Chapter 67: The Sovereign's Recruitment
The sixth day continued with an energy that felt less like a village recovering from war and more like a heart beginning to beat for the first time. The Research Tower's courtyard, once a staging ground for desperate defenses, had been transformed. Tables were lined up in a broad arc, manned by a surreal combination of Uzumaki Elders, Straw Hat pirates, and the newly appointed "Founding Four."
Rimon stood on the central balcony, his eyes glowing with the constant hum of the Sovereign System. To the average observer, the line of 1,500 people—refugees, un-ransomed prisoners, and surviving Uzumaki—was a sea of desperate faces. To Rimon, it was a data stream.
> [Potential Scan Active...]
> Filtering for: Tier 1 (A-S Rank) and Tier 2 (B-Rank) specialized talents.
>
"Ashina-sama, Elders," Rimon said, his voice carrying over the courtyard. "The sword saved us yesterday, but the Law and the Ledger will save us tomorrow. We are not just looking for shinobi. We are looking for the builders of a State."
The Pillars of Justice and Coin
The first station was overseen by Ensho Nara (acting as a neutral observer) and Uzumaki Genji, the eldest of the council. Rimon had tasked them with finding the Judiciary.
A man stepped forward—an un-ransomed Chunin from the Hidden Stone named Kajuro. He was older, his hands calloused not by jutsu, but by decades of stone-masonry.
> Name: Kajuro
> Potential: [A] Legal Reasoning & Conflict Mediation
> Combat: [C-]
>
"You fought against us four days ago, Kajuro," Elder Genji said, his voice suspicious. "Why should you sit in a hall of judgment?"
Kajuro didn't flinch. "I fought because the Tsuchikage told me my family's debt would be cleared if I died here. He lied. I've spent twenty years settling disputes between miners in the pits of Iwa. I know that without a fair rule, the strongest man just eats the weakest. I don't want to fight anymore. I want to build a floor that doesn't collapse."
Rimon, watching through the system, sent a mental ping to Genji. "He's the one. His sense of equity is higher than most Jonin."
Next was the Banking and Finance Sector. Nami sat at this table, her eyes practically turning into currency symbols as she interviewed candidates. She wasn't looking for chakra; she was looking for "The Greed of Precision."
She found it in a young Uzumaki woman named Saki, who had survived the bunker.
> Name: Uzumaki Saki
> Potential: [S] Mathematical Logic & Asset Management
>
"If I give you ten thousand gold ryo and tell you to back a currency for a thousand people while three nations are inflating their prices, what's the first thing you do?" Nami asked, leaning forward.
Saki didn't hesitate. "I don't back it with the gold. I back it with the Vortex Engine's output. Energy is the only thing the mainland can't steal or mimic. The gold stays in the vault as a threat; the energy runs the economy."
Nami's jaw dropped. She looked up at Rimon and gave a thumbs up. "She's a shark, Rimon! I love her!"
The Infrastructure and The Press
In the center of the yard, Franky and Dako were surrounded by blueprints. They were recruiting for the Department of Infrastructure.
They selected Tesser, a refugee from the Land of Rain who had been a bridge-builder before the war destroyed his home.
> Name: Tesser
> Potential: [A+] Structural Engineering (Sealing Integration)
>
"Su-per!" Franky shouted, slapping Tesser on the back. "You've got the eyes of a builder! Dako here will teach you how to make the stone 'walk' into place with Earth-Seals, but you're gonna teach us how to make sure the wind doesn't knock it down!"
Meanwhile, Nico Robin was interviewing for the Bureau of Information (The Press). She was looking for people who could handle the "Radio-Seals" Rimon planned to install.
She selected Kohari, a former Mist scout who had been abandoned by her village because she refused to kill a civilian.
> Name: Kohari
> Potential: [A] Journalistic Integrity & Signal Transmission
>
"Information is a weapon, Kohari-san," Robin said softly. "In the Mist, it was used to hide the truth. Here, it will be used to broadcast the Law. Can you speak the truth even when the Kages want you silent?"
"I've already died once for the truth, Lady Robin," Kohari replied. "Doing it behind a microphone sounds like a promotion."
The Veterans of the War
Rimon didn't forget those who had already bled for the Whirlpool. He called forward the Uzumaki who had held the walls.
Arashi and Takeru, the young prodigies, were assigned as Probationary Defense Officers. They wouldn't just be soldiers; they were tasked with creating the Coast Guard manuals.
Ise and Fuso, already the heads of the Medical Unit, were officially promoted to Directors of National Healthcare. Rimon gave them a new mandate: "Every citizen, from the highest Uzumaki to the lowest prisoner, receives the same level of care. If a Stone prisoner is sick, you treat him with the same herbs you use for me. That is the Law."
