(LIFE IN THE HIDDEN LEAF) CHAPTER THREE

Naruto reached the meeting chamber a few minutes before the meeting was scheduled to begin.

He slowed as he approached the doors, glancing at the people gathered in the corridor and recognizing several of the representatives who were already making their way inside. The meeting was going to be larger than the private discussion he’d had with Kakashi, and the arrangement of the chamber made it obvious why. The five jounin representatives occupied one side of the table, the five representatives from the Daimyo’s government occupied the other, and Kakashi’s seat waited at the head.

Naruto knew his name would come up before the meeting was over.
He couldn’t imagine how it wouldn’t.
The proposal concerned the authority of the Hokage, but discussing that authority without considering the people who actually carried out Konoha’s orders would leave out an important part of the argument. Naruto—and Sasuke—had stood at the center of the Fourth Great Ninja War, and whatever people thought about them personally, there was no denying that they had become two of the strongest shinobi in the world.

That fact had consequences.

Naruto had spent most of his life wanting people to recognize his strength, and now that they did, he was beginning to understand why being recognized came with its own problems.

Sasuke made things even more complicated.

He wasn’t part of Konoha’s ordinary command structure, yet the village still relied on him, exchanged information with him and accepted his assistance when his investigations brought him into contact with threats that affected Konoha. He could cross borders without needing an army behind him, and there were very few people alive who could force him to stop if he decided something needed to be done.

Naruto suspected the Daimyo’s representatives had spent a great deal of time thinking about what that meant, and he couldn’t say he blamed them.

He pushed open the doors.

The meeting chamber was already beginning to fill, with the five jounin representatives and the five representatives from the Daimyo’s government taking their places. Several conversations were taking place at once, and Naruto recognized enough familiar faces to know that the meeting would probably last longer than anyone wanted.

He walked toward the seat reserved for him and sat down.

A few people looked his way, but Naruto ignored them. He had been around meetings like this long enough to know that being watched didn’t necessarily mean someone intended to speak to him. Sometimes people were simply trying to work out what you might do before you did it.

That was probably what some of them were doing now.

Naruto looked toward the head of the table. Kakashi wasn’t there yet, and neither was Shikamaru.

That wasn’t surprising.

Naruto had left them in the Hokage’s office, and they still had time before the meeting officially began. So he leaned back and looked around the room.

Hiashi Hyuga was among the five jounin representatives, sitting with the same composed expression he seemed to wear whenever he was surrounded by people he didn’t entirely trust. Across the table, the senior representative of the Daimyo’s government was going through several documents with two advisers beside him.

Naruto didn’t remember the man’s name.

The doors opened again, and Kakashi entered with Shikamaru beside him. The conversations around the table gradually came to an end. Kakashi walked to his seat at the head of the table while Shikamaru took his usual place beside him and arranged several folders in front of him.

Once everyone had settled, the Hokage looked around the room.

“Thank you for coming,” he said.

The meeting began.

The representatives of the Daimyo’s government presented their proposal first.

Their representative explained that the group believed the current arrangement governing Konoha’s military authority needed to be revised, particularly when deployments involved a significant portion of the village’s forces or were likely to have consequences beyond the Land of Fire.

He spoke carefully, emphasizing that the proposal wasn’t intended to prevent Konoha from defending itself. The Daimyo’s representatives simply wanted accountability.

That was the word they kept returning to.

Accountability for decisions that could commit the Land of Fire to a military action, accountability for operations that could damage diplomatic relations and accountability for the people who possessed enough power to make those decisions.

Naruto listened.

He had expected that part. He also knew where the conversation would eventually go.

The first objection came from the jounin representatives.

“If the purpose of this proposal is to prevent another war, then why does it apply to clan forces operating under existing agreements?”

The Daimyo’s representative folded his hands. “Those agreements concern the internal administration of the clans.”

“Some concern military obligations.”

“Yes.”

“Then your proposal would alter those obligations.”

“We believe the agreements must be interpreted in accordance with the current needs of the village.”

Hiashi leaned forward. “Our clans entered those agreements with the understanding that our internal forces would remain under our authority. If the Daimyo’s representatives intend to establish authority over those forces, then they should explain precisely how that authority is compatible with the agreements already in place.”

The representative glanced toward Kakashi. “The Hokage has authority over Konoha’s military.”

“Under the authority granted to him by the village.”

“Which is precisely what we are discussing.”

Kakashi finally lifted his gaze from the documents in front of him.

“Let’s keep the distinction clear.”

Everyone turned toward him.

“The proposal concerns the authority of the Hokage to authorize major deployments. The clan agreements concern the relationship between individual clans and Konoha. Those are connected issues, but they aren’t the same issue.”

Hiashi nodded. “Agreed.”

