Chapter 320 - 320: 319 - A and Tsunade Ambushed!!

After Fūga and Baki finished their report on the latest developments, they took their leave.

"Do you think this was Ōnoki's idea, or Chiyo's?" Tsunade asked, swiveling her chair around.

"Ōnoki," Roshi answered without hesitation. "Sunagakure already has its hands full. They don't have the spare energy to proactively plan a diplomatic move on this scale."

"First it was Kumogakure and the Hidden Mist, then Iwagakure and Sunagakure," Tsunade muttered. "All of a sudden, it feels like there's nothing left for us to do."

"For the moment, you can't really call this a bad development," Roshi said calmly. "As for the chain reactions it might trigger down the line… trust Kakashi's judgment."

He closed his eyes again.

"For now, we just need to handle Han's reception properly."

That responsibility ultimately fell to Jiraiya, who was already coordinating operations on the front lines in the Land of Rain. As reinforcements, Shisui was dispatched there, along with Uchiha Fugaku, who was stationed outside the village with the elite units of the Military Police Force.

The following day, the Five Kage convened for a formal communication session.

Since the groundwork had already been laid, the details of the proposed Rapid Response Force were finalized quickly.

The atmosphere was surprisingly cordial.

Even the follow-up resolution—to officially rename the Joint Training Affairs Bureau as the Joint Affairs Bureau—passed without resistance.

The Martial Arts Tournament was placed under it as a subordinate department.

After these procedures were settled, A praised Ōnoki's decisiveness and was just about to cut the connection.

Before the link could be severed, Ōnoki—who had been easy enough to talk to up until now—spoke up again. "There is one more matter."

"It concerns Konoha's earlier proposal about restructuring the daimyōs' aid funds."

A paused, hand hovering over the control.

"Right now? We've already got our hands full with Tailed Beast security, Rogue Ninjas, joint defenses. Talking about this now will just stir up unnecessary trouble."

Ōnoki pressed on as if he hadn't heard. "The tournament is open to all shinobi villages, with guaranteed participation subsidies. As the number of participants rises, the funding gap will naturally grow."

"No—the projected revenue from the tournament will increase, and the audience will expand, but those are only projections."

"If the actual income doesn't cover these new expenses, are we just supposed to stop midway?"

As he spoke, Ōnoki's gaze shifted to Tsunade.

"Even if we set aside the secondary impact of the Bureau losing credibility, where do you think the increased number of Rogue Ninjas will go?"

"To the west of the Land of Earth—those regions will only get more 'lively.'"

"Iwagakure and Sunagakure have to stabilize their borders and make sure those people don't run wild. The manpower and resources for that… we may need some compensation."

As his voice faded, Chiyo picked up the thread from another screen.

"According to Sunagakure's investigation of the nearby sea routes, a portion of rōnin have recently vanished along maritime lines… and has yet to reappear."

"Where these people will end up… Raikage, if your brain isn't completely stuffed with muscle yet, you should be able to figure it out."

Hit with resistance from two sides at once, A was briefly stunned.

'Ōnoki and Chiyo?'

'What kind of combination is this?'

He glanced at Tsunade first. She clearly hadn't expected this turn either, but since this was Konoha's own proposal to begin with, it was unrealistic to hope she would step forward and oppose it now.

So A turned to Yagura instead.

The Mizukage's youthful face stayed blank, but a flicker of hesitation crossed his eyes.

The Hidden Mist didn't have many small countries under its influence, but in the long run their influence was genuinely expanding. Genji was wary of this whole matter, and as the Mist's mouthpiece right now, Yagura had no choice but to tread carefully.

"This matter," he said at last, "still requires a more detailed assessment."

The half-hearted support still made A feel a bit more at ease.

"The income and expenditure model for the Joint Martial Arts Tournament was simulated by the Bureau a long time ago! It's more than enough to cover the new participants! There's absolutely no need to touch any Daimyo funds!"

"That was just a simulation based on ideal conditions," Ōnoki countered.

"Furthermore, the Bureau has already dropped the 'Martial Arts' label and become a department for the entire ninja world. Yet the salaries of the members serving in the Bureau are still paid by their own Hidden Villages."

"The operating costs are also borne by whichever party requests a mobilization. Only the portions related to the tournament receive a bit of subsidy from event revenue."

His gaze swept slowly across every screen.

"For an organization that has to maintain cross-Village cooperation, respond to sudden crises, and balance everyone's interests, every operation is funded by the Villages scraping together money on the spot."

"This isn't very friendly to Iwagakure and Sunagakure, who are short on funds, Raikage."

"It is precisely because of this that we have not requested the mobilization of any Bureau squads until now."

The communication room fell into silence.

Only the steady hum of the equipment and the faint crackle of static from the monitors could be heard.

The Fifth Hokage, who had kept quiet until now, finally spoke.

"Konoha's original intention in proposing a restructuring of the funds was to address new problems that have arisen under this joint framework."

"The parts that affect the public affairs of the Five Great Ninja Villages, yet cannot be clearly assigned to the responsibility of any single Village."

"We need a stable funding channel to deal with them."

"The purpose of this proposal is not to create conflict, but to resolve it."

Tsunade concluded:

"Since everyone has different views on this, why not leave the concrete plan to the Bureau for discussion?"

"Whether the funding is shared proportionally by the Five Great Ninja Villages or we invite the Daimyo to participate can be discussed in detail at later meetings."

A drew in a breath, wanting to argue further.

He opened his mouth, then closed it again. His brow knit, the veins at his temples throbbing twice.

"Then let's leave it at that for now."

One by one, the screens went dark.

The communication ended.

—

In the Raikage's office, A stared at the blank monitor in front of him, saying nothing for a long time.

