Fujin almost wanted to cry at how much workload he had. Unfortunately, the situation didn't allow him to even complain. He couldn't even ask why because Hiruzen had already given an appropriate reason.
Everyone was looking at Fujin. Until the day before, Fujin didn't have any subordinates, unlike the Clan Leaders. However, he had suddenly received an opportunity to create a force that would exceed every ninja clan in the village which couldn't get a seat in the council and might exceed even some of the ninja clans of the clan leaders sitting in the room. All wanted to see his reaction. To their surprise, his expression displayed some annoyance and unwillingness instead of happiness.
Thoughts moved at light speed in Fujin's brain. He quickly said, "Umm, I don't have any experience in watching over kids. Though I am an orphan myself, I was always busy training and never had the chance to interact much with others. Could you find someone more capable for the kids? They deserve better considering that they had to go through a disaster and then spend time in Root."
Before Hiruzen could reply, Shikaku said, "You are underestimating yourself, Fujin. Don't worry, we have full confidence in your abilities. As Lord Hokage said, there is no one better than you to handle this job. We believe that you will do it splendidly."
A smile could be seen on Shikaku's face as he thought, 'Finally a chance!'
Shikaku still hadn't forgotten how much work Fujin had put him through. Even after Fujin joined the council, he had avoided taking any responsibilities. Finally, he had a chance to take some revenge! Meanwhile, Fujin thought, 'When the hell did Hiruzen say that? Don't put words in his mouth!'
Unfortunately for Fujin, Hiruzen quickly followed up, "I agree with Shikaku. Don't worry. Just do your best. I believe that the kids will benefit from having a role model like you. Besides, I'll be making arrangements so that it isn't too much of a problem for you."
Seeing how much both of them were praising him, Fujin was lost for words.
The only way for Fujin to argue against Hiruzen and Shikaku would be to prove to the council that he was terrible and irresponsible. While Fujin didn't care what others thought of him, that went against the careful persona he had constructed and he doubted whether he could still escape the responsibility.
He could do nothing but curse the two of them. He looked at Hiruzen and Shikaku and thought, 'If I'm going down, I'm taking the two of you with me!'
He muttered, "Alright. If I face any troubles…"
Before Fujin could complete his sentence, Hiruzen cut him off and said, "If you are facing any troubles, or doubts or don't understand what you should do or how you should handle the kids, you can approach Elder Homura and Elder Koharu. Both of them are very experienced in this matter."
Fujin looked at Hiruzen and thought, 'This old fox! Is he taking revenge for me forcing him to act against Danzo? Oh well, bothering those two stuck-up old schemers isn't bad either.'
Fujin didn't particularly care who he was irritating as long as it wasn't he who would be irritated. Seeing that Fujin wasn't saying anything, Homura smiled and assured, "Don't worry Fujin. You can approach us whenever you want. We will help you out."
Though Koharu was still upset about the threat the previous day, she nodded as well. Hiruzen and Shikaku smirked in secret. Neither Homura nor Koharu knew what sort of trouble Hiruzen had diverted towards them.
Considering the situation, Fujin nodded and said, "Alright. I'll trouble the Elders. Thank you for looking out for me."
The remaining clan leaders watched the expression with a puzzled face. None of them understood why Shikaku vouched so strongly for Fujin. As for Hiruzen's words, they assumed that Hiruzen wanted to soothe the ties between Fujin and the Elders since Fujin had just gone against Danzo and threatened Koharu.
Hiruzen said, "With that out of the way, let us discuss the arrangements we will have to make in the village to avoid such incidents."
For the next couple of hours, the Council discussed what precautions they should take and how the ninjas should be distributed throughout the village to prevent such attacks in the future. Special attention was given to ensuring the safety of Clan Compounds as they would be susceptible to attacks like the one that happened on the Root headquarters.
