Chapter 153: Bill

Shiminoske awoke to a mild headache as he found himself lying on the grass.

It was then that his memories of the past few hours came to his mind, causing him to jump up and look toward his surroundings in caution.

He was surprised to find both Fugaku and Hiashi knocked out on both sides of him, with him then looking forward and seeing Tsunade sitting in a chair, watching him with what he could only attribute to be the smile of the Devil.

"Well, since one of you is awake, I may as well wake you all up." Tsunade said, with both Fugaku and Hiashi jumping awake as if they had been startled.

Shiminoske saw a lingering amount of electricity under them, yet he chose to be quiet to avoid a similar fate.

"I didn't expect for you three to decide to work together so soon. The point of the exercise was to demonstrate to you that you could accomplish more if you worked together. Even if you three had been given the Sage's great miracle that would allow you to take the bells from me, I would have still sent you brats back to the academy. I still don't like the fact that Sensei is letting you graduate now instead of when you turn 15. But since he feels you three are capable enough to work under me, then I'll ensure that you three are able to. Go home and rest, because I guarantee you that you'll be experiencing pure Hell for the next month." Tsunade finished as she walked away while the three boys felt a slight shiver go down their spines, as if warning them of what was to come.

The three then glanced at one another before going to their homes, each wishing to ask their parents about the monster that was their teacher.

~

At the same time, the majority of the leading figures in Konoha stood in the Conference Room, all of them eerily quiet as they were about to vote on something of an extreme magnitude for the Village.

The new bill was extremely simple in nature, yet the implications of it were immense.

The Bill stated that the Village and the Clans would contribute Ninjutsu up to the C-Rank to the Academy, with those in the 8th Grade and up able to access, learn, and practice them.

The Bill was initially proposed by a member of the Civilian Council, with them paying the bill little attention while moving on to other matters, assuming that the Shinobi would never support it.

However, it was when Orochimaru saw the bill and began to push for it's implementation that the Bill gained a leg to stand on.

And now, the originally dead on arrival bill was suddenly getting pushed in a heated battle between Orochimaru's group and Danzo's group, with both sides having the support of various clans.

The Senju and the Uzumaki stood behind the bill alongside Orochimaru as their clans had already contributed many of their Ninjutsu and Fuinjutsu to the Village, and as long as no High-Level Ninjutsu of Secret Techniques of the Clan's were given, they were not against an idea that could strengthen the Village.

On the other hand, the Uchiha and Hyuga surprisingly stood behind Danzo, with the Uchiha feeling that none of the Ninjutsu they collected over many years should be disclosed, while the Hyuga didn't wish for the bill to affect their Taijutsu techniques that, while not on the level of the Gentle Fist, were still something only they possessed.

And now, the bill was about to be discussed openly, no longer hidden among secret discussions between Patriarchs or factions.

The Chancellor stood as he announced the agenda, though his slight hesitation was seen as Hiruzen gave him a nod to continue.

The man gulped as he began 

"On today's agenda, the first bill to be discussed is proposed by the lower body of Legislature, The Civilian Council. The bill they have proposed would allow Academy Students in the 8th Grade, all the way to the 10th and final grade, to learn and master Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Fuinjutsu, or Medical Ninjutsu up to the C- Rank if they are able to. This bill would allow Civilians to better bridge the gap between themselves and their Clan counterparts, while also increasing the overall strength of the Village. Copies of it can be found in front of each of you. Are there any opinions on this matter?"

The room descended into an eerie silence, with everyone waiting to see which side would make the first move.

"I have supported the bill up to this stage, and I will continue to do so now. As a shinobi who comes from a Civilian background, I have to give praise to the new system that the Village has implemented at the request of Lady Tsunade. Such changes have led to an overall increase in the quality of our shinobi, while also decreasing the mortality rate for fresh Genin as they now possess the skill to deal with lower-ranked Chunin from other Villages. However, with the tensions still increasing at the border with Iwa and Kumo, and the fact that Suna ignored the demilitarization part of their surrender, leads me to believe that we would be fools if we didn't train our shinobi to the best of our ability. And allowing them access to techniques that, while unattainable to them, are commonplace in the Clans, would be essential. Anyone who disagrees with such facts could not be acting in the best interests of the Village." Orochimaru said, with him glancing at Councilman Danzo near the end of his statement.

