Chapter 124: Konoha's Security

He quietly flew in through the window, then transformed back into his original form. He glanced into the yard and saw that Snowflake, Aokumo, and Ryūfū were already asleep. Torifū simply washed up and went to rest as well.

...

A day later.

Today was Hashirama's official retirement, and also the day of the Nidaime Hokage, Senju Tobirama's, inauguration. The entire Konoha Village was filled with celebration. Torifū naturally woke up early and put on a relatively formal outfit.

Upon stepping out, Torifū found that even in the early morning, the entire Konoha street was already packed with people. Looking into the distance, there was a dense mass of people, indicating that everyone wanted to get up early and secure a good spot near the front. Seeing the road completely choked with people, Torifū quietly transformed into a small cloud bird and flew away from the compound, without attracting anyone's attention.

The Hokage building had also opened early, with ninja constantly going in and out. Everyone seemed very busy. There were still several hours until the inauguration ceremony, and they needed to perfect every detail in various places. And most importantly, they needed to figure out how to disperse the crowd to prevent stampedes. It wouldn't be good if an accident occurred when the villagers' enthusiasm was at its peak. That would go against the original purpose of the inauguration ceremony. So, to protect the villagers' safety, the ninja all had to get busy.

Kagami was systematically distributing orders in the Hokage's office, quickly issuing instructions with high efficiency. Kagami had grown a lot during the Five Kage Summit, and now was the time to truly showcase it.

The office window was open, and Hashirama and Tobirama were inside, seemingly chatting about something. The only one actually working was Kagami. Naori was nowhere to be seen; by rights, she should have been by Kagami's side helping.

Torifū flew into the office through the window, transformed into his original form, bowed to Hashirama and Tobirama, and greeted them.

"There's no need for such formalities between us, teacher and student; otherwise, it seems too distant."

Tobirama also nodded. Although Torifū wasn't his direct student, he had already taught him everything he could, so he could be considered half a student.

"What are you and Tobirama-sama discussing, sensei? Shouldn't you be familiarizing yourselves with the ceremony procedures by now?"

Tobirama waved his hand. "I think being natural is best; no need for familiarity." He then added, "Big Brother and I are discussing Konoha's public safety. Although the villagers are all like family, it's inevitable that some people will harbor ill intentions."

Torifū understood immediately; they were going to establish a police force. Indeed, as the village grew, such an institution would be necessary. Otherwise, what would they do if things were constantly going missing, or if people were always fighting and robbing on the streets? Without rules, nothing can be accomplished. There needed to be something to deter those with bad intentions.

"Have the two lords come up with any ideas?"

Hashirama smiled. "Tobirama's idea is to establish a small squad specifically responsible for patrolling Konoha and maintaining public order."

Torifū expressed his approval of this method; this should be the precursor to the Konoha Military Police Force. However, since they were already establishing a police force, there was no need to develop it gradually; they could just do it all at once. Torifū then explained the complete structure of the entire Konoha Military Police Force to Hashirama and Tobirama. They were both intelligent ninja; with just an idea, they could connect the dots.

Hashirama and Tobirama had barely heard half of it before they couldn't help but clap their hands in admiration, clearly understanding how to proceed. "Excellent, excellent. The security system is very comprehensive. If this can be implemented, Konoha will be even safer." Tobirama also strongly agreed, giving Torifū an approving look.

Torifū continued, "But there's one crucial issue. If this isn't handled well, it could be a big problem."

"Oh? Tell me about it," Hashirama hadn't thought how such a perfect security system could lead to a big problem.

"The members of the Military Police Force will be apprehending lawbreakers, so they will naturally command great authority. The villagers will also naturally fear them. If only a certain clan is allowed to assist with policing, that clan will inevitably be feared and alienated by the villagers in the future."

Hearing Torifū's words, Hashirama pondered for a moment, while Tobirama looked thoughtful.

"Torifū is right. The Military Police Force cannot be solely managed by one clan. Instead, ninja from all clans must participate collectively, so that problems won't arise."

With his elder brother saying this, all the ideas that had just formed in Tobirama's mind were interrupted. But it seemed they weren't particularly good ideas anyway.

Hashirama always did things with great enthusiasm. Torifū had just proposed an idea, and now Hashirama was already picking up a pen to write a public notice. This should be the last notice he issued as Hokage. Being able to contribute something to Konoha Village in his final moments of work made Hashirama feel very fulfilled, allowing him to retire peacefully.

However, Hashirama was only responsible for issuing the notice. All the remaining messy tasks would fall to Tobirama to handle. Location selection, personnel recruitment, training, task assignment, reward mechanisms—all these things would take some time to complete. But such matters couldn't be rushed. Luckily, Tobirama had just taken office and had plenty of time to drastically reform Konoha.

Hashirama had only established the blueprint of a village, while Tobirama was the one who built its framework. The teaching system, ninja system, security system, and mission system—Tobirama's presence was behind all of it. One could say that without Tobirama, Konoha Village would not have achieved what it has today. Even if the villagers could be free from war, they might not be able to live in peace and contentment as they do now.

Hashirama quickly finished writing and gave it to Kagami to post. In less than five minutes, it was displayed on the bulletin board in Konoha's central district. Word spread like wildfire, and before long, all of Konoha knew that the Military Police Force was about to be established. The villagers all raised both hands and feet in approval. In its early days, Konoha was so safe that people didn't even need to lock their doors and windows at night. But in recent years, more people had moved to Konoha Village, and the village had become a bit chaotic. However, people could tolerate it; at most, they would just close their doors and windows more securely. It wasn't until people started fighting in the streets that the villagers began to feel annoyed. The once peaceful and beautiful Konoha Village was disrupted by a small minority, and everyone had begun to express their dissatisfaction.

Now, seeing the posted notice, everyone felt relieved. It seemed the Hokage was still looking out for the villagers.

Inside the office, Torifū also discussed implementation methods with Hashirama and Tobirama. Torifū offered some of his personal insights for Hashirama and Tobirama to consider.