Chapter 179: Fugaku's Astonishing Wisdom, Piecing Together the Good Guy Nagato

Hiruzen Sarutobi fixed his gaze on the exact coordinates where Madara Uchiha had vanished, his brows furrowing slightly.

This was absolutely not a standard Body Flicker Jutsu.

At minimum, it was a spatial relocation protocol on par with the Flying Thunder God.

In a fraction of a millisecond, the hostile's chakra signature had been completely wiped from the local server.

"Regardless of this entity's strategic agenda, opting for a tactical withdrawal indicates an aversion to high-intensity kinetic conflict. This proves Konoha's current combat metrics are sufficient to force him into a risk-averse posture."

Hiruzen temporarily archived his suspicions.

Expecting to fully reverse-engineer a proprietary skill tree consisting of mysterious repulsive forces, jutsu-decompilation, and spatial displacement after a single visual audit was highly unrealistic.

Rather than burning processing power on internal speculation, it was better to execute actionable items within his current bandwidth.

"Minato, escort Hanzo to the medical division for immediate hardware repair." Hiruzen retrieved Hanzo's severed arm from the terrain, applying a localized preservation seal over the tissue.

Acceptable parameters.

The laceration was remarkably clean, and the elapsed time was well within the viable window. Reattachment surgery was entirely feasible.

"Big Brother, why concern yourself with this arm?"

Hanzo shook his head, sighing. "It is a negligible loss! Given my combat framework, even with a decommissioned limb, I can synthesize a functional replacement using the Hydrification Jutsu. It will not severely depreciate my operational output."

"If anything, I have been overly reliant on the physical immunity granted by the Hydrification Jutsu, and the market has penalized me for it once again!"

Following this kinetic defeat, Hanzo did not succumb to corporate depression; conversely, his drive to scale his combat metrics surged violently.

In his risk assessment, his Big Brother, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had originally operated on the exact same baseline as himself.

Yet through rigorous R&D and training, Hiruzen was now fully capable of engaging this anomalous hostile on equal footing.

Grinding stats yielded measurable ROI!

But where should he initiate his restructuring?

Hanzo's calculations turned to the Second Mizukage, Gengetsu Hozuki.

In perfect synchronization with Madara Uchiha's earlier thoughts, Hanzo locked his sights on the Second Mizukage.

He also possessed the Hozuki clan's genetic payload. Why not utilize Gengetsu as a reference model?

Just as he had analyzed Izuna's combat data in his youth, it was time to rebuild his foundation!

Hiruzen blinked, just about to issue a response.

Yahiko's tears began cascading down his face. Staring at Hanzo's mangled shoulder, he choked out, "Hanzo-sama, this is entirely my liability! I should not have executed such a reckless maneuver!"

"Hokage-sama, I am profoundly grateful for your emergency deployment. My previous geopolitical analysis was far too narrow-minded!"

Yahiko's face twitched. Amidst overwhelming grief and regret, he completely dumped his internal cache.

To think he had internally audited Konoha as an arrogant conglomerate? It was an egregious miscalculation!

Hanzo-sama's corporate vision was flawless. Konoha and Amegakure were allied subsidiaries fighting shoulder-to-shoulder. The moment a critical failure occurred, Konoha deployed executive reinforcements at zero latency.

If Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't logged in, would any of them still possess active life signs today?

Hiruzen closely evaluated Yahiko, somewhat surprised.

In the shinobi industry, this archetype of hot-blooded idealist was a rare commodity.

However, precisely because of this trait, such individuals often possessed immense HR charisma among the shinobi workforce, harboring the potential to become powerful key opinion leaders.

"Yahiko, terminate the tears!"

Hanzo commanded with profound executive authority. "My left arm was not lost; it was a capital investment I staked on the joint future of Amegakure and Konoha!"

"Do not weep. Keep your head elevated like a professional, and maintain peak operational morale to intercept the next market challenge!"

Yahiko shuddered, aggressively sniffing back his tears and stabilizing his emotional output.

Hiruzen blinked.

Why did that PR speech sound so familiar? He couldn't quite query where he had reviewed that exact transcript before.

"Young man, step forward."

Hiruzen waved Yahiko over.

Yahiko immediately jogged over, bowing his head respectfully. "Hokage-sama!"

"You little brat, along with the red-haired boy and the blue-haired girl..."