"Yet, you forget the dangers of such things happening. What if, by chance, a young Civilian Shinobi were to use his newly learned Ninjutsu on another Civilian in the public, wouldn't arming them further lead to a spike in crime." Said the Inuzuka Patriarch, with him seemingly being one of the few who had yet to choose a side.

"Would a Civilian be any more dangerous than a shinobi from a Clan? What's the difference? I see none except their rank in our society, something that should be changed if they are capable enough. If a mere Civilian Shinobi can use these teachings to rise to the level of those with Kekkei Genkai or Clan Techniques, then why shouldn't we trust them with them. That's not to mention the fact that the ANBU or Police Force can intervene in dangerous situations." Orochimaru said calmly, seemingly already prepared for the question.

'It seems the Inuzuka has secretly allied with Orochimaru, with him being able to give a response that would make anyone who supports the bill feel as if they were superior to the regular Shinobi.' Hiruzen thought as he simply watched the chaos unfold without interfering yet.

"If this bill is passed, it can lead to a massive amount of instability in the Village. The entire power structure, the structure that fully supports the Village, would completely be uprooted. We would no longer be able to offer low-ranked Ninjutsu as rewards for missions for lower-ranking shinobi due to them already knowing them. That means we would either have more shinobi choosing to take monetary rewards for their missions or teach potential spies high-ranking Ninjutsu that the Villages possess. The first option is unviable as it would damage the economy, and decreasing the amount earned per mission would simply make the ninja unhappy. And teaching spies some of our more powerful Ninjutsu is something I would rather not see. While I was not originally a fan of the revamp to the original Academy, the newer variation has done wonders in preparing the next generation. I see no reason for us to make drastic changes such as these currently." Danzo spoke, the room growing a chilly atmosphere as he offered his own point of view on the topic.

"Isn't it the job of the ROOT to root out spies? Does that mean that an organization that gets a plethora of resources is unable to prevent High-Ranking Shinobi from infiltrating us from their youth? Perhaps we could use that money to better fund these shinobi?" Orochimaru asked sarcastically with a smile, everyone understanding the implications of his words.

"Isn't the STRIKE task force also assigned with a job similar to the ROOT's? Perhaps both organizations would be inefficient in such a scenario. Yet the ROOT has remained consistent in its job, I can't say the same about STRIKE since its records are sealed." Danzo said with a smile of his own as Sakumo glared at the man.

"How many Ninjutsu would each Clan be forced to contribute?" Ashina asked as he stroked his beard, amused at the youngsters.

"A mere 5 for smaller Clans, while 10 for the larger Clans, and the decision of which ones needed to be contributed would be fully up to them." Orochimaru said, causing some Patriarchs to mumble amongst themselves.

"It is now time for us to vote on the bill. If the bill is vetoed, it can be reintroduced at a later date, while if approved, it would begin to be enacted in the next Academy year." The Chancellor said.

The vote was then taken.

Unsurprisingly, the Elders, Danzo, The Uchiha Patriarch, and the Hyuga Patriarch led the vote on one side while Orochimaru, Sakumo, Ashina, and Haru led the vote on the opposite end, with the smaller Clans voting alongside one of the two ends.

However, the key votes that had not been accounted for were Hiruzen's and Tsunade's, and with Tsunade not present as the Director of the Hospital, the sole person with power to decide the vote.

Hiruzen let out a sigh as he voted with Danzo, choosing to maintain the status quo that they had decided rather than push the Village into more rapid changes.

Orochimaru gained a gloomy atmosphere around himself, clearly not happy with the result of the vote.

The meeting then proceeded as usual with no more controversial topics being discussed, though Hiruzen could feel he and Orochimaru would need to have a conversation after the meeting ended.

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