Kakashi looked toward the Daimyo’s representatives. “If the proposed restrictions affect those agreements, then we’ll need to determine exactly where that happens before anything is implemented.”

The representative nodded and said, “That is reasonable.”

The discussion moved on.

Naruto listened as the Daimyo’s representatives explained how their proposed system would work. Certain large-scale deployments would require prior approval, while emergency situations would have their own provisions.

That sounded reasonable until people began asking specific questions.

How quickly would approval have to be given?

What happened if the request was denied?

What happened if the Daimyo’s representatives couldn’t reach an agreement in time?

Could the Hokage deploy forces without authorization if the situation changed after the request had been submitted?

Could the representatives order a deployment recalled after it had already begun?

Every answer created another question.

Naruto began to understand the crux of the problem. The proposal wasn’t really about putting one extra signature on a mission order. It would create an entirely different relationship between Konoha’s military command and the government of the Land of Fire.

Eventually, one of the Daimyo’s representatives turned toward him. She was an elderly woman with silver hair pulled into a neat bun, her lined face composed as she regarded him from across the table.

“Naruto Uzumaki.”

“Yes?”

“You were involved directly in the Fourth Great Ninja War.”

Another yes.

“You saw what happened.”

“I did.”

“And you understand why the Daimyo’s representatives believe the existing structure should be reconsidered.”

Naruto thought about that and replied carefully. “I understand why you’re worried.”

The representative nodded, as if she had expected such a response. “But you don’t agree.”

“I don’t agree with everything you’re proposing.”

“Would you agree that the government should have authority over decisions that could affect the country as a whole?”

Naruto glanced toward Kakashi, but the Hokage gave him no indication of what he wanted him to say, so Naruto turned back toward the representative.

“I think the people responsible for protecting the country should be able to act when they need to.”

“That wasn’t quite my question.”

“I know.”

A few people around the table exchanged looks.

Naruto continued undeterred. “I understand why you want a say. If Konoha sends a large number of shinobi somewhere, that’s going to affect more than the people who live here.”

She nodded.

“But if you make us wait for approval every time something happens, you’re going to have situations where people need help and we can’t get there.”

“Which is why the proposal includes emergency provisions.”

“Then those provisions need to be… robust enough to matter, and account for a lot of situations we can’t necessarily predict.”

The representative studied him in a new light. “Would you accept civilian oversight after an operation?” she asked.

Naruto gave the question some thought before finally speaking.

“Yes.”

“Even if the operation was successful?”

“If you think the Hokage made a bad decision, then you should be able to question it.”

“Then perhaps we aren’t as far apart as you believe.”

Naruto shook his head.

“Maybe we aren’t.” He paused. “But I still think you need to be careful about what you’re asking for.”

“Why?” The representative seemed genuinely confused.

Naruto looked down at the table. “Because once you make people wait for permission, you’re going to force them to decide whether following the rules is more important than saving someone’s life. And you might not like the decision they make.”

The room became still.

Naruto hadn’t intended to make the statement sound dramatic. It was simply what he believed.

He had spent too many years watching people hesitate because they were afraid of making the wrong decision, and sometimes a wrong decision could be corrected later. There were other times when there wasn’t enough time to correct anything.

Kakashi leaned forward, relaxed despite the tension in the air. “I think that is the central disagreement.”

The Daimyo’s representative looked toward him. “The Daimyo’s representatives believe the Hokage’s authority needs limits.”

“And Konoha believes those limits shouldn’t prevent action.”

“Those principles aren’t mutually exclusive.”

“No,” Kakashi said. “They aren’t.”

His gaze moved around the table.

“That’s why we’re going to have to find a system that allows both.”

The discussion eventually moved away from the Hokage’s formal authority and toward the people who exercised that authority in practice. One of the Daimyo’s representatives pointed out that a system governing military deployments would mean very little if individual shinobi possessed enough strength to carry out operations without conventional support.

Another representative brought up the Fourth Great Ninja War, pointing out that some of the shinobi involved had been powerful enough to operate far beyond the scale of ordinary military forces.

Naruto knew where the conversation was going before either name was spoken.

“Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha are unusual cases,” the representative said. “Their abilities are extraordinary, and their actions can have consequences far beyond the number of people under their direct command.”

Naruto remained still. He had expected his own name, but hearing Sasuke’s made the purpose of the argument clearer. This wasn’t simply about the Hokage giving orders to a large force. The Daimyo’s representatives were trying to account for what happened when a single shinobi possessed enough power to make the size of that force almost irrelevant.

One of the jounin representatives folded his arms. “Are you proposing that the village should be prevented from using its strongest shinobi?”

“No. We are proposing that their use should be subject to appropriate oversight.”

