Naruto Online: Hyuga Branch Family? Let's go all out!

Chapter 197 Things Have Changed, the Elder Steps Down

The Third Hokage served for more than ten years and only established one new department: Root.

On his first day in office, the Fourth Hokage established four new departments: the Urban Construction Department, the Transportation Department, the Scientific Research Department, and the Supervision Department.

Before anyone could even process what was happening, the Fourth Hokage added several more departments the next day.

Ninja Suit Department: Responsible for recruiting ninjas, managing the re-employment of retired ninjas, and handling their compensation.

The Academy Department is responsible for the management of academies in Konoha City and has also issued orders to build four new elementary schools and one new middle school.

Ministry of People's Livelihood: Responsible for issues related to people's livelihood.

Organization Department: Responsible for the promotion, transfer, and performance evaluation of all members of the official organizations in Konoha Village.

Finance Department: Responsible for liaising with the Land of Fire regarding the application and allocation of funds allocated to Konoha.

Tax Department: Responsible for collecting taxes on all commercial activities within Konoha City.

The formation of these six departments was done by Orochimaru's die-hard loyalists. Since it didn't involve ninjas much, and the Great Ninja Clan had already benefited, no ninja clans raised any objections.

Aside from the Sarutobi trio.

Because of the Ninja Suit Division, the Organization Department's functions overlapped with those of the Jonin and Anbu.

Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado's job is to negotiate with the Land of Fire for funding Konoha. This task is now handled by the Finance Department, but she is not the Minister of Finance.

"I thought this matter was over, but it turned out to be a delaying tactic?" Hiruzen Sarutobi was furious. He led two friends to the Hokage's office building, only to find that there were many more people there at some point!

The original Hokage's office building probably had fewer than 30 people, including the Anbu and the Hokage himself.

But now, there are more than a hundred people in this building!

These people went in and out, opening every room and taking out a lot of documents to look at.

Hiruzen Sarutobi even noticed that some of the documents had turned yellow, which meant that they had obviously been stored in the Hokage's office building for decades, and some of them were even from the time of the First Hokage!

They've all been dug up!

"What are you doing?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked curiously as he stopped a young girl. He noticed that although she had chakra, she wasn't wearing a ninja vest or a headband. Instead, she had a name tag on her chest.

"Konoha Archives Department, Yuan Shishi?"

Good grief, they even secretly set up an archives department that I didn't know about?

"Who are you?" Yuan Shishi adjusted her glasses and asked curiously.

"I am the Third Hokage! Don't you recognize me?" Hiruzen Sarutobi was shocked. There was someone in the entire Hidden Leaf Village who didn't recognize him?

"Uh, sorry!" Yuan Shishi blushed slightly. "I got in through campus recruitment, so I really didn't know what you looked like, but I've memorized it, and I'll definitely recognize you next time!"

"Wait, what is campus recruitment?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked.

"Campus recruitment means recruiting at schools!" Yuan Shishi said honestly, "I'm a third-year short-term trainee at Mingchuan Middle School, majoring in political ideology and history, and I also interned at the Mingchuan Town Government Archives for a year..."

The girl has a clear, confident voice, excellent language skills, and a wonderful appearance and demeanor.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, having served as Hokage for over a decade, recognized at a glance that this girl was indeed talented, more than capable of being a file clerk.

However, what kind of place is Mingchuan Middle School? I don't know where they recruit people.

If I had known, I wouldn't have hired them. How could an outsider get such a good deal!

"What are you doing?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked.

"Oh, we need to reorganize all the documents in the office building and then file them!" Yuan Shishi said. "Konoha has been established for 46 years, but it seems like we've never done anything like file management before, so we have to start from scratch. Because of the large workload and the many people involved, it looks rather messy."

Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to ask what file management was, but he was afraid that asking would make him seem uncultured. He originally wanted to pat the girl on the shoulder to encourage her, but the girl suddenly disappeared, and her originally humble and arrogant eyes immediately turned contemptuous.

"Ahem." Hiruzen Sarutobi coughed twice. "Well, you guys keep going, I'm going to see the Fourth Hokage!"

Arriving at their two old buddies' side, the three exchanged glances and looked at the seemingly chaotic yet actually quiet and orderly scene inside the Hokage's office building. For some reason, a suitable adjective came to mind: professional!

These people are so professional that it makes Konoha during the reign of the Third Hokage seem like a makeshift operation.

The three continued walking and found that the previous sign for the mission management office had been removed and replaced by a public service center.

The five windows are still there, and each has a sign hanging on it.

Ninja, People's Livelihood, Academy, Finance, Taxation.

"What's this for?" Hiruzen Sarutobi was a little confused. Convenience for the people? How so?

And taxes? Isn't taxation the job of a daimyo? Why does Konoha have to collect taxes too?

