Haruto Saito trapped Koharu Utatane!
Because Koharu herself admitted that the workload was too great, it was equivalent to saying that the current administrative system of Konoha could no longer efficiently handle tax collection, necessitating a new department!
The meeting room was extremely quiet.
Everyone held their breath, wanting to refute Haruto Saito but unable to come up with a valid counterargument at the moment!
This was a formal meeting, and Hiruzen Sarutobi had made it clear that everyone was allowed to express their opinions. This allowed Haruto Saito to discuss the matter as an equal. With Hiruzen presiding, they had to argue with logic rather than relying on force or status!
In such a setting, status held no weight. Even Hiruzen Sarutobi himself was momentarily at a loss for words!
The truth was, Haruto Saito dared to speak so boldly because he had already reached an agreement with Hiruzen Sarutobi!
This was part of their deal!
Hiruzen wanted Haruto Saito to use logical reasoning to convince the other high-ranking officials in this meeting.
Thus, the new department could be established directly!
Koharu Utatane was glaring at Haruto Saito with red eyes, her expression filled with frustration. Homura Mitokado was also giving him a sideways glance. Though his face remained expressionless, Haruto could sense his hostility. As for Danzo, if looks could kill, Haruto would have been dead ten thousand times over from Danzo's glare!
They were all furious!
Not because Haruto Saito was unreasonable, but because he was too audacious! He had single-handedly challenged every one of them!
Among the advisors, only Torifu Akimichi remained calm. This topic was beyond his expertise, so he could only express his stance from a broader perspective. He also held the position of Head of the Mission Department.
The Mission Department was a very special division. In simple terms, it was responsible for managing Konoha's regular missions. Whether Konoha issued a mission or received one from a third party, it had to go through this department.
In other words, Torifu Akimichi was an upper-level advisor with a military focus!
Administrative management and commercial taxation were outside his domain, and he didn't understand them well.
Hiruzen Sarutobi coughed lightly when he noticed no one was speaking and looked at Haruto Saito. "Haruto, since you have these thoughts, why don't you elaborate on your ideas about the new department? What benefits would it bring to Konoha?"
He was completely playing along with Haruto Saito.
The others caught on quickly!
Haruto Saito must have spoken with Hiruzen Sarutobi beforehand, leading to this meeting and this discussion!
Even knowing this, they had nothing to say now!
Unless they could out-debate Haruto Saito!
"I think..." Haruto Saito stood up and began another long speech. However, this time, his explanation was slightly different from what he had told Hiruzen Sarutobi earlier.
When speaking to Hiruzen, he had to focus on the big picture, the main topic, and long-term effects.
But this time, he only needed to convince one person—Koharu Utatane!
In Konoha, under Hiruzen Sarutobi, the strongest in terms of military ability was undoubtedly Danzo. But in terms of administrative capability, Koharu Utatane was number one!
She was the only female among Konoha's top leaders, and she was a very strong-willed woman with exceptional abilities!
So, as long as Koharu Utatane agreed, Homura Mitokado would likely follow suit. They had been working together for years... The others could be ignored.
Thus, Haruto Saito focused his argument on taxation!
He was confident that he could double Konoha's tax revenue without overburdening the citizens. In fact, the common people would only need to contribute a little more, while the real contributors would be the ninja!
Yes, Haruto Saito believed that ninjas should be taxed!
Not taxing them was a huge loss for Konoha! The ninjas' earnings were far too high. With over ten thousand ninjas in Konoha, their combined income was equivalent to that of at least a million non-impoverished civilians!
Haruto Saito explained his ideas from multiple angles, covering personal benefits and overall benefits. Regarding ninja taxation, he also proposed the concept of "tax-exempt missions"—missions that ninjas were unwilling to take due to long distances, excessive time consumption, or low pay. These missions, which had poor cost-performance ratios, would be classified as tax-exempt!
Haruto Saito spoke for a full thirty minutes.
Finally, he concluded, "Tax reform is just one aspect. Since the current Administrative and Financial Departments are already at full capacity, the establishment of a new department is imperative! In short, everything is for Konoha's benefit! Shouldn't you all support this?"
After speaking, Haruto Saito sat down and glanced at Koharu Utatane.
Koharu was absentmindedly twirling a pen in her fingers, staring blankly at the table as if still deep in thought.
"Who taught you this?" Danzo suddenly asked, staring intently at Haruto Saito.
"A genius doesn't need a teacher! Self-taught!" Haruto Saito grinned at Danzo. "Besides, isn't that irrelevant?"
Danzo wanted to kill him!
"Enough!" Hiruzen Sarutobi intervened in time to prevent an argument between Haruto Saito and Danzo. He then looked at Koharu Utatane and asked, "Koharu, what are your thoughts?"
In this matter, Hiruzen Sarutobi valued Koharu Utatane's opinion highly. As Hokage, he couldn't handle everything personally. Koharu was the person most familiar with Konoha's administrative structure!
"I... have no objections!" Koharu Utatane replied after a moment, glancing at Haruto Saito.
Koharu was a rational person. She rarely let personal feelings interfere with high-level decisions, even if she found Haruto Saito incredibly frustrating.
"I second the motion!" Homura Mitokado added.
With the vote settled, there was no need for further discussion. Three votes in favor meant the decision was made. The other two had no power to oppose it. Since the new department would be carved out of the Administrative and Financial Departments, as long as Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado had no objections, the others had little say in the matter.
"Alright, then it's decided!" Hiruzen Sarutobi declared.
"Who will head the new department?" Koharu Utatane asked.
"Now, I will announce two appointments!" Hiruzen Sarutobi continued. "Koharu Utatane, step forward!"
"Here!" Koharu stood up immediately.
"I appoint you as the Deputy Advisor of the new department. If any issues arise, you may request an injunction, report directly to me, or even impeach the department head!"
"Understood!" Koharu accepted the appointment, though she was curious. If she was the deputy, who would be the head? She mentally reviewed a list of existing high-ranking officials.
"Haruto Saito, step forward!" Hiruzen Sarutobi said.
"Present!" Haruto Saito stood up.
"I appoint you as the head of the new department. Once the division of responsibilities is finalized, you will assume your post immediately!"
"Understood!" Haruto Saito accepted!
The meeting room erupted in an uproar!
Thus, the Konoha Department of Commerce was established, with Haruto Saito as its first minister!