Konoha: The thirty-year-old Uchiha lacks motivation.

Ring ring—

Shaking the three slightly worn 100-yen coins in his hand, Uchiha Gin, who had been asked to leave the house by Senju Hisami, sighed with some annoyance.

"Sigh... What a huge loss."

As he spoke, a strange sigh appeared in his lifeless, dead fish eyes, revealing another layer of meaning in his words.

The reason Senju Hisama left him alone wasn't simply to ask him about the debt.

More than anything, they wanted to gauge the Uchiha clan's attitude toward the next leader of Konoha.

Although Madara Uchiha is only temporarily considered missing, a village cannot be without a leader for even a day.

The current situation in the ninja world is complex and full of variables and uncertainties. The five great ninja villages maintain peace on the surface, but there are countless underhanded dealings, small actions and conflicts of interest that never stop. Not to mention the mysterious organization that specializes in hunting tailed beast riders, which makes the whole situation even more unpredictable.

Konoha suffered the most severe losses in this incident, with one of its leaders dead and the other missing, making it the most vulnerable village since its founding.

At times like these, it is essential to have someone with both strength and prestige step forward to take charge.

Uchiha Izuna, the Kage who was recently mentioned by the Second Uchiha Madara, is the most popular candidate.

If nothing unexpected happens, the position of Hokage will be practically within his grasp.

However, having another Uchiha succeed as Hokage is the last thing the Senju clan wants to see.

During Madara Uchiha's reign, the presence of Tobirama Senju as a branch secretary helped to check and balance the Uchiha clan, preventing them from becoming too powerful. The Senju and the Shinobi Alliance could barely tolerate this situation.

However, the Senju clan has no successor and no strong enough to rival Uchiha Izuna. Without any constraints, the Uchiha clan could cause irreparable damage to the village if they did anything extreme.

Senju Hisama is in a hurry!

She absolutely could not stand by and watch the village that her older brother and she had worked so hard to build be ruined by that idiot Uchiha Izuna.

Tell me properly, where did the money to build the village come from?

She deliberately kept Uchiha Gin by some pretext, hoping to extract some useful information from him, the retired Uchiha emperor, to increase her chances in the upcoming leadership election.

Who is Uchiha Gin? He's an old man who doesn't die, and he saw through the white-haired man's clumsy trick on the spot.

Before he knew about the 30 billion yen loan, he would definitely have told his temporary ally the truth, reassuring her that his younger cousin had no interest in Konoha politics.

But now, with the 30 billion loan seemingly out of reach, he naturally wouldn't let this white-haired guy off easily. He directly stated that the Uchiha clan was determined to win this election, aiming for the S3 double championship.

"Hmph! How dare you steal gold coins from me."

Uchiha Gin held the three coins tossed into the air in his hand, a sinister smile spreading across his face.

She had to be kept tossing and turning, unable to sleep at night, and her menstrual cycle became irregular...

A week later,

The seven-day mourning period for Tobirama Senju has passed, and the gloom that had hung over the hearts of Konoha residents has dissipated considerably, with daily life returning to its usual orderly rhythm.

However, the atmosphere within each ninja clan's main family grew increasingly tense.

The older generation of leaders of the Ninja Alliance gathered once again for a secret meeting themed on their rise to power.

More than ten people sat around a table, with Sarutobi Sasuke, who was nearly sixty years old, at the head of the group.

"This is our best opportunity yet; if we miss it, we don't know how many more years we'll have to wait."

As Sarutobi Sasuke grew older, he became increasingly short and hunched over, but no one present dared to underestimate this gaunt old man.

"Everyone here is one of us, so feel free to speak your mind."

"Sasuke, let's not beat around the bush. My son has the potential to become Hokage. I hope you can all lend a hand. If things succeed in the future, I will definitely reward you all."

As soon as Sarutobi Sasuke finished speaking, a large figure stood up abruptly, his entire body trembling with fat as he spoke.

"Kenichi, you've eaten too much pig's head meat, haven't you?"

Looking at Kenji Shimura's impassioned expression, Minako Yamamoto, wearing her reading glasses, couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Does everyone know what your son is capable of?"

"My son's buttocks are so large they could hold up half the sky of Konoha."

"Danzo is indeed an excellent child, but he is somewhat indecisive. Perhaps we should consider my family's Tokifu, who is efficient and decisive."

The chubby Shinji Akimichi raised his hand and unceremoniously recommended his own child.

I recommend my family's ***

"I……"

"..."