Darui stood at his side. After a brief hesitation, he spoke in a low voice. "The Tsuchikage's sudden change in attitude… was it Roshi who convinced him? Otherwise, there's no way to explain how in sync he was with the Kazekage."

A shook his head.

"No," he answered, voice heavy. "Konoha's proposal was to use public funds to appease the smaller ninja villages."

"What Ōnoki and Chiyo want is to carve a new pool of money out of that proposal."

The Raikage leaned back on the sofa.

"No wonder Ōnoki could afford to give up that defensive line in the Land of Stone… If this fund restructuring actually goes through, the way each village gets its mission quotas will change."

"With the Akatsuki's current movements, Iwagakure and Sunagakure no longer have to worry about defending their Tailed Beasts. But as for us and the Hidden Mist…"

A let the sentence trail off.

Darui understood.

"Kumogakure and Kirigakure each have two Jinchūriki. They're the ones who really need that soon-to-be-established Rapid Response Force—that powerful, rapidly deployable strike force."

"Iwagakure, which used to be the weakest point defensively because of its terrain, is now starting to sit things out, just like Sunagakure."

"They can focus on pursuing other interests."

"After all, the bargaining chips have changed."

—

Fugaku attached great importance to the coordination missions between the Police Force and the Bureau.

His commitment went so far that even after Jiraiya personally took command of the front lines at the Grass Village and Amegakure, Fugaku still chose to head in person to the Hot Water Village and Otogakure.

Part of it was worry that clan members might mishandle coordination with other hidden villages. The other reason was his plan to deal with the Hot Water Village rogue ninja along the way, to demonstrate the Headquarters' strength. The rogue ninja called Hidan was said to have been hiding for a long time, with no clear trace of his whereabouts.

But that search couldn't drag on.

The Joint Conference had concluded, and new orders from the village had arrived: he was to assist with the mission to escort Iwagakure's Jinchūriki.

Once that mission was complete, the collaboration between the Police Force Headquarters and the Bureau would also come to an end.

The reason was straightforward. Iwagakure had stopped contracting its defensive lines and begun redeploying its forces, even starting to coordinate with Sunagakure ninja, so support from Headquarters was no longer necessary.

At the same time, scattered reports suggested there were new developments within the Bureau itself. Konoha's previous model—sending its own people to operate under the Bureau's name—would have to be adjusted.

Fugaku had originally planned to ask Itachi about the situation at Headquarters when his eldest son came home.

But Itachi had been working overtime for several days in a row, sometimes returning late at night only to leave for the Bureau again before dawn. Watching that kind of schedule, no matter how concerned Fugaku was about the follow-up arrangements for the Uchiha Headquarters, he couldn't bring himself to open his mouth.

Headquarters was just seeing a downturn in business—hardly a life-or-death issue for the clan.

If Itachi was this busy, it meant he was doing well at the Bureau. That was what truly mattered; there was no need to disturb him over something so minor.

So when Yashiro asked for the third time in the police force office, "What are the subsequent arrangements for headquarters?" Fugaku only replied, "Wait for the notice," then stood up and went home to feed the fish.

—

By evening, the stone lanterns in the clan head's courtyard had just begun to glow.

Fugaku sat by the pond, pinching bait between his fingers and sprinkling it into the water, a little at a time. The koi surged together, their mouths breaking the surface and sending fine ripples across the pond.

Mikoto walked over to his side. "Sasuke has been in very low spirits lately."

Fugaku continued to scatter the bait. Each pinch fell into the center of the koi, landing with a soft patter and stirring the water.

"His talent isn't as good as Itachi's," he said, still facing the pond, "yet he's received higher expectations from Roshi than Itachi ever did. If he wants to prove he deserves that, he has to endure this pressure."

"If he can't endure it and chooses to give up, I won't have any further criticism for him."

After all, Sasuke was the second son.

"What if he could learn some new jutsu?" Mikoto said quietly. "Maybe he's falling behind the others in the Special Training Class just because he's missing one key technique."

That was how a mother thought. Fugaku would never see it that way.

The Uchiha Clan's true foundation was the Sharingan and Fire Release.

Sasuke already had everything he needed. If he still couldn't compare to the others, then it only meant his eyes—or his talent—weren't enough.

So he didn't answer her. He simply closed the bait container and turned to go back into the house.

Sasuke didn't return until the sky was completely dark.

There was a soft sound at the entrance, followed by somewhat weary footsteps in the hallway.

Fugaku sat at the low table in the living room. A police force monthly report lay open in front of him, but his eyes weren't on the page.

"Father."

Fugaku looked up at him. "How are things at the Special Training Class?"

Sasuke's back straightened a little.

"I can do it."

He didn't mention any difficulties and didn't ask for help.

Fugaku lowered his gaze again.

"Mm." He looked back at the report. "Go take a bath."

The next morning, at the police force headquarters.

The atmosphere had changed.

Fugaku sensed it even before he stepped through the main gate. The clan members, who had been fairly idle lately due to the light workload, were now moving with their usual purpose and discipline.

He didn't ask what had caused the shift. Hands clasped behind his back, he simply made his way toward the Head's office as he always did.

Inside, Uchiha Yashiro was standing beside the desk.

Uchiha Izumi sat in the chair behind it, facing the sofa as she spoke. A document rested in her hand as she reported in a crisp, practiced tone:

"…So this is how the daily patrol schedule has been adjusted. Seventeen disputes were handled last month, three of which involved merchants from other villages, and all have been archived according to procedure."

The person on the sofa nodded.

It was Roshi.

------------------

AN: Check out my P@treon For extra chapters.

Thank You For your Support!!

[email protected]/noviceauthor777

-----------------------

To keep the chapters coming - Support with POWER STONES.

For Every 100 power stones - 1 BONUS chapter.