Reborn as the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen

The next morning, Hiruzen arrived at the Sarutobi clan's residence early to find the clan leader, Sarutobi qMasaki .

As he walked into the courtyard, a young ninja, around 18 or 19 years old, stepped out. Upon seeing Hiruzen, he instinctively greeted him, "Brother... Lord Hokage."

"At home, just call me brother," Hiruzen said warmly, placing a hand on the young man's shoulder. "Is Uncle around? I need to discuss something with him."

"Father is inside," the young man, Sarutobi Shinya , replied.

"Are you heading out on a mission?" Hiruzen asked.

"Yes, brother. I'm off to meet my teammates now, so I won't keep you here." Shinya quickly said goodbye and left.

Hiruzen watched him go and called after him, "Shinya, be careful." Then, he turned and entered the house.

"Aunt, is Uncle home?" he asked.

"It's still early... Hokage-sama, Madaki hasn't woken up yet. You can wait in the study. I'll go wake him," his aunt replied.

Hiruzen simply nodded and headed to the study. He poured himself a cup of tea and drank it without caring if it was leftover from the night before.

A while later, Sarutobi Masaki entered and shut the door behind him.

"I assume there's a reason why Hokage-sama has come so early?" he asked directly.

"There's no need for titles here, Uncle," Hiruzen replied with a smile. "It's just nephew and uncle talking."

"Then tell me, Hiruzen, what do you need? I've supported you as Hokage, but ever since you took the office, the Sarutobi clan has had little involvement in major village affairs. Are you prioritizing the Hokage position over your own family?" Masaki asked in a low voice.

"I will always be grateful for the clan's support, Uncle, but I don't agree that we've been sidelined. As you can see many from the Sarutobi clan have joined the Security Department. That's not nothing, right? Must we also hold the captain positions? Those were negotiated fairly, and there will be another chance to compete in five years.

"If I, as Hokage, openly favor my clan, do you think other families will accept me? I must remain impartial. I can't grant special treatment. Everything must be earned through fair competition."

Masaki's expression darkened, "So you really intend to distance yourself from the clan? Last night, that girl from the Utatane family came to me and said you postponed the disability allowances for our clan's injured members."

Hiruzen's expression hardened, "What do you expect me to do? I am responsible for those payments, yet my own family is delaying the process. Do you know how embarrassing that is for me? Have I withheld the funds? Have I paid less than what was promised?"

His tone grew sharper, "Uncle, are you short on money? Do you need to take from the disability fund? If so, I'll give you my Hokage salary instead."

"Of course not! That was the Great Elder's doing," Masaki defended himself.

"Then what does he think he's doing? Treating the village's money as if it's our clan's? Does he think I'll just allow it? If he interferes with village policies again, I won't be lenient."

"The Great Elder is from your grandfather's generation and besides, we're all from the same clan. Do you have to be so strict?"

"Elder? The only elder I recognize in the Sarutobi clan is you, Uncle. What relation does the Great Elder have with me? We haven't had common ancestors for several generations. When he needs something, he calls himself a clan member but when he doesn't, he acts like a stranger. Is that what you call family?"

Masaki let out a sigh, both relieved and frustrated. He decided to change the topic. "Alright, so what did you actually come here for?"

Hiruzen understood the shift and didn't press the issue, "The ninja school is lacking teachers and fundamental ninjutsu. The school itself is also poorly structured and needs renovations. Can you send some Earth Release users to help rebuild the facilities?"

Masaki frowned "Didn't the school already have the Three Basic Techniques back when the Second Hokage was in charge? What more do they need?"

"I'm talking about elemental ninjutsu—basic techniques of all attributes, along with genjutsu training. Can the clan provide them?"

Masaki hesitated, "Those are C-rank techniques. They're powerful. If we give them to ten-year-old children, won't that cause problems?"

Hiruzen shook his head, "I've extended the school system. The first six years will be called elementary school, and the next three will be junior high. By the time students reach junior high, they will be over ten years old and capable of handling elemental techniques responsibly."

Masaki frowned, "You already know these basic ninjutsu, don't you? Decide for yourself."

Hiruzen nodded, "All ninjutsu ultimately belong to the Sarutobi clan, but this is still something that needs to be discussed. Also, when these techniques are passed down to students, the source will be recorded—whether it comes from a specific clan or was created by an individual."

Masaki sighed, "I support you, Hiruzen, but the clan still has elders. Some things are beyond my control. I'll do my best to handle it."

"Thank you for your support, Uncle," Hiruzen said sincerely. "That's all I came here to discuss. From now on, disability subsidies will be handled based on village regulations. I still need to visit a few other families, so I'll take my leave."

Masaki nodded, "You're busy, no need to see me out."

