Hokage: Unable to persuade Madara, I chose to build my own ninja village.

Chapter 64 Hashirama Senju: Tobirama, the deep-seated flaws within Konoha are already ingrained! (First and second updates!)

"That naturally evil Uchiha brat is still too young. His most important task right now should be building up the ninja village, training more ninjas, and taking on more missions. He's really neglecting his duties!"

As Tobirama Senju sat in his chair, flipping through the latest information about Akatsuki Village, a smile crept onto his face.

The war mentality of traditional Sengoku ninjas made Tobirama Senju unable to understand Uchiha Shiro's current behavior, because he himself was not good at it and instinctively unwilling to do business.

Most importantly, the bloody lesson learned not long ago is still fresh in our minds.

That damn tulip business not only inexplicably caused the village to lose such a huge amount of money, but it also unfairly burdened the village with a bad reputation!

Isn't this lesson profound enough?

What a ninja should do, what a ninja should do!

"Perhaps only the inherently evil Uchiha would do something so unconventional. Some nobles are already dissatisfied with Uchiha Makoto's behavior, and as time goes on, Konoha's workload will inevitably increase."

"So what if we agreed to the Akatsuki's 30/70 split? The employers specifically requested Konoha to carry out this mission!"

Senju Tobirama thought to himself with delight.

His shrewd eyes gleamed with a light that seemed to see through the fog of time; he had keenly sensed that the attitude of the nobles of the Land of Fire toward Akatsuki was rapidly changing. Hmph, clumsy Uchiha Makoto!

After secretly gathering information about Akatsuki Village, Tobirama Senju organized the information and locked it in his cabinet.

Ever since I was mistakenly accused of plagiarism.

This behavior had become a daily routine for Tobirama Senju.

Subsequently

Tobirama Senju began his daily work. He opened a large pile of documents on his desk and skillfully flipped to the last line, starting from the bottom and working his way up. This was a basic quality that a qualified Hokage should possess—the ability to process these documents extremely quickly.

"Another family scamming for funding!"

"This is another case of scamming for funding!"

"Not approved!"

"Not approved!"

Tobirama Senju wrote "Not Approved" several times on the document, then couldn't help but rub his temples. These ninja clans could come up with any excuse to cheat him out of his funding!

The reasons for this phenomenon.

That's naturally my good older brother!

That bastard, brother!

They have absolutely no sense of privacy whatsoever!

Generally speaking, financial matters are top secrets. Uchiha Makoto never disclosed the Akatsuki's finances while he was in Akatsuki. So the Akatsuki ninja clans only knew that their leader, the Kage, was very wealthy and had exceptionally abundant funds.

As for how much money they had, they had absolutely no idea.

However, as soon as Hashirama Senju returned, he started bragging everywhere about how much they had gained in the Land of Fire. Whatever the ninja clans asked, he answered honestly. Inadvertently, he let slip that they had brought back 10 billion ryo from the Land of Fire!

That's a huge sum of money!

After that, the ninja clans of Konoha went crazy!

However, not a single penny of this 10 billion yuan funding can be wasted. Good steel must be used where it is most needed, such as for our own scientific research experiments. Only then can we barely get that little bit of money approved!

"Hey bro, what a coincidence, you're in the office too."

A furtive person poked their head in from outside the door. As soon as Tobirama Senju heard the sound, he knew who it was.

"Big brother, what a coincidence! I remember you haven't appeared in this office for three whole days. If you hadn't come, I would have almost forgotten that you are still the Hokage of Konoha."

Tobirama Senju raised his head and saw Hashirama Senju acting suspiciously and looking guilty. Then, he put on a stern face and started teasing his good older brother.

"Haha, sorry, sorry."

"Isn't it because you're here? You know I've never been good at handling these things. When I was the clan leader, you were the one who managed many things in the clan."

Hashirama Senju scratched his head, completely unconcerned by Tobirama Senju's "sarcasm." Knowing one's own limitations is crucial; he knew he wasn't good at these things, so it was better to leave everything to his younger brother, Tobirama, and he could spend his time playing happily with Madara. Oh, and he almost forgot about Mito.

"Tell me, brother, what brings you here this time?"

"My time is very busy!"