Since everyone was free to speak their minds, the ninja clan leaders, adhering to the principle of recommending the worthy regardless of kinship, enthusiastically recommended their own children, listing their merits one by one for everyone to critique.

"Snapped!"

Suddenly, a loud bang interrupted the noisy crowd. Sarutobi Sasuke, who had somehow acquired a pipe, said coldly,

"Alright! Quiet down, everyone! What kind of behavior is this at your age?"

"Didn't you tell us to speak freely?"

Kenji Shimura blinked his small, beady eyes and asked in confusion,

"If that's how you all are doing it, then we shouldn't have a meeting at all. Let's just have everyone take a little red flower and go home."

"So, Sasuke, what do you mean?"

"I already have someone in mind who is suitable."

"Who is it?"

Everyone was taken aback. You already have a suitable candidate, so why are you calling us to a meeting?

"My son Hiruzen, bearing the verbal appointment from the previous branch secretary, succeeding to the position of Hokage is in accordance with the will of Heaven."

"Sasuke, you..."

The group secretly compared their own strength and abilities with Sarutobi Sasuke's, and ultimately regretfully chose to give up.

"Hiruzen's strength and character are indeed excellent, but Sasuke, have you considered whether the Uchiha clan would agree to this?"

As one of the few Nara clan leaders who remained calm among the attendees, he frowned and pondered for a moment before raising a reality that everyone had to face.

"Yeah, yeah, those conjunctivitis sufferers are getting more and more irritable."

"Uchiha Izuna has connections everywhere; we probably don't have a chance at all."

The mere mention of the Uchiha clan caused everyone present to grimace. The overall quality of the Uchiha clan had declined significantly in recent years, a fact deeply felt by all members of the ninja clan.

"The Uchiha are indeed an insurmountable mountain, but we are not fighting alone this time."

As if he had expected this, Sarutobi Sasuke gently shook his head.

"What do you mean by that?"

Kenji Shimura, as an excellent straight man, diligently fulfilled his role.

"Crunch—"

As soon as the words were spoken, the conference room door opened, and a cool, aloof figure slowly walked in.

Her ruby-like eyes swept over the diverse expressions of the crowd, and her rosy lips parted slightly.

"Am I late?"

Sarutobi Sasuke immediately stood up to greet him, his old face crinkling into a wide smile, looking just like a big monkey.

"Let me introduce you all. This is Ms. Senju Hisa, who is here on behalf of the Senju clan to cooperate with us."

"The Senju clan! Sasuke, are you telling the truth?"

"It's in the bag! This is a sure thing!"

"Sasuke, could you give me the contract for the Hokage Rock carving project ahead of schedule? You mean a kickback? Yes! I'll make sure you're satisfied!"

"..."

Senju Hisana watched as the ninja clan members began popping champagne ahead of time, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

She has actually stooped so low as to associate with these peasants; it is truly a disgrace to the name of our ancestors.

However, in order to prevent Uchiha Izuna from taking over, she had no other choice but to do this.

"I would like to ask Miss Hisa, why would the Senju clan stoop to colluding with us?"

As the leader of Nara, and the mastermind behind the ninja alliance, he had to get to the bottom of everything and clarify all the issues.

"Although I haven't been in Konoha for long, I often hear your names from my father."

"hiss……"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the Ninja Alliance gasped in shock.

Those who are frequently mentioned by Tobirama Senju never have a good ending.

"Now that my father has sacrificed himself and my uncle has disappeared, if the Senju clan wants to continue to fight against the Uchiha, they must find a solid and reliable ally."

A hint of sadness flashed across Senju Hisa's face.

"Then why not seek help from the Hyuga clan, and instead cooperate with us?"

The Hyuga clan, as the third largest clan in Konoha, possesses overall strength comparable to the Uchiha. Why does the Senju clan ignore such an excellent ally?

"Hyuga, well..."

She had considered the Hyuga clan, but due to the clan's unique circumstances, they weren't very popular among the common people, and rumors of them spying often circulated about them.

"Not familiar with them."

Of course, the main reason is that they are not very familiar with each other; Senju Hisama has not had many interactions with the Hyuga clan.

And for some reason, the current head of the Hyuga clan, Hyuga Tenki, always treats her like a plague god, turning around and running away, even though she had tried to befriend him before, it was all in vain.

"Moreover, my father often says that his disciples are all excellent ninjas, capable of great use."

Upon hearing this, the members of the Ninja Alliance immediately showed expressions of pride.

Sarutobi Sasuke and others, in particular, were grateful for their decision to hand over their children as hostages to Tobirama Senju back then.