Hiruzen chuckled amiably. "That little delinquent Jiraiya launched an unauthorized mentorship program in the field without filing a report with my office. I only recently audited the data and discovered I actually have three grand-disciples operating in Amegakure."

Yahiko's internal stress levels spiked instantly.

"My deepest apologies, Hokage-sama! We were the ones aggressively soliciting Jiraiya-sensei's mentorship!"

"Please penalize me! The liability is entirely mine!"

Yahiko was terrified of generating an HR crisis for Jiraiya.

More critically, he feared their past actions might depreciate the ongoing corporate merger between Amegakure and Konoha.

"His unauthorized recruitment was indeed a violation of protocol, but it is deeply correlated with the historical influence of Mount Myoboku. I have already issued him a formal warning that such off-the-books operations will not be tolerated again."

"However, your personnel files are unique. You are operatives under the jurisdiction of my sworn brother, and the diplomatic relations between Amegakure and Konoha have officially returned to a highly synergistic trajectory."

Hiruzen patted Yahiko's orange hair. "Technically speaking, what is my proper title in your organizational chart?"

Yahiko froze, his head snapping up to stare at Hiruzen, stuttering but unable to output the proper audio.

Konan, however, processed the logic instantly. She stepped forward quickly and spoke with perfect corporate deference: "Grand-Sensei!"

"Ah, correct, correct! Grand-Sensei!" Yahiko echoed rapidly, internally cursing his own slow processing speed.

Hanzo's eyes lit up. "You three must prioritize your respect for the Hokage-sama above even your respect for me!"

"Reverence for one's mentors is a core corporate value that both Konoha and Amegakure must institutionalize moving forward. It is our legacy framework!"

Yahiko nodded with maximum physical exertion. "Absolutely!"

"Using the title 'Grand-Sensei' in a private networking context is perfectly acceptable."

"I expect you to generate solid performance metrics. For the optimized future of both Amegakure and Konoha, I want you to eventually broadcast with absolute pride that you are elite operatives validated by both Hanzo and myself."

Hiruzen patted Yahiko's shoulder. "However, do not let the KPIs crush you. Execute your roadmap step by step, with solid, verifiable progress."

"Before your personal combat assets fully mature, Hanzo and I will serve as your corporate firewall against market volatility."

Feeling the warm, heavy hand of the Hokage, Yahiko finally understood.

He finally comprehended exactly why Hanzo-sama genuinely and wholeheartedly addressed this executive as 'Big Brother'!

"Grand-Sensei."

At this moment, Konan spoke up softly. "Um, regarding my Paper Ninjutsu... Hanzo-sama authorized an assessment stating it would highly optimize the manufacturing pipeline for Amegakure and Konoha."

"This scroll contains my proprietary R&D data. Please accept it as an open-source contribution!"

Konan extracted a scroll from her pouch and respectfully handed it to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Hanzo smiled. This associate had excellent corporate instincts.

"Big Brother, Konan's Paper Ninjutsu is unequivocally optimized for the mass production of rough scroll templates. However, as you are aware, this child was raised entirely within Amegakure's localized market; her theoretical comprehension of jutsu architecture is relatively entry-level."

"I request you audit and debug her framework. If other Konoha personnel can integrate this tech into their skill trees, the synergy would be exceptional!"

Extracting resources without providing reciprocal dividends guaranteed the rapid depreciation of any corporate partnership.

While the goodwill generated by Hiruzen's personal kinetic deployment vastly eclipsed the valuation of a single secret ninjutsu, Amegakure's capital reserves were objectively limited. The critical factor was establishing the correct corporate attitude.

Failing to project the right attitude was a fatal market error.

"Excellent." Hiruzen smiled, unfurling the scroll and scanning the data.

It was exactly as Hanzo had pitched.

This was a jutsu capable of generating immense industrial productivity!

"This shares distinct architectural similarities with the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags engineered by my mentor, Tobirama-sensei." Hiruzen didn't overthink the geopolitical implications, offering a purely technical evaluation. "The theoretical framework is highly innovative. Impressive."

Nearby, Tobirama felt immensely validated and offered a faint smile.

As expected of his prime disciple.

Hiruzen maintained a flawless database of his jutsu inventory and consistently optimized his brand visibility in all appropriate PR scenarios.

However, the mere mention of the name 'Tobirama Senju' triggered an immediate atmospheric shift.

Konan's expression instantly became incredibly awkward, bordering on fearful, as she subconsciously retreated behind Yahiko to stabilize her psychological parameters.