The Registry: The Final Security
By the evening, the "Founding Four" were already hard at work. Hyuga was moving through the lines, assigning the new "employees" to their housing. Ren was at the harbor, setting up the first Chakra Registry.
Every person who had been assigned a role had to step up to a massive, glowing stone slab etched with a master-seal.
"Place your hand here," Ren commanded a former Cloud shinobi. "This isn't a tracking device. It's a signature. As long as you follow the Code, you are invisible. If you betray the Whirlpool, the island itself will know your name."
The System chirped in Rimon's mind:
> [Sovereignty Milestone: Institutional Foundation]
> Legislature: Appointed
> Finance: Appointed
> Infrastructure: Active
> Population Integration: 85% Organized
> [Sovereignty Level: 74% - Advancing toward City-State Status]
>
The Night of the Rule-Book
As the moon rose, Rimon sat with the Elders, the Straw Hats, and the newly appointed department heads. The Code of the Whirlpool was open on the table.
"In five days, we survived an ending," Rimon said, his voice echoing in the quiet hall. "Today, we started a beginning. We have engineers from the Rain, judges from the Stone, and bankers from our own blood. Tomorrow, we hoist the flag. Not to declare war, but to declare that we are no longer part of their game."
Ashina looked at the diverse group of people around the table. For the first time in his long life, he didn't see "Uzumaki and others." He saw a Nation.
"You've done it, Rimon," the old man whispered. "You've turned a graveyard into a cradle."
Rimon looked at Luffy, who was busy eating a giant piece of meat but nodded with a wide, supportive grin.
"The world is still burning, Grandfather," Rimon said. "But tonight, for the first time... the Whirlpool is the coolest place on the map."
The recruitment is finished. The roles are filled. The infrastructure of a modern state is breathing. The stage is finally set for the grandest moment of all.
The Sovereign's Blueprint
As the sun crossed the meridian, the "Talent Assessment Center" shifted from interviewing the new arrivals to evaluating the internal strength of the Uzumaki Clan itself. Rimon knew that while the refugees were the bricks of his new nation, the Uzumaki were the steel frame.
He stood at the center of the courtyard, his vision swimming in a sea of data. The Sovereign System was working at peak capacity, cataloging not just who these people were, but what they could become over the next decade.
The Inner Circle: The High Potentials
Rimon turned his gaze toward the group of children and young adults standing near the Research Tower. These were the "Young Sovereigns," the first generation that would grow up under the Code of the Whirlpool rather than the shadow of the Great Nations.
> [System Scan: High-Priority Targets]
> Kushina Uzumaki: Potential [SSS] — Primary Attribute: Primal Vitality & Forbidden Sealing, Molecular Vibration. (The village's ultimate deterrent).
> Young Mito (Age 8): Potential [SSR] — Primary Attribute: Yin-Release & Perfect Chakra Control. (The future bridge between the Spirit and Medical worlds).
> Ami: Potential [SS] — Primary Attribute: Linguistic Deciphering & Historical Archiving. (The guardian of Uzushio's identity).
> Emi: Potential [S] — Primary Attribute: Sensory Perception & Cellular Regeneration. (The future pioneer of the Life-Search Division).
>
Rimon watched as Young Mito assisted Ise and Fuso with a group of wounded. Even at eight years old, her hands moved with a surgical precision that made the older medics pause in wonder. She is just 8 so Rimon don't want to give her too much pressure.
"Mito-chan," Rimon called out, catching her attention. "After the academy built, you are a Senior Student-Scholar. You will attend the Academy in the morning, you can make new friends there. I want you to study how chakra interacts with the nervous system, when you are ready but for now enjoy your childhood."
Mito's eyes brightened, by hearing about new friends. "Thanks, Rimon-ni."
The Sword and the Shield
Next, Rimon turned to the elders who had held the line when the walls were crumbling. Elder Kenshin, the master of the Uzumaki blade, stood with his arms crossed, his weathered face like a map of a thousand battles.
> Name: Kenshin
> Potential: [SSR] — Primary Attribute: Kenjutsu Mastery & Tactical Instruction.
>
"Kenshin-ji," Rimon said, walking toward the old swordsman. "I'm not putting you in the field anymore. I'm appointing you as the Dean of the Maritime Defense Academy. I need you to take Arashi and Takeru—both [S] Rank talents in combat strategy—and turn them into the first Admirals of the Coast Guard. We don't just need swordsmen; we need a Navy that understands the tides."
