"Tsunade-sama, maybe I should come back later."
Souma immediately sensed danger.
He hadn't heard everything, but words like "the main person" and "the plan" had definitely reached his ears.
A plan… involving him?
That never meant anything good.
"Get in here."
Tsunade grabbed him by the arm and yanked him straight into the office.
When it came to raw strength or arm-wrestling, Tsunade knew she couldn't beat Souma anymore—but a sudden pull like this was still well within her abilities.
Souma had no choice but to follow.
The moment he saw who was inside, his scalp went numb.
Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Homura Mitokado.
Koharu Utatane.
Konoha's most headache-inducing trio—all present.
No wonder there'd been an explosion loud enough to be heard downstairs.
Tsunade dragged me in as backup…
Souma took a quiet breath.
Given their earlier conversations, whatever Tsunade was planning was probably beneficial to him.
Which meant—
The three elders were the "enemy."
"Greetings, Hokage-sama. Counselors."
Souma bowed politely.
Homura waved a hand, expression unreadable.
Koharu smiled gently and nodded back.
As for the Third—
His face gave nothing away.
Tsunade returned to her seat and slammed the desk.
"Didn't you say you wanted training?"
"Yes," Souma replied. "That's true."
"Then let's do it properly," Tsunade said sharply.
"One department trains, two departments train—it's all training anyway. I say we coordinate all departments and train them together. Whoever performs worst gets punished."
"…?"
Souma blinked.
That just sounded like large-scale drills.
If that were all, the elders wouldn't be arguing loudly enough to shake the building.
"There's more," Tsunade continued coldly.
"Strengthen cooperation between departments. Deep collaboration with the Research Division. No more wasting manpower and resources."
"The era of each department acting independently is over."
"Tsunade," Koharu said calmly, "your idea is idealistic—but too radical. We're already short on manpower. If you divert people into research and coordination, where will replacements come from?"
Hiruzen stood aside, pipe in hand, clearly observing rather than intervening.
Souma listened—and inwardly admired Tsunade's decisiveness.
Full inter-departmental linkage was the optimal solution.
But—
The counselors weren't wrong.
Konoha's foundation had been bled dry by wars.
Ambition alone couldn't create manpower.
From Tsunade's tone, she was clearly expecting him to fill the gap.
After a moment of thought, Souma spoke.
"Cross-department cooperation already exists," he said calmly.
"For example—didn't Aburame Shibi handle ANBU perimeter security before?"
"That's right!" Tsunade clapped her hands.
"I knew you'd get it!"
She shot Souma a triumphant look.
Hiruzen turned toward him, curiosity in his eyes.
"What exactly are you suggesting?"
Souma met his gaze.
"Improved cooperation is undeniably beneficial," he said.
"Even if we can't fully implement it immediately, we can establish the system and gradually complete it during this term."
"As for manpower—take the Police Force as an example."
He paused.
"The Police Force doesn't need to be composed entirely of ninja. And they don't have to shoulder all public security alone."
Silence followed.
Then surprised looks were exchanged.
"Go on," Hiruzen said.
"The Police Force is responsible for village security," Souma explained evenly.
"If they alone carry that burden, of course they'll be understaffed."
"But intelligence barriers maintained by the Intelligence Division—those are also part of village security, aren't they?"
Hiruzen nodded slowly.
"That's the point of coordination," Souma continued.
"Let Intelligence handle detection and early warning. Let the Police focus on patrol and response."
Growing more engaged, Souma took out paper and began sketching a simple structure.
"The village's security doesn't rely on ninja alone," he said.
"This is the perfect opportunity for civilians to participate in village construction."
He wrote: Civilians.
Hiruzen froze.
Then realization dawned.
"You mean… allowing villagers who can't become ninja to take part in the Police Force?"
"Not just the Police Force," Souma replied.
"Medication production can be moved into factories. Civilians can handle low-precision tasks."
"That would free up medical ninja manpower."
Tsunade nodded immediately.
Soldier pills, medicinal baths, basic drugs—
Even if civilians couldn't complete them independently, producing semi-finished products would still save enormous time.