Hanzo cleared his throat lightly. "Big Brother, regarding this... Konan's jutsu was developed with the core objective of advancing global peace, you understand?"

Hiruzen projected a massive question mark. "Yes, and what is the issue?"

"The issue is..."

"In the past, Tobirama Senju deployed a highly classified offensive protocol combining the Edo Tensei with the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags. As you are undoubtedly aware, Big Brother, this specific operation possesses immense notoriety across the global market."

Hanzo attempted to phrase his feedback as diplomatically as possible. "As a CEO myself, I naturally comprehend that the Second Hokage engineered this asset strictly as a deterrent against hostile acquisitions."

"It is a raw manifestation of the Will of Fire." Hanzo's facial muscles began to strain under the effort of maintaining a straight face. "But Big Brother, while Konoha personnel possess the internal context to parse this, operatives from rival subsidiaries—even here in Amegakure—hold a somewhat... complex brand perception of him."

Hanzo carefully selected his corporate jargon. "A highly complex brand perception!"

"Moving forward, when we execute joint PR campaigns, it would be optimal to feature yourself as the primary brand ambassador, supplemented by Hashirama-sama. It isn't that the Second Hokage's legacy must be entirely redacted, but as you mentored me in PR management..."

"It is best to introduce his data slowly, softly, with controlled pacing, and preferably back-loaded in the fiscal year."

Hiruzen locked his facial muscles, utilizing maximum willpower to prevent an audio leak of laughter.

Others lacked the intel, but he knew perfectly well that the original 'Darkness of the Shinobi' was standing right there monitoring the comms channel.

Based on this data, it was highly probable Konan's Paper Ninjutsu had previously been misidentified, subjecting her to hostile kinetic threats due to brand association.

The Akatsuki Organization was a highly active NGO that interacted with a vast demographic of market participants.

Tobirama's expression darkened significantly.

He didn't even need to run a stealth protocol anymore—not even in front of Izuna, because his current avatar was technically logged in as his own 'grandson'.

Others were allowed to openly critique his grandfather, and he wasn't authorized to register a formal complaint?!

Izuna couldn't hold back and burst into riotous laughter.

No matter how many fiscal cycles passed, the catastrophic state of Tobirama's public relations and brand reputation remained his absolute favorite form of entertainment.

It was a pity his current hardware didn't support alcohol consumption, otherwise, he would have proposed a toast!

"There is a severe miscommunication in the market data."

Hiruzen emphasized with absolute professional sincerity. "Tobirama-sensei was, at his core, an executive deeply committed to global peace."

Fundamentally, this was an accurate assessment of Tobirama.

The critical bug was that his core directives were encrypted under layers of extreme pragmatism, making it mathematically improbable for any external operative to correlate his brand with 'peace'.

Because his operational methodology was widely flagged as excessively extreme.

"Understood, understood, understood." Hanzo nodded perfunctorily, speaking with heavy empathy. "Big Brother, I recognize the immense PR burden you carry, having to manage this brand liability for so many years... sigh!"

"In summary, we must implement stricter content moderation on this topic moving forward."

Hiruzen maintained a zero-expression poker face, ensuring no micro-expressions compromised the operation.

Hanzo's feedback was objectively flawless.

Brand reputation requires absolute consistency. Its primary utility is minimizing communication latency during B2B transactions.

Clearly, Hashirama's brand equity was vastly superior in this sector.

Tobirama's brand was engineered for an entirely different market demographic.

"This is indeed a highly actionable insight."

"Given Tobirama-sensei's processing logic, whenever he registers a system error, he initiates aggressive corrective patches, which often result in an overcorrection. His historical summit with the Second Raikage terminated in a catastrophic market failure."

"Consequently, his risk assessment algorithms regarding diplomatic alliances will be hyper-sensitive. He will inevitably project excessive paranoia toward external assets. It is optimal to permanently restrict his access to the diplomatic and public relations sectors."

"Tenzo will serve as the lead executive for diplomacy, heavily supported by Orochimaru. Their combined risk-assessment bandwidth is fully adequate."

"And Mito retains final executive veto power."

Hiruzen finalized the corporate restructuring.

Whether dealing with Amegakure or future Kirigakure assets, diplomatic portfolios were now completely firewalled from Tobirama's access.