Those who do business in Konoha are either from ninja clans or related to ninja clans, so how do they collect taxes?

Hiruzen Sarutobi thought about it again and realized it might actually work. After all, Orochimaru had just given those ninja clans so many departments. If he didn't even pay them a tax now, wouldn't that be disrespectful?

"Was my disciple really pushed into the Hokage position by accident?" Hiruzen Sarutobi was a little confused. It seemed like he had been preparing for this for many years!

"Huh?" Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly spotted a familiar face sitting in the community service center. He quickly waved, "Shinku!"

"Please don't make noise here!" a young man immediately came over to remind him.

"Oh, oh!" Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly responded. Fortunately, Kurenai Yuhi had good hearing. Hearing someone calling him, she first told the people around her, and then walked out of the community service center.

"Third Hokage, what brings you here?"

"I've come to see the Fourth Hokage, and also to ask if there's anything I can do to help!" Hiruzen Sarutobi said, looking Kurenai Yuhi up and down. "Why aren't you wearing your headband? And your ninja vest is gone too? You weren't demoted, were you?!"

It makes sense when you think about it. Kurenai Yuhi was a loyal follower of hers, and it was only natural that she would be dismissed when the new Hokage took office.

"No, no!" Kurenai Yuhi quickly shook her head. "I'm a civilian official now, I don't need to wear that!"

"Civilian official?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked in surprise.

"It's an official position that doesn't require fighting!" said Yuhi Makoto. "My position is the director of the community service center, responsible for the overall management of the center's work!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi understood; this was the boss here!

He didn't know what kind of department the community service center was, but if it was set up like the old task management office, then it would be roughly the same as the head of the task management office.

By any measure, this is a promotion!

"Not bad, not bad!" Hiruzen Sarutobi patted Kurenai Yuhi on the shoulder. Thinking about it, it was normal. Out of six people, five were corrupt. Kurenai Yuhi's reputation had already reached its peak after this gold case. Even if he were the new Hokage, it would be difficult to dismiss someone like that.

"Tell me about the work of your community service center?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked. "Of course, but don't mention anything confidential!"

"There's nothing secret about this; every villager will need to know this eventually!" Kurenai Yuhi pointed to the ninja uniform window and said, "This is closely related to ninjas. Any ninja looking for work will have to go through here. Also, retired ninjas looking for work, and their martyrs' pensions, will be distributed through here!"

"This?" Hiruzen Sarutobi was somewhat surprised. Out of five windows, only one was related to ninjas?

"This college window is responsible for admissions and processing enrollment procedures. Since the school hasn't been established yet, these procedures are being handled here temporarily. Once the school is built, these tasks will be handled by the school itself!"

"You're going to open a new ninja academy?" Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned. "That's completely unrealistic. The current ninja academies can't even fill their quotas; parents simply don't want to send their children!"

"That's because ninja academies still charge tuition!" said Kurenai Yuhi. "From now on, the schools we run will implement a nine-year compulsory education system, meaning the first nine years will be tuition-free. Furthermore, we'll enact a law that makes it illegal for parents to prevent their children from attending school. That way, schools won't have to worry about not having enough students!"

"No tuition?" Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes widened. "That's ridiculous! Do you know how much it costs to attend a ninja academy in a year?"

"Education does cost money, but it's the foundation of a nation's long-term development!" Yuhi Makoto sighed deeply, saying, "No matter how hard life is, we can't let our children suffer; no matter how poor we are, we can't neglect education. No matter how much it costs, this school must be established!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a bit of a toothache; this was all his money!

Green silver notes were given to the poor just like that?

His eyes darted around, and Hiruzen Sarutobi thought of another problem: "What about the poor families? They used to send one child to school so that the child could become a ninja and supplement the family income. But if they have to go to school for nine years, from age 5 to 14, even if poor families don't have to pay tuition, they still have to pay for books, food, and so on. They might not be able to afford it!"

"This is related to the public service window!" Kurenai Yuhi pointed to the public service window and said, "For families facing difficulties, if our investigation confirms their situation, we will designate them as low-income households and provide them with funds, rice, flour, and cooking oil every month. If the family members are physically able-bodied, we will also help them find jobs so they can have a stable income!"

"For children from impoverished families, we have introduced a number of policies, including educational subsidies and student loans. These children can apply for educational subsidies to complete their studies, ensuring that they do not drop out of school due to poverty!"

"Ah, this..." Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent upon hearing this.

What kind of Konoha is this? What kind of Hokage is this?!

If I were a villager, wouldn't I be completely devoted to such a Hokage?

For the first time, he realized that being Hokage didn't require giving speeches or shouting slogans; as long as he did good work for the villagers, he would naturally gain their approval.

