures.

It makes ninjas feel like they are human beings, not tools.

Sakumo Hatake felt extremely fulfilled to be able to participate in such a construction project.

He remembered Kakashi telling him that he had a close friend named Uchiha Obito, who, although born into the Uchiha clan, came from a poor family.

Most of their parents' assets were used to buy ninja tools, which were then spent on the battlefield.

But there's still a grandmother in the family—

Although he usually seems carefree and nonchalant, Kakashi could see the deep embarrassment in Obito's heart.

Sakumo Hatake was even considering whether he should sponsor this Uchiha Ichiban.

But there was also the worry of hurting the child's self-esteem, and besides, the Uchiha clan's situation was quite sensitive—

Now that's settled, the Hokage has intervened! This child should be very happy—

Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his hand, but the applause just wouldn't stop—

Similar measures may have been taken before, such as the ninja clan providing some assistance to the elderly and widowed.

But no other hidden village has ever had such a clear system and such strength!

"Alright—" The applause subsided only after Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke.

"This is what the Konoha ninja who sacrificed themselves for the village deserve! It's also what I, as the Hokage, should do—"

When Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke, he specifically emphasized Konoha.

"Where the leaves dance in the air, the fire will never be extinguished."

"The flames of life that the warriors burned for Konoha have now brought some prosperity to the village. This light and warmth should be used to warm their parents and children."

"Then this item is approved without any questions."

Looking at the burning gazes of the Konoha committee members, Shimura Danzo saw that even that old man, Uchiha Isshin, seemed to genuinely clapped a few times.

I felt a little lost.

Although Hiruzen was indeed quite well done—

But from then on, those who were barely considered Hokage and Hokage assistants to be on the same level in his mind—

His prestige in the village would never be comparable again.

"Yan, next topic."

Mitokado Yan nodded, a smile playing on his lips.

He keenly noticed a detail.

Xiaochun is really shrewd when it comes to changing dorm rooms—

She used to rarely mention Hiruzen before, but now she never does—

"As instructed by the Third Generation—" Mitokado Homura said, mimicking the instructions.