Tobirama Senju maintained a cold expression, telling Hashirama Senju to "get straight to the point," explaining that his time was precious and he had a mountain of documents to deal with.

Moreover, Tobirama Senju's intuition told him so.

Big brother's visit this time is definitely not for anything good!

I would like to apply for funding.

"impossible!"

"Let me tell you, brother, I absolutely will not allow you to squander our precious funds on gambling. Absolutely not!"

When Tobirama Senju heard that his elder brother Hashirama Senju also wanted to apply for funding, he instinctively refused.

My older brother is a notorious gambler!

Not only did he gamble away all the pocket money his sister-in-law gave him, but he also liked to borrow money from me. Moreover, he had basically never paid back the money I lent him. This bastard brother even dared to covet Konoha's funds.

"Tobirama, you've misunderstood me!"

"How could I possibly use Konoha's funds to gamble? At most, I'd use my allowance and yours."

Tobirama Senju: "Not even my allowance!"

"My application for funding this time is for a legitimate purpose, for the sake of Konoha!"

Hashirama Senju spoke with great conviction, his earnest expression surprising Tobirama Senju. His usually idle older brother had actually started doing something serious.

It's bizarre, absolutely bizarre!

Could it be the inherently evil Madara Uchiha, or is he trying to use his ignorant and naive older brother to swindle Konoha's funds?

It's possible, it's very likely!

Not only were other clans envious of the 10 billion ryo in funding, but the Uchiha clan was no exception, also wanting to swindle some of the subsidies for the clan. Naturally, he refused outright.

Moreover, he showed no mercy even to the Senju clan for this sum of money, rejecting all unreasonable requests and handling matters impartially and without bias—this was his basic principle as the Shadow Hokage.

Even Tobirama Senju's scientific research experiments.

That was money he saved up, penny by penny, by himself.

We can't afford to delay important matters at all.

"Big brother, if the Uchiha clan is behind this, trying to scam funding, you'd better tell me the truth now. You can't fool me!"

Tobirama Senju looked serious, feeling even more exhausted. He not only had to guard against the Uchiha clan, but also against his beloved older brother doing something foolish behind his back.

"Of course not!"

"Tobirama, this was entirely my own idea!"

Hashirama Senju spoke with great conviction.

No matter what, he was the Hokage, and he was bound to make contributions to Konoha. Then, Hashirama Senju took out two books from his pocket, one titled "New Ninja" and the other "Warring States Period Romance".

Tobirama Senju: "What is this?"

"Sorry, I took an extra copy. *Romance of the Warring States* is a novel Ban and I have been reading lately, but it's a shame the author updates so slowly, only once a day. I really wish he could update three times a day."

Tobirama Senju rolled his eyes and said, "Nonsense!!"

"Found it, this is the article!"

Hashirama Senju ignored Tobirama Senju's words and opened "New Ninja" to find the latest short story.

The short story is titled "The Kindness One Should Have When Born in Akatsuki Village".

[Around every street corner in Akatsuki Village, old wooden crates had appeared, one of which sat under the eaves of a ninja tool shop. The crates were unlocked, and eight characters were painted in red on the lid: "Take what you need; any surplus will be compensated." Inside, lined with velvet, were scattered tens of thousands of taels of silver.]

A young genin, fresh from a D-rank mission, dragged his injured leg past, his headband askew. He barely had enough money for bandages. He paused when he saw the wooden crate, then took out two thousand ryo—the fee for a medical ninja's consultation. As his fingertips touched the velvet cloth, he touched the kunai at his waist, silently reciting, "I'll pay it back after my next mission."

An uncle who ran a ramen shop passed by on his way out, glanced into the box, and counted out three hundred taels from his purse and put it in. A little girl selling rice balls nearby also tiptoed, gently placing the several hundred taels she had earned from selling rice balls on a velvet cloth. Suddenly, a flower petal landed on the silver coins, like a brooch pinned to the box.

Three days later, the injured genin returned. His forehead wound had healed somewhat, his headband was neatly tied, and he placed three thousand taels into the box—a thousand taels more than before. On the stone slab beside the wooden box, someone had carved a line of small characters: "Borrowed two thousand taels yesterday, returned three thousand taels today. Thank you for your help."

