The village wasn't going to stray any further from its path.
The words rang in Itachi's ears, mind filing back through what he knew of its founding and how it related to the children he spoke of.
It had been created as a safe haven for the clans that resided in the land of fire, each group giving up a set amount of shinobi and craftsmen in order to lay out the foundations. Those who didn't belong to a clan but still wished to join the village typically offered a variety of non-combatant skills and helped the economy flourish, serving as the glue that brought the group from a glorified alliance to a village.
Things progressed from there as more people began to pledge their loyalty to the village for personal reasons rather than clan-inspired ones. People grew with the knowledge that the main reason they made it through childhood was because of the extra safety of the village. The childhood mortality rate steadily decreased after the founding, though it increased during the First War.
Which would make sense, given they were in the middle of a war. Of course the morality rate would go up. It was because of this increased rate the clans temporarily pulled back their support, holding onto their clan heirs. The number of shinobi from civilian households increased, the village calling for any willing fighters.
The clans took offence to their heirs being shown up by civilians, which led to an increase in quality over quantity when it came to clan shinobi during the Second War. Many civilian-raised shinobi died while the clan heirs prospered. This led to a drastic dip in the number of civilian-raised shinobi, one that has yet to raise.
Because of the lack of ready fighters in the Second War, the village pressed out as many shinobi as they could in the time span between the end of the Second War and the beginning of the Third War. The childhood mortality rate has increased over the last two wars, yes, but it has yet to reach the level it had been at before the founding. In fact, it has been slowly lowering since the end of the Third War. Now that people have begun to understand that fighting is always on the horizon, they seem to be working on a balance between keeping their children safe and prepared.
In the back of his mind, the war field flashed. Dead men littering the ground, blood soaking the air as his father warned him of the life he would live.
Itachi had been prepared for this world, just as he wanted Sasuke to be. He didn't want to make the same mistakes the clan heads had during the Second War. He wanted Sasuke to live if the day came that there was no one left to protect him. He needed to make sure Sasuke knew how to create his own safety.
"To start with," Tobirama spoke, standing and making his way over to lift a stack of papers from the desk. "The systems that were put in place have taken multiple hits. The systems as a whole remain the same, though the requirements and responsibilities have shifted severely."
Hiruzen nodded, agreeing, "Due to my lack of experience during the beginning of my term, I made the mistake of lending Danzo too much authority. At the time, it seemed like the best way to manage the build-up of duties I didn't understand. This had detrimental effects on the village, ones which I never found the resolve to fix. This means we have years worth of Danzo's work to undo."
"Hiruzen and I have been working on adjusting the systems and making them more applicable for today's generation." The silver-haired man explained, carefully passing over the documents. Itachi took them, holding the stack on his lap as he listened. "We would like a second pair of eyes to review them, specifically ones that have seen so much of Danzo's work. Hiruzen recommended you as someone who has worked with the man a decent amount but shows limited signs of loyalty for him."
Limited was a kind word. Itachi was loyal to the village, Shisui, and his brother. Not Danzo. "He had my cooperation, for a time." Itachi settled on saying instead, sharingan flickering on as he scanned through the documents with speed. Flipping page after page, his brain processed the words in quick succession.
The pile was sorted into different rankings, the general requirements and responsibilities listed in each group.
Academy students were to start school at age six. They were not to graduate until they were proficient in the curriculum and of the minimum age requirement. Eleven.
Responsibilities included D-Rank missions for the first year, followed by occasional C-Rank missions if approved by the supervising sensei.
In order to move on to the rank of Chuunin, a genin must have completed at least 50 D-Rank missions, 10 C-Rank missions, the chuunin exams, and meet the minimum age requirement of thirteen.
So shinobi would have to spend two years minimum as a genin with plenty of experience.
Their responsibilities would then shift to C-Rank missions with a few B-Ranks mixed in.
In order to move past this rank, they would need to have 50 C-Ranks on record, 20 B-Ranks, a completed and passed Jonin Test which included five A Ranks, and at least 3 worthy recommendations from senior shinobi on record. The shinobi must also be of at least age fifteen.
