CHAPTER 97

Soon, with the support of Sarutobi Hiruzen, a new department called the Newspaper Office was established in Konoha. The head of this department was Hatake Sakumo, while surprisingly, the vice president was none other than Uchiha Fenghuo — only eight years old!

As soon as the news broke, Danzo Shimura stormed into Hiruzen's office aggressively, dragging along Koharu Utatane and Mito Anai.

"Hi Zhan, you're too reckless!" Zhuanzhu Xiaochun snapped. "Never mind the Newspaper Office's establishment—what's this about appointing an eight-year-old as vice president? You're abusing your power as Hokage!"

Mito Anai frowned deeply. "Hiruzen, as your assistant advisor, I must urge you to reconsider. Please revoke the appointment of Uchiha Fenghuo immediately."

Danzo smirked coldly. "Don't forget, the blood of the Uchiha flows through him. If he turns out to be the next Madara, I won't hesitate to speak out about what that means for the village."

Hiruzen Sarutobi calmly knocked on the desk with one hand, puffing on his pipe with the other. "This matter is settled. I will not rescind Fenghuo's appointment."

"You're so stubborn!" Zhuanzhu Xiaochun growled. "What kind of medicine did Fenghuo give you to make you obey him so blindly?"

Hiruzen smiled faintly. "You worry unnecessarily. The Newspaper Office is just a department that distributes papers, not a key division. Besides, it was Sakumo who recommended Fenghuo as his deputy—it wasn't my decision."

Hiruzen straightened up and said firmly, "If anything goes wrong, Sakumo will be the one held responsible."

The three Danzo supporters were left speechless.

Even a child older than three wouldn't buy that excuse, but when Hiruzen said those words, it was clear he had made up his mind to stand by this path.

Turning away, Xiaochun sighed internally and changed the subject in a quieter tone: "So then, what exactly does this Newspaper Office do? What kind of newspaper are we talking about?"

Hiruzen explained casually, "The Newspaper Office publishes papers filled mostly with family gossip, local rumors, and ghost stories. Jiraiya even contributes articles. They say one of his serialized novels made him quite a fortune."

Danzo frowned. He knew Hiruzen well enough to suspect that beneath the casual explanation lay something more significant. The vaguer Hiruzen was, the more important the department seemed.

Tentatively, Danzo said, "Ri Zhan, if you're short on staff for this new department…"

Hiruzen waved his pipe dismissively. "No need, we have enough people."

Danzo's face fell.

He glanced at Koharu and Mito. If what Hiruzen said was true—that this was just a department publishing novels and family stories—it wasn't worth worrying about.

"So, what's the real issue?" Hiruzen smiled faintly.

Danzo replied calmly, "If this department isn't important, then it shouldn't need much funding."

Hiruzen frowned slightly but glanced at the three disapproving faces opposite him before nodding thoughtfully. "Of course."

Danzo gave him a hard look, then stood and left.

After sending Danzo's group away, Hiruzen stood before the window, gazing at the village below with a faint, knowing smile.

The Newspaper Office was located near the Ninja Academy and named simply the Konoha Newspaper—a name that made Namikaze Minato bristle with frustration.

"Such a boring name! Why not call it the 'Super Invincible World's Greatest Gale Newspaper'?" Minato suggested repeatedly to Sakumo and Fenghuo, refusing to give up despite Fenghuo's firm rejections.

Minato lamented how the world was going downhill and how people's tastes were so dull nowadays.

Jiu Xinnai, standing nearby, tugged on Fenghuo's ear and urged him to change the name.

Finally, they compromised.

"We'll call it the Konoha Galewind Newspaper Office," Fenghuo said, rubbing his ear, "but just 'Konoha Newspaper Office' for short."

"That's no better!" Jiu Xinnai scolded, rushing forward to hit Fenghuo.

When the sign was hung, the Konoha Galewind Newspaper Office was officially established.

Naturally, Sakumo Hatake was president, Fenghuo vice president, and Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki served as editors.

"What do we do next? Collect stories?" Kushina asked, curious and enthusiastic.

"My teacher, Jiraiya, is writing manuscripts. The first story will be ready soon," Minato replied.

Sakumo looked at Fenghuo. To be honest, he didn't fully understand the newspaper's workings and had to rely on Fenghuo for guidance.

Fenghuo explained, "Of course, we need stories—but we don't gather them ourselves."

"But the newspaper's just started. Won't people send their stories to publishing houses like Jiraiya does?" Minato asked, knowing a bit about how the publishing world worked.

Fenghuo shook his head. "While we do publish novels, the Newspaper Office's real function is controlling public opinion."

Sakumo immediately nodded. That was why he'd agreed to set up the department with Fenghuo. If it was just novels, a publishing house would suffice.

"To prevent vandalism and misinformation, we'll start small," Fenghuo continued with a grin. "There are plenty of ninjas in the village completing D-rank missions daily. Those reports are perfect material!"

Minato and Kushina exchanged uneasy looks.

After all, Sakumo Hatake was Konoha's White Fang—a respected figure. Once he ordered it, many ninjas wrote detailed reports of their missions. Within half a day, they collected hundreds of these reports.

Fenghuo took Minato and Kushina through a few examples, adding some exaggerations and embellishments to create eye-catching headlines:

"Why does the old sow at the neighboring pig farm vanish so often? Why does the widow's house scream every thunderstorm night? Why does the old lady's kitten keep losing fur mysteriously?"

Kushina read on: "Is this the result of distorted human nature or moral decay? Stay tuned to the Konoha Newspaper for the truth…"

Sakumo's expression darkened.

The three of them turned sharply to Fenghuo, displeased.

"Feeling the suspense yet?" Fenghuo asked nervously, only to have Jiu Xinnai's fist connect with his nose before he could finish.

Sakumo's face tightened, Minato looked embarrassed, and Kushina scowled fiercely at Fenghuo.

Fenghuo quickly added his trump card: "Wait, newspapers are just pieces of paper. We can divide the paper into sections—some for novels, some for sensational news and current affairs commentary."

Sakumo interrupted, "But Fenghuo, how can we control public opinion that way?"

"It's simple," Fenghuo smiled. "The hard part is dominating the market. As long as Konoha Newspaper monopolizes the village, whatever we let people read and discuss will shape their opinions. Controlling public opinion won't be a problem."

Sakumo was stunned. Could it really be that simple?

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