Gathering Ninjutsu for the Academy —

Over the next few days, Hiruzen visited various families outside of the bloodline limit and secret technique clans. After much negotiation, he managed to acquire a selection of basic ninjutsu and genjutsu.

He couldn't approach bloodline clans like the Hyūga, as their techniques were deeply tied to their Kekkei Genkai. For example, the Hyūga's Byakugan worked in conjunction with the Gentle Fist style—without the Byakugan, even learning the basics of Gentle Fist would be pointless.

As for secret technique clans? Their core strength was built upon fundamental ninjutsu. Asking them to hand over those basics would be like asking for access to their entire clan archives.

Back in his office, Hiruzen examined the newly gathered techniques. There were six in total:

° Two attack jutsu

° Two defensive jutsu

° Two utility jutsu

All of them were basic but useful for training young ninjas.

The next issue was funding. There were two ways to secure the necessary resources:

1. Slowly accumulate funds over time

2. Request financial support from the Daimyō

Accumulating funds didn't seem realistic. Konoha's income primarily came from mission commissions, but with the newly established Security Department, future investments in education, and the reorganization of Anbu, the village's budget was already stretched thin. Waiting too long would slow down Konoha's progress.

Raising fees at security checkpoints could be an option, but it was still too early. The ninja world needed time to adjust to the idea of these checkpoints before any fee increases could be introduced gradually. Raising them too quickly might hurt the long-term development.

Asking the Daimyō for funding was another possibility, but it came with risks. If he provided financial support, he might demand a share of the profits from the checkpoints in return. The Daimyō's officials were certainly aware of how lucrative these checkpoints could become, but they had no legitimate reason to claim control over them—yet.

Some had suggested that the Daimyō could impose official tolls, but that wasn't a realistic option. This was the ninja world—what ordinary official would dare set up a toll booth to stop a ninja? That would be a suicide. Most shinobi weren't exactly kind to civilians who got in their way.

A Wild Idea: Borrowing from the Kazekage?

If only someone would just hand over a hundred million ryō, just like how the Kazekage once did...

Wait a minute—the Kazekage was about to be replaced, wasn't he?

Would it be possible to attend the succession ceremony and negotiate a loan while there? Would Konoha be the first Hidden Village to borrow money from the Wind Country?

Hiruzen shook his head. Forget it, let's just ask first. He slapped his palm on the desk. "Shikaru, come in quickly!"

A moment later, Shikaru entered and bowed. "Lord Hokage."

"Any updates from the Land of Wind? Has the Kazekage transition been completed? Have they sent an invitation for us to attend the ceremony?" Hiruzen asked impatiently.

Shikaru replied, "The transition is still unresolved. According to our intelligence, the Second Kazekage has three disciples—Chiyo, Takumi, and Ebizō. Chiyo and Ebizō are siblings. The Second Kazekage intends for Takumi to be his successor, but Chiyo is also vying for the position, with support from various family factions in Sunagakure."

"As of now, the Third Kazekage has not been decided. However, the Second Kazekage did send us an invitation, hoping that we would send ninjas for an exchange program. Due to ongoing village matters, we have yet to respond."

Hiruzen leaned back in his chair. "What do you think? Should we send people for the exchange?"

Nara Shikaru thought for a moment before replying, "If there's no specific purpose, I wouldn't recommend it. Getting involved in the Kazekage succession could create unnecessary hostility. If we're not careful, Sunagakure might end up resenting Konoha but ultimately, the decision is yours, Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen nodded, "Send a reply to the Kazekage. I'll be sending a delegation."

Shikaru looked puzzled, prompting Hiruzen to explain further. "The village is short on funds, so I'm heading to Sunagakure to secure some. You know how tight our budget has been lately—I have no choice but to find money myself."

Then, almost to himself, he muttered, "During all these years of war, Sunagakure has only fought for about a year. The rest of the time, they've been making money—selling explosive tags, weapons, and supplies. They must have a good amount saved up. Perfect timing for me to tap into that... Don't look at me like that, I have a plan. Their One-Tail seal has always been unstable, right? I'll offer to help strengthen it. Whether their Jinchūriki becomes a threat to us in the future is another matter—we still have the Nine-Tails."

Shikaru sighed but gave a small bow. "Understood, Lord Hokage." Then he left to deliver the reply.

As Hiruzen sat back, he began considering who to take on the trip. The Hokage himself couldn't handle the exchange directly—he needed someone to represent him.

Should I bring Shikatsu? He's skilled at negotiations.

Or maybe Shikaru? That way, Shikatsu can stay back to handle things in the village.

Maybe I should bring a team of younger ninjas?

Hiruzen chuckled to himself. It's a shame Tsunade, Orochimaru and Jiraiya are still too young. Otherwise, I'd have taken them along to see the world.