Yes, the Hokage!

"Um, go ahead and tell me." Feng Lan looked over curiously.

Minato pulled out a pair of glasses and said seriously, "Do you think I should wear glasses when I give a speech?"

Feng Lan: "..."

As mentioned earlier, judging from Minato's taste in naming things, he is somewhat of a chuunibyou (a person with delusions of grandeur), and right now he is simply having a chuunibyou episode, which is why he suddenly decided to wear glasses.

“Hmm…” Feng Lan pretended to think for a moment. Years of working together had given him the ability to come up with a way to appease Minato’s chuunibyou in no time. “Actually, it doesn’t matter. Wearing it makes you look dignified and decisive, while not wearing it makes you look sincere and frank.”

However, this time Minato's chuunibyou was more severe, after all, it was in front of the whole village and envoys from other countries, and he wanted to make a big show of it: "But I want to look dignified and sincere."

"I advise you to choose only one." Feng Lan rubbed her forehead.

"What if I don't wear my glasses yet, and put them on at the speed of light as soon as I finish the first sentence of my speech?" Minato was clearly in a "I have a plan" state.

“That will only make you seem indecisive,” Fenglan sighed.

"Hmm, in that case..." Minato was clearly fixated on this problem, trying to find a way to satisfy both sides.

"If you really want to wear it, then wear this." Feng Lan took something out of her pocket and handed it over.

"This is... a monocle?!" Minato's eyes widened in excitement. "Fenglan, you're a genius!"

He vanished with a "whoosh," clearly having returned home using the Flying Thunder God Technique, eager to try out his new look.

"Ugh!"

Fenglan sighed deeply: "Itachi, Kabuto, I have a mission for you two."

"Lord Fenglan." Itachi and Kabuto immediately looked over seriously.

But Feng Lan said, "On the day of the speech, before Shui Men went on stage, steal the monocle from his desk."

Chapter 46 Opening Windows and Lifting Roofs

With three days to go before Minato's public speech, envoys from neighboring countries, in addition to the nearest village, Sunagakure, have also arrived one after another.

At this moment, the disadvantage of Minato's faction was immediately exposed. If he were still under the control of the Third Hokage, the accommodation and hospitality of these envoys would be a matter of just a word from the Third Hokage. But now that Feng Lan has caused so much trouble, Minato is clearly showing signs of losing control. The Third Hokage and others are not only keeping a low profile and not causing any more trouble, but they are also not prepared to provide any help and are just waiting to watch the show.

Minato suddenly felt that he was short-handed. Even though he was the Hokage, everyone he asked for orders would make excuses. In particular, the Anbu, which was nominally directly under the Hokage, could not be mobilized even half a person!

Now he finally understood why Feng Lan wanted to form a "private army." At this critical moment, only the Uchiha and the newly surrendered Aburame clan responded to the call. Needless to say, the Uchiha clan was included. Feng Lan directly piled up all the resources of the Root organization in the guard's warehouse, and even let them make copies of Orochimaru's scrolls. What else was there to say? At this time, they would definitely contribute as much as they could.

As for the Aburame clan, Shiki Aburame had also thought things through. Now that the Aburame clan had completely broken ties with Danzo, it could be said that they were irreconcilable enemies. The only way out was to cling to this powerful figure.

Therefore, he decisively offered a plan, saying that the abilities of the Aburame clan could be used to distribute parasitic insects to various areas of the village to achieve a monitoring effect. Moreover, the elite Aburame clan members could even control ordinary insects to monitor the residences of the various envoys.

This move truly solved the urgent problem of insufficient manpower, allowing Fenglan to breathe a sigh of relief, and also making Minato praise the loyalty of the Aburame clan.

As for other families like the Ino-Shika-Cho, they are still choosing to waver and wait and see. They also have their reasons. If you need manpower, we have already sent them to the regular new army. If needed, we can take them from the reserve army.

The loyalty of this group cannot be guaranteed, so Feng Lan does not plan to use any of the people in the reserve army. After all, it is too easy to cause trouble at this time, and if any link goes wrong, it will affect the whole situation.

He would rather let Aburame and Uchiha be more tired than take this risk.

However, mobilizing ninjas on such a large scale would require an astronomical sum of money. Currently, the Elders Council holds the reins of finances, and the small amount of Hokage's office budget that Feng Lan managed to poach is far from sufficient. He has no choice but to pay out of his own pocket, since he is mobilizing his "private army."

Currently, Feng Lan has half of the organization's funds, and the land around his school is selling well, so he can afford to pay in the short term. However, this is definitely not a long-term solution. He must leverage some more financial power from the Elders' Council. He doesn't need too much; 15% will be enough.

But it's obvious that the Elders' Council wouldn't give up the meat in their mouths. Right now, the Third Generation and others are on high alert, partly because they're afraid Feng Lan will find something to hold against them, and partly because they're ready to see Minato make a fool of himself.

Feng Lan had to admit that the cards held by both sides were not equal at all. Although he seemed to be winning all the time, he felt powerless as soon as the third generation slightly grabbed his neck.