He was to remain quarantined within the R&D division, strictly confined to the village limits, focusing entirely on Hashirama Cell integration and running security audits on Danzo.

"Very well."

Hiruzen waved his hand, smiling. "My sworn brother, I do not object to you staking your arm on our joint future, but your timeline is far too premature."

"Konoha possesses the medical infrastructure to execute a seamless reattachment. The hardware damage is well within repair parameters. Rest assured."

A massive question mark rendered over Hanzo's head.

He was aware Konoha's medical division boasted elite metrics, but did they truly possess a dedicated 'Severed Limb Reattachment' department?

Did that imply that as long as an operative didn't experience instant, total systemic collapse, they could be rebooted?

Yahiko and Konan were equally stunned.

The staggering capital reserves and technological infrastructure of a major conglomerate were completely beyond the cognitive bandwidth of these minor-village operatives.

"And what about Nagato?" Yahiko asked involuntarily.

"He will recover fully."

Yahiko took a deep breath, experiencing a profound paradigm shift regarding the absolute necessity of raw power.

Power was not merely a kinetic asset for hostile acquisitions; it was a mandatory infrastructural requirement for protecting one's personnel.

Without sufficient combat metrics, relying solely on unyielding willpower would only result in being violently liquidated by barbaric market forces.

You wouldn't even possess the bandwidth to protect your core assets.

"Konan's projections were accurate."

"She stated that until the Akatsuki Organization secures a monopoly on peace for Amegakure and the global market, personal romantic entanglements are strictly off the table."

"My previous analytics were far too naive."

"The immediate priority is to aggressively scale my combat metrics alongside Nagato and Konan, accumulating the necessary capital to finance global peace!"

Yahiko finalized his internal resolution, and Konan's processors were aligned on the exact same frequency.

Madara's overwhelming kinetic suppression had injected them with a tangible sense of operational urgency. It brutally demonstrated that corporate visions required the heavy lifting of grueling R&D and training to actually deploy.

For executives dedicated to the macro-objective of global peace, romance was currently an unaffordable luxury asset.

"Seisui, escort Hanzo to the medical division for immediate repairs."

Hiruzen instructed, ensuring Tobirama was extracted from Amegakure before he could overhear any further critical performance reviews. "Minato, coordinate with the Root and patrol divisions. Assign Sakumo as the project lead for perimeter security. Transmit a memo to Shio and Kushina; they are tasked with architecting the Flying Thunder God grid."

"Optimize the signal strength and stability of the marker nodes to minimize the chakra overhead for deployment. Amegakure and Konoha are to integrate into a unified, rapid-response kinetic task force for mutual asset protection."

Minato nodded with absolute professional severity. "Understood, Hokage-sama!"

In previous fiscal cycles, such aggressive military deployment would have instantly triggered extreme geopolitical paranoia.

Amegakure would be stripping away all its proprietary firewalls against Konoha.

But Madara Uchiha's hostile interference had completely reformatted the narrative.

It was now officially classified as Konoha subsidizing the upgrade of Amegakure's defense grid.

After all, even the CEO Hanzo had been liquidated in seconds; what leverage did they have left to negotiate with?

Furthermore, gaining full operational access to Amegakure's territory—allowing Anbu and Root to expand their surveillance network into this perpetual three-way buffer zone—yielded massive dividends for Konoha's intelligence division.

Zero-day intel from the border sectors was a highly premium asset.

Hiruzen executed the logistical deployment for Amegakure with the exact same streamlined authority he utilized within Konoha.

Yet, miraculously, no personnel flagged this as anomalous. It felt entirely compliant with standard operating procedures.

"I fully endorse the Hokage's administrative directives."

Hanzo dropped this final authorization before being warped out by Tobirama.

Hiruzen rubbed the specialized Yin-Yang Release black rod Madara had transferred to him, narrowing his eyes.

Upon physical contact, his internal chakra automatically began experiencing localized destabilization, as if suppressed by a higher-tier administrative protocol.

It actually shared a distinct architectural similarity with his own 'Spirit Release'.

Both possessed an innate administrative privilege to decompile jutsu structures.

"What data was he attempting to transmit by leaving this hardware with me?"

"He launched a kinetic strike on Amegakure, yet actively healed Nagato, and then transferred this proprietary tech to my inventory..."

"He broadcasts a corporate vision of peace, yet publicly depreciates the brand value of both Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju..." Hiruzen had officially confirmed the hostile's identity profile: a veteran Warring States operative.

