"Person in charge of the hospital?"
Two days later, the Kazekage summoned Yuji to his office and issued the appointment.
The position was hospital director, which in practical terms meant taking over the village's entire medical system. A senior post within the Medical Department.
Chiyo still nominally managed the department, but the village understood that transition was inevitable, and no one more qualified than Yuji existed to receive it.
"You'll serve in this capacity for a period," the Third Kazekage said, with something close to warmth in his expression. "When the time is right, you'll take over the Medical Department in full." The implication was explicit enough that it needed no further elaboration.
The promotion had been rapid, and the Kazekage had been deliberate about the pacing specifically to quiet potential criticism. But the criticism, when it was raised in the meeting, had been limited.
Yuji's hospital reform work, his performance as a Medical Ninja across the Iwagakure front, the measurable improvement in treatment efficiency across the entire deployed force, and most recently his handling of the Hidden Mist situation had collectively left little space for serious objection. Whatever murmuring existed was about age, not ability.
Chiyo had been the first to speak in the meeting, and she had spoken clearly. Yuji had surpassed her in medical skill, she said, setting aside Ninjutsu entirely. She had no objection to him taking the department. Once she said it, the room settled.
The Hidden Mist situation had also done something for the village's mood more broadly. For years the coastal harassment had been a persistent drain on resources and morale that the village had been unable to resolve decisively.
Yuji had, through his own capability, brought it to a temporary halt. That carried weight beyond the military record.
Becoming the effective head of the Medical Department made Yuji, in terms of standing, one of the village's core senior figures. At twelve years old. Outsiders would call it unprecedented. Outsiders didn't understand what Yuji represented in practical terms, and the ninja world had never recognized precedent as a meaningful constraint anyway.
The Kazekage's manner toward him had also shifted slightly from previous meetings. Not warmer exactly, but settled. The careful watchfulness that had been present before was gone. Yuji had passed what needed to be passed, and the Kazekage had arrived at a conclusion about him.
"I'm happy to manage the hospital," Yuji said, after a small pause that suggested he was choosing his words carefully. "I do have one personal request, however."
The Kazekage gestured for him to continue.
"I'd like to join the Council of Advisors. As an Economic Advisor."
The Kazekage's expression stopped moving for a moment.
"Hahaha, I understand this might seem unexpected," Yuji said, scratching the back of his head with appropriate humility. "I've developed a genuine interest in the village's economic situation and I have some thoughts about it. I'd like the opportunity to contribute in that area."
The Kazekage considered him for a moment before responding.
"Yuji, I appreciate that you want to contribute this way. But joining the Council of Advisors is not as straightforward as it might appear. The role requires a deep working knowledge of economics across multiple countries.
You need to understand current prices of everyday goods, which regions are experiencing strong harvests and which are suffering shortages, how events across the ninja world affect our village's external environment and trade position. These are not things you can pick up quickly."
He said it without condescension, but plainly.
Ninja, including himself, were not naturally suited to this domain.
Sunagakure's function in the Land of Wind was military and strategic. Economic and political affairs were a different kind of expertise, and the Council of Advisors drew on people who had spent their lives developing it.
Most members of the Council were, in practice, more directly accountable to the Daimyo than to the Kazekage. The department sat slightly outside the village's core power structure in a way that made it an unusual destination for someone with Yuji's profile.
"The village doesn't have many external disputes right now, and the hospital's workload is manageable. I should have time available.
I'm still young, and I think I should contribute to the village across more than one area rather than limiting myself. I understand your intention, Lord Kazekage.
You want me managing the hospital to continue raising medical standards and conditions, the same work I began two years ago. And most importantly, to develop more Medical Ninja for the village." Yuji paused.
"I can guarantee I'll fulfill that responsibility even if you also let me join the Council of Advisors. If I fall short, I'll step back and learn first."
He said the last part with the directness of someone making a formal commitment.
He knew the ground he was standing on. The assessment had gone well enough that he had earned a degree of trust with the higher-ups, and with that trust came a small amount of room to ask for things.
The Kazekage's default style left no space for negotiation. Orders were given and obeyed. But this particular moment was different.
The Kazekage looked at him without speaking.
The silence stretched.
"I want to do everything I can for this village," Yuji added quietly. "The same as you, Third. Give me a chance."
The Kazekage was thinking something he didn't say aloud. This boy had read the situation precisely. The village's real interest in having him take over the Medical Department was not administrative.
It was production. More Medical Ninja, trained to a higher standard, available to the village in greater numbers. Yuji had understood that without being told. Arai had always said the boy was perceptive. This was more than perceptive.
"You've likely already noticed the village's economic situation," the Kazekage said eventually. "Mission rewards have dropped significantly. The Land of Wind presents a particular set of challenges that have resisted every effort to resolve them, not just for Sunagakure but for the entire region.
None of us, including myself, have found a workable answer. What could someone your age actually accomplish where experienced people have found nothing?"
The implication was plain. If a twelve-year-old managed to solve what the Kazekage and the full Council of Advisors had failed to solve, it would reflect poorly on everyone who had been working on the problem for years.
"What if I really can do it?" Yuji said, with a smile that managed to look both earnest and slightly guileless.
The Kazekage regarded him for another moment.
"Look at the data first."
He said it like a concession to someone who needed to learn through experience rather than instruction. Reality would adjust the boy's expectations once he saw the actual numbers.
"Thank you, Lord Kazekage."
Inside, Yuji felt something settle.
It had worked.