"I know we can't agree to it!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's brows knit tightly as the sharpness in Utatane Koharu's voice pierced through the room.
He waved his hand irritably, as if brushing away the lingering tension in the air, then gestured toward the seat opposite him.
"Sit."
Without waiting, he reached again for his pipe.
The brief flare of a match illuminated his tightly pressed lips. Tobacco crackled softly as it caught flame.
He drew in deeply.
Gray-white smoke rose, veiling the complexity in his expression.
From behind the haze came his deliberately lowered voice.
"Don't tell Danzo about this."
"No need to create more trouble."
Koharu understood Danzo's temperament well enough.
If he learned of this, it would erupt into chaos.
She steadied herself, quickly organizing her thoughts.
"Hiruzen, tell me your considerations."
After a brief pause, her tone sharpened.
"The Uchiha suddenly demanding authority like this… what they want is not just the eastern army."
"We need to see their true objective."
"Homura has already gone to the Daimyō. Right now, only the two of us can decide this."
Hiruzen pressed his aching brow, exhaustion from a sleepless night weighing heavily on him.
His voice came out hoarse.
"The shinobi army is Konoha's limbs. It cannot fall under Uchiha control."
"Even if we place our own people inside, there's no predicting what those arrogant Uchiha might do."
"And no way to restrain them."
If the Uchiha gained both legitimacy and command—
Control of the eastern army would be inevitable.
Losing an entire army…
Was something he could never accept.
He exhaled slowly.
"But from what I saw today, if we don't give them a reasonable answer…"
"They won't back down."
"And Kirigakure could advance at any moment."
"We don't have much time."
At that—
Something cracked.
The composed Hokage—
The "Professor," the "Strongest Hokage"—
Remembered the clan head's unyielding gaze.
And for a brief moment—
Irritation broke through.
His grip tightened on the pipe, knuckles whitening.
"…We are both founding clans of this village."
"Why is it that the Uchiha… cannot be like the Senju under Tobirama-sensei?"
"Why can't they simply devote everything to Konoha without hesitation?!"
Koharu nodded in agreement without hesitation.
Then—
A sharp glint appeared in her eyes.
An idea formed.
"If we cannot give them our standing army…"
She leaned forward slightly, voice lowered but precise.
"Why not let them… build their own?"
A faint, calculating smile touched her lips.
"They call themselves the greatest clan in the shinobi world."
"Surely they have the capability to form an independent force?"
"Let them handle all expenses themselves as well."
"Funding. Supplies. Logistics."
"This way—"
"They get their prestige."
"The village reduces its burden."
"And their own strength is gradually drained."
"Isn't that… the best of all outcomes?"
Hiruzen lowered his pipe.
Smoke still lingered around him as he carefully considered every word.
After a long silence, he spoke.
"…It's not without merit."
A measured acknowledgment.
Then his gaze sharpened.
"But the Uchiha are not fools."
"They will see through this immediately."
"And if they truly form a fully independent, self-sufficient army…"
"What restraint will we have left?"
"What reins can hold a tiger once it leaves the cage?"
The thought of a divided Konoha—
Of something beyond his control—
Made him shake his head.
He set the idea aside.
"For now… we wait."
"This matter affects everything."
"It requires careful consideration."
If they could quickly defeat one of the other villages—
Sunagakure, Iwagakure, or Kumogakure—
Then the initiative against Kirigakure would return to the Hokage.
Only then would the Uchiha lose leverage.
Realizing this, Hiruzen finally turned his attention back to Koharu.
"You came here for something else."
"Logistics?"
Koharu nodded.
"Yes."
Her posture straightened, her tone clear and methodical.
"The war on multiple fronts is draining us."
"We cannot rely solely on the Daimyō's uncertain funding."
"We need a stable source of revenue."
Her gaze sharpened.
"Within Konoha, the greatest concentration of wealth…"
"Is the Uchiha's Ginza."
She did not hesitate.
"It generates immense profit daily."
"But under the Second Hokage's system, clan businesses are barely taxed."
"That may have worked before."
"But now… it's outdated."
She looked directly at Hiruzen.
"It's time for tax reform."
"Not fixed taxes."
"A proportional system—like mission commissions."
"Any large-scale commercial activity should be taxed based on profit."
"This is not targeting the Uchiha."
"This is for Konoha as a whole."
Hiruzen's expression turned bitter.
"Tax reform…"
"That's easier said than done."
"It's equivalent to cutting into every clan's purse."
"Especially the Uchiha's."
"At a time like this… it could backfire."
"Precisely because it's wartime, we have justification," Koharu pressed.
"To support the frontlines."
"To protect the village."
"Those with greater means must contribute more."
"We can define it as a 'temporary war tax.'"
"With clear purpose and duration."
"Even the Uchiha—under the banner of protecting Konoha—"
"Cannot openly oppose it."
"Unless they wish to bear the blame of abandoning the village."
She paused, then added—
"We set a high threshold."
"The primary target becomes major entities like Ginza."
"Small businesses remain largely unaffected."
"Resistance will be minimal."
"We are not opposing all clans."
"We are ensuring the greatest beneficiaries… bear their share."
Both of them understood exactly what that meant.
Hiruzen said nothing.
His gaze drifted toward the window—
Toward the towering structure in the distance.
Ginza.
The Uchiha crest gleamed under the sunlight.
"…Draft the proposal, Koharu."
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