"That money..." Sarutobi wanted to take back his words as soon as he opened his mouth.

Talking about money is just asking for humiliation, isn't it?

However, since Kurenai Yuhi is one of our own, she probably won't speak so bluntly.

Then he heard Kurenai Yuhi say with a smile, "We had an internal meeting last night to tally up the annual funding that the Land of Fire allocates to Konoha, and then distribute it to various departments. We found that not only is the money enough, but there is even some left over."

"It can not only be used for nine-year compulsory education, but also for building bridges and roads, and developing Konoha."

"I wonder what happened before. We had the same amount of money, so why hasn't Konoha changed?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's face turned pale. He had no desire to speak to his old subordinate anymore and turned to go upstairs.

"Looks like even Yuhi Maku has betrayed you!" Koharu Utatane whispered from behind.

"Without the protection of our Sarutobi clan, the Yuhi clan would have been wiped out long ago!" Hiruzen Sarutobi said viciously. "I've only been gone for a day, and he's already so decisively sided with the new Hokage. These people are utterly ungrateful bastards!"

Turning to the next room, Xiaochun scoffed, "So ungrateful."

Five out of six people embezzled money. Even though Shin'ichi Shinohara has worked here for over a decade, he hasn't managed to get a single penny from you.

It's truly unfortunate to be protected by your Sarutobi clan!

The snicker wasn't loud, but it was quite noticeable in the quiet hallway.

The three of them paused simultaneously, but none of them spoke.

However, the atmosphere became noticeably more serious afterward.

When the three of them reached the second floor, Hiruzen Sarutobi discovered that the wall of what used to be a storage room next to the office had been completely removed and replaced with a transparent glass panel.

Behind the glass, a little girl was lying down, seemingly doing her homework.

"Anko Mitarashi?" Hiruzen Sarutobi recognized the little girl and asked, "What are you doing here?"

"To be a secretary!" Hongdou pointed to the sign hanging next to the glass door.

Konoha City Hokage Confidential Secretariat.

"Secretary? What's that?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked.

"It's a position that helps the Hokage handle affairs!" Anko said. "Konoha has so many things to do every day, some important, some not, some involving military matters, some involving people's livelihoods. I have to categorize these matters and prioritize them before handing them over to the Hokage!"

"This position is great!" Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes lit up, and he immediately realized the importance of this job.

Without affecting one's own power, it can also greatly reduce one's workload!

Why didn't I think of that back then!

Thinking of this, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a pang of heartache for no reason. All of this should have belonged to me, to me!

"Is the Fourth Hokage here?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked.

"Yes, I'll let you know!" Hongdou immediately got up and ran to open a door next to her.

Hiruzen Sarutobi then discovered that the door leading to the Hokage's office had been sealed off, while a new door had been opened at the secretariat.

Luckily they lingered here for a moment, otherwise they would have had to break down the door.

"Teacher, I was just looking for you!" A short while later, Orochimaru emerged with a beaming smile, not wearing the Hokage hat and robes, but only a plain white lab coat. "I discovered a room sealed with a sealing jutsu in this office. I wonder what's inside? And how to unseal it?"

"Uh..." Hiruzen Sarutobi hesitated for a moment.

This room contains not only Konoha Village's secret treasure: the Book of Seals.

It also stores most of the ninjutsu of Konoha, and even the secret techniques of the major ninja clans.

For example, the shadow techniques of the Nara clan, the secret techniques of the Akimichi clan, and so on.

This is Konoha Village's biggest secret, and also the last authority held by the Hokage.

Once this seal is handed over, it's equivalent to completely relinquishing the position of Hokage!

He was unwilling and reluctant, but he was powerless to do anything about it.

Even if he planned to get the villagers to criticize Orochimaru, even if he planned to criticize Orochimaru's policies, he had to admit that as long as Orochimaru didn't make any major mistakes, he could hold onto the position of Hokage very securely.

The Hokage, a man of great stature, is not so easily ousted.

If he hadn't been so greedy and offended so many people, he would still be the Third Hokage!

"Wait a minute, I'll teach you!" Hiruzen Sarutobi said.

"Alright!" Orochimaru nodded, then asked with a smile, "Come in and let's talk."

Hiruzen Sarutobi followed Orochimaru into the office and immediately discovered that the office had also been disturbed!

The biggest difference is that there is a huge floor-to-ceiling window behind the desk.

Bright natural light streams in, so much so that the office doesn't need to be lit during the day.

In addition, two sofas and a tea table were added opposite the desk, which provided a place for visiting guests to sit.

Unlike before, when you either had to stand or kneel.

Finally, in addition to the portraits of the First and Second Hokage, a portrait of the Third Hokage was added to the wall.

Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly understood a line of poetry that he had previously dismissed.