Likewise, to become a Jonin Instructor, they must have completed 70 C-Ranks and 30 B-Ranks. They must also have completed and passed the Jonin Test and missions as well as the Instructors Course. The three recommendations are also required, with a minimum age of seventeen.
He paused, eyes lingering on the qualifications for Jonin Instructor. He didn't know as much about the Jonin Ranks due to his inexperience with them, though he found it odd that no one had ever mentioned this course to him before. "Is the Instructor's Course new?"
"It is." Tobirama nodded, "It has yet to be established, but will have by the time these shifts take place. Being a sensei requires more than experience. Having a sensei that lacks the ability to properly prepare his students can cause many issues down the road, especially if the situation happens enough." he explained.
Nodding, Itachi flipped the page once more. He supposed the man made a point. It had been quite a pain, having an instructor like Yuuki. Perhaps if the man had spent more time teaching them and less time trying to compete, Tenma would have survived.
Pushing these thoughts aside, however, he continued to scan the documents. ANBU requirements.
The shinobi needed to have completed at least 50 D-Ranks, 40 C-Ranks, 30 B-Ranks, and 20 A-Ranks, and 1 S-Rank. They must also have the approval of the hokage, minimum age requirement being 18.
As for captains, they had to have completed 50 D-Ranks, 50 C-Ranks, 50 B-Ranks, 30 A-Ranks, and 3 S-Ranks. They must complete an induction mission and pass a leadership screening. The hokage must approve of this promotion and said ANBU member must receive at least 2 recommendations from worthy sources. The minimum age to become a captain would be 20.
Itachi stared down at the paper, fingers tracing over the text.
In times of conflict or a severe lack of shinobi, the minimum age requirements may be lowered by a maximum of two years.
His sharingan flickered off as he glanced upwards towards the two hokages sitting nearby. "There aren't going to be very many shinobi around with such high age requirements. They'll be of much better quality, but with these numbers, there would be a gap in the village's ability to protect itself over the next few years."
"Which is why our focuses will shift over the next few years." Hiruzen nodded in agreement, "The village will be vulnerable for a time, and the economy will surely take a hard hit, but it will be worth it in the long run. We can hold on with the reserves while we will focus on protecting our borders and strengthening the shinobi we do have."
So they've decided to try and create a large quantity of quality shinobi by reducing their intake. It could damage the village's overall reputation as one of the five great nations, but that could be made up in time if things went smoothly.
The biggest issue, however, was not how the outside would deal with the shift in powers. "What about the shinobi who will no longer qualify for their current positions?"
Itachi wasn't 20, nor had he taken part in any leadership screenings as far as he knew. The recommendations would also be a bit tricky to receive, considering he was no longer in contact with any of his old allies. Not to mention he'd only taken on 1 S-Rank mission, not the required 3.
Tenzo was only five years older than Itachi, so the elder boy wouldn't meet the requirements either. He'd be off by one year, though Itachi had no idea if he met any of the other criteria.
"Off the top of my head, Tenzo and I would no longer meet the requirements due to our age and Kakashi would be just old enough to continue. Though he may lack some other requirements. I'm sure there will be no shortage of shinobi in the same situation. The current Jonin Instructors would also all need to take the new course, which could interfere with pre-existing teams if too many of them have trouble with it." Itachi considered out loud, darkened eyes casting upwards as he spoke. "How can the village function with so many pieces being rearranged into spots they might not fit? Will a separate faction be made for shinobi that no longer fit in these parameters?"
Tilting his head slightly to the side, he mused, "It shouldn't be much of a problem for me specifically since I'm a rouge and don't need to worry about staying in the lines, but most people will."
When neither of them spoke, Itachi glanced between them, unsettled. Had he said something inappropriate? They had asked for his eyes, but perhaps he had overstepped.
