Escape From Konoha

After the meeting, he slowly walked out of Konoha Hospital.

Asami Masumi glanced at the blue sky above her head, then withdrew her gaze and walked towards the Hokage Building.

Although she successfully became the deputy director of Konoha Hospital and gained a higher position in the medical department, it also meant that she would receive more attention now.

Judging from her observations in the past two months, at least two groups of Anbu began to secretly investigate some management personnel in the medical department.

Familiar faces were gone, and many new faces were replaced. In just two months, Tsunade, the new Hokage, successfully gathered almost most of the power in the medical department, including Konoha Hospital. .

Even Asami Masumi had to admit Tsunade's prestige in the medical industry. The influence that I have worked so hard to cultivate secretly for so many years is far inferior to that of others who can rise up and shout.

This is probably the so-called general trend.

As long as we continue step by step, Konoha will usher in a recovery trend sooner or later.

But that time might also be the most serious time for power struggle in Konoha.

After all, this is a historical issue that sounds illusory, but is extremely cruel, and the reality exists within Konoha.

Arriving at the door of the Hokage's office, Asami Masumi gathered her mood and knocked gently on the door panel.

"Come in."

What responded to her was not Tsunade's voice, but a calm and thick voice.

Pushing open the door and entering the office, Asami Masumi saw that the only person in the office was Nara Shikaku, the jounin squad leader, and he was the one who responded just now.

Tsunade, the Hokage, is now missing.

"Mr. Shikaku."

Asami Masumi came over with a portfolio and greeted Shikaku politely.

Shikaku was standing next to the desk, sorting the documents on it, dividing them strictly and subdivided, selecting the most valuable parts, and carefully putting them aside.

The purpose of this is to save the Hokage from having to deal with trivial matters all day long, which not only reduces the Hokage's work pressure, but also speeds up the development of the village and improves work efficiency as much as possible.

What Konoha needs today is to run important departments as quickly as possible, while unimportant departments are put on hold for the time being, waiting for follow-up processing.

"Good afternoon, Vice President Asami, are you here to submit a proposal?"

At this time, Shikaku raised his head and glanced at the file bag in Asami Masumi's hand.

"Yes, this is about this year's plans for the medical department and the hospital... However, it seems that Hokage-sama is not in the office. Did he go on a work inspection again? He is really busy up and down."

Asami Masumi said intentionally or unintentionally.

Perhaps the medical department can quickly become a huge help to Tsunade according to Tsunade's development blueprint, but today's Konoha requires not only the medical department to be integrated, but also the ANBU, the unit directly under the Hokage, to undergo huge changes. .

Even in order to increase their authority, ANBU's power needs to expand.

This needs to test Tsunade's understanding of Konoha.

As a Jounin of Konoha who stayed outside for a long time before becoming Hokage, if he does not make random changes in accordance with the political environment blocked by Konoha, then an occasional experiment... may also cost Tsunade an extremely heavy life. cost.

As a hard-working Hokage who is motivated to make Konoha stronger, it is impossible not to understand these principles.

Although he talks about expanding the authority of Anbu, how will Anbu expand, how long will it take to expand the level of her satisfaction, what interests will be involved, whether the advisor will block it, what is the attitude of the ninja clan towards this, and whether the ninja clan will To continue to create people... these are all issues that a Hokage needs to consider carefully, and they cannot be solved overnight.

A little carelessness will make Tsunade's newly promising job as Hokage extremely difficult.

Not to mention, the roots lurking in the dark have not withdrawn from the stage of Konoha. They only show weakness on the surface, but the power in the dark has not actually diminished.

Sometimes, Asami Masumi couldn't help but lament the difficult position of Konoha Hokage.

To balance such complex and huge interests is no less difficult than going to the front line to direct a large-scale war.

"No, it's not a work inspection, Hokage-sama is instructing his students."

Shikaku shook his head and answered.

"Student? Speaking of which, I have indeed heard of this... I remember that student's name is Haruno Sakura."

