Reborn as the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen

The caravan leader cried out in relief, "Ninja-sama, you're finally here! There are rogue ninjas in the caravan—they're trying to force me to divert all my goods, which were originally bound for Kikyo City, to this place instead. My entire fortune is at stake! This will ruin me! W-Waaah..."

Inuzuka Yuya scolded impatiently, "Stop crying! Whose unit is this? Someone explain the situation to me."

Uchiha Ryosuke stepped forward with a serious expression, "Captain, this area belongs to the Fifth Squadron, on the border between the Third and Second Teams. We're the Third Team, and I am its captain, Uchiha Ryosuke."

Looking around but not spotting the Second Team, Yuya ordered, "Surround them! Don't let anyone escape. Find the rogue ninjas. Ryosuke, give me a full report."

Ryosuke nodded, "Captain, my team was patrolling Area No. 3 when we passed through Area No. 2 and noticed that this caravan seemed suspicious. According to our guard regulations, we stopped them for an inspection and found a transport pass claiming that this shipment of iron ore was from the Land of Iron, headed for Kikyo City.

"But there's a problem—Kikyo City is in the northwest, near the Land of Earth and the Land of Birds. This caravan, however, is way off course in the southwest, near the Lands of Wind and Rain. Not only that, but their pass has expired. Since this is a large caravan with many people, we called for backup."

"Understood. Let's go assist them first." Inuzuka Kusa interrupted, glancing at the ongoing battle nearby.

With a sharp movement, he performed a jutsu, "Fang Over Fang! (Gatsūga)" Two white whirlwinds spun toward the fight.

Meanwhile, Ryosuke turned to the Genin assigned to guard the caravan—Kusano Yuto and Shimura Kaze. "Keep an eye on them. I'm heading to assist." With that, he dashed toward the battlefield.

As he arrived, Ryosuke swiftly pulled out several shuriken and flung them forward, then formed quick hand seals. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique! (Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu)" A massive fireball shot out, engulfing the enemy. Though this signature Uchiha jutsu rarely resulted in fatalities, it remained highly effective in battle.

Without wasting time, he grabbed a ninja who had been caught in the flames, restrained his left arm in front and his right arm behind him using a cross-binding technique. This method, taught by the training department, effectively prevented enemy ninjas from escaping. After securing the captive, he rushed to assist the others.

One by one, the rogue ninjas fell until only a single enemy remained. Unlike the others, this one seemed to be a higher-ranked shinobi. He had taken a hostage—a wounded caravan guard—and pressed a kunai against the man's throat.

The hostage, a low-ranked samurai from the Land of Iron, had already been injured earlier in the fight. Now, he was in an even worse situation.

"Don't come any closer, or I'll kill him!" the rogue ninja threatened, his expression desperate.

A squad leader smirked, "You're using a samurai to threaten Konoha shinobi? Seriously, what do you think that's going to accomplish?"

Before he could say more, Inuzuka Yuya snapped, "How the hell did you pass the training department's assessment? You don't know basic guard protocols? Expect a complaint about this! The guard unit's standards are strict these days."

Another ninja casually added, "Captain, it's no big deal. If the hostage dies, we can just report that he was killed by rogue ninjas. Everyone here is from Konoha, so who's going to question it?"

The rogue ninja was stunned. Konoha is this ruthless?

Inuzuka Yuya frowned, "You might think that way, but you shouldn't say it out loud. Rules are rules, and if something is wrong, we have to acknowledge it. My squad follows regulations properly."

Suddenly, a voice called out, "Secret Technique: Insect Cocoon! (Hijutsu: Mushimayu)"

A hooded ninja made a hand seal, releasing a swarm of insects. The bugs swarmed the rogue ninja, separating him from the hostage before completely consuming him.

Inuzuka Yuya's stern face instantly turned cheerful, "Alright, that's taken care of. By the way, I was just distracting him earlier, so I won't report you this time. But you will be submitting a self-reflection report." His grin widened. "Great, that's another report for me to turn in to the political department. Only two more to go!"

The team leader standing next to him suddenly looked bitter.

With the fight over, it was time to bring the caravan and its goods back to the Fifth Squadron's base. Once the investigation was complete, they could decide what to do with the shipment. The Konoha squads escorted the caravan and its personnel to the base.

When they arrived, the small outpost was already packed with other detained caravans. The area was noisy and chaotic.

One man grumbled, "Brother, why did your caravan get brought here?"

"The pass expired," another replied. "Now we have to go through the formalities again. The ninja officers are swamped. What about you?"

"Some of us were kidnapped by rogue ninjas. Others were caught by the ninja patrols. Who knows anymore?"

"It looks like your caravan is quite large. It was actually kidnapped by ninjas? Some of us just have expired passes and need to pay a fee to get them reissued but there are also those who were caught traveling through the Land of Fire without any documents at all, so they were detained immediately."

Suddenly, the door was shoved open, and a man strode out arrogantly, his face full of anger, "My caravan is a noble caravan! How dare you compare us to commoners? You even dare to detain me? Just wait until the daimyo hears about this! He'll hold your Hokage accountable!"

Before he could say another word, a kunai flew out of nowhere and stabbed into the ground right in front of his feet. His face turned pale, and without another word, he spun around and ran away.

Uchiha Ryosuke felt a headache coming on. He really wanted to turn around and leave, but he still had to deal with the caravan connected to his unit.