But which specific legacy account was he using?

"Hizashi, Fugaku, were you able to parse his chakra signature?"

"Negative, Hokage-sama. We failed the audit." Hizashi lowered his head.

"Hokage-sama, the hostile's chakra was heavily encrypted by an anomalous spoofing protocol; we could not extract any verifiable biometric data." Fugaku reported, deeply ashamed of his departmental failure.

Internally, Fugaku's system was running hot with sheer fury.

He had just been subjected to a vicious PR smear by that unidentified anomaly!

It was crucial to note that the younger Fugaku held immense brand loyalty toward Madara Uchiha. His Majestic Destroyer Flame was the result of grueling, long-term R&D.

Yet he was mocked as a liability to the Uchiha brand?

However, upon running a quick diagnostic, Fugaku realized the anomaly's critique held statistical merit.

Hizashi, his primary internal competitor, had recently acquired the Storm Release and Curse Mark upgrades, drastically scaling his combat metrics!

If they were to engage in a PvP audit right now, Fugaku's probability of securing a favorable ROI was statistically grim.

"It is of no consequence."

Hiruzen did not issue a formal reprimand to Hizashi or Fugaku.

The anomaly's tech stack was virtually undocumented in the shinobi market; possessing elite anti-surveillance capabilities was standard for high-tier assets.

This data point further validated Hiruzen's strategic roadmap to aggressively prioritize the R&D of 'Spirit Release'.

The shinobi market truly contained infinite, unregulated exploits!

"Hokage-sama."

Fugaku tightened his brow and spoke with heavy resolve. "I formally request authorization to undergo the Bloodline Limit integration surgery!"

"That surgical protocol has not exited the beta phase."

Hiruzen was somewhat surprised. "Although Hizashi's voluntary trial generated invaluable telemetry data for Commissioner Orochimaru's division, the framework is still undergoing critical bug fixes. I advise delaying this operation."

"Once the protocol achieves stable release status, I will approve your request."

"Hokage-sama, I refuse to operate as a passive beneficiary of others' risk." Fugaku stated with intense earnestness. "I am aware that Hizashi's transplant provided premium experimental data. If we integrate my biometric data into the database, I am highly confident it will exponentially accelerate the village's R&D timeline!"

"I hold profound respect for Hizashi's absolute resolve and willingness to face liquidation."

"But as a Konoha High Commissioner and a core executive of the Uchiha, I possess identical corporate grit and conviction!"

"I am equally prepared to underwrite the risk of termination for the future valuation of this village!"

Hiruzen's processor stalled briefly.

What was triggering this?

He was howling to volunteer for a highly lethal clinical trial.

In Hiruzen's risk assessment, this was entirely unnecessary overhead. Why not just wait for the optimized patch?

Currently, the corporation wasn't desperate for a single Commissioner to secure a marginal stat boost. If the surgery resulted in termination, it would represent a severe loss of executive capital.

But the complication was that issuing a hard rejection might inflict severe HR friction and damage Fugaku's corporate morale.

Hiruzen glanced at Fugaku; the young man's absolute resolve was practically overflowing from his optical sensors.

The Hokage sighed and patted the hot-headed Uchiha executive on the shoulder. "Fugaku, during Hizashi's clinical trial, my internal stress metrics were critically elevated. I experienced severe buyer's remorse for authorizing such a high-risk venture."

"Thanks to the administrative blessings of the Sage of Six Paths and Hashirama-sama, Hizashi avoided systemic failure. But that success was heavily predicated on his highly anomalous biological compatibility with Storm Release and the Curse Mark."

"Your hardware might not share that compatibility. You must acknowledge this variable. We must respect the scientific method; this upgrade is not universally plug-and-play."

"I refuse to let Konoha lose a High Commissioner and the Deputy Director of the Police Force."

Hiruzen's tone was incredibly sincere, accurately reflecting his internal data.

He could not rely on Hizashi's statistical anomaly as the baseline standard.

"Hokage-sama, I have fully audited those variables. I have been running simulations on this for a considerable fiscal period."

Fugaku stated with stubborn insistence.

Hiruzen stared at him skeptically. "Fugaku, I am not depreciating your analytics, but have you truly run long-term simulations on this?"

"Regarding your query..."

Fugaku's mouth twitched. Did the Hokage-sama possess read-access to his historically poor academic metrics?