Asami Masumi remembered something and said.

"Yes, I didn't expect that Hokage-sama would still be interested in recruiting disciples at such an old age... But overall, it can be considered a good thing. Haruno Sakura is very talented in medical ninja, and she took the lead The medical talisman proposed is still a hot research object in the medical department. The Hokage also attaches great importance to it."

Shikaku touched his chin. He was also surprised when he knew this at first.

But after thinking about it carefully, Shikaku felt that the master-disciple relationship between Tsunade and Haruno Sakura was essentially nothing to be surprised about.

Before Tsunade returned to the village, Haruno Sakura already had a high reputation in the medical department, and was favored by many medical ninjas. They also affirmed her professional abilities and believed that she had basically reached the level of the new generation of medical ninjas. the apex.

Thanks to such comments and her joy after seeing it with her own eyes, Tsunade's sudden decision to accept a disciple became excusable.

Even from a more utilitarian interest perspective, such a decision is defensible.

Because in this way, making announcements in the name of their master and apprentice will not only promote communication between Tsunade and the new generation of ninjas, but also bring the relationship closer between the two, and also get a student with excellent talents... ...It can be said that it has the effect of killing multiple birds with one stone.

Although from Shikaku's point of view, Tsunade's move was more likely due to her own emotions rather than purely from a profit and political perspective.

But from an outsider's perspective, there must be political factors.

The position of Hokage itself means that recruiting disciples must have some political purpose. Even if it is not, it will be stereotyped by outsiders as such.

"So, there will soon be another outstanding medical ninja in the village."

Asami Masumi sighed.

Shikaku didn't comment on this. He took the file bag from Asami Masumi and took out the documents inside.

He glanced at the expense report at the top and couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

"Vice President Asami, is the amount of funding requested by your medical department this year a little too high?"

As he said that, Shikaku struggled to move his eyes away from the amount of funds on the paper, and smiled helplessly at Asami Masumi.

Do you really think that money is not money?

Although the Daming Palace's capital investment in Konoha is indeed increasing year by year, it is impossible for it to be consumed by the medical department so uncontrollably.

"Mr. Shikaku, I just made a reasonable request for funding based on Hokage-sama's new proposal for Konoha's medical industry years ago and the management meeting. To put it bluntly, this amount of funding is far from enough. To meet Konoha's supply in the medical field this year, this is already a budget report produced after extreme internal cuts."

Asami Masumi said to Shikaku sternly.

Shikaku sighed and did not answer immediately. Instead, he returned his gaze to the paper in his hand, flipping through the pages and scanning the contents.

After reading the entire document, he raised his head and considered his words:

"Children and adult mental health clinics... I remember this is a medical project that the Kingdom of Ghosts once established in its own country. Such a project appears on the funding report of the plan. Are you planning to put it into construction this year?"

The content of the document is very simple. Compared with the funds requested in previous years, the medical department this year has more funding costs for the construction of children and adult mental health institutions. As a result, this year's medical department and even Konoha Hospital have become a money-grubber. Behemoth.

As far as Shikaku knows, among the countries in the ninja world, only the Demon Country has actually practiced so-called mental medical institutions in its own country.

Konoha has never paid attention to such a thing in the past. It was built from scratch, so the initial investment alone made Shikaku feel numb.

However, Shikaku also knew that the impact of such a mental medical institution once it was built could not be simply measured in terms of money. It would be of great significance to Konoha now and even in the future.

Although the inner atmosphere of ninjas often says that "ninjas are tools", in many cases, ninjas are also willing to use themselves as tools.

However, such behavior itself goes against human nature itself. Although this policy of doing things improves the efficiency of executing tasks, it also subjectively releases the ninja's rationality to the maximum, putting the task first, and killing all factors other than the task.

But ninjas are human beings, and there is human nature. Things that go against human nature can be violated for a while, but not for a lifetime. Especially the job content of ninjas, which often involves exposure to the bloody and brutal side of the world, can easily catalyze the inner emotions of ninjas, that is, the extreme dark side.

