Chapter 154: The Rebirth and Ambition of Konohagakure

As the effectiveness of Konohagakure's economic reforms became apparent, the Rising Sun Organization no longer hid itself.

Yamanaka Chujiu openly brandished the Rising Sun name, rendering the original administrative system obsolete without needing to abolish it.

He did not say he was abolishing the Mission Department, Administrative Department, Personnel Department, Anbu, or other departments; he did not even stop the distribution of salaries.

He simply stopped assigning missions to these departments, and all of Konohagakure's affairs were operated through the Rising Sun Organization and the Military Police Force, allowing for a natural transfer of power.

The daily consumption of a ninja is not small, and the meager salary set by the Third Hokage was barely enough to support a family.

When these administrative ninjas held power, they didn't need to do anything; naturally, large amounts of money flowed into their personal pockets, and salaries were nothing more than pocket money. This book was first published on Tian Tian Kan Xiao Shuo -> ⓣⓣⓚⓢ. ⓣⓦ, providing you with an error-free and non-disordered reading experience.

With the loss of power, the administrative ninjas lost their main source of income, and their lives naturally became tight.

Yet, they couldn't possibly make a fuss, because Yamanaka Chujiu hadn't shorted them even a single tael, and the income they had lost was illicit.

These ninjas could only resign and return to being mission-based ninjas, or re-apply for new positions in the various departments under the Rising Sun Organization.

The Anbu ninjas had an even smoother transition.

The Anbu designed by the Second Hokage was a system leaning more toward mandatory service, with high work pressure, low mission bonuses, and no glory to be gained.

It was purely running on passion, dedicating oneself to Konohagakure.

From this perspective, the Second Hokage limiting the Anbu scale to 70 people was very reasonable.

But the Third Hokage did not think so; he expanded the Anbu by more than ten times, using the power of the Hokage to forcibly conscript Konoha Ninja and using them as his private soldiers at will.

The Anbu ninjas of the Third Hokage era were completely exploited by power, and their lives were miserable.

Yamanaka Chujiu simply stopped assigning Anbu missions, and the Anbu ninjas naturally lost their burdens and could live their normal lives.

Thus, the Anbu naturally faded away.

Internal security duties were completely replaced by the Military Police Force, external intelligence work was taken over by the Intelligence Department, and external assassination work was completely abandoned.

Yamanaka Chujiu said: "If Konohagakure wants to kill the leaders and nobles of enemy ninja villages, we will order them to commit suicide in the name of the Fifth Hokage; would they dare not offer their heads?"

"Those who dare to defy the will of the Fifth Hokage, the Land of Water's Kirigakure is the example!"

Don't say it, you really shouldn't say it!

This man's domineering style was a perfect match for Konohagakure, which had a very young historical foundation.

Yamanaka Chujiu's domineering nature did not cause any resentment among Konoha Ninja; instead, it stirred up the morale of the entire village.

The heads of the Konoha Ninja were uniformly raised by five degrees.

Even ordinary Konohagakure villagers would stand with their backs straight when walking.

When Yamanaka Chujiu's words reached foreign countries, ninja villages large and small, including Sunagakure, Kirigakure, and Kumogakure, all fell silent.

All ninjas turned their eyes toward Iwagakure and Amegakure, waiting for the answers of the Third Tsuchikage Onoki and Hanzo the Salamander.

In the end, the two Shadow-level Ninja who could be called the strongest both remained silent.

The morale of the Konoha Ninja became even higher.

Whenever they encountered ninjas from other villages during missions, they would naturally lift their chins and proudly declare: "This is a mission of my Konohagakure; if you dare to accept a counter-mission, are you tired of living?"

The opposing ninjas would nine times out of ten rationally abandon the mission, apologize to the Konoha Ninja, and immediately flee.

Including Iwagakure, no ninja village would punish their own ninjas for this.

What is called domineering?

This is domineering!

Konoha Ninja finally realized what the strongest ninja village in the Ninja World should look like.