"Miss Hisa, I'm leaving Hiruzen's matter to you."

Sarutobi Sasuke rubbed his hands together like a fly, thinking that whether he could become the village chief's father depended on this.

"Rest assured, the Senju clan will never mistreat its allies."

"Then I'm relieved."

"but……"

"But what? Miss Hisa, please speak."

Seeing Senju Hisama suddenly look troubled, Sarutobi Sasuke's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly asked,

"It's this election campaign, he needs a little bit of... this."

Senju Hisami raised her hand expressionlessly, making a gesture that everyone understood.

"It needs to operate."

"call……"

Sarutobi Sasuke, who understood immediately, breathed a sigh of relief.

"You scared me! Turns out it's about money!"

"Funding! This is called campaign funding."

"I understand, I understand. Miss Hisa, please name your price."

After so many years of hard work, the Sarutobi clan has accumulated considerable wealth in Konoha, and now they have a perfect opportunity to put it to use.

"Not much, not much. Let's transfer 10 billion as seed money first."

"what!"

Ten billion?

Is this just start-up capital?

"You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub," Sarutobi Sasuke gritted his teeth.

"Great! The start-up capital will be delivered to your door tonight."

"Excellent! Chief Sarutobi is indeed a man of great things. Whether you can hold the position of Hokage securely depends on your performance."

She just asked tentatively, and 10 billion yuan arrived in her account with just a few words.

A spur-of-the-moment idea yielded such a generous reward; Senju Hisajin finally experienced what it meant for money to come easily.

"In that case, I won't disturb your gathering any longer. Farewell."

Having reaped a bountiful harvest, Senju Hishin suppressed the smile that was curving his lips, greeted the group of ninjas, and left.

After she left, several members of the Ninja Alliance exchanged glances, then got up and made excuses to leave.

"Sasuke, I suddenly remembered there's a braised pork knuckle simmering on the stove at home, so I'll be going now."

"Chief Sarutobi, my grandmother is currently in her postpartum confinement period..."

"My mom is giving birth..."

"I sent my grandfather to the Ninja Academy..."

"..."

Hearing each and every one of the most absurd reasons, Sarutobi Sasuke practically rolled his eyes to the sky.

"These guys..."

Watching the group's departing figures, he subtly curled his lip. He was all too aware of their ulterior motives.

As for why it wasn't stopped?

This is a great opportunity to strengthen relations between allies!

Once you've taken the money, you're on our pirate ship. Even the Thousand Hands clan will have to pay a price if they want to get off.

"Come on, come on, come on..."

Once they were all alone, Senju Hisami immediately revealed her true feelings, humming a little tune with a broad smile as she walked home.

"Miss Hisana, please wait!"

Suddenly, a somewhat familiar voice came from behind, and Senju Hisami immediately regained her previous aloofness.

Turning her head, she saw a rapidly moving mountain of flesh that was in front of her in the blink of an eye.

"What instructions does Chief Shimura have?"

"Um... Miss Hisa, my son Danzo is also your father's beloved disciple. I wonder if it's possible to make arrangements..."

"Ah...this..."

Seeing Shimura Kenichi covered in sweat, Senju Hisa habitually showed a troubled expression.

"Two hundred billion! I'm willing to contribute two hundred billion to my campaign!"

Wiping the greasy sweat from his forehead, Kenichi Shimura was really going all out for his son.

"Two hundred billion!"

A golden light flashed in Senju Hisama's eyes. In this day and age, there are still such good things, with people eagerly giving her money.

"But the position of Hokage is already..."

Although she was very tempted by the green banknotes, she had already chosen Hiruzen Sarutobi, whom she trusted more, for the Hokage position. Danzo was simply born at the wrong time.

"It's okay! It's okay! As long as I can get a job in Konoha's upper echelons, that's fine."

Kenichi Shimura isn't stupid. If he really wanted to compete for the Hokage position, he'd probably get thrashed by Sarutobi Sasuke, just like TES did.

"Oh, then leave it to me. I heard Konoha is planning to establish an advisory council..."

Please!

Having received the promise, Kenichi Shimura happily went home to raise the money.

As soon as he took his first step, another figure who had been waiting for a long time approached him.

"Miss Hisana, please wait!"

……

As night fell, the area in front of Tobirama Senju's house was bustling with activity. People came and went in an endless stream, and each one left with a hopeful smile on their face.

Senju Hisana stood before the mountain of storage scrolls, inhaling the fragrant aroma of money emanating from them, her crimson eyes filled with a dazed look.

"So... money is this easy to make." (End of Chapter)