Naruto looked toward Kakashi, but the Hokage’s expression hadn’t changed.

“We aren’t going to pretend Naruto and Sasuke aren’t powerful,” Kakashi said. “Nor are we going to pretend that their strength doesn’t create responsibilities for the village.”

The Daimyo’s representative nodded. “That is precisely our concern.”

Kakashi continued.

“But any system we create has to account for the reason those individuals are valuable in the first place. If a crisis occurs that requires their intervention, we can’t spend hours determining whether they’re permitted to respond.”

“Then perhaps there should be predetermined conditions under which they can act.”

“Perhaps.”

Naruto hadn’t expected Kakashi to dismiss the concern, and he couldn’t say the Daimyo’s representatives were entirely wrong. Neither he nor Sasuke intended to abuse their strength, but the representatives weren’t building policy around what they intended to do. They were considering what could happen if someone with that level of power ever made a different choice.

Eventually, Shikamaru reached for one of the documents in front of him. He spoke for the first time in the meeting.

“I think we should discuss the financial side of the proposal.”

Another Daimyo representative looked at him, confusion evident. “What financial side?”

“If the representatives of the Daimyo’s government want a greater role in determining how Konoha’s military is deployed, then the village wants to discuss the responsibilities that come with that role.”

Several people exchanged glances.

“Konoha currently carries most of the direct costs associated with maintaining its standing forces,” Shikamaru said, opening the document. “That includes training, equipment, medical facilities, pensions and the infrastructure required to support active shinobi.”

“We provide funding to the village.”

“Some funding.” Shikamaru’s expression remained unchanged even though he stressed the word. “The proposed system would give the Daimyo’s representatives greater authority over the deployment of those forces. If that’s the direction we’re moving in, then the village believes the Daimyo’s government should contribute more directly to maintaining them.”

One of the representatives frowned. “How much more?”

Shikamaru slid the document across the table. “That depends on how much authority you’re asking for.”

The representative read the first page, then turned to the next before looking back at Shikamaru. Naruto had already seen the figures that morning, so he knew exactly why the man had stopped reading.

A representative looked up, face twisted in a rictus of anger. “You’re asking the Daimyo’s government to redistribute land.”

“We’re asking the Daimyo’s representatives to support a national military policy.”

“Those are very different things.”

“Then perhaps the level of authority you’re requesting is also different from what you’re prepared to support.”

The representative stared at him, dumbfounded, and Naruto had to suppress a smile.

Shikamaru hadn’t raised his voice, and he hadn’t needed to. The proposal was large enough to force the Daimyo’s representatives to consider what their request would actually cost.

The jounin representatives weren’t particularly pleased either. One of them pointed toward the document.

“Would these land grants affect existing clan territories?”

“That would have to be negotiated.”

“Then the proposal creates another problem.”

“I know.”

As both groups debated the new proposal, Naruto looked at Shikamaru. “You knew they’d say that?”

Shikamaru glanced at him. “Of course,” he said.

Naruto smiled. “You really do hate politics.”

“I hate complicated problems that everyone insists on making more complicated.”

Kakashi’s visible eye curved. “That’s politics in a nutshell.”

Shikamaru sighed.

The discussion over the land proposal continued for some time, with both groups finding different reasons to question its details. Which was probably exactly what Kakashi and Shikamaru wanted.

The proposal had changed the conversation.

Eventually, the Hokage called for a recess. People began gathering their papers and speaking among themselves as they moved toward the doors.

Naruto remained seated for a moment.

He had expected the meeting to be exhausting, but he hadn’t expected to leave it with more questions than he had brought in.

Shikamaru walked over to him. “How are you doing?”

Naruto looked at him, shaking his head as if in disbelief.

“Is this what you do every day?”

“Unfortunately.”

“I think I’d rather fight ten S-rank missing-nin.”

Shikamaru gave him a tired look. “That’s because you don’t have to fill out the paperwork afterward.”

Naruto laughed.

Kakashi approached them as the room continued to empty.

“You two look like you’re having fun.”

Naruto shook his head. “You lied to me.”

“When?”

“You said listening was all I had to do.”

“It was.”

“I listened for an hour.”

“And?”

“I hate politics even more now.”

Kakashi smiled.

“Then you learned something.”

Naruto looked toward the remaining representatives of the Daimyo’s government.

“They aren’t trying to destroy Konoha.”

“No.”

“They really are worried about another war.”

“Yes.”

Naruto’s expression became thoughtful. “But they’re also worried about us.”

Kakashi nodded. “More specifically, they’re worried about what the village could become.”

Naruto looked at him.

“What do you mean?”

Kakashi glanced toward the doors before answering.

“Konoha has always been powerful. The difference now is that the other nations have seen what happens when the strongest shinobi in the world are gathered together.”