"I genuinely conceptualized this roadmap a long time ago. I even scheduled a B2B consultation with Commissioner Orochimaru regarding the logistics."

"Here is my proposed framework:"

"I currently hold a legacy pair of three-tomoe Sharingan in my inventory, previously owned by my grandfather, maintained in pristine condition. Prior to the surgery, I will execute a hardware swap, utilizing the Transcription Seal to pre-program the activation of the Izanagi protocol."

Izanagi was a heavily restricted Uchiha proprietary jutsu, requiring a minimum hardware spec of a three-tomoe Sharingan to execute. It consumed the ocular hardware permanently to grant the user temporary administrative privileges to rewrite an unfavorable reality.

In layman's terms: a temporary auto-revive protocol upon termination.

The Transcription Seal was a script that automatically executed a pre-programmed ocular jutsu when specific trigger conditions were met.

"Under this architecture, even if I encounter critical systemic failure during the surgery, the auto-revive protocol will reboot me to continue the trial."

"Commissioner Orochimaru stated that failed clinical trials yield immensely valuable diagnostic data for identifying architectural bugs."

"If, after expending two Izanagi charges plus my baseline life, I fail to pass the trial across three separate datasets, I will accept the market's judgment. But I hold absolute confidence in the agile debugging capabilities of Commissioners Orochimaru, Hiruko, and Tsunade!"

"Even if catastrophic failure occurs, outputting three distinct sets of experimental telemetry will guarantee a massive upgrade to the surgical framework. If my termination generates optimized health benefits for the broader Konoha workforce, the ROI is absolutely justified!"

Fugaku looked directly at Hiruzen, speaking with burning corporate passion. "Hokage-sama, you have demonstrated unprecedented tolerance and generous capital investment toward the Uchiha clan. Please authorize the Uchiha to generate tangible dividends for the corporation!"

"Otherwise, my internal accounting will remain in a severe deficit."

"To be completely transparent, I never projected you would grant Seisui clearance to access the Flying Thunder God Jutsu database—and he actually successfully compiled it! This data hasn't been widely distributed within the clan yet, but once the PR embargo lifts, it will trigger a massive paradigm shift across the entire Uchiha workforce!"

Fugaku had indeed been heavily stimulated, and not solely by Madara Uchiha's recent PR smear.

The foundational variables had been accumulating for quarters.

From the moment Hiruzen transferred Izuna's legacy blade, 'Flame of the Pupil', to the Uchiha—

The Hokage's corporate subsidies had never ceased.

The Patrol Division deployment, Anbu salary adjustments, Police Force structural reform, the aggressive PR defense of Yashiro.

Culminating in Seisui—an Uchiha operative—successfully mastering Tobirama Senju's signature restricted jutsu, and subsequently launching a flawless PR defense of Madara Uchiha directly to the face of a high-threat anomaly.

The aggregation of all these metrics finally compelled Fugaku to conclude that he must execute a major deliverable!

As an executive, defaulting on such massive corporate debts completely destroyed one's professional credibility.

Fugaku self-identified as an operative of absolute loyalty and integrity; he could not allow the Uchiha brand to default!

And it wasn't just him—the entire Uchiha workforce was currently highly mobilized, eager to generate maximum ROI for Hiruzen Sarutobi.

An Uchiha had mastered the Flying Thunder God! This was an operational milestone they hadn't even dared to simulate in the past!

Consequently, the entire village would be closely auditing the Uchiha clan's performance metrics.

The market evaluates all!

If they failed to project an aggressive, pro-village corporate attitude, they would be subjected to severe industry-wide PR backlash.

Hizashi nodded subtly, the intensity of his Byakugan softening slightly.

This was the appropriate corporate posture.

The Uchiha clan was, after all, a viable asset!

Hiruzen felt a surge of profound executive satisfaction.

These were the cascading dividends generated by rebooting Tobirama-sensei within an Uchiha chassis.

A total market inversion!

However, Fugaku's proposed architectural framework still left Hiruzen somewhat stunned.

The processing logic of the Uchiha clan was truly in a league of its own.

What kind of insane QA testing was this?!

Spamming Izanagi to brute-force a clinical trial? Gambling a legacy ocular asset just to force a Five-Element-to-Bloodline-Limit mutation?

Wasn't this operational methodology slightly too extreme?

But since negotiations had reached this juncture, issuing a hard veto would indeed depreciate morale.

