There may be differences in the form of expression, but the principles are actually the same. Sarutobi Hiruzen's experience limited his vision, but his decades as Hokage were not in vain. Even if he could not see the source of the danger, he instinctively made an unfavorable judgment.
Just like the ecological chain on the grassland, under normal circumstances, tigers, leopards, jackals and other carnivores will not prey on each other. Regardless of whether they can fight or not, and the success rate, they have sharp teeth and claws and have strong resistance capabilities when attacking rashly. Other predators are easily injured in the opponent's counterattack.
In a highly competitive environment, survival is not easy. Once injured, it means weakening or even completely losing the ability to hunt, and the end will be miserable.
Leopards are capable of preying on cheetahs, jackals, badgers and other secondary carnivores. However, when elk and antelope are enough to satisfy their hunger, they will not consider increasing the difficulty of survival to hunt another beast.
The competition between ninja villages is roughly similar to this. The Chunin Exam is to determine each other's potential and determine whether the existing division of forces is consistent with strength.
Within the Ninja Village, the competition is also quite fierce. Once the Jonin's ability to make money does not widen the gap with the Chuunin and Genin, his influence and status will also be affected.
It's like the universal education in the previous life, when master's degrees were everywhere and undergraduates were not as good as dogs. Only PhDs had some ability to succeed. But don’t forget that a few decades ago, the admission scores for junior colleges and technical secondary schools once exceeded those for full-time universities and ordinary high schools. The reason for this strange phenomenon is quite simple. In the society at that time, college education was enough. It was a waste of a few more years to go to college. Not to mention the high difficulty, the cost performance of college undergraduates was not necessarily better than that of college graduates. They could leave a few years earlier. Going into society and starting to make money is obviously more cost-effective for ordinary families who are trying their best to support a student.
If this phenomenon occurs in Konoha Village, perhaps many chuunin will not have much motivation to improve themselves and try to qualify for jounin promotion, which is not only dangerous but also has a much lower success rate.
"There is a great divide between a very small number of elites and the majority of civilian ninjas. 』
This is a phenomenon that Sarutobi Hiruzen is worried about will occur in the next few decades. In that case, the Ninja Village, whose internal conflicts have not been completely eliminated, may really lose its current basis of unity.
The so-called "Will of Fire" is not omnipotent. Although Konoha ninjas are powerful, their absolute number and size are not worth mentioning compared to the Fire Nation.
"It would be okay if the Fusagi family just accidentally hit the mark. But if it was done deliberately, it would be troublesome. 』
This is not a conspiracy, but an outright conspiracy. The ninja village that obeys the daimyo's command on the surface cannot resist this subtle influence.
The Daimyo of the Fire Country is the legitimate leader, and the Leaf Village is just a vassal morally.
Once they fall out, Konoha Village's main source of income will be cut off; but if they sit back and watch the situation develop, Konoha Village's independent status will be severely impacted.
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Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was smoking his pipe, couldn't think of any effective way to improve this situation. This conjecture, before it is actually presented, cannot be used as a basis to persuade other advisory elders to take action.
Even the most sensitive Shimura Danzo would probably not believe that such an outrageous thing would happen.
"It is still too hasty and anxious to eliminate the Uchiha family. 』
Originally, Sarutobi Hiruzen did not support such radical methods, but since he was over sixty years old, his combat power has slipped from its peak. He realized that his days in power were not long, and his successors were all incompetent, leaving him to lead the Leaf Village. After decades, the old man also felt a little anxious in his heart, so he came up with the idea of eliminating the hidden dangers early and then training his successors.
Even if the fifth generation of Hokage really lacks abilities, a "clean" Konoha Village would be more suitable for him to go through the initial adaptation period.
It was precisely because of this idea of "paving the way for future generations" that Hiruzen Sarutobi became impatient in his behavior.
The powerful and rebellious Uchiha family is too serious a constraint on Naruto. The highly respected Hiruzen Sarutobi himself often has fearful thoughts, and the "newcomer village chief" who is young and lacks prestige is even more uncontrollable. Uchiha, this arrogant ninja clan.
"Manpower is sometimes exhausted, and I cannot hold on to the power forever. Sooner or later, it must be handed over to a reliable heir." 』
Sarutobi Hiruzen had no regrets at all for acquiescing to Shimura Danzo to destroy the Uchiha family. However, the incident on the night of the genocide gave the well-informed Hokage Sandaime a bad premonition.
