"What is this, Shikaku?" Hiruzen asked, sitting in his office.
"A number of applications I got from ninjas of my clan to join the new stadium project by that Uchiha boy," Shikaku said with a chuckle.
"Ten? How can a Nara be this proactive for work? What did that boy do?" Hiruzen asked, genuinely shocked for the first ti because of Kaida. Of all Kaida's achievents, this was the one even Hiruzen himself had always wanted to accomplish but never succeeded in.
Sure, he could rely on Nara intelligence in tis of need, but aside from ergencies or potential village troubles, the Nara clan—including their clan head—rarely put in any hard work. They only completed the missions necessary to et the bare minimum quota.
Heck, there were even cases where a Nara ninja wanted to leave the clan just to avoid compulsory missions, preferring the lower quota assigned to civilian jonin. Even though the perks were limited for civilian ninja, they were happy with low workload even though it ant low perks. Yet here they were, clan ninjas submitting applications for working. How was that even possible? That was the thought running through Hiruzen's mind—a thought Shikaku had already anticipated, which was why he chuckled in the first place. But Shikaku wasn't finished yet.
"Ten? No, Lord Third. These are the ten ninjas who could actually beco part of his grand plan. When he requested a eting with the top thirty ninjas of my clan, I didn't think all thirty of them would beco eager to work for him. I had to do my best to make sure half of them didn't resign from their jobs here," Shikaku said, chuckling again.
"What exactly did he say to them to make them this eager?" Hiruzen asked, now more curious than shocked about the tactics a young boy could use to get such results.
"That's the interesting part. He presented an offer to everyone: they could work at the stadium for their lifeti, and the workload would be minimal. Even one of them would be overqualified for the tasks there. So, if ten people worked together, there would be next to no work for them," Shikaku explained.
"And why would I allow this?" Hiruzen asked.
"This was just his proposal. The real brilliance ca next. After presenting the idea, he asked all of them to co up with a justification for why ten Nara clan ninjas of their caliber would be necessary for the stadium," Shikaku replied.
Hiruzen nodded. Using Nara intelligence even before they started working for him—quite a clever tactic.
"So, what was the result?"
"Since there will be fights in the stadium, it's not far-fetched to assu so might get out of hand. And who's better at stopping such conflicts than a Nara? With shadow techniques of the clan perfect for such cases, aside from that, the revenue—which will be divided among the village, clans, and nobles—needs to be well-docunted.
Talented Nara are required for such tasks. These are just a few of the reasons they ca up with. Honestly, they found so many justifications that all thirty of them could resign and join the stadium project. I had to carefully cut that number down to ten," Shikaku said with a tired sigh, the extra work he had to do evident in his voice. But seeing the shocked expression on Hiruzen's face made it all worth it.
'Hmm, all of that was worth it,' Shikaku thought.
"Huh, that boy keeps surprising … What would happen if all of them actually left their posts all of a sudden?" Hiruzen asked, now even a little worried about losing such a workforce.
"Pretty much nothing. Even though they are among the best, there's no shortage of ninjas in my clan. I can assign others to train in the anti. With the stadium under construction, everything should work out fine," Shikaku replied, which eased Hiruzen's worries a little.
"Good. Now, about the second topic—what do you think about him?" Hiruzen asked.
"Hmm, I'm not entirely sure. He's deeply affiliated with the Uchiha clan. Even though he has Senju lineage, with a 3-tomoe Sharingan, he's almost marked as an Uchiha. Considering him for the Hokage position is... complicated," Shikaku said, deep in thought. Hiruzen didn't have to point out the topic he was worried about.
"And what if we disregard his Uchiha affiliation?" Hiruzen asked.
"Then he's an excellent choice. Our initial candidate, Kakashi, is much older than him but is at almost the sa level. Beyond strength, Kaida has the keen eye to identify talent and utilize it effectively. His ability to account for shortcomings and use them to his advantage is remarkable.
He's actually one of the best candidates for the Hokage seat after Lord Jiraiya and Kakashi," Shikaku admitted.
"Below Kakashi?" Hiruzen asked.
"You've been training Kakashi for this post for years, giving him leadership missions and making him a general of small armies during border skirmishes. He's already exceptional in military strategy. Taking that into consideration, he's better than Kaida—at least for now," Shikaku explained.