Naruto didn’t say anything.

“They’ve also seen what happens when those shinobi decide to act.”

Naruto thought about the war.

He remembered the battlefield, Kaguya, and the people who had been strong enough to change the course of the entire conflict through their own actions.

Kakashi continued, scratching idly at the side of his face. “The Daimyo’s representatives don’t know what Konoha will look like ten years from now.”

“Neither do we.”

“…True.”

Shikamaru had been sorting through the papers, but he looked up.

“There’s another part of this that matters.”

Naruto turned toward him. “What?”

“The Daimyo’s representatives aren’t only concerned about military deployments.”

Naruto remembered the conversation in Kakashi’s office that morning.

“The other thing?”

Kakashi nodded.

“The issue came up briefly during the meeting.”

“What issue?”

Kakashi hesitated. “Foreign activity.”

Naruto’s expression changed. “Meaning?”

“There have been several recent cases where Konoha shinobi have become involved in conflicts beyond the Land of Fire, and the Daimyo’s representatives are concerned that some of those actions could create diplomatic problems for the country.”

Naruto frowned.

“We’ve been helping people.”

“I know.”

“Then what’s wrong with that?”

Kakashi looked at him.

“Nothing about helping people,” he said. “The problem is what happens after we intervene.”

“Such as?”

“A mission can become a border dispute. A request for assistance can become a political dispute. A missing-nin investigation can involve another country’s authorities. Once Konoha’s shinobi become involved, other governments have to decide whether we’re acting independently or whether the Land of Fire is responsible for what we do.”

Naruto’s frown deepened.

“They want us to stop helping people?”

“No,” Kakashi said. “They want to know where Konoha’s responsibility ends.”

Naruto stared at him.

Shikamaru continued before Kakashi could say anything else.

“Simply put, every time Konoha intervenes outside the Land of Fire, someone has to decide whether we’re acting as a village, as the military of the Land of Fire, or simply as shinobi helping where we’re needed.”

Naruto looked toward the closed doors, frown easing into one of contemplation. “We’re still helping people.”

“We know.”

“So why does it matter what they call it?”

“Because other countries may not see a difference,” Kakashi said. “If Konoha intervenes in another country’s affairs, they may treat that action as something the Land of Fire authorized, whether we intended it that way or not.”

Naruto sighed deeply.

“If someone’s being hurt, are we supposed to ignore it?” he asked.

“No.” Kakashi’s answer came immediately. “But we have to consider what happens when we intervene, and whether we’re prepared for everything that follows.”

Naruto stared at him for a moment.

As always, he understood the argument. He just didn’t like it.

“Are they talking about stopping us?”

“Not yet.”

“Yet?”

“That’s why I wanted you to hear about it before the meeting,” Kakashi said, his words light despite the implications.

Naruto slipped his hands into his pockets. “So this is going to get worse.”

Shikamaru picked up his folder. “That’s one way to put it.”

Kakashi looked toward the meeting chamber.

“The representatives from the Daimyo’s government will return later this week. By then, we’ll need a clearer position on both issues.”

Naruto nodded.

The deployment proposal wasn’t an isolated disagreement. It was part of a larger question about what Konoha was supposed to become now that the war was over.

He looked at Kakashi.

“What happens if they don’t accept the land proposal?”

Kakashi shrugged. “Then we negotiate.”

“And if they refuse to negotiate?”

“We find another way.”

Naruto nodded.

He was beginning to understand why Kakashi had been so calm about the whole thing.

The point wasn’t to win the first argument.

The point was to make sure Konoha still had room to maneuver when the next one arrived.

Naruto turned toward the door, glancing over his shoulder with a call, “I’ll be back soon.”

Kakashi shook his head. “Go home.”

Naruto stopped.

“Why?” he asked.

“Because you have a family waiting for you.”

Naruto smiled, relieved despite himself. “Right.”

He opened the door and stepped into the corridor.

The building was already busy again, with shinobi and civilians alike moving between offices with documents and scrolls. Somewhere downstairs, someone was arguing with a clerk about a mission request, and the familiar sounds of the village carried through the halls as people continued with their day.

For all the arguments taking place inside the meeting chamber, Konoha itself hadn’t changed.

People still had work to do, children still had to get to school, missions still needed to be assigned, and families still waited for their shinobi to come home.

Naruto walked down the corridor, already looking forward to getting home.

He had spent most of the day listening to people argue about military authority, political responsibility and everything else that seemed determined to make his life more complicated, and he was more than ready to forget about all of it.

Hopefully, Boruto and Hinata would be asleep by the time he got home.

Naruto smiled at the thought.

It had been far too long since he and Hinata had managed to have any time to themselves.

He picked up his pace as he headed downstairs.