With no other choice, he left Shimura Kaze behind to handle the paperwork while the rest of his team continued their patrol.

Across the country, guard teams faced all kinds of problems. Letters requesting guidance flooded Konoha, piling up like snowdrifts.

Konoha – Hokage's Office

Early in the morning, Sarutobi Hiruzen stepped into his office, only to see Nara Shikaru standing there, holding a massive stack of letters. With a heavy sigh, Shikaru dropped the pile onto the desk.

Hiruzen blinked in surprise,"What's all this? Why is there so many letters?"

Shikaru rubbed his temples, "They're from the patrol brigades of the Security Department and the customs force."

Hiruzen frowned, "If they're from the Security Department, why didn't you just give them to Kagami?"

Shikaru sighed, "Minister Kagami did get them but he sent them here, saying the issues were too complicated for him to handle alone."

Hiruzen raised an eyebrow, "And what exactly are these issues? Have you read them?"

Shikaru nodded, "Yes. There are a few main types of problems.

1. Too many caravans are being detained, and there's not enough manpower to process them, so they're requesting reinforcements.

2. The origins of some caravans are unclear, and they need the village's help to investigate.

3. Nobles are complaining about their caravans being detained and are pressuring the patrol units."

Hiruzen leaned back in his chair, placing his feet on the desk like a seasoned bureaucrat. "The first two problems are caused by the backlog of detained caravans that's easy to fix. Sort the letters by issue—expired passes, illegal goods, missing documents—categorize them, create a standard regulation for handling these cases, and implement it. That way, they can follow a clear procedure instead of escalating everything to the higher-ups."

Shikaru remained silent, but his expression was unreadable.

Hiruzen continued, "As for the nobles—let them take it up with the daimyo. We've already coordinated with him on these matters."

With that, he pushed the documents aside, "Anything else? If not, take these with you."

Shikaru started gathering the papers, thinking to himself, This Hokage doesn't want to deal with anything. He just pushes all the work onto me. I'm exhausted... I need a break...

Just as he was about to leave, Hiruzen called out, "Wait, Shikaru. Bring Kagami and Homura here later. I have something to discuss with them."

Shikaru's shoulders slumped, "Yes, Lord Hokage…" He left the office, looking utterly miserable.

A short while later, Mitokado Homura, Uchiha Kagami, and Nara Shikaru arrived at the Hokage's office.

Hiruzen leaned forward, his fingers tapping against the desk, "Don't bring me minor Security Department issues every time they pop up. The Security Department headquarters needs to take responsibility for its own work. I refuse to believe that an organization assisted by two former Hokage candidates is incapable of handling these problems. So, tell me—what's the real issue? Is someone obstructing you?"

Kagami rubbed his forehead, "Hiruzen, you know I work best when I have clear orders. I don't have much experience with administration and honestly, I'm afraid of messing up important policies if I handle things poorly."

Homura chuckled, "Besides, didn't a noble complaint come in? I'm not the right person to deal with that. My hands are already full with political affairs, so I figured I'd let you take care of it."

Hiruzen shifted in his chair, glancing over at Shikaru, "Well look at my secretary—he's exhausted. Shikaru, when was the last time you had a break?"

Shikaru's face twitched. He didn't answer, but the dark circles under his eyes said everything.

Nara Shikaru remained expressionless, "Lord Hokage, one month."

Hiruzen blinked, "One month?"

Shikaru's face didn't change, but inwardly, he was seething. 'Why haven't I rested? Isn't it because of you, the Hokage, dump all the work onto me, your secretary?'

Taking a deep breath, Shikaru spoke in a flat tone, "Let me establish a proper process for handling these matters. First, all Security Department affairs will start with the squadron leaders. They will handle their own squadron's issues. If they cannot resolve a problem, it will be escalated to the captains. If the captains cannot handle it, the case will then be sent to Security Department headquarters. Only issues that cannot be resolved at headquarters will be reported to the Hokage's Office. Each level must handle their own responsibilities instead of pushing everything to the top."

Hiruzen nodded slightly, listening carefully.

"Second," Shikaru continued, "the Office of the Minister of the Security Department is officially established. It will be led by personnel from the logistics department, with additional staff recruited as needed. Their primary role will be to assist the minister with administrative tasks.

Kagami-san, if you don't know how to handle something then please learn but don't just shove all decision-making aside—you're the minister. Homura-san, your job is to ensure smooth operations and to help me establish the Hokage Office properly. Right now, the only ones handling affair in the Hokage Office are you and me. You need to recruit suitable personnel and report back to me once you have candidates."

Hiruzen leaned back, arms crossed as he listened.

"Lastly," Shikaru concluded, "from now on, all matters submitted to the Hokage's Office must first go through a review process. The office will provide a handling recommendation before sending it to you for final approval. Do not send stacks of raw reports since you don't have the time to read them all, and I don't have the time to filter them for you every single day."

Shikaru adjusted his sleeves, his tone dry as ever, "That's it. Now, get to work."

With their tasks assigned, the others left. Once the room was empty, Hiruzen let out a heavy sigh, sinking into his chair.

I've never felt this drained before… I need more people who think like me, or else handling things will always feel like we're living in two different worlds. It's too slow, it's too exhausting for one person to lead Konoha alone.

He rubbed his temples, staring at the ceiling. We need to push the education forward. We have to develop a structured system to train and cultivate capable individuals.

For the future of Konoha, they had to act now.