Hiruzen cleared his throat, hand resting in front of his mouth as he finally broke the silence. "We have arranged for these steps to be taken slowly over the course of the next year or so, starting from genin and working our way up to ANBU captains. This will give the village plenty of time to manage any issues that come up and give people time to adjust. Most requirements should be easy to fill over the course of a year, with the exception of age. For those who won't meet the requirements, they will be demoted to the appropriate ranking with all of their village benefits intact."
"As for their titles, they may request early screening so that they can be promoted right away as they age up." Tobirama explained, "Those who are approved would obtain an additional title to the one they are demoted to. A Jonin that is demoted to chuunin, for example, could request early screening. Once they are approved, they will have both titles of 'chuunin' and 'jonin-in-waiting'. This may of course be different situations, such as yours."
Something unsettled Itachi about how he explained this despite the fact that it should, in theory, work. The biggest issue would be the hurt pride of some shinobi. Itachi held this feeling back as he nodded, asking, "I presume you mean those who are currently involved in long-term missions? Shinobi working on such long projects could be handled in many ways, though the simplest would be to allow us to finish what we started. Is that your plan?"
"It will work on a case-by-case basis." The silver-haired man shook his head, "Depending on the sensitivity of the mission, we will either send in aid or try to remove them as carefully as we can from the situation."
Before Itachi could really process this, he continued, "However." in a weighty tone. "These are rare situations as only a handful of ANBU members are under the age of 18, let alone taking on long-term high-difficulty missions. Your case, in particular, is different from most others. Yours must be handled with extra caution."
"Oh?" the ravenet questioned, brows raising as he listened. Danzo had never been the most trustworthy person, and yet. "Lord Danzo made it sound like this sort of thing was much more common."
Hiruzen mused, "I believe he was referring things on a larger scale, not solely in the ANBU department. This is a much more common issue in the ROOT subdivision, which I have been working on dismantling over the course of the last month. The transitions have been smooth so far, and have given us an idea of what things will be like when we make such shifts on a larger scale. Most of the shinobi have been transferred to either the ANBU or chuunin rank depending on their trustworthiness. As for the children he had..." Hiruzen grimaced slightly, "They were only recently discovered after some digging, but are currently being integrated into the village."
"So it was less so that they were common missions for the village than it was they were common missions for him to give out." Itachi mused, internally glad they had a point of reference despite the darkness of it all. At least they would be out soon.
"Precisely," Tobirama confirmed, crossing his arms as he leaned back a bit in the chair. "Now, if that clears up all the issues we can think of with that document, we still have other things to discuss. Your mission, specifically."
Itachi nodded, setting the stack on the desk and sitting up a bit straighter. "Of course." he turned to Hiruzen on habit, asking, "Would you like my mission report, Lord Hokage?"
As he was given a nod, Tobirama spoke. "Yes. Fill us in on what intel you have gathered so far and we can work from there."
"Very well." he mused, Itachi scanning through all the information in his head as he arranged his words. "Their hideout is located in a small village just north-east of here: Amegakure. It is a small village, but its defense system is beyond impressive. I haven't figured out how it works yet, but nothing seems to get past it. The leader came to meet up with us the moment we stepped into the village for the first time." he explained, "There is also a secondary and more physical defense system in place, one that requires those entering to go through a multi-level screening."
"The village does have a decent shinobi population, though it has a surprising amount of civilians. Its residents, both shinobi and civilian, do not seem aware that their leader has such an organization resting in their village." Itachi explained, thinking of the small flourishing village.
"Hanzo is leading the Akatsuki?" Hiruzen's brows shot up, though they settled as Itachi shook his head.
The pre-teen corrected, "No, not Hanzo. He has apparently been dead for a few years now. He died in a civil war that occurred due to the villager's distaste for Hanzo. They have a new leader, the man who killed him. He goes by the name of Pain."
"Pain?" Tobirama reiterated, clearly making sure he had heard the young Uchiha right.