In other words, there is also human nature in ninjas. Once one's own negative emotions are suppressed to the limit by rational thinking, and then experience something one day and cause them to explode, it will directly cause the ninja's spirit to suffer a huge setback, resulting in frustration, or Going to extreme violence will not only cause the loss of talent, but will even endanger the safety of the village and the villagers.

Especially during wars, such examples are not uncommon.

Many ninjas have been impacted by a rather cruel and bloody world view. Coupled with the long-term suppressed emotional mechanism, the war was used to unleash the darkness that had been suppressed in his heart, resulting in an extremely unstable mental state. In order to avoid the risks that exist for these ninjas, they will eventually be imprisoned in Konoha's torture room and subjected to violent suppression.

But doing so would only treat the symptoms rather than the root cause. As long as a reasonable solution is not found, such mental problems will still trouble the ninja's heart.

This problem is not only reflected in adults. Young ninjas who have not yet formed a mature world view are actually more likely to be affected by the bloody battlefield.

Many of the mentally ill ninjas imprisoned in Konoha's torture chamber had their mental problems accumulated since childhood, rather than appearing suddenly in their youth and adulthood.

Therefore, if these ninjas with mental problems can be detected in advance and provided with psychological treatment at an early stage, it is possible to stabilize their spirits, reduce the loss of talents, and also play a positive role in stabilizing the village.

Therefore, in Shikaku's view, the mental health care project for young and adult ninjas should indeed be established, and it is a major new project that must be established.

But after looking at the amount of funds invested in mental medical institutions... and the expected funding given by the medical department, Shikaku deeply felt that Konoha was a poor man.

Of course, with Konoha's development funds, it is not that it is impossible to establish such a project on its own, but because of the medical talisman, Konoha's investment in the medical field is already carrying a heavy burden. If another mental health institution with the same major project is added this year...this will not only take into account the issue of financial investment, but also the cost of manpower and time, which is also an inaccurate thing.

A variable that is full of variables and uncertain factors. If one is not careful, Konoha may fall into the embarrassing situation of cutting off the capital chain.

"Mr. Shikaku, this is a project that the Hokage-sama requires the medical department to set up this year based on his observation of the medical system in the Kingdom of Demons. From the perspective of a medical ninja, I think this is something that is very necessary to implement. ."

Asami Masumi looked at Shikaku with a serious expression.

Just when Shikaku was about to speak out his point of view, the door to the office was suddenly pushed open and Tsunade walked in from the outside.

She was a little surprised when she saw Masumi Asami also in the office, but quickly regained her composure.

"Masumi, you're here too."

"Hokage-sama."

Asami Masumi turned to Tsunade and bowed.

Tsunade waved her hand nonchalantly.

"You are coming here at this time. Have you already prepared the project plan for establishing a mental medical institution?"

"Yes, the details of the plan are in Mr. Shikaku's hands."

Asami Masumi answered neither humble nor arrogantly.

"Hokage-sama."

Shikaku knew he couldn't escape, so he took the initiative to give the document in his hand to Tsunade to read.

Tsunade took the hand, glanced briefly, then turned to look at Shikaku, and asked him: "Shikaku, you have read this plan, what do you think?"

"Then I will speak out boldly, Hokage-sama. I think from a long-term perspective, this is indeed a good thing that benefits the ninjas and the villagers as a whole."

Shikaku didn't care whether Asami Masumi was present or not, he expressed his truest opinions.

"In other words, from the perspective of gaining development time in the short term, you don't support it?"

Tsunade weighed the report document in her hand and understood Shikaku's hidden meaning.

"Yes, the development funds we Konoha can obtain from the Daming Palace every year are extremely limited. I think Lord Hokage should also know that the medical department already has a major research project, that is, medical treatment The study of talismans. If you continue to invest now..."

Shikaku stopped here, but the meaning was self-evident.