"Regarding this proposal, you are required to schedule a board meeting with Isshin, as well as hold a private consultation with your immediate family. Once you secure their authorized signatures, submit a comprehensive risk-assessment report to my office."

Hiruzen stated with strict executive authority. "Fugaku, do not let your thermal metrics override your logic. Return to base and initiate a mandatory cooling cycle!"

Fugaku lowered his head, acknowledging the directive.

But his internal processor had already finalized the decision.

No entity could veto him now!

Furthermore, Fugaku didn't project any internal opposition, because this was objectively a high-yield corporate initiative.

"One additional agenda item, Hokage-sama."

"That Uzumaki operative from Amegakure—his ocular hardware was forcefully uninstalled, correct?"

"I was reviewing data with Clan Head Isshin. Since the boy is technically affiliated with Mito-sama's genetic lineage and functions as a critical diplomatic bridge for the Konoha-Amegakure merger, should we authorize a Sharingan hardware transplant for him?"

"This is... largely due to the PR friction between Seisui and Shio Uzumaki, as you are aware. We are deeply apologetic for that."

Fugaku reported, his expression projecting distinct corporate awkwardness.

This initiative wasn't solely about philanthropy toward Konoha.

The primary driver was the highly publicized HR incident between Seisui and Shio, which had bypassed all NDAs and was currently trending heavily within the High Commissioner network.

Tsunade's PR broadcasting capabilities were simply too formidable!

It had practically become the textbook case study for the 'Emotionally Defective Uchiha' stereotype.

Given the Uzumaki clan's decimated demographics and their ties to Mito, they were classified as 'endangered premium assets' within Konoha. The Uchiha's abrupt mishandling of such an asset inevitably triggered market rumors that they were intentionally generating friction.

Fugaku also felt a wave of profound empathy regarding the situation.

Despite Seisui boasting ultra-premium stats across all combat and R&D vectors, his hardware clearly contained specific unpatched bugs.

His B2C relationship management (Emotional Intelligence) metrics were demonstrably inferior to Fugaku's own!

"Regarding this proposal..."

Hiruzen calculated the variables. "Let us proceed as follows: You and Isshin will schedule a summit with Mito-sama. The macro-strategic intent is sound. Defer the final executive authorization to her."

If an issue involved critical corporate policy or macro-level geopolitical strategy, Hiruzen maintained an absolute monopoly on executive power. Neither Tobirama nor Mito possessed the administrative clearance to override his directives.

However, regarding localized HR disputes and internal clan networking, the dynamics were entirely different. Mito was optimally positioned to mediate.

After all, she was the undisputed matriarch of the legacy factions.

And as for whether Nagato's brand loyalty warranted a Konoha hardware upgrade, Mito would naturally execute a rigorous and flawless audit.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama!" Fugaku exhaled a massive breath of relief, noting internally: "This PR crisis should be officially closed."

It was exactly as he had projected. Even though he had pivoted to the 'Brute Force' skill tree, the Uchiha corporate entity still desperately relied on his executive wisdom!

Fugaku couldn't help but feel a tinge of regret. If he had committed to the 'Strategic Mastermind' career track, his market cap might have scaled exponentially.

But bandwidth is a finite resource; painful portfolio cuts were mandatory!

"By the way, doesn't the Uchiha conglomerate heavily restrict the external distribution of the Sharingan? Protocols dictating that any outsider acquiring the asset must be universally liquidated by the clan, and so forth?"

Hiruzen inquired with genuine curiosity. "Will this not trigger severe internal HR friction?"

Fugaku initially nodded, then aggressively shook his head.

It was a verifiable fact; both the Uchiha and the Hyuga maintained strict proprietary licensing agreements.

This was a standard IP protection mechanism deployed by Dojutsu corporations.

If a clan failed to project absolute zero-tolerance regarding asset theft, the broader market would reclassify them as an exploitable resource.

"Hokage-sama, the Warring States fiscal era is obsolete. Those deprecated legacy bylaws should have been archived in the trash bin ages ago."

Fugaku rubbed his hands together like a seasoned broker. "A Sharingan is merely a piece of hardware. If the corporation requires its deployment, it is a non-issue!"

"However, the Sharingan imposes a sustained chakra overhead on non-native hardware, as it generally lacks a standby 'off' mode. It requires the Uzumaki operative to possess the battery capacity to sustain that drain."

Fugaku added with slight uncertainty, "Given his specs, he likely has the bandwidth, correct?"

