"Orochimaru!" Tsunade, holding Haruki's hand, waved at Orochimaru with her free hand.
Orochimaru gave a small nod, his face as unreadable as ever.
"You're here early," Haruki remarked as he sat between them, his gaze sweeping across the crowded hall. "That's not like you, Orochimaru."
The hall was packed with nearly every jonin in the village, making it feel noisy and a little cramped.
"It was the Hokage's orders," Orochimaru replied, his tone flat as usual. His sharp, snake-like eyes flickered coldly.
Haruki sighed. He knew Nawaki's death had shaken not only Tsunade but also Orochimaru. It had pushed him away from everything else and deeper into his obsession with immortality.
If things had played out differently, it would have been a real toss-up between him and Minato for the title of Fourth Hokage. But because of Haruki's influence, Orochimaru was still far from the path that would have led him to defect from the village, unlike in the original timeline.
After a short wait, Hiruzen finally arrived. Dressed in his Hokage robes, pipe in hand.
As soon as he entered, the entire hall fell silent before erupting in a respectful chorus.
"Hokage-sama!"
"Hokage-sama!"
Hiruzen responded with a wave and a warm smile before exchanging a few pleasantries. Once that was done, the meeting officially began. The first topic on the agenda.
The pensions and inheritance of fallen ninjas.
"As per tradition," Hiruzen announced, "inheritance will go to the family members or designated friends of the deceased. For orphaned children, their inheritance will be safeguarded until they graduate from the academy. Until then, the village will provide appropriate support."
Haruki listened with a smile, but inside, he was literally cursing Hiruzen.
If the system really worked as smoothly as he made it sound, how the hell did Naruto end up surviving on instant noodles and expired milk?
Minato had completed countless missions, and if he had received even a fraction of the rewards owed to him, Naruto would have been set for life.
And that wasn't even considering Kushina, who had been the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, an invaluable asset to the village.
From Haruki's perspective, if Naruto hadn't been the protagonist, he would have long since turned into a villain, just like so many others in the shinobi world.
The so-called rules were nothing more than tools for those in power, like Hiruzen and Danzo, to manipulate situations as they saw fit.
The meeting continued with two more important topics.
The nearing end of the war and the village's reconstruction and development once it was over.
"If anyone has suggestions, feel free to share them," Hiruzen said with his usual kind smile. One by one, people stood up and voiced their ideas.
"Hokage-sama, I have a proposal," Haruki said, standing up with a friendly, harmless smile.
"Oh? Haruki," Hiruzen responded with a nod.
He had always thought highly of Haruki.
Originally an orphan, he had grown into a bright and determined young ninja. Despite the hardships of war, he remained optimistic, never hesitating to fight on the most dangerous front lines. He had saved many comrades and, more importantly, embodied the Will of Fire.
Just as everyone turned their attention to him, Haruki pulled out a stack of scrolls seemingly out of nowhere. Using chakra, he effortlessly distributed them across the room.
"This is a proposal for changes to the ninja academy," he explained. "The details are in the scrolls. Please take a look."
"I didn't expect you to be this well-prepared," Hiruzen said, intrigued. As he unrolled the scroll, the title immediately caught his attention.
[Compulsory Ninja Education]
The first few sections outlined a major restructuring of the academy.
[The academy would be divided into elementary school and middle school.]
[Elementary school would remain six years long, focusing on basic knowledge and fundamental ninja training.]
[Middle school would add an additional three years, where students would learn advanced techniques based on their chakra attributes.]
[This meant that instead of graduating as early as twelve, most students would finish their formal training around fifteen years old before becoming full-fledged ninjas.]
Haruki had considered introducing high school and increasing the graduation age to eighteen but knew that such a drastic change wouldn't be accepted immediately.
The scroll also proposed the establishment of a research institute within the academy to develop new jutsu and ninja tools.
At the end, two new theory-based courses were introduced.
History and Politics.