Things have changed, people are gone, everything is over; before I can speak, tears flow.

In just two days, almost all traces of my life in this building have been erased!

"Master, may I ask what brings you three here?" Orochimaru gestured for the three to sit down, and Anko served them tea.

Hiruzen Sarutobi subconsciously picked up his teacup and took a sip.

For some reason, he felt a little nervous.

So this is how everyone else feels when facing the Hokage!

He remained silent, but Koharu Utatane wasn't afraid and asked directly, "Fourth Hokage, what is the purpose of this finance department you set up? Previously, the Daimyo's funding was managed by our elders!"

"Koharu-senpai, Utatane!" Orochimaru asked with a smile, "Are you very good at managing money?"

"Of course!" Koharu nodded proudly, "I've been managing it for over ten years!"

"How about I ask you a question related to funds?" Orochimaru asked.

"Ask away!" Koharu nodded casually. "I've managed money for over ten years, what kind of questions haven't I seen!"

You young people still need us old folks to guide you in your work!

Orochimaru then spoke up, "I've set the salary for the Hokage position at 30 ryo per month, and to keep up with inflation, the salary will increase by 10% annually. So, ten years from now, what will my salary be per month?"

"Huh?" Koharu Utatane was taken aback and turned to look at Homura Mitokado.

Mitokado Homura was also stunned and confused: "Why are you looking at me like that? Calculate it!"

"Oh, right, that counts!" Koharu, who was turning over a new room, immediately looked up: "Give me paper and a pen!"

As soon as she finished speaking, paper and pen were placed in front of her.

It's red bean.

Xiaochun, who was changing dorm rooms, didn't even say thank you; she just lay down on the table and started calculating.

The first month it was 30, the second month it was 33, and the third month...

Mitokado Yan sighs, you made a mistake right from the start! It said 10% increase every year, not every month!

However, this is not the worst of it.

The worst part was that in the third month, when Xiaochun moved dorms, she calculated that the cost was 35.3 yuan.

She not only misheard the question, but also miscalculated the numbers.

After a long while, Xiaochun, who was turning over in the dormitory, excitedly slammed her hand on the table: "Ten years from now, your salary will be 869.6 million taels per month!"

Orochimaru smiled, then looked at Mitokado Homura and Sarutobi Hiruzen: "Is there anything else?"

"We haven't finished talking about this yet!" Koharu Tsurugi hurriedly said.

"Well, although she's a bit bad at math, that doesn't affect her ability to manage money!" Hiruzen Sarutobi blushed slightly, but it didn't matter; he was getting old and didn't care about such things.

The benefits already in hand are the most important!

"Besides, she has over ten years of management experience, so she can still mentor younger people!" Mitokado Haru chimed in.

"I've only been learning to farm for three years now. Do you think my farming skills are better or worse than those old farmers who have been farming for thirty years?" Orochimaru retorted.

"Ah, this..." The three of them were speechless.

You've pushed the yield to 2,000 jin per mu, who can compare to you?

"Some people's lives may seem to be full of experiences, but in reality, they are just going through cycles. Their experience of more than ten years may not be comparable to one or two years of systematic learning!" Orochimaru narrowed his eyes and said in a calm tone, "We respect the age of such people and call them elders, but if they rely on their age to act arrogantly, then young people will only call them old codgers and old bastards."

After saying that, Orochimaru looked at Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado: "Since you two have become elders of Konoha, you must not be the kind of people who rely on your seniority!"

Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado's lips twitched as they looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi. "Hey monkey, this is your apprentice! Do something about him!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi paused for a moment, then asked, "The finance department can be established, but you can't touch the Anbu and Root!"

"You can keep the Anbu, but I must take over Root!" Orochimaru said calmly.

Anyway, we've already taken control of all the people in the secret service, so it's good to keep them around to monitor you.

Moreover, I control the finance department, and I don't allocate funds to the secret service. If you're so capable, then pay for it yourself.

On the contrary, the Root organization is more trouble than it's worth; Orochimaru himself doesn't want to use it, nor does he want to put it in Hiruzen Sarutobi's hands.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed. He had long known that he would be unable to control Orochimaru after he became Hokage, which was why he had been desperately trying to suppress him.

As he had expected, he quickly took control of everything and was even able to start anew, completely abandoning the dark side and the root that he cherished.

However, he guessed that this process would take one to two years!

With so much time, he should have figured out a way to bring Orochimaru down long ago.

But now, it's only been two days!

Two days!

That afternoon, a huge bulletin board was erected at the entrance of the Hokage's office building.

The bulletin board displayed a message at the top.

Konoha Advisory Board: Elders Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, both aged 50, have chosen to step down from their positions due to advanced age and declining energy, and return home to enjoy their retirement.

(End of this chapter)