If the Third Hokage were to stand up again at this time and say to the Konoha Ninja: "Support me, let us return to the familiar Konohagakure era of the past."

I believe every Konoha Ninja would immediately draw their weapons and fight the Third Hokage to the death.

As the old administrative system exited, the Rising Sun Organization began to transfer subordinate departments, classifying them as departments directly under the Hokage or as direct enterprises.

Konohagakure's output began to skyrocket, and self-developed medicines and standard ninja tools began to conquer the entire Ninja World.

The massive industrial profits were all deposited into the Konoha public treasury, and for the first time, the village had the ability to maintain a balanced budget without relying on missions or funding from the Daimyo.

The village mastered more resources and first invested them in the Fifth Hokage Orochimaru, allowing him to conduct various experiments to his heart's content.

Yamanaka Chujiu's only requirement was: do not use people from Konohagakure or the Land of Fire for living experiments.

Orochimaru agreed without hesitation and even promised that Yamanaka Chujiu could use all of his research results.

Then he became even more devoted to his experiments, studying human physiology, the origin of chakra, secret techniques of immortality, and Yamanaka Chujiu's Living Puppet day and night.

Yamanaka Chujiu took the technology and used it for industrial upgrading, plundering the purses of nobles with luxury goods, achieving snowballing economic growth.

As Konohagakure became wealthy, Yamanaka Chujiu did not hesitate to increase the salaries of Genin, increase villager benefits, and provide pensions for retired ninjas.

The recognition of Yamanaka Chujiu throughout Konohagakure reached an unprecedented high, and he was regarded as the undisputed Sixth Hokage.

Konoha Year 51, beginning of the year.

Yamanaka Chujiu initiated comprehensive construction in Konohagakure.

In addition to continuing to increase ninja salaries and villager benefits, the main focus was on improving the village's infrastructure: housing, hospitals, training grounds, schools, etc.

But on the other hand, Yamanaka Chujiu began to increase investment in military equipment.

He expanded the Konoha Barrier, perfected the road network of the Land of Fire, built border outposts, updated ninja weapons, promoted advanced Ninjutsu, and comprehensively improved the combat power of Konoha Ninja.

But the most sensational thing in the Ninja World was Yamanaka Chujiu publicly announcing: The tax collection behavior of the Fire Daimyo is illegal!

He directly dispatched Konoha Ninja to arrest all tax officials within the Land of Fire, as well as the nobles responsible for collecting taxes.

Then, Yamanaka Chujiu issued a Hokage order: Within the Land of Fire, all farmers, merchants, and craftsmen no longer need to pay taxes to the Daimyo; all taxes will be collected by Konoha Ninja.

This order completely overturned the political system of the Land of Fire, equivalent to Konohagakure openly declaring war on the Fire Daimyo.

The Fire Daimyo was naturally furious, issuing a document condemning Yamanaka Chujiu for usurping the Hokage's power, having no respect for the Daimyo, and being a sinner of the Land of Fire through the ages.

The Daimyo demanded that the Fifth Hokage stand up, abolish Yamanaka Chujiu's policies and orders, and pay back the withheld taxes.

The Daimyo finally threatened: If Konohagakure persists in its own way, the Daimyo's mansion will cut off funding to Konoha and cut off the supply of basic materials such as food, salt, iron, and cloth.

After Yamanaka Chujiu received the Daimyo's letter of condemnation, he laughed until he was doubled over in front of four hundred Konoha Jonin.

"I thought the Fire Daimyo was a smart man, but I never expected him to be so foolish!"

"Since the Daimyo does not understand the principle that 'political power grows from the handle of a Kunai,' then let the Konoha Ninja teach him that lesson with their Kunai!"

"The Land of Fire no longer needs a Daimyo or nobles!"

"The Konoha Ninja will take direct control of the country!"

"Starting with the Fifth Hokage, the Hokage shall be the one and only King of the Land of Fire!!"