However, Watergate's speech is the most important thing right now, so he has to pay for everything out of his own pocket for the time being.

After busily arranging all the various matters, Feng Lan could finally breathe a sigh of relief. But before he could even take a sip of water, Jing Yin came knocking on his door: "Mr. Feng Lan, do you still stand by what you promised me?"

“Um, I…” Feng Lan originally wanted to decline, but after seeing Jing Yin’s serious gaze, she could only sigh, “Of course.”

Kato Shizune was not his subordinate. When Tsunade was first asked to come back to treat Obito, it was Feng Lan who used all his tricks and persuasive words to get Shizune to agree to stay and help. Later, during the Orochimaru capture incident, he owed her a huge favor.

At the time, Shizune was firmly against letting Kakashi and Rin take risks. It was only after Fenglan used his persuasive skills and promised to do something for her that Shizune reluctantly agreed and actually came up with a life-saving plan. At that time, Fenglan promised that he would immediately fulfill his promise as soon as he defeated Orochimaru. However, a series of events have dragged on until now, and if he didn't agree now, things would really get out of hand.

"That's good." Shizune said seriously, "I have written a report on the progress of the project and submitted it yesterday. I think the Fourth Hokage should have already seen it."

Feng Lan immediately realized something was wrong. Yesterday, Shui Men and he had been busy rehearsing their speeches and strengthening the village's defenses. They had only glanced at various documents and reports, dealt with them casually, and then tossed them aside. Even he hadn't noticed that a report had been submitted by Shizune yesterday.

But now that the person had come to his door, he could only offer an awkward yet polite smile: "Of course, please follow me."

……

Half a minute later, Minato sat in his Hokage chair, looking at Shizune opposite him with a slightly guilty expression, while Fenglan stood behind him with his usual squinting smile.

It's worth mentioning that Tsunade was also sitting on the sofa in the office. Feng Lan had bought a lot of good wine to show her respect, which is how she managed to get this great figure to provide advice for Minato's speech.

"You should have already seen my report, Fourth Hokage." Shizune's expression was very focused. She was the kind of character who was gentle on the outside but strong on the inside. Although she looked gentle, she was actually very gentle. But once she made up her mind about something, she would never give up.

“Oh, of course,” Minato quickly replied.

"What are your thoughts?"

"Um... okay... I was thinking, could you summarize it in your own words?" Minato, who wasn't good at lying, was already sweating a little.

Shizune frowned: "Fourth Hokage, the report I submitted contained my own words, and I personally feel that the words were concise enough."

“That’s right.” Feng Lan quickly smoothed things over, “Minato and I ultimately couldn’t fully understand what you were saying from the perspective of a medical ninja, so let’s make the summary clearer and just highlight the key points.”

“That’s right, that’s important.” Minato nodded in agreement.

“Alright.” Shizune leaned forward slightly, exuding an astonishing aura. “As a medical ninja, I propose that the Hokage take action and set an example by enforcing the prohibition on alcohol!”

"puff!"

Tsunade, who had just been leisurely sipping her wine, suddenly spat it out.

"Cough, cough! Shizune, you..." She looked at her little apprentice, whom she had raised with the eyes of someone looking at a traitor, "How could you come up with something so inhumane!"

"Lady Tsunade!" But Shizune didn't back down. "It's precisely because your behavior when you're drunk is so inhuman that I had the idea to implement a prohibition law! Last time you smashed up a wall of a tavern in Tanabata, the time before that you destroyed half of a hot spring inn, and the time before that you..."

Poor Tsunade, a powerful Kage-level shinobi, was scolded by Shizune until she curled up into a ball, pitifully clutching the wine bottle in her arms: "You, you can't take my wine away."

"Lady Tsunade! I can forgive you for the money you lose gambling! But I'm the one who pays for all the losses you incur because of your drunkenness!"

Judging from Shizune's agitated expression, it's not hard to imagine how much pressure she has endured over the years because of Tsunade's alcoholism. Moreover, she was raised by Tsunade since childhood, and anyone who knows the pain of having an alcoholic father or mother understands. It's no wonder she is so radical in promoting the prohibition of alcohol.

Childhood trauma can sometimes take a lifetime to heal. (Although this might not be the most appropriate word here.)

After scolding Tsunade, Shizune turned back to Minato: "Fourth Hokage, I suggest completely banning advertisements for tobacco and alcohol, vigorously promoting the prohibition law, and increasing taxes on alcohol until a bottle of alcohol costs the same as a pack of ninja tools..."

"Miss Shizune, isn't this... a bit too radical?"

Even Minato was dumbfounded. You see, ninjas usually do dangerous jobs, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that their heads are tied to their belts. Naturally, they need something to relax their nerves, and cigarettes and alcohol are obviously the cheapest relaxation items.

There may not be that many ninjas who like smoking, but everyone likes to have a few drinks now and then, even Minato himself is no exception.