It's hard to say whether other departments will be at odds because of this. With the manpower and material resources that Konoha's medical department can provide, it will be difficult to allocate enough energy to continue working on the second major project.

Judging from the investment cost theoretically calculated by the psychological medical institution, it is definitely a major project no less than the investment in medical amulets.

The result of this is likely to cause the Konoha medical system to be overloaded, which will affect other important departments that need development. In the end, it is more likely to leave chicken feathers all over the place.

"But as far as I know, there are many ninjas in the village who have mental illness, especially those under the age of twenty, or even younger. Their mental endurance is far less than we imagined. Be strong. If this project can be established and finally completed, I dare not say that the problem will be solved perfectly, but at least effective prevention and control can be carried out to minimize risks in this area. Such benefits cannot be ignored. "

This is the result obtained by Tsunade after careful investigation.

In Konoha, quite a few ninjas have hidden dangers in this area.

The only difference between them and mentally ill people is the opportunity for their inner emotions to collapse.

For Ninja Village, every ninja is a very important resource. In order to protect this important resource of ninjas, any risks that may cause ninjas to have accidents must be carefully controlled.

And not just ninjas, ordinary villagers may also have similar problems.

Especially for the large number of orphans who are local to the village or introduced from other places, the psychological state of these orphans needs to be understood at all times and professional advice on psychological counseling can be given to help them reduce the shadow in their lives. In this way, people will have a deeper sense of belonging to Konoha, support and protect this village.

Start from the bottom.

"But the cost is too high, and the Daimyo will not cover it for us."

Shikaku spoke up about this practical problem.

The funds provided by Daming Palace are always limited. If investment in the medical field is increased, it means that other fields will be restricted.

Especially in the military field, in this national environment where major powers are constantly engaged in military competition, Konoha must invest most of the funds invested by the Daming Prefecture into military use every year, and set a minimum value to ensure Konoha's military strength. It must be in a state of positive growth every year.

In this way, Konoha can ensure its long-term deterrent power internationally.

"So why don't we ask the medical department to write a detailed plan first? You are the Jonin squad leader, so you should have something to do, right?"

Tsunade stared at Shikaku, seeming quite convinced of Shikaku's ability, thinking that he would be able to give an answer that would get the best of both worlds.

"..."

Lu Jiu was speechless for a moment. Is there any way to do it? Is it necessarily related to whether he is the Jonin squad leader?

Solutions to some problems, although feasible in theory, are very difficult to implement in practice. In other words, there is not much room for surgery.

Even so, Shikaku still said: "Then let me make it clear that it is currently impossible to implement a comprehensive mental medical institution in the village. This is because the resources at the disposal of Konoha and the Demon Country cannot be carried out. In terms of head-to-head comparison, because the gap is too big, it would be unwise not to imitate the Kingdom of Demons based on the actual situation. However, if Hokage-sama insists on implementing this mental medical treatment project, it is not impossible, but it must be completed gradually in several steps. For example, in the first year, we will first provide relevant training for personnel. Apart from this, no additional funds will be invested. The remaining steps will be put on hold until next year and the year after that and will be gradually implemented. In this way, even if there is a slight overflow of funds, the risks can be controlled. Within the minimum range.”

"In this case...that's okay."

Tsunade mused.

She had never thought that she could achieve success in one step. The road to mental health care was still a long way to go for Konoha.

"But there is also a problem here, that is, we do not have medical staff specially trained in this area. It may take a long time to explore on your own and you will not achieve obvious results."

Shikaku once again stated a very realistic situation.

The funding problem can be solved, but if there are no relevant talents, even if funds are injected, it may not be possible to do a good job in personnel training. Especially in the early stage, if some results are not achieved, it is easy to undermine the self-confidence of the staff.

"If there are no training personnel in this area, what do you think about getting funding from the Kingdom of Ghosts?"

Tsunade thought for a moment and expressed her opinion.

Shikaku and Asami Masumi were both stunned.