And—
If civilians earned money, they could raise children.
More children meant future ninja.
A positive cycle.
All four of them saw the advantages at once.
"Is there more?" Hiruzen asked, breathing slightly faster.
"Yes," Souma replied.
"Some people can't become standard ninja but still have talent. They should be trained according to their strengths."
"For example—Kurama Yakumo."
Souma continued calmly.
Her body was weak—unsuitable for combat missions.
But village patrol?
Research support?
Mental surveillance?
Perfectly viable.
And there were many retired ninja injured in past wars.
Listening to Souma, Hiruzen felt something heavy sink in his chest.
Konoha still had so much untapped strength…
I just didn't know how to use it.
He fell silent, pipe in hand.
"Souma, that was excellent," Tsunade said, clearly pleased.
The three elders had gone from arguing fiercely… to silent contemplation.
Koharu and Homura could find no faults.
Finally, Hiruzen spoke.
"Even so, this can't be implemented all at once. What's the first step?"
"The Police Force."
Souma and Tsunade answered in unison.
The Police Force was a blank slate—the perfect testing ground.
"Then let's discuss the Police Force," Hiruzen said.
That was approval.
From this point onward, the discussion turned into concrete policy—territory where Souma could only assist occasionally.
He tried to slip away.
But Tsunade's grip on his wrist tightened.
No escape…
Souma sighed and stayed, offering suggestions now and then.
By evening, he finally stumbled out of the Hokage Tower.
"Exhausting…"
Thankfully, Tsunade had tanked most of the arguments head-on.
He'd only spoken a few times.
Good thing I'm not Hokage, he thought sincerely.
"Souma, thanks today."
Tsunade draped an arm over his shoulder.
"Come on. Drinks are on me."
"No."
"You can have juice."
"Heh."
Souma laughed dryly.
Tsunade leaned closer, her voice lowering.
"One reason is thanks. The other is… future cooperation."
"That," Souma said, nodding, "does interest me."
They entered an izakaya, ordered food, alcohol, and drinks, and took a private room.
Tsunade pulled out a booklet.
"Take a look."
Souma opened it.
His expression immediately turned serious.
Body Pathway Derangement.
Detailed principles.
Complete theory.
Execution process.
It was practically a research thesis.
"There's more," Tsunade said.
Souma turned the page.
Strength of a Hundred Seal.
He looked up sharply.
"I heard you were researching chakra storage," Tsunade said.
"This might give you some ideas."
"I already have an alternative," Souma said honestly, "but thank you."
Tsunade pressed his shoulder down as he tried to stand.
"There's one last page. Only you may read it. Destroy it afterward."
Souma flipped to the final page.
Creation Rebirth.
A forbidden technique.
His breathing quickened.
They'd only known each other for days—
Yet Tsunade entrusted him with techniques worth kingdoms.
"These…" he began.
"Take them," Tsunade said casually.
"They're forbidden, but the cost isn't unbearable. If it's you, you'll know when to stop."
She drank deeply, then looked at him.
"If something happens to you, the pressure on me increases too."
"…Thank you."
"Out of curiosity," Tsunade asked, "what's your replacement for the Strength of a Hundred?"
"Specialized kikaichū."
Tsunade's eyes narrowed—then widened.
"So that's why you pushed medical kikaichū."
"Exactly. But each one requires senjutsu chakra to cultivate. That's the bottleneck."
Tsunade smiled faintly.
"Didn't Grandpa help you capture Manda?"
"He's starving himself to death," Souma said helplessly.
"Probably won't last much longer."
Tsunade laughed.
Summon pride was real.
Souma's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Tsunade-sama… are you interested in Sage Mode?"
"…The Fire Temple kind?"
"???"
She stared at him.
"I can't even master Shikkotsu Forest Sage Mode. And you want me to try that?"
"Worth a try," Souma said lightly.
"You won't know until you do."
If Tsunade mastered Sage Mode—
She'd be the perfect reference for cultivating medical kikaichū.
Not to use her.
But to write the ultimate guide.
Because if the Aburame clan stalled forever—
What am I supposed to use then?
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
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