There are too many variables, the situation is developing like a wild horse, and no one knows where it will develop.
There is nothing wrong with Sarutobi Hiruzen's consideration, considering only the influencing factors within the Konoha Village. However, the intervention of forces outside the Konoha Village caused the ending to deviate too far from the original intention.
Of course, the top priority right now is to swallow the bait thrown by the Gushan family and then return the hook hidden in it.
Until the Hokage's house office was filled with choking smoke, Sarutobi Hiruzen still didn't think of any good solution.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
The office door was pushed open, and Inuzuka Claw walked in with a serious face and wearing a ninja vest on a hot day.
"Sandaime, you called me?"
"Um."
After gently blowing his pipe and putting down his troubled thoughts, Sarutobi Hiruzen coughed a few times and asked,
"The psychic beast training base jointly established by your Inuzuka family and Furusugi family is very large?"
"It's quite big, but..."
Inuzukazuma replied slightly awkwardly,
"We have been cooperating for more than a year, but there is still no profit. We rely entirely on the Gushan family's purchases. Regular operating income cannot cover the costs at all."
"I heard that the ninja dog rescue training center you opened near Konoha Village was quite popular. It shouldn't be a loss for so many years, right?"
"Indeed."
Inuzuka Hana explained,
"The real reason for the soaring costs is that the standards required by the Gushan family are too high. Large-scale mass production is their top priority, and they will not hesitate even if their expenditures suddenly increase."
"I probably understand."
It doesn't matter if it's expensive now, we can continuously improve the process and develop high-quality and low-priced veterinary drugs, instead of relying on special medicines and special feeds prepared by one or two special talents to "customize" individual outstanding psychic beasts.
In that case, the psychic beast breeding base will sooner or later become a niche institution that only serves some elites. From the very beginning, the Fusagi family's "products" were aimed at the vast majority of chuunin genin with average qualifications and average strength.
"Strive to maximize the coverage area and then dig deeper for value. This is a technique that can only be played by the Daimyo and Furugi who hold the Fire Country in their hands. Konoha Village... is very difficult to learn. 』
As long as the shipment volume of the universal psychic beast developed by the Fushigi family increases by one percentage point, or the cost is reduced by 10%, the Fushigi family can turn losses into profits, and even make huge profits. The lower limit of secular force will be raised, and the daimyo and Fushigi will be able to control Strength will rise with the tide.
In Konoha Village, the number of chuunin and genin has doubled, and the number of jounin has increased by 10% at most. It cannot be maintained anymore. In peaceful times, there is no need for so many masters, and the previous generation of "Igashika Butterfly" has not been seen. Do you go to the pub every day and get drunk?
I don't have much business to do, and I can't sit around and cause trouble after I finish it. It's just right to go to a party and have a few drinks in my free time.
"As long as the order of a village and a country has not been destroyed, and if you don't fall out with the powerful people of the Fire Country, there is basically no solution to this situation. 』
This kind of silent change that moisturizes things cannot be resisted by shouting a few words of "Konoha Spirit".
Inuzukazuma asked with some anxiety:
"Is there any problem? We, Inuzuka and Furusugi, pay great attention to propriety in our cooperation..."
"You're worrying too much, I'm just curious."
With a smile on his face, Sarutobi Hiruzen happily comforted,
"I was too busy before and didn't have time to care about the difficulties of the ninja clan in the village. It's not easy to maintain a big family and a big business. You Inuzukas have to make a living, and so do we Sarutobi. That guy Asuma, it's still too early to be able to stand alone..."
"I'm much calmer now. I'm not like making trouble before."
"I hope so."
After several years of traveling and being a guardian nin, I have indeed grown a lot, but some aspects are still a headache. Now that she has reached the age of discussing marriage, her childish behavior is not much better than that of a child who has just started to fall in love.
Major Governor Gu Shan, who was at the same level as him, was already the father of four children. He was chatting with Gu Shan Liuli and Gu Shan Zhengcheng, his wife, and he was really envious of others when talking about their grandchildren.
There are so many girls in their prime of life in the village, and there are also many outstanding female ninjas of the same age, why must they hang themselves from a tree?