"Hmm." Hiruzen leaned back, releasing a puff of smoke from his pipe, lost in thought.
"You know what Danzo was planning with the Uchiha clan, right?" Hiruzen asked.
"Yes, Lord Third. And it would have been disastrous for Konoha," Shikaku replied, a shudder running down his spine at the thought.
Losing four S-rank ninjas, along with hundreds of jonin and chunin, all equipped with such a powerful dojutsu, would have crippled Konoha's strength.
A single Uchiha was already feared on the battlefield because of their Sharingan and genjutsu. Let alone an A-jonin-level ninja with a 3-tomoe Sharingan, he can beco a significant deterrent on the battlefield. Removing an entire clan of such warriors from the equation could make Konoha a target—even for villages like Sunagakure.
"Had Danzo succeeded, Konoha might have beco a target for other villages," Hiruzen said, releasing another puff of smoke.
"Yes, Lord Third," Shikaku agreed.
"I don't want to repeat sothing like that. The Uchiha clan currently has two S-rank ninjas and will likely have two more in the future," Hiruzen stated.
Fugaku, considered Minato's equal, was already a formidable force. Adding Shisui to the mix only tilted the power scale further. While many pretended Shisui was no longer part of the Uchiha clan, they all knew it was not true, though his association with Hiruzen was enough for most.
The Uchiha had beco an inseparable part of Konoha, especially after proving their loyalty and strategic value. Sidelining them further was no longer an option. If Kaida and Itachi reached S-rank status, Konoha would truly achieve the peace it always sought.
"So, you want him to be a Kage candidate?" Shikaku asked.
"Him and Uchiha Itachi as well. Of course, he would no longer hold his clan heir position, but I will propose this to Fugaku," Hiruzen replied.
"Lord Third, don't you think it's a bit early for that? We need more stability in the village first. With everything happening around us, it wouldn't be wise to stir the hornet's nest," Shikaku pointed out, hinting at how other clans might react to such news.
Specially the Hyuga clan, they had maintained status quo with the Uchiha clan for so long, even though they don't have any S-rank ninja. The number of jonin-rank ninjas in the Hyuga clan is actually higher than the Uchiha clan, so it was not the right move for such an announcent to be made in such chaotic tis. If the conditions were a little more stable, things could be managed, but Shikaku knew that Hiruzen would have considered this as well.
"Yeah, let's wait for so ti, but start hinting that I am looking forward to their growth," Hiruzen said, dismissing Shikaku.
...
While all of this was happening, Kaida was having a talk with his family.
"Why did you increase Nara clan percentage by your own? They didn't even ask for it," Hae asked.
"Aunt, do you know what the Nara clan is famous for?" Kaida asked.
"Their intelligence in battlefield?" Hae asked.
"No, mom, their intelligence. They are much more than just tacticians," Shisui said.
"That doesn't an they are important in business as well. This is not so battlefield?" Hae asked.
"No, aunt. This is the true battlefield. Why do you think all of those ninja wars have happened?... It is for resources, for money, and this business will beco a money-making machine for us and Konoha, and indirectly will beco a battlefield. So for this battlefield, we will need so tacticians, and who are better at it than Nara ninjas?" Kaida asked.
"I still don't understand. Was that worth millions of Ryo per month?" Hae asked.
"Mom, do you know who is the Jonin Commander of Konoha?" Shisui asked.
"Yeah, Shikaku-san, but that is a different thing…"
"No, mom, it is not different at all. I have worked with them countless tis and know about their intelligence. They can consider hundreds of factors on the battlefield in seconds. Considering so small business opportunities for them is easy. And for those millions of Ryo per month is actually a steal, and anyway, it is not like we are in need of that much money anyway," Shisui said.
At that, Hae then rembered how much they are going to make. According to a conservative guess, the amount is around 50 million in profit per month, and since they are going to get 50 percent of that, it will be 25 million. That, along with 10 million from the bathhouse, the money they will get per month is frightening.
"Fine, I think I don't know much about this matter, so I would let you guys decide about Nara clan," Hae said and then went to the kitchen, even with all of the money, she still wants to cook for her children.
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