Upon hearing the report, Feng Lan shook his head. In the world before his transmigration, Lao Mei had implemented a harsh prohibition, which resulted in the emergence of a black market. Gangs directly filled the corresponding gaps in the ecosystem and made a fortune, almost controlling most of the Lao Mei market.

“Miss Shizune, your report is indeed very…imaginative.” He began, trying to smooth things over. “Excessive drinking is indeed bad for physical and mental health. There is no doubt that we can eventually complete this great task, but we must wait until the time is right and everything is ready.”

Simply put, it's a stalling tactic. If this alcohol ban were actually implemented, the ninjas would definitely riot.

“Every year, a large number of people die from alcoholism in Konoha and even the Land of Fire.” Shizune was not easily fooled. “And the village’s leaders are only focused on the huge tax revenue from tobacco and alcohol. Forgive me for speaking frankly… but is this really unrelated to the Mitokado clan’s control over the entire Land of Fire’s liquor industry?”

"Wait, what did you say?" Feng Lan's eyes suddenly lit up. "The Mitomon clan controls the sake brewing industry? Who told you that? Can you be sure?"

His sudden excitement startled Shizune. Before she could even speak, Tsunade blurted out drunkenly, "Hiccup, this is what the little girl heard me say. I'm an old drunkard, of course... hiccup, I know who brewed the wine."

"So that's how it is..." Feng Lan suddenly felt that things had taken a turn for the better. The information that Tsunade gave should be reliable. "Then who's behind the tobacco industry?"

"The dorm-turning clan, huh?" Tsunade took another big gulp of sake. "Do you think those two old guys are so devoted to the teacher? The two fattest pieces of meat in the Land of Fire are in their mouths."

"So that's how it is... So that's how it is!" Feng Lan's eyes grew brighter and brighter. He almost instantly came up with a plan to cut flesh from the old guys in the Elders' Council.

He strode up behind Minato: "Miss Shizune, your suggestion is very worthy of discussion... I even think it would be better to add tobacco as well. With a ban on smoking and drinking, everyone can have a bright future!"

"You mean... the Fourth Hokage will support me?" Shizune asked, puzzled.

“Of course.” Fenglan patted Shuimen on the shoulder.

“That’s right, I also think Miss Shizune’s theory makes a lot of sense.” Minato hadn’t quite grasped what was happening yet, but his trust in Fenglan and their years of tacit understanding made him nod immediately after Fenglan patted him on the shoulder. “Since it makes sense, it’s worth a try. I’ll even take a good look at your report…”

Feng Lan tightened his grip on Shui Men's shoulder, and he quickly changed his words, saying, "...Watch it again."

"Will you support me?" Shizune's eyes shone brightly.

“Of course,” Feng Lan said with a smile. “But you have to understand our position. This support isn’t public. The Hokage has to remain neutral and be convinced by the results, right?”

"Hmm...that's true." Shizune nodded thoughtfully.

"But privately, we absolutely support you and hope you can push forward the progress of the law. Go and prepare more detailed information, as Minato and I will need it for our meeting tomorrow."

Feng Lan dismissed Jing Yin with a single, meaningless remark, and the latter stood up excitedly: "Thank you both, Fourth Hokage, Feng Lan-sama, I will do my best!"

Oh, what an innocent child.

Tsunade, who was chugging down the liquor from the bottle, rolled her eyes. What Feng Lan meant was that he would provide all support except for actual help... which was equivalent to doing nothing at all.

"Fenglan, do you really think the prohibition order can be implemented?" Shuimen looked at him with doubt.

[It will probably require the Infinite Tsukuyomi.]

Feng Lan thought to herself, but said aloud, "Of course not, it's just that I remembered a very interesting theory."

"What theory?" Tsunade also looked over, slightly drunk.

"If you want to open a window in a room full of people, everyone will disagree. But if you want to tear down the roof, everyone will think that opening a window is perfectly reasonable."

"Uh..." Minato was clearly not in a hurry to react.

Tsunade, however, had already guessed Feng Lan's plan. She narrowed her eyes and said, "Kid, I don't care what trouble you cause in the end, don't let Shizune get hurt, otherwise..."

She clenched her fists and made a threatening "crackling" sound.

"Of course not," Feng Lan said with a smile. "Don't worry, Miss Jingyin will not only be unharmed, but will also be promoted soon."

Chapter 47 The New Advisor

The next morning, the members of the Elders' Council received a meeting invitation from Watergate.

"Hmph, those two brats can't sit still anymore." Koharu Takumi smiled smugly, "Things haven't even reached the most difficult point yet."

“Feng Lan is a smart man. He won’t wait until he’s in dire straits to ask us for help,” the Third Generation said calmly. “That would only leave him without any bargaining power. Now is the perfect time. They have indeed encountered trouble, and they have also achieved some results.”

“Hmm, now is indeed a good opportunity to back down.” Mitokado Homura pondered for a moment. “He will yield without appearing incompetent… He is indeed a very outstanding young man, no wonder you were tempted by Hiruzen.”