Even his old father heard about the fact that his youngest son was jealous of Major Governor Furusugi, which made Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had been trying to be strong all his life, sigh with regret. He was obviously a naughty child who did not hesitate to play around when he was a child, but when he grew up, he turned into an innocent and innocent child.
"Then...what other opinions do you have about the cooperation with the Gushan family?"
"Don't be nervous, the village has no objection, let alone the idea of asking you to break into the Gushan family to steal any secrets. We are allies who share weal and woe, and there is no need for too many conspiracies. But..."
After a pause, Sarutobi said with a smile,
"Some time ago, those psychic horses, giant bear shield guards, and wild boar riders in the noble caravans were really interesting, so I was also thinking about trying it out in the village..."
Despite their unpleasant names, wild boars, bears and the like are actually excellent psychic beasts. A charging adult wild boar would make even a tiger retreat. Coupled with its tough skin, steel needle-like bristles, thick fat, and a more sensitive sense of smell than most dogs, its overall quality is better than most mounts. , psychic beasts must be stronger.
The heavily armed Wild Boar Guards heavy cavalry exuded a truly astonishing coercion.
Ordinary people always use captive domestic pigs to measure specially bred wild boars, but they are totally wrong. Wild boar is also a very clean animal. It likes to roll in the mud, which is not a bad thing. The hardened mud can effectively kill parasites. Domestic pigs in pig pens live with shit and piss, not because they want to, but because they have no other place to go.
Privately, the advisor directly under the Hokage has evaluated several psychic beast mounts, and the wild boar has the highest evaluation. A group of fully armed and gigantic Boar Riders would most likely be able to withstand the attack of a regiment of chuunin, rush forward, and take advantage of their equipment to start a massacre.
Next is the giant bear shield guard. Its keen hunting instinct makes assassins unable to hide. They guard the daimyo and are supplemented by the guardian nin. It is extremely difficult for an attack by three jounin or less to break through the defense.
As for the traditional horse rangers, their shocking endurance makes it basically impossible for the targeted target to escape.
The canine psychic beast has the highest flexibility and the best compatibility with earth-type ninjutsu. The combination is quite perfect, and the matching of various secret techniques is also very good.
"Sandaime, you mean that the village also plans to purchase a batch of psychic beasts?"
"You have done so much. In addition to charity aid, you also want to sell it to earn profits, right? Others can buy it, and the Leaf Village can naturally also..."
"This is good news. Thank you Hokage-sama for your trust. The Inuzuka family will do their best to serve the village."
Inuzukapaw was overjoyed.
The family has been promoting psychic dogs and veterinarians in Konoha Village a long time ago to build up their presence and build their character. This is the first time that they have been truly recognized at the village level. Inuzuka, who has always been tepid, finally achieved the status of a pig. Ludie has almost the same status.
"It doesn't have to be like this. Village procurement must also go through procedures and follow normal standards. Business matters should stay at the business level. After all, with the Gushan family's share, we must take into account the interests of our collaborators..."
"You're very considerate of this."
Watching Inuzuka Claw, who could not suppress the joy on his face, leave, Sarutobi Hiruzen suppressed his smile and sighed softly.
"Just because you can't see the way forward clearly and can't make a choice, then just learn the methods of successful people." 』
Follow-up tactics are useful in many cases. Sarutobi Hiruzen really doesn't know what Gusugi Bushui is planning, nor does he know how to eliminate the negative impact on Konoha Village. However, the average strength of Konoha Village is still far away. The super ninja world is average, and the overall difference is a bit far, but the gold content is extremely high.
If the Fusagi family makes a mistake and everyone falls into the trap, the eldest brother will not be able to laugh at the second brother; if the method works, the Fusagi family gets big benefits and Konoha Village gets "small" benefits, and it will not be left too far behind. The tyrannical individual strength of the Konoha ninja can also retain enough voice.
"Only young people can understand the thoughts of young people. For an old man like this, reaching this point is already the limit. As for the future..."
Once again, the matter of cultivating an heir was brought to the forefront of his mind, and the old man's mood became even worse.
Three disciples, one more troublesome than the other. Nara Shikaku's talent is sufficient, but his performance is not active enough, and his prestige and strength are slightly lacking. The younger Hatake Kakashi and others are not mature enough.
A genius like Minato Namikaze who ascended to the position of Hokage in his early twenties is really rare to find. If the fourth generation had not died young, his strength would have been even higher. How could there be so many bad things now?
