Five o'clock in the afternoon, in the conference room of Konoha Hospital.
The current five members of the Mental Health Department are Jōnin Tsunade-hime, Uchiha Naraku, Uchiha Fugaku, Kurama Ryouta, and Yūhi Shinku.
Good initial results were achieved on the first day of patient trials.
These shinobi will then be secretly monitored by the Anbu to see whether the conditions that previously caused their breakdowns have been eliminated and whether their mental state has recovered.
Except for Tsunade, the other four treated between five and ten patients each.
The four work in shifts. When their chakra is depleted, they rotate out; once it recovers, they return to duty.
Given this staffing situation, it appears that Konoha's genjutsu specialists and this new Mental Health Department cannot function without the support of the Uchiha.
Kurama Ryouta is the patriarch of the Kurama clan, a Konoha Jōnin. The Kurama clan was once a major clan, comparable in scale to the Uchiha and Hyūga.
However, due to secret suppression by a mysterious shinobi known only as the "Dark Ninja," the clan has declined drastically, now reduced to five Jōnin and a few dozen mid-level Genin.
This unusually rapid disappearance of clan members had already caught Kurama Ryouta's attention.
Despite their contributions to Konoha, the Kurama clan's population was dwindling, while other clans like the Sarutobi and the Ino–Shika–Chō trio seemed untouched by such losses.
Ryouta felt uneasy. Though he had no evidence, he couldn't shake the feeling that someone was behind it.
Naraku looked at this Kurama Jōnin and felt something strange.
As someone who had watched the anime, Naraku remembered that by the later years of Sarutobi Hiruzen's reign, the Kurama clan had only a few ordinary shinobi left.
Now, in this earlier period, the clan had five Jōnin and nearly a hundred Genin—already a reduction from their earlier strength due to heavy losses in the First and Second Shinobi Wars.
"Thank you all for your hard work today. After these few days, the workload of the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Department will be greatly reduced. I hope you will remain at your posts and complete this initial stage as required by the Third Hokage."
"Hai!"
The four responded in unison.
Tsunade, captain of the Medical Corps and the foremost expert in Konoha's medical system had her horizons broadened today. What she saw and experienced in the Mental Health Department opened a new world to her.
She knew many genjutsu, but her proficiency was average. Her strengths were in dispelling them, not casting them.
Today's experience sparked a strong interest in genjutsu-based healing.
"Alright, that's it for today. Dismissed!"
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Konoha Military Police Force Headquarters
Naraku and Fugaku, having finished their shifts at Konoha Hospital, returned to their posts at the Police Force Headquarters and worked late reviewing the day's case files.
"Lord Naraku, it seems that the Mental Health Department is already showing the results you anticipated."
"Yes, Fugaku. It's just unfortunate that the Third Hokage appointed Tsunade to lead the department. The two of us are merely advisors—each getting two million ryō annually—but it's not about the money. What I want is the authority to appoint personnel and lead operations."
"Lord Naraku, contributing to Konoha is its own reward. Don't be so narrow-minded. Seeing those shinobi recover today—there's a sense of real accomplishment."
"Heh."
Naraku chuckled but said nothing more.
The establishment of this department was a necessity—but Fugaku only saw the physician's role, not the deeper implications.
When a shinobi suffers a mental breakdown, it's no small matter. To subdue such a person often requires a Jōnin-level shinobi.
Konoha is vast. It's unrealistic for the Police Force Jōnin alone to handle such threats.
Moreover, suppressing such targets is dangerous. Any mission involving unstable shinobi is at least B-rank.
And worse, such shinobi cannot be injured without cause; they must be restrained without harm.
If a rogue shinobi's jutsu causes damage to civilians or buildings, the first ones the villagers will blame aren't the attackers—but the Police Force.
"They couldn't even subdue one shinobi? No wonder they won't go to the battlefield," the villagers would say.
Naraku could imagine the complaints the Police Force would face.
And if a rogue shinobi were harmed, the villagers would say, "Is this how the Police Force treats heroes who bled for Konoha?"
No matter what the Police Force did, they'd be criticized.
As commander of the Police Force, Naraku would not allow this situation to spiral. That's why he created the Mental Health Department—so unstable shinobi could be diagnosed and treated.
In the past, people didn't recognize psychological trauma as a real illness.
Now, thanks to Naraku's proposal, they did.
This allowed the Police Force to offload responsibility—there were no more "rogue shinobi," only those suffering from mental illness.
Civilians wouldn't blame the Force for damages—they'd simply chalk it up to bad luck.
Second, sending these disturbed shinobi to the department prevented further offence to the shinobi corps—Naraku wasn't seen as harming heroes but as protecting them.
It improved the Police Force's image.
And third, Naraku had managed to infiltrate the Medical Department with Uchiha's presence. After all, the Department of Mental Health focused heavily on ninjutsu, a field in which the Uchiha excelled.
Konoha had two clans with genjutsu bloodlines—the Uchiha and the Kurama. Among them, the Uchiha were unmatched in number and consistency.
Unlike Uchiha Sasuke in later years, who lacked genjutsu proficiency in early arcs, current Uchiha was well-trained.
Any Uchiha with an active Sharingan and skill in using it was already elite in terms of combat power.
An Uchiha with a three-tomoe Sharingan was among the strongest Jōnin.
Naturally, the best doctors in the Mental Health Department were Uchiha shinobi.
Of course, psychiatric treatment was still in its infancy. There was much left to develop—like sleeping pills or medicines to regulate pituitary gland secretions.
But if Konoha wanted this department to succeed and be accepted, the most practical way was through Uchiha genjutsu.
Sharingan genjutsu could trap someone with just a glance—a huge edge over other users who needed to form hand seals and channel chakra, which gave away their intent.
Although Naraku hadn't achieved every goal, the benefits were already evident.
He'd secured a working relationship with Tsunade.
The Sannin had enormous prestige—especially Tsunade-hime, known as the greatest medical shinobi.
Countless shinobi dreamed of becoming a disciple of one of the Sannins but had no opportunity.
Naraku, too, wished to build rapport with the Sannin. But simply chatting with such figures or visiting them uninvited only raised suspicion.
After all, unsolicited kindness often comes with ulterior motives.
If Orochimaru suddenly offered his business card and wanted to visit Naraku, wouldn't Naraku also be on guard?
He certainly wouldn't agree to meet without suspicion.
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