181 Chapter 175: Options

Inside of the Hokage's Building, a meeting that would decide the course of history for the entire Land of Fire was about to take place.

At the Meeting Chamber, an assortment of individuals that would send any opposing Village into a state of fear were all sitting, each having different viewpoints and opinions on the crisis that the Village, and by extension, The Land of Fire, was facing.

At the center of the seating arrangement, the Hokage sat, his face showcasing no emotion while he passively emitted a presence that made everyone feel as if he truly deserved the title of 'God of Shinobi.'

On one side of him sat Koharu and Homura, while on the other side sat Danzo and Mito, the other elders and perhaps the greatest powerhouse that the public knew that Konoha possessed. 

The people closest to them were the leaders of the greatest clans in Konoha, and arguably clans that each had the power to single-handedly change the tide of a war.

The head of the Hyuga Clan, Hinato Hyuga.

The head of the Uchiha Clan, Kaito Uchiha.

The head of the Senju Clan, Haru Senju.

The head of the Uzumaki Clan, Ashina Uzumaki.

Past those four were the heads of Konoha's mid-level clans, though their power was not one that should be overlooked, such as the Yamanaka, Aburame, Nara, and Akimichi.

Ending off the assembly of powerful Shinobi were the heads of the organizations or prominent S-Class Shinobi, with those including Kagami, Sakumo, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade.

The Leaders of the Civilians Council, the Merchant's Union, and other Civilian organizations took up the the remainder of the seats, though in times like these, their input may not hold as much importance.

Even Tobirama had chosen to take an honorary seat at the meeting, not that anyone would dare bar him from joining the meeting.

Overall, the meeting gave an explicit reason as to why Konoha was feared by the World and an apt acknowledgment of the vast power at it's disposal.

"Everyone should be well aware of the crisis that we are currently plagued with. I would like to hear both immediate and long term ideas that may deal with the severity of this issue." Hiruzen began the meeting, his pipe nowhere in sight as he spoke with a deadly amount of intensity.

"As I stated earlier, with the vast amount of civilians that feel unsafe and have traveled to Konoha for refuge, we should allow them to join the Village, as it would both give us the ability to expand our population and increase the militaristic and economic prowess that we wield." Tsunade began to the surprise of some, as she usually didn't intervene in issues unless they were related to the Academy or the Hospital.

"That may be so, but what about the immense amount of pressure it would place on our current wealth. The Village currently has a population of around 250,000, with half of those either being active or retired Shinobi. With just a rough estimate, there are already around 40,000 civilians outside of the Village walls, with there being no telling how many more are on their way. Such a rapid expansion would take years to finalize and create workable housing. How do you plan to account for that, Lady Tsunade?" The Uchiha Patriarch asked.

Tsunade glanced over to the man, with it sending a shiver down his spine, before she responded.

"By using the Village's bylaws that allow us to expand the Village in case of any housing crises for our citizens. I can utilize my mastery over wood release to create housing for them as we adjust our economy to account for the new influx of citizens. However, the most obvious path would be for us to have a majority of them become shinobi through the enrollment of their younger generations into Shinobi courses. However, I understand that even that will not be enough to withstand those issues. So, I also suggest that we send for the Capital to learn who the new Daimyo may be and sway him to live inside of Konoha."

Tsunade's last statement made everyone's eyes widen, as the implications of it would mean that Konoha would become the new central hub of the Land of Fire.

Konoha would become the new capital city of the nation, leading to a new influx of jobs and giving the Village more than enough financial resources to become home to such a large amount of people.

"Perhaps we could utilize that idea, though it would be best to hold off on any decisions like that one until we can send our Shinobi to the Capital." Tobirama said.

"Indeed. If we can convince the new Daimyo to come and live in the Village, we can definitely implement your idea, Tsunade." Hiruzen said.

"We also need to begin fortifying the border. If not for the fact that Kumo and Iwa were suffering from the same issues that we were, we may be in an even more dangerous position." Orochimaru added.

"I agree." Hinato Hyuga said.

The ideas on how to proceed were continued to be debated, with everyone have different and contrasting viewpoints on how they should take their next course of actions.'

However, in the end, it was decided that Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru would be dispatched to the capital, sending all three Sages on a mission for the first time in years.