The Uchiha clan, which was wiped out entirely, lacked vision.

Chapter 228 The Hokage's debt of gratitude can never be repaid

Chapter 228 The Hokage's debt of gratitude can never be repaid

The next morning, all the ninja clans received the news that the Hokage had ordered a meeting of Jonin.

Mito Jonin and the others nervously left their homes, gathered together, and headed to the Hokage's office to meet up.

With their family's fate hanging in the balance, they were all deeply uneasy, wondering what Jiraiya had decided.

Upon entering the office, they first glanced at the Hokage, then looked at Nara Shikasuke behind him.

Unfortunately, I couldn't see anything.

The Hokage remained as sunny and enthusiastic as ever, while Nara Shikasuke always had a poker face, making it impossible to discern his emotions.

The group exchanged glances, then obediently sat down in their seats, bowing slightly, waiting for the Hokage to announce his decision.

Once everyone had arrived, Jiraiya announced the start of the meeting. Then, standing before everyone, he solemnly said, "Some things happened in the village yesterday. My interactions with many Jonin were not pleasant, and some conflicts arose."

"However, these conflicts arise from the direction of the village's development and cannot be simply judged as right or wrong."

"While these individuals' actions were inappropriate, they cannot be defined as rebellion or other serious crimes."

"Let's leave it at that, and let's not mention it again."

?

Upon hearing this, the Jonin Mito and the others were overjoyed, but at the same time, they were also somewhat incredulous.

Isn't this great?

They let us all go without any conditions whatsoever?

What about punishment?

What about knocking?

What about the fine?

None of them?

Amidst the bewildered glances of the crowd, Jiraiya continued, "The village's development now requires a lot of resources, and I've been forcibly pushing things forward using administrative orders."

"Although the intention was for the good of the village, the methods were indeed a bit crude."

"I also deeply reflected on my behavior yesterday and decided to use a gentler approach to management in the future."

At this point, Jiraiya smiled broadly, scratched his head, and bowed apologetically, saying, "Well, this is my first time as Hokage, so please be understanding."

"Oh—" Everyone exclaimed in surprise and hurriedly bowed in return. "Lord Hokage, you are too kind. It is because we did not communicate with you properly that these conflicts occurred."

Especially for Jonin Mito and the others, who had long been mentally prepared for a huge financial loss, the sudden windfall made them ecstatic. They didn't care about anything else; of course, whatever the Hokage said, they would fawn over him a hundredfold!

A group of people prostrated themselves on the ground, expressing their gratitude without reservation, and many of them even broke down in tears.

"The Hokage is far too merciful; we are utterly ashamed!"

"We can never repay the Hokage's kindness!"

"From now on, we will be the Hokage's most loyal supporters. We will do whatever the Hokage asks us to do."

"Alright, alright." Jiraiya quickly waved his hand, stopping them from continuing to pledge their loyalty, and continued, "I can relax some of the policies later, and the Konoha restoration plan can proceed slowly, but the plans that have already been set cannot be changed, and everyone must proceed as usual."

"Is everything alright?"

"No problem!" This time everyone was in complete agreement. After all, they had gotten such a big advantage before, so what was wrong with making some concessions now?

Seeing that everyone was in agreement, Jiraiya smiled and continued, "The reconstruction of the village still requires a lot of supplies. I won't suggest any mandatory allocations now, as that would definitely cause more friction."

"What I mean is, everyone should donate generously, doing as much as they can."

"One hundred million taels is fine, ten thousand taels is also acceptable, I don't mind any amount."

"The village belongs to everyone, and these supplies will definitely be used for the reconstruction of the village."

"Once the villagers find out, they will definitely be grateful to each family!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the tears of those who were weeping stopped instantly, and they looked up in astonishment.

What does this mean?

Didn't we say this matter was over?

Why do we need to donate?

Is this a genuine donation?

Or is this actually the money to buy life?

All eyes turned to Jonin Mito. Reluctantly, she braced herself and cautiously asked, "Uh, Hokage-sama, what does this donation mean—"

"Ah, please don't misunderstand." Jiraiya saw their worry and immediately laughed heartily, saying directly, "I've said before, let yesterday's matter be in the past, and we won't mention it again."

"This donation has nothing to do with what happened yesterday."

"Each family can donate as much as they want; there is no pressure on them."

"I think that villagers should be honest with each other, understand each other, and trust each other."

"Using coercion or deception may yield more resources in the short term, but in the long run, it will inevitably corrupt relationships between partners, ultimately leading to distortion and estrangement."

"Furthermore, I believe that all the ninja clans in the village are actually willing to think about the village and are willing to dedicate themselves to it."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone present was stunned.

This Hokage is truly—

The Jonin Mito and the others were secretly astonished, but they reacted quickly and enthusiastically.

"Lord Hokage, after listening to your teachings, I realize how narrow-minded I have been."

"I have fully realized my mistakes and have decided to donate 100 million ryo to the village on behalf of the Mito clan!"

"We, the dorm-switching group, will also donate 100 million taels!"

"Although our Moonlight family is small, we will never back down when it comes to contributing to the village. Our family is willing to donate 80 million taels!"

After all, they are all political creatures. It's just a matter of verbally turning the page. No one really knows what's going on. Now that they've "voluntarily donated" some money and goods, then politically, this matter can truly be considered over.

A mere 100 million taels of silver is far cheaper than their expected losses.

The group of people chatted amongst themselves and quickly raised several billion taels of silver.

"Oh, thank you so much!" Jiraiya exclaimed excitedly, like a child. "I knew that treating others with sincerity would eventually bring sincere returns."

"Thank you all for your donations to the village. The village will never forget the contributions you have made to its revitalization."

However, Jiraiya, pleased that his sincerity had finally been reciprocated, failed to notice that many other Jonin from various ninja clans had turned extremely grim.