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The List of The "ANBU" Member:
-ar4ngel
-Cain
-Ryan biggins
-Kreios
-Sabo
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"Currently, the Nara and Inuzuka clans are doing an excellent job, but the hill beside the pasture is just sitting there empty—what a waste. I think we could assign a team to start planting medicinal herbs there," Kazuki suggested.
"Medicinal herbs?"
Tsunade frowned slightly. "The cultivation of medicinal herbs is handled by the Medical Corps. The village already has designated areas for herb farming. If we allocate new land, it'll only increase the workload of the Medical Corps."
Seeing her misunderstanding, Kazuki waved his hand and clarified.
"I mean common herbs, not rare ones. It wouldn't require too many people—just a few experienced hands to manage it. For the rest of the work, we could post it as missions. Let those idle genin in the village complete them. Aren't they always complaining about the lack of missions?"
An overly large ninja population isn't necessarily a good thing. The village doesn't have enough missions to meet everyone's needs, particularly low-difficulty D- and C-rank missions.
Newly graduated ninja teams only get assigned standard missions because the village deliberately organizes them. If they had to rely on the mission department, they'd be fighting over scraps.
"This kind of initiative won't make much money," Tsunade noted.
"We're not trying to make money. Breaking even is fine. The point is to give those weaker ninjas, who don't want to take dangerous missions, a viable livelihood. We're not aiming for profits here."
'You, Tsunade, must've fallen into a money pit,' Kazuki thought, rolling his eyes.
"Ahem!"
Feeling somewhat embarrassed at being chastised, Tsunade coughed awkwardly.
"I'll have someone draft a proper proposal for this. If everything checks out, the missions will be posted soon."
There are countless ways to structure such tasks.
Everything could be handled through a seamless chain of missions—land clearing, planting, tending, and harvesting. As long as a few managers oversee the process, the rest could be done by genin.
Profits are secondary; the primary goal is to provide opportunities for idle ninja.
"By the way," Tsunade said just as Kazuki was about to leave.
"This morning, someone from the hospital reported that Danzo has turned into... a tree."
"A tree?"
Kazuki paused, turned around, and rubbed his chin thoughtfully before smiling faintly.
"Well, that's good news."
He had deliberately left Danzo alive so that Hiruzen and the two elder advisors could witness him slowly transform into a tree.
Watching a childhood friend, someone they had grown up with, trained alongside, and fought beside, turn into a tree must be agonizing.
"Looks like I'll be having an extra serving at dinner tonight," Kazuki said with mock cheer.
"Enough already!" Tsunade glared at him.
"Don't overdo it. That old bastard may deserve what he got, but he did contribute to the village at one point…"
She trailed off, unwilling to finish the thought.
Danzo's service to the village was well-known, but that didn't absolve him of his actions.
"How is it overdoing it? At most, we'll put up some decorations. For the Uchiha, this is a moment to celebrate," Kazuki quipped.
"Speaking of which, today happens to be my birthday. Throwing a little party, maybe some fireworks, shouldn't be an issue, right?"
"..."
Tsunade stared at him in disbelief.
Kazuki was clearly using his birthday as an excuse to rub salt in the wound.
The most infuriating part? It actually 'was' his birthday.
And not just any birthday—tonight marked his coming-of-age at sixteen, a significant milestone in the ninja world.
Celebrating was entirely justified.
"Fine. Then let me wish you a happy birthday in advance!"
"Thank you."
Kazuki waved and left, heading to make arrangements for a grand celebration.
Instead of going home, Kazuki went directly to the police department.
"Clan leader, today is my coming-of-age ceremony. I want to make it a big event," Kazuki said bluntly.
Fugaku blinked, caught off guard. His expression quickly turned curious.
"Kazuki, I understand that coming of age is important—it marks the transition to adulthood—but do we really need to..."
"Danzo died this morning. He's been turned into a tree by the First Hokage's cells," Kazuki interrupted with a smirk.
"Are you certain?"
Fugaku immediately stood up, his previously calm demeanor vanishing.
Kazuki nodded. "I just came from the Hokage's office. Do you think I'd lie about this?"
"Then what are we waiting for? Your coming-of-age ceremony is an important milestone, especially since you're the youngest elder in the clan. I'm sure the clan members will be eager to celebrate."
"..."
Wasn't this the same Fugaku who just said there was no need for extravagance?
His sudden change of stance was astonishing.
---
Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office, an ANBU member delivered an invitation to Tsunade.
Looking at the envelope, Tsunade's eyelid twitched.
"That little punk!"
She immediately realized Kazuki's intent—to make life even harder for Hiruzen and the elders.
Using his birthday as an excuse, Kazuki was orchestrating a grand celebration for the Uchiha clan.
'If the old man hears about this, he'll probably blow a gasket.'
Tsunade rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on.
Kazuki wasn't just stirring the pot; he'd gone so far as to send 'her' an invitation.
The sheer audacity!
True to form, the Uchiha clan spared no effort in preparing for the celebration.
Fugaku even took time off from his duties, leading most of the police force back to the clan grounds to assist.
Within hours, the entire Uchiha district was adorned with decorations, bustling with activity.
From an outsider's perspective, it might've looked like Fugaku himself was getting married, given the scale of the festivities.
---
Elsewhere, those who received invitations were left puzzled and wary.
Why would the Uchiha throw such a grand party for an elder's birthday?
At the hospital, Danzo's former room was filled with an oppressive atmosphere.
Standing before the bed where Danzo had once laid, now occupied by a grotesque tree, Hiruzen seemed lifeless.
He had stood there all day, like a wooden doll.
Not even at his wife's passing had he shown such grief.
Now, with Danzo gone—transformed into a tree—there wasn't even a body to mourn.
"Lord Third, it's time," a voice broke the silence.