Chapter 407: The Current State of Hidden Leaf Village
Inside Konoha Village, the current atmosphere was vastly different from the surging storms of the outside world, presenting a rare sense of looseness and emptiness.
There were fewer Ninjas rushing about on the streets than usual, and many shops had closed early, exuding a tranquility typical of wartime, yet it wasn't oppressive; rather, it felt sluggish, as if its core had been hollowed out.
Since the decision was made to take a hardline stance against the Great Nations, the entire Village's war machine had been running at high speed.
The vast majority of elite combat forces, logistics personnel, and even some administrative backbones had been redeployed.
They were either stationed in occupied territories or maintained communications and logistics.
Although Hidden Leaf Village's internal defensive forces were not so empty as to be vulnerable, they were indeed much thinner compared to its peak period.
However, the higher-ups didn't seem particularly worried about this.
Hidden Leaf Village was currently fighting Great Nations; few forces would dare or even be able to spare enough strength to "raid the home base"—that would be no different from seeking death.
Therefore, the Village instead had a sort of "darkness under the lamp" composure, or rather, a necessary desolation after its power had been drawn away.
The power structure had also become subtle and loose as a result.
After the previous Hokage were resurrected, the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, had full authority over the Village while Naruto headed south.
Before the First Hokage attacked the Land of Wind, he left the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, in charge of the Village.
After these two founders returned to the Pure Land one after another, Hyuga Hiashi and Inoichi Yamanaka began to take turns temporarily presiding over the Village's daily operations.
Why Hiashi and Inoichi?
Why not the more senior Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, or the "Sannin" with their immense strength and prestige, or Shikaku, the most qualified leader of Hidden Leaf Village among the Ino–Shika–Chō?
Any Ninja in Hidden Leaf Village with a bit of seniority had a clear understanding of this in their hearts, but no one would bring it up to the surface.
The Hyuga is one of Hidden Leaf Village's oldest and most powerful families; Hiashi himself is steady and mature, and has made significant achievements in handling the relationship between the clan and the Village in recent years, representing traditional clan power and order.
Inoichi Yamanaka is not only an outstanding intelligence expert but has also won widespread trust due to his gentle and fair character, excellent interpersonal coordination skills, and the responsibility he has shown in multiple crises.
And a minor reason: they are both Naruto's prospective fathers-in-law.
The pairing of these two was the choice that would cause the least internal controversy at the moment.
As for the Fifth Hokage, Jiraiya, this former Hokage had already run off to perform a secret mission, his whereabouts a mystery.
Of the other two "Sannin" who were close to him, Orochimaru was obsessed with his scientific research—forever filled with taboos and the unknown—and had zero interest in administrative affairs; Tsunade, due to recent events, had extreme emotional fluctuations, sometimes silent and sometimes irritable, clearly not in a state suitable for acting as a proxy for complex political affairs.
Shikaku was stationed at the front lines and could not return.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was willing to contribute some remaining energy in his later years to temporarily take up the mantle and stabilize the situation.
But whenever he gave even a slight hint in this direction, it would be suppressed.
Naruto did not allow him to re-enter politics, and those left in the Village were all Naruto's die-hard supporters, so the old man's words carried no weight in the Village now.
Even Raido Namiashi and others, who had served as Third Hokage's Hokage Guard Platoon after the Fourth Hokage's death, as well as the Anbu, no longer followed Third Hokage's command.
No one said it explicitly, but everyone knew that Naruto had always held a grudge, or even dissatisfaction, toward the older generation of Advisors, especially regarding the way certain events were handled in the past.
This sentiment became more weighty as his strength leaped forward and his influence expanded.
The two Advisors, Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado, once ran into an extremely emotionally unstable Tsunade because they publicly proposed that "the Third Hokage temporarily coordinate everything." As a result, both ended up in the Konoha Hospital, reportedly with serious injuries.
With this cautionary tale, the Third Hokage himself had to bury his thoughts deep and didn't even dare to mention them.
In the current ambiguous state, Inoichi Yamanaka effectively possessed a certain level of power for personnel dispatch and the transmission of orders.
Although this power was not a formal appointment, it played a role in actual operations.
The Yamanaka Flower Shop was open as usual today, but with few customers.
Sunlight streamed through the clean glass windows onto the colorful flowers; the air was filled with an elegant floral fragrance, feeling like a world apart from the tension outside.
Ino was off today.
She originally served in the Intelligence Division, but with the large-scale intelligence analysis work temporarily concluded, the division was somewhat idle, so she took the initiative to apply to help at the Konoha Hospital.
The hospital wasn't busy either. Most Ninjas were out on missions, and those staying in the Village were mostly ordinary villagers who were sick or non-combatants who had accidentally been injured.
Even though some Medical Ninjas had gone out with the Front-line Commander-in-Chief Shikaku under the leadership of Shizune, the hospital could still operate stably with the remaining staff.
At this moment, Ino was sitting at a small table by the window in the back room of the flower shop, her head lowered in focus as she did needlework.
In her hands was the prototype of a high-quality, solemn white hokage robe; some flame patterns symbolizing the Hokage had already been embroidered with fine stitches on the hem and lining.
She was stitching the outlines of the words "Sixth Hokage" one stitch at a time.
This was a private project among a few girls.
Whoever was free would pick up the robe and embroider it for a while, and when they were busy, they would hand it over to the next person.
This wasn't just a piece of clothing; it was a gentle hope and silent support.
"Ino, what are you embroidering?"
A gentle female voice came from the doorway.
Ino looked up and saw Nara Yoshino pushing the door open and walking in.
"Aunt Yoshino."
Ino quickly put down her needlework and stood up to greet her, her cheeks flushing slightly from being seen doing what she was doing.
"What brings you here? Please, have a seat."
Yoshino didn't sit down immediately; her gaze first fell on the conspicuous robe in Ino's hands. She took a close look and then understood, the smile in her eyes deepening.
She teased, "It's the hokage robe you're embroidering for Naruto, isn't it? Tsk tsk, look at these stitches, so much care. That boy Naruto is truly lucky to have you thinking of him like this."
"Aunt Yoshino!"
Ino's face turned even redder, and she muttered in embarrassment, but her hands didn't stop. She picked up the needle and thread again, lowering her head to continue embroidering, as if that were the only way to hide her shyness. "Did you need something from me?"
Yoshino only then restrained her smile. She took out a rolled-up secret letter with a special Chakra mark from her sleeve and handed it over, her tone becoming much more serious: "Shikamaru sent word back from the front lines; there's something he needs to contact Inoichi about. The letter isn't encrypted, so just give it to Inoichi.
I'm not sure right now if your father is at home, at the Intelligence Department, or at the Hokage Building.
I happened to be passing by and thought you might know where he is, or could easily bring the letter to him. I'll leave it to you, Ino."
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