Fujin didn't contribute much to the discussion and instead just watched while thinking, 'First they sent the culprit to find where the culprit was hiding and now they are discussing all their plans in front of the culprit as well… They are so lucky that I don't have any plans to keep attacking. Otherwise, Konoha will be a real mess…'
Fujin suddenly realized something. He thought, 'I never had thought much about this. If one strong person in the village is upset about the state of the village, he or she can do a lot of damage to the village. Had Sakumo taken the taunts personally or had Orochimaru hated the village as much as he does now, both could have caused ridiculous harm to the village while staying in the dark just like how I just did.
If this can happen in Konoha, there is no reason to assume that it won't happen in Phantom Haven Society… I need to be careful about any differences that might arise inside the organization. Though it isn't a threat for now, it will be a threat once a few ambitious rank S ninjas are raised there.
Thankfully, I apply seals on everyone. That way, at least no one will turn on me. However, I need to ensure that every kid raised there believes in the Phantom Will fanatically. And, I need a way to deal with or accommodate anyone whose beliefs change as they grow older. Oh well, issues for later. I'll let the future me deal with it.'
The meeting ended after all the details were finalized. Hiruzen dismissed everyone other than Fujin. Once they were alone, he said, "Fujin, I'll need a fortnight to make arrangements for the kids and check them to ensure that there won't be any danger in the future."
Fujin understood that Hiruzen was referring to any possible brainwashing done by Danzo. He nodded. It wasn't something that he wanted to deal with and Hiruzen was undoubtedly the best person to counter that. Of course, that meant that those kids would be influenced by Hiruzen, but Fujin didn't mind that as Hiruzen had never displayed any hostility towards him. If anything, it felt like Hiruzen was taking this opportunity to give Fujin a greater power inside Konoha. With these events, his seat on the Council was more or less untouchable. Even if Danzo continued supporting Katsuhiro, it was hopeless.
Hiruzen said, "I also wanted to discuss with you about their living arrangements. Since you'll be the one looking after them, they will need to be close to you."
Fujin was immediately alarmed. He immediately said, "Grandpa, there is no way I can house 134 kids in my house. It isn't that big."
Hiruzen chuckled and said, "That's not what I was implying. I can offer you two choices. One, you can move into the Uchiha clan compound which is on the outskirts of the village."
Fujin replied, "That has a terrible past and probably not the best place to raise kids."
Hiruzen nodded and said, "I agree. But we don't have another large compound lying around. The other option is converting your current land into something similar to a clan compound."
When Fujin was looking for a house, he bought a rather large piece of land since it was cheap due to being on the outskirts of the village. His own house only occupied a small part of it.
Fujin thought for a bit and said, "Though I do have some land, it will only barely fit 134 kids. Not to mention, they will need a bigger house once they grow up. Also, it'll become very crowded."
Fujin had two thoughts while buying the larger piece of land. For one, Fujin didn't want the area around his house to be crowded by other houses. As someone who came from Earth, he knew how quickly a city would expand outwards and even the outskirts would soon become crowded with houses in a few years or decades. The other reason was having the ability to build more houses for others in case he decided to build a faction inside Konoha. Since he had dropped that plan, the place was just lying idle for several years.
Hiruzen nodded and said, "Yes. However, once the kids grow up, they would want to move out and buy their own house anyway. So, that's not a concern. Regardless, I will give you 4 plots of land adjacent to your land having a similar area. The village will also fund the construction of houses and a fence, though seals will be left to you.
As for the kids being a bother, I don't think you should be worried about that. If anything, your concerns must be the exact opposite considering their past."
Fujin thought for a bit and said, "Alright. That is acceptable."
He sighed and added, "Still, Grandpa… I am feeling short of time to train even after leaving Anbu. And now this responsibility…"
Hiruzen chuckled and said, "I have a feeling that this will be good for you. So see it as an opportunity instead of a chore. You might get some surprises."
Fujin thought, 'Yeah, it would have been great if I wanted to fight for the Hokage spot. I'm sure I could raise most of these kids to be Jounins and have their unwavering support. But I don't have much interest in it. So this will just be a chore… Still, this is a good opportunity.'
Fujin immediately asked, "Grandpa, do you know of any seals similar to the ones we use inside storage scrolls that can increase the flow of time instead of slowing it down?"