"Yes. The leader of the Akatsuki goes by Pain." Itachi confirmed, well away of the bizarreness of his name. "His right hand, Konan, also hails from Amegakure. The two seem to be the ones in charge of the operations." he mused. "I have not been there long enough to have acquired any information on their battle tactics, though they claim to be working towards world peace." the words sounding odd on his tongue.
They listened as Itachi continued on, listing the members of the organization. "Those two have collected a number of S-Ranked criminals to push whatever plan they have forward. Juzo Biwa formerly of Kirigakure, Sasori formerly of Sunagakure, Deidara formally of Iwagakure, Kakuzu formally of Takigakure, Orochimaru formerly of Konohagakure, and Zetsu of unknown origin. These six are currently members. Tobi of unknown origin also participates in organization duties, though he is not an official member. His role is still unknown."
Hiruzen's hand twitched at the mention of his old student, a far off look entering his eyes as he spoke. "I see." the man settled on sighing out, Tobirama pointedly not looking at his student as an aura of slight ire escaped him.
The silver-haired man glowered, "All notable threats that will need dealt with when we have time." glancing over at Itachi, "You mentioned Kakuzu formerly of Takigakure. He once attempted to assassinate Hashirama, though that was long ago. How is it that he is still alive, all these years later?"
"Immortality." Itachi deadpanned, "To an extent. His jutsu allows him to take the organs of others and integrate them with his own. In other words, as a piece of his own body stops working, he can simply replace it with a new one."
"And which of these members is your partner?" Hiruzen pried, the image of his polite yet brutal partner entering Itachi's mind.
With his hands resting in his lap, Itachi reported, "I have been placed as the partner of Juzo Biwa. We have not been on many missions yet, though there have been enough for me to have a rough idea of his fighting style. He is a swordsman with a vicious battle-style, though his attacks are thought out and coordinated. He fights with precision, notably showing a preference for battle formations."
His voice was cold despite his betrayal of the man, not a speck of friendliness filtering into his tone. The two had made it quite clear at the beginning of their work relationship that neither of them expected loyalty of the other; only cooperation and perhaps mercy if it was clear the other was going to suffer.
"Of the missions you've taken part in, what are they like?" Hiruzen asked as the two processed the information regarding his partner. "What seems to be their short term goal?"
"The Akatsuki is currently taking missions all across the country." Itachi mused, "These jobs are mostly comprised of ones the villages won't take or do not want in their shinobi's records. Whether it be the assassination of a neighbouring leader or the transportation of illegal goods. We have been instructed to take on odd jobs for now in order to build up enough reputation. That is all I know of them thus far, though I'm sure in time more information will be revealed. I have only been there a month and do have a record of betrayal, so it's natural that they would be wary of me."
Tobirama nodded, tapping his hand idly on the chair as he considered, "And what was your cover, to be able to come here without any suspicion being raised?"
The pre-teen glanced over at the silver-haired man, idly holding his sleeve's fabric in his hand as he explained, "We are allowed to do as we wish in the times between missions. Juzo and I usually just work on our formations or train during our free time, but I told him I wanted to take our current free time to do some research on Orochimaru and prepare for the day when he attacks me."
Seeing the face Hiruzen pulled, Itachi sighed, "I apologize, Lord Hokage, but I won't allow myself to be killed by him." that would be Sasuke's job, one day. "At the very least, I should be prepared to defend myself. Not to mention it's a moderately realistic cover."
"Precisely. It's for the best." Tobirama approved, "Not that the day will ever come, if we plan this correctly."
Shifting in his seat, Itachi questioned, "Do you wish for me to kill him, you mean?" considering it as he mused, "Friendly fire has been a reoccurring theme that doesn't seem to be a punishable offence by Pain's standards."
Or, well, Kakuzu has gotten away with it plenty.
"No, that's not what I meant." Tobirama shook his head. "We need to find a way to pull you out of the mission if possible. This might mean faking your death, claiming some sort of jutsu forced your actions, exposing Danzo's blackmail, you luring them out from the safety of their village, or something else entirely. There are many options to explore."
The ravenet stilled at this.
He...wasn't excluded from the shifting systems?