In previous fiscal cycles, if the Hokage's office requisitioned a Sharingan, the political volatility would have been catastrophic.

But the core metric remained identical.

What was the market valuation of the Flying Thunder God Jutsu converted into three-tomoe Sharingan units?

Three pairs? Five pairs? Ten pairs?

The sheer volume of three-tomoe assets Tobirama Senju had personally liquidated back in the day was an incalculable statistic!

Furthermore, this wasn't merely a transactional exchange of hardware; it was a testament to the Hokage's unparalleled corporate tolerance and trust in the Uchiha brand.

If they balked at investing a single pair of eyes, even Fugaku wouldn't be able to justify the PR disaster!

Hizashi cleared his throat lightly. "Hokage-sama, if the corporation requires Byakugan hardware at any point, the Hyuga subsidiary maintains a surplus inventory. They are ready for immediate deployment at your command."

"My analytics suggest the Uzumaki Amegakure operative could functionally integrate a Byakugan as well."

Hiruzen's expression darkened. What was this escalating into?

Were they planning to turn Nagato into a modular, custom-built PC?

Nevertheless, the Hokage nodded, acknowledging the data input, and authorized the Hyuga and Mito to open a dialogue.

If Nagato passed the ideological background check and Mito stamped her executive approval, Konoha would fully authorize his incubation program.

Amegakure's assets were now Konoha's assets.

Adding another high-ceiling prodigy to Konoha's portfolio yielded massive ROI for both the village and Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Regarding hardware transplants, the Byakugan and Sharingan, as organ-based Bloodline Limits, possessed a massive logistical advantage.

Standard ocular transplants frequently triggered severe biological rejection protocols, requiring extensive immunosuppressant maintenance.

However, the Byakugan and Sharingan boasted a near-zero rejection rate, which was precisely why they were heavily targeted by hostile acquisitions across the shinobi market.

The eyes functioned as premium plug-and-play shinobi tools; acquiring them guaranteed an immediate spike in combat valuation.

If the Uchiha hadn't established a terrifying PR reputation backed by extreme kinetic leverage—preventing unauthorized asset extraction during the Warring States era by threatening mutual destruction via Izanagi—their hardware would have been heavily pirated.

The relatively more passive Hyuga, lacking such extreme deterrents, were forced to develop the Caged Bird DRM software to protect their IP.

Back at the Konoha Medical Center.

After successfully escorting Hanzo to the surgical ward.

Danzo, Sakumo, and the Root division had immediately deployed a task force to secure and overhaul Amegakure's perimeter defense grid.

Until the Flying Thunder God network was fully initialized, this personnel allocation served as a temporary security firewall against further hostile intrusions.

"Well, that was a remarkably brief operational cycle."

Orochimaru inspected Hanzo's severed arm, unable to suppress a chuckle. "According to the warranty terms of the Sovereign Sage Pills, this damage occurred well within the coverage period. Unfortunately, our current supply chain doesn't support a direct hardware swap, so we'll just have to authorize a complimentary repair service."

Hanzo burst into laughter. "I deeply appreciate the corporate logistics!"

Tobirama walked slowly out of the Konoha perimeter, his processor running deep analytics.

His assessment perfectly mirrored Hiruzen Sarutobi's: the anomaly was definitively flagged as a 'Mysterious Warring States Veteran'.

However, isolating the specific identity remained impossible.

Tobirama queried his vast internal database but failed to cross-reference a single individual or shinobi clan possessing that specific skill tree.

Bizarre jutsu mechanics, space-time displacement capabilities, overwhelming taijutsu metrics...

The combination of the Rinnegan and the shape-shifting capabilities of Tobi, the 'Son of the Divine Tree', generated an information asymmetry entirely unique within the shinobi market. Even with Tobirama's elite diagnostic experience, it was mathematically impossible to deduce the truth.

The operational security was simply too deceptive.

"Izuna, what is your analysis regarding his identity?" Tobirama inquired.

Izuna was also submerged in deep processing.

He harbored immense curiosity and heavily prioritized uncovering the identity of this nameless operative.

It was glaringly obvious this individual maintained a severe, unresolved fixation on Hashirama and his older brother.

"This operative..."

"I strongly suspect his operational logic closely resembles..." Izuna's tone turned eerily solemn.

Delivering an analytical conclusion that completely crashed Tobirama's internal systems!

☆☆☆

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