Shikaku frowned even more. He didn't expect Tsunade to make such an opinion.

It is true that the Kingdom of Ghosts, relying on its strong mobilization and economic strength, has established a considerable scale of mental healing institutions, which not only supply ninjas, but also provide corresponding services to civilians.

With such a complete organization, if Konoha can successfully connect with it, the benefits to Konoha will be self-evident. Establishing so-called mental medical institutions is not a problem either.

However, the truth is not that simple.

Konoha and the Kingdom of Demons have such deep prejudices against each other that it is almost impossible to cooperate on major projects.

"Vice Principal Asami, what do you think of Hokage-sama's proposal?"

Shikaku did not give his own answer, but asked Asami Masumi.

Asami Masumi thought for a while.

"I think it shouldn't be possible. Because of the disputes in the past, many people have prejudices against the Kingdom of Demons... If Hokage-sama proposes cooperation with the Kingdom of Demons at this time, it's hard to say whether we can cooperate, but I'm sure Some people will spread unfavorable rumors against Hokage-sama, which will affect Hokage-sama's reputation and cause the village to fall into a storm of public opinion again. In this way, it is a bit more gain than loss."

After Asami Masumi expressed her views, Shikaku also nodded and said: "Yes, my views are the same as those of Vice President Asami. Besides, there is one more thing, that is what we Konoha can pay in this transaction." Commission fee', I am afraid that it is difficult to satisfy the Kingdom of Oni. From a purely profit perspective, there is no need for the Kingdom of Oni to lower its prices to support the development of Konoha. If the Kingdom of Oni really intends to negotiate with us, Konoha, because of this Cooperation only shows that they have other purposes and are not sincerely assisting."

Seeing that both of them rejected her proposal, Tsunade felt a little depressed, but she didn't dwell on it for too long.

She knew very well that it was very difficult to change the existing atmosphere in Konoha.

"In this case, let us train professionals who treat mental illness ourselves." Tsunade gave up the idea of ​​uniting the Demon Country at this time, and had no choice but to hold back her thoughts and said to Asami Masumi: "Masumi, This task is completed by you, and the personnel are also personally selected by you. The operating funds will be transferred to the account of the medical department in three days. Like the medical symbols that are being studied, you must pay attention to this matter and let it These trainers are making a difference in this area.”

"Yes, then I will retreat first, Hokage-sama."

Asami Masumi looked solemn, nodded, and quickly left the office and returned to Konoha Hospital.

After Asami Masumi left, Tsunade Aya relaxed, sat on the office chair, and breathed a long sigh of relief.

"The position of Hokage is really tiring. Just after teaching students, I have to come back to deal with government affairs, and there is no time to rest at all."

Tsunade hammered her shoulder with her fist to make it feel less stiff.

Shikaku has become accustomed to Tsunade's behavior of complaining about the tiring work from time to time. Rather, this is just proof that she trusts him enough to take off her usual serious disguise here and show her truest self. .

"But I think Hokage-sama is busy and enjoying it."

Shikaku said with a smile.

"Which of your eyes can see that I am enjoying it? This should be joy in suffering, right?"

Tsunade corrected Shikaku's statement and made a mockery of herself.

Shikaku smiled and shook his head without retorting.

"Speaking of which..."

Tsunade's voice suddenly sounded in the office.

"Is there anything else, Hokage-sama?"

Shikaku turned his head in confusion.

"Well, it's not a big deal, I just want to ask you some questions."

Tsunade crossed her hands and placed them on the table. Her seemingly casual attitude made Shikaku smell something different.

"Would you like to ask a question? Hokage-sama, please ask."

"Then I'll ask you politely, Shikaku, what do you think of the Kingdom of Ghosts?"

When she asked this question, Tsunade put on a leisurely attitude, pretending to be chatting and it didn't matter, but her eyes swept over Shikaku's face vaguely, her movements were very subtle, and she inadvertently observed the changes in the other person's expression. .