The high-ranking ninja on patrol could see clearly from the shadows: an orphaned ninja sprained his ankle during training and took money from a box to buy medicine; wealthy ninja clan members passing by would always casually toss in a silver coin, muttering "what a nuisance," but pausing for half a second.

The old woman selling oden squatted beside her wooden box, adding charcoal to the fire. She watched as the money inside increased, occasionally revealing a jewel-encrusted coin pouch—a secret stash placed there by a certain Jonin. She added a handful of radishes to the broth, muttering, "This box is warmer than the broth; it carries the warmth of the whole village."

A month later, the wooden box was repainted, the red lettering shining even brighter. At the bottom was a note written by the injured genin: "The headband may get dirty, but the light in my heart won't." Next to it was a new line of smaller writing, seemingly in the handwriting of the Light and Shadow Master: "Trouble as it may be, we can't let the light go out."

What a harmonious, passionate, and spirited village this is, a village that embodies the will of light!

An unknown daimyo learned the whole story. It turned out that this was all a deliberate act by Lord Light and Shadow. He had the initial wooden box and money placed there by his own people. The daimyo then tapped the shoulder of his attendant beside him: "See? This is the foundation of Akatsuki Village—not because of their superior ninjutsu, but because when someone falls, someone always quietly hands them a stepping stone; and once they get up, the stone is wiped clean and left for the next person."

[I can't help but reflect: if the entire ninja world learned from Akatsuki's wooden box, hatred would have long been warmed into a comforting soup—after all, even the coldest night can't withstand the mutual support of an entire village.]

If other ninja villages can't do this, it's probably because they still retain the worst traits of the Sengoku ninjas!

Under Hashirama Senju's excited gaze, Tobirama Senju spent a few minutes reading the entire article. After reading it, he was deeply shocked, feeling as if the wrinkles in his cerebral cortex had been smoothed out.

Hashirama Senju, however, was different. Despite having read the article several times, he was still deeply moved, and his eyes involuntarily welled up with tears.

He seemed to see the light of the ninja world, which was the future he had always pursued and the image of the ninja village in his mind.

We can all understand and help each other, making Konoha a home that everyone cherishes and loves.

Konoha must learn from Akatsuki's advanced experience and grow step by step!

We need to take action as soon as possible!

"I'm applying for 200 million taels of silver. I've already planned it out: I'll place 50 wooden boxes on the street corners of Konoha Village, each box containing 4 taels. This is the first step in creating a friendly and cooperative atmosphere in Konoha, and it's a major step towards Konoha's future!"

Hashirama Senju could not hide his excitement. He couldn't wait to carry out the plan immediately and transform Konoha into the shape he envisioned.

"Two million taels?"

"Big brother, do you know this is the reward for two S-rank missions?"

Tobirama Senju frowned. He did think the content of the article was good, but his intuition told him otherwise.

This article is filled with an indescribable sense of eeriness.

And most importantly.

The quality of the people in Konoha Village needs to be improved. The village is a mixed bag, with not only ninja clans and ninjas, but also relocated civilians, a small number of merchants, and these boxes. If there is money in them, the 200 million ryo could be gone in just one night!

Even though Konoha's finances are relatively abundant right now, how can such precious funds be squandered like this?!

It would be better to just use the money as research funding!

"Brother, I think your idea is inappropriate."

"What if all this money disappears overnight?"

Tobirama Senju shook his head, thinking his elder brother's idea was too absurd.

But she still didn't directly reject him.

"So this is Konoha's inherent weakness!"

Hashirama Senju spoke with a pained expression. He had anticipated this situation, but it only proved that Konoha had inherent flaws and the necessity of his actions.

Such deep-seated flaws must be corrected!

If the two million taels are gone, just add another two million taels. At the same time, with your continuous propaganda and education, one day Konoha's inherent flaws will be completely eliminated.

Konoha will become the village I envision.

We cannot let difficulties ahead deter us!

I'm not going to do it!

Hashirama Senju spoke righteously and resolutely, declaring that he was determined to do this and would succeed, no matter how many difficulties lay ahead.

All of this is for Konoha.

(End of this chapter)