Of course, Haruki knew that bluntly adding such courses would raise suspicion, especially from Hiruzen. So, he cleverly disguised them under more flattering titles.
[Hokage's Chronicles– A history course framed around Hokages and the growth of the village.]
[The Great Will of Fire– A course on village philosophy, leadership, and duty.]
Currently, the academy placed little emphasis on theory. Even during the Chunin Exams in the original storyline, hardly anyone actually completed the written test properly.
Cheating was not only expected but practically encouraged by the village.
But for Haruki, these courses weren't just about education. They were about shaping the future.
The so-called Will of Fire had been twisted by people like Hiruzen and Danzo to justify their rule.
Where tree leaves dance, one shall find flames… The fire's shadow will illuminate the village… And once again, tree leaves shall bud anew.
A poetic phrase that was originally about the cycle of life and growth had been manipulated into propaganda.
Just look at Uchiha Itachi, a prodigy who was essentially brainwashed into sacrificing his entire clan under the illusion of serving a greater good.
Haruki had no intention of letting history repeat itself.
Through these courses, he would plant the seeds of a new ideology in the next generation. It wouldn't happen overnight. It might take ten, maybe even twenty years. But one day, Hiruzen would realize the consequences of letting Haruki implement this system. By then, it would be too late to stop the change.
Judging by Hiruzen's expression, Haruki could tell his proposal had landed well.
The old man looked at him with warmth in his eyes, clearly pleased. 'Not only has he embraced the Will of Fire, but he even remembers my teachings… and now he wants to spread them through education?'
Just as Hiruzen seemed ready to approve, a cold, disapproving voice cut through the quiet hall.
"This shouldn't be implemented."
Haruki wasn't surprised in the slightest. He turned toward the source of the voice, Danzo.
Of course, it was him.
Danzo had never cared for the so-called Will of Fire. His only goal was to become Hokage, no matter the cost. If Haruki's plan went through, it would only strengthen the Hokage's influence and reputation, making Danzo's ambitions that much harder to achieve.
Hiruzen narrowed his eyes but said nothing. He wanted to see how Haruki would handle the situation.
Danzo crossed his arms and spoke with his usual stern tone. "We've already lost too many skilled shinobi in the war. If we delay graduation like you propose, we won't have enough Genin to replenish our ranks. And we don't have the manpower to provide additional teachers for the academy."
In his words, ninjas weren't people. They were tools, weapons to be deployed as soon as possible.
However, Haruki smiled as if he had expected this reaction all along.
"You make an excellent point, Danzo-sama," he said smoothly, taking a step back before presenting his counteroffer.
"But I have two solutions. Now that the war is over and peace is returning, we should encourage villagers to have more children. If finances are an issue, the village can provide assistance to struggling families."
"Additionally, we can recruit wandering ninjas displaced by the war. This will allow us to replenish our numbers in the short term."
Danzo let out a mocking laugh. "Your first idea is fine, but bringing in wandering ninjas? That's just asking for enemy spies to infiltrate the village."
"You're absolutely right, Danzo-sama," Haruki agreed without hesitation. "Which is why I believe this task should be handled by Root. With its expertise, identifying potential infiltrators should be easy."
"After all, Root is the best when it comes to intelligence gathering and eliminating threats before they take root."
Danzo's eyes narrowed slightly. He hadn't expected Haruki to hand over control so easily.
But as he thought it over, he realized this setup could actually work to his advantage. Under the guise of monitoring wandering ninjas, he would have the perfect cover to operate in the shadows.
Just as the gears started turning in Danzo's head, Hiruzen spoke up.
"Both the Anbu and Root will handle this matter together," he declared.
Danzo frowned but didn't object.
Hiruzen then turned his gaze back to Haruki, his expression thoughtful. After a pause, he finally spoke.
"Haruki, you've made great contributions in this war and saved many lives. Since you seem so determined to improve the academy, I'll grant my approval." He smiled warmly.
"The academy will undergo the changes you proposed....and from now on, you will serve as its vice-principal."
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