Kenshin grunted, a rare, sharp smile tugging at his lips. "Teaching the pups to bite the hulls of ships instead of just parrying kunai? It's about time we took the sea seriously."
The Elder Transition (Retirement & New Roles)
Uzumaki Ashina (The Patriarch Emeritus):
Status: Retiring from active military command.
New Role: Head of the High Council (The Senate). He acts as the ultimate "Judge" and mentor to Rimon. He maintains the "Daimyo" legitimacy while Rimon handles the Executive power.
Potential [SSR]: His wisdom in Clan History and Sealing is irreplaceable.
Elder Genji (The Ritual & Tradition Head):
Status: Retiring from administrative duty.
New Role: Chancellor of Clan Heritage. He will oversee the spiritual and cultural preservation, ensuring that while Uzushio becomes modern, it doesn't lose its "Soul."
Potential [S]: Master of Traditional Etiquette and Geneology.
Elder Tokimitsu (The Logistics Elder):
Status: Retired.
New Role: Senior Advisor to the Finance Bureau. He will mentor Saki (the "Shark" banker) to ensure her modern methods don't clash too hard with clan traditions.
Elder Enzo (The Strategic Pillar):
Status: Retiring from Active Military Command.
New Role: Director of National Security (DNS) & Legislative Advisor. * Potential [S+]: Strategic Logistics & Defense Architecture.
The Narrative Fit: While Ren (Konan's Father) handles the Intelligence/Spy work, Enzo oversees the National Defense strategy. He will be the one drafting the defense protocols for the Coast Guard and the internal security of the city. He is the one who understands how to defend the island from a full-scale invasion, and he will now teach that to Arashi and Takeru.
The Legacy of the Rain
Rimon's gaze softened as it landed on the three toddlers sitting on a woven mat under the shade of a Great Tree. Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan.
> Nagato: Potential [SSS] — Attribute: Universal Affinity. (The Silent God).
> Yahiko (2yo): Potential [SS] — Attribute: Charismatic Diplomacy & Social Engineering. (The Voice of the People).
> Konan (2yo): Potential [S] — Attribute: Spatial Precision & Intelligence Analysis and Paper style. (The Eye of the Law).
>
Even at two years old, Yahiko was already "leading" the other two, sharing his small pieces of dried fruit with a self-important air of authority. Konan was meticulously folding a piece of scrap paper into the shape of a bird, her focus unbreakable.
"They will be the first to enter the Uzumaki University in fifteen years," Rimon whispered to Robin, who stood beside him. "But for now, they are the reason we are building the school system. I want a curriculum that challenges a God and empowers a Diplomat."
The Shadow Workers: Prisoners and Root
As the sun began to set, Rimon walked toward the lower quarry, where the "un-ransomed" and the captured Root agents were working. He didn't approach them; he watched from the ridge, his System scanning the ranks of the laboring men.
The Root agents were the most tragic.
> [Status: Emotionally Suppressed / Potential: [B] to [A] Combat]
>
They worked like machines, silent and efficient. Rimon saw a Root agent, designated only as 'Seven,' who was moving stone blocks with a mechanical grace that hinted at an [A] Rank potential in Urban Engineering.
"They don't have roles yet," Rimon noted to Ashina. "They are Tier 1 laborers. They need to see the village thrive first. They need to taste the freedom of the Straw Hats and the safety of our Law before I can give them a desk or a post. But soon... I will turn Danzo's 'tools' into my most loyal architects."
The Closing of the Day
By the end of the day, Rimon's "Registry" was glowing with hundreds of new entries. Every Uzumaki had a rank, a role, and a path toward the future.
* Ise and Fuso were officially inaugurated as Directors of National Healthcare (Potential [S]), tasked with integrating Chopper's germ theory into their medical scrolls.
* The Archives were now under the joint supervision of Shiori (Konan's Mom) and Ami, creating a database of every jutsu and historical record known to the clan.
Rimon stood on the highest point of the Research Tower, looking over the glowing lights of the village. The "Will of Fire" was a shadow in the West, but here, the Whirlpool was a sun.
"The infrastructure is ready," Rimon said, his voice carrying the weight of a Sovereign. "The people are placed. Tomorrow, we show the world that Uzushiogakure isn't a village anymore. It's a Nation."
> [System Notification: Institutional Framework Established]
> [Current Population: 1,512]
> [Sovereignty Level: 78%]
> [Note: Universal Education Mandate will trigger in the next 24 hours.]
>
The recruitment is complete. The potential of the next generation has been mapped, and the roles are filled. The stage is perfectly set for the most symbolic moment of the era.