The next morning, Sarutobi Hiruzen arrived at the office, refreshed.
The hot spring from the previous night had restored his spirit and stamina to their peak. He felt like he could now approve a week's worth of accumulated documents in one go.
"Good morning, Lord Hokage."
An Anbu guard appeared in a flicker and knelt on one knee.
"Mm, morning," Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded, hanging the Hokage hat on the coat rack. "Is there something?"
"Reporting to you, sir, Advisor Danzo..." the Anbu's tone was a little hesitant.
"Danzo? What's he done now?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart skipped a beat.
This guy isn't up to some new mischief, is he? I just praised him, he better not mess up again.
"Advisor Danzo... he stayed in his office all night, without a wink of sleep. He's been... writing and drawing on the floor all night," the Anbu's voice was filled with confusion. "And he's refused all meals and tea, only asking for more than a dozen pots of strong tea to be sent in."
Sarutobi Hiruzen was also stunned to hear this.
Didn't sleep all night? Writing and drawing? What's that all about?
Could it be that he was so stimulated that he stayed up all night to draw up a detailed plan on "how to backstab the Hokage"?
"That can't be, right?"
Just as he was letting his imagination run wild, there was a knock on the office door.
"Lord Hokage, Advisor Danzo requests an audience."
"Let him in."
The door was pushed open, and Shimura Danzo walked in.
When he saw Danzo's appearance, even someone like Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had seen it all, almost lost his composure.
The Danzo before him had two huge dark circles under his eyes, his eyeballs were bloodshot, his hair was as messy as a chicken's nest, and his chin was covered in green stubble.
His clothes were also wrinkled and stained with ink and dust.
He looked less like an advisor of Konoha and more like a manga artist on the verge of death from overwork after pulling several all-nighters to meet a deadline.
The most exaggerated part was that he was holding a huge scroll in his arms, thicker than his own body.
"Hiruzen..."
Danzo spoke, his voice as hoarse as if it had been sanded. "I... I've thought it through."
"Ahem, Danzo, what's this..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen suppressed his laughter and asked with feigned concern, "Did you get into a fight with someone last night?"
"No," Danzo shook his head. He walked to the center of the office, took a deep breath, and then abruptly unrolled the huge scroll in his arms on the floor.
Swoosh—!
The scroll covered more than half of the office. It was densely covered with lines, symbols, and annotations in various colored pens.
Beside them, there were also various notes and explanations written in tiny, fly-headed script.
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a closer look and saw at the very top of the scroll, written in an extremely passionate brushstroke, a few large characters—
"Draft of the First Five-Year Modernization and Transformation Plan for the Village of Konoha"
"Pfft—"
The mouthful of tea Sarutobi Hiruzen had just taken was sprayed out.
A... five-year plan?
He looked at the Danzo before him, then at the planning map on the floor, which was full of "violent aesthetics" and "iron-blooded style." He was completely dumbfounded.
This style is not right!
You're a conspirator who's into assassination, espionage, and is always thinking about how to seize power. How did you suddenly switch careers to urban planning? And you're even doing it so... hardcore?
"Hiruzen, look!"
Danzo, completely unaware of Hiruzen's strange reaction, pointed at the map and began to introduce his grand blueprint in an almost fanatical tone.
"I believe that the current layout of our Konoha is extremely unreasonable! The residential and commercial areas are mixed, which not only affects the villagers' rest but also poses a huge fire hazard!"
"Therefore, I suggest that we divide the village into four areas with the Hokage building as the center. The east district will be the administrative and ninja core area, the west district will be the commercial and trade area, the south district will be the ordinary residential area, and the north district will be the industrial and logistics area. For example, the ninja tool forge, the military ration pill workshop, and so on, will all be moved there for centralized management!"
"And the roads! Our current roads are too narrow! In an emergency, the troops can't assemble quickly at all! I suggest that all the main roads be widened to at least accommodate two 'Human Bullet Tanks' driving side by side!"
"And the drainage system! I studied it last night. Our underground pipe network is a piece of crap! I've already redesigned a plan for separate rainwater and sewage systems to ensure that no matter how heavy the rain is in the future, there will be no standing water in the village!"
The more Danzo spoke, the more excited he became, spit flying from his mouth.
It was as if he wasn't reporting on his work, but showing the world his most perfect creation.
Sarutobi Hiruzen listened in silence, the shock in his heart beyond words.
He looked at Danzo's face, which was haggard from staying up all night but was also glowing with passion, and an absurd thought rose in his mind.
"Holy shit... could this guy... be an infrastructure genius who was held back by ninjutsu?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen forcibly suppressed the sense of absurdity in his heart and began to carefully examine the planning map on the floor.
He had to admit that although Danzo's plan was rough in many details, and even a bit wishful-thinking.
However, the planning concept, which was based on a military perspective and pursued extreme efficiency and absolute safety, made even Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes light up.
This guy was truly planning a village with the mindset of building a "war fortress."
"A talent... what a talent..." Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed in his heart.
He knew that he might have unintentionally flipped a strange switch on Danzo.
A root that should have rotted in the darkness now seemed to be growing into an unexpectedly towering tree in the sunlight.
"Danzo."
Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly stood up, walked over to Danzo, and patted his shoulder.
"Hm?" Danzo looked up, his bloodshot eyes filled with expectation.
He wanted to get Hiruzen's approval.
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at him, a very gratified yet somewhat inscrutable smile on his face.
"Your idea is very good."
"But it's not scientific enough."
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