Chapter 170 – Tobirama Senju: The Job of a Ninja World Police Officer Is Truly Vast and Boundless!
Konoha.
In the Hokage's office, Tobirama Senju was poring over the intelligence reports in his hands.
At present, Konoha's information was far from complete. All they knew was that the ninja squad dispatched by Iwagakure had suffered devastating losses. The young ninja Mu, in whom the First Tsuchikage had placed great hopes, was seriously injured—though not dead, as the sensationalist newspapers were claiming.
Such classified information should have been sealed off. Yet somehow, it had suddenly spread throughout the entire ninja world.
It was entirely possible that Iwagakure, unable to swallow its humiliation, had deliberately leaked the story to find a justifiable pretext to strike at Kirigakure.
But to Tobirama, this kind of ploy felt all too familiar.
Although there was no solid evidence, his instincts immediately pointed toward Uchiha Makoto.
After careful thought—trusting his intuition and recognizing these familiar methods—Tobirama concluded that Uchiha Makoto must have had a hand in this affair.
In fact, he suspected that Makoto might very well be the mastermind behind it all.
Originally, Tobirama had believed that after Uchiha Makoto's recent string of major operations, the man would rest for a few years to digest his gains.
But no—he'd let his guard down for just a moment, and once again missed the chance to stop Makoto's next move!
Clutching his side in frustration, Tobirama winced. Days of overwork—shuttling day and night between the Hokage's office and his laboratory—had left his liver aching even worse than before.
Right now, Tobirama wanted nothing more than to tear the intelligence report into shreds.
But he restrained himself.
"Uchiha Makoto, what the hell are you trying to do!?"
"Can't you stop stirring up trouble for once!?"
"Keep a close eye on the developments of this incident, and monitor Akatsunimura's movements carefully!"
"And get me in contact with Uchiha Makoto. I can't let him run wild any longer!"
Iwagakure.
The First Tsuchikage frowned as he read the report before him.
Although the current public opinion across the ninja world favored Iwagakure, and the morale within the village was soaring—ready to strike back at Kirigakure at his command—he couldn't shake his unease.
The leaked intelligence had set off a frenzy of speculation and outrage across the village, placing him on a pedestal he could no longer step down from.
Uchiha Makoto's recent exploits had set a dangerous precedent.
The Akatsunimura had mobilized its forces to avenge just two mid-level ninja and returned victorious from its northern campaign against Kumogakure.
If the First Tsuchikage now struck at Kirigakure to avenge Mu, but failed to act decisively or achieve results equal to Makoto's, he would become the subject of ridicule—and his prestige within Iwagakure would plummet.
He could feel the trap closing around him.
He knew better than anyone that war was no child's game.
And besides—
Iwagakure was far too distant from Kirigakure. An ocean separated them.
Just the logistics of such an expedition would consume the village's entire reserves, accumulated over years of peace—and even then, there was no guarantee of success.
To start an all-out war over a fit of anger would be sheer folly.
"Damn it, who's the bastard behind this scheme…?"
"Wait a second… could it be…?"
A sudden flash of insight struck him.
Could it be Kōkage—Uchiha Makoto?
The suspicion wasn't baseless.
If Iwagakure hadn't meddled in the war between Akatsunimura and Kumogakure, Makoto would have been able to seize the third defense line and gain more leverage at the negotiation table.
Their interference had earned Iwagakure Akatsunimura's enmity.
And the Tsuchikage had to admit—the underhanded tactics looked eerily familiar.
Makoto exploiting this opportunity to make Iwagakure look foolish made perfect sense.
Still, the Tsuchikage wasn't sure whether Makoto was acting purely out of spite—or whether there was a deeper motive.
"Forget it. I'll contact Uchiha Makoto myself. Whatever his goal, if I can pay a price to earn Akatsunimura's support, it'll make this problem much easier to resolve."
With that thought, he prepared to humble himself before Makoto.
For the good of the village, personal pride meant nothing.
Kirigakure.
The First Mizukage slowly opened his wise, weary eyes and looked toward Hōzuki Gengetsu.
Gengetsu was powerful but arrogant and unruly—and this time, his recklessness had brought trouble to Kirigakure.
Though the village was far from the mainland, Uchiha Makoto's propaganda had shaken the entire ninja world, making it seem as if Iwagakure might declare war on Kirigakure at any moment.
Because Makoto's emergence had drawn away many clans that would have otherwise joined Kirigakure, the village's current strength was much weaker than it should have been.
If war broke out with Iwagakure, Kirigakure would be at a severe disadvantage.
"Gengetsu, I told you to stay out of trouble on your missions. If Iwagakure launches a war against us now—"
"Oh, come on, squinty-eyes. It's just Iwagakure. We're separated by an ocean. Even if they come, it'll be a waste of effort!"
"That's no excuse for you to attack their ninjas on a whim!"
"Squinty-eyes, you looking for a fight?"
The two men glared at each other.
Gengetsu's behavior had angered the other "squinty-eyed" ninja in the room—the future Third Mizukage.
But Gengetsu himself was the future Second Mizukage.
They were rivals by nature—both strong-willed, both competitive—and it wasn't long before their argument turned into open hostility.
Even the First Mizukage felt helpless.
Gengetsu was indeed powerful and talented enough to bear the title of Mizukage—but his personality… left much to be desired.
"Enough! Stop quarreling," said the First Mizukage at last.
"What's done is done. We'll just have to adapt to whatever comes next.
If Iwagakure demands too much—if they truly want war—then we'll fight! "
A man capable of founding one of the Great Hidden Villages could hardly be a coward.
He had walked through seas of corpses in the Warring States Era.
If war was unavoidable, then Kirigakure would face it head-on.
"Mizukage-sama, I'll take my leave," said Gengetsu.
"Go," the First Mizukage replied.
Gengetsu snorted, shot one last glare at the squinty-eyed man beside him, and strode out.
As the future Third Mizukage also prepared to leave, the First Mizukage stopped him, laid a hand on his shoulder, and said:
"Gengetsu's nature is wild and unruly. You must guide him well."
Akatsunimura.
Meanwhile, the mastermind—Uchiha Makoto—paid almost no attention to the chaos between Iwagakure and Kirigakure.
He knew full well that while his propaganda had indeed stirred up fear and tension across the ninja world, the actual outcome wouldn't differ much from the "original storyline."
He never believed Iwagakure and Kirigakure would truly wage a large-scale war.
Public opinion was just a tool—a gust of wind to fan the flames.
The scale of any real war would still depend on logistics and geography.
Akatsunimura, located in the Land of Fire, was separated from Kirigakure by an ocean—let alone from Iwagakure.
How could they possibly fight across such distances?
In the end, it would be all thunder and no rain.
Makoto's true goal was simply to muddy the waters—to stir chaos so he could fish in it.
Once the situation escalated enough, he could step in under the banner of "mediator," "peacemaker," and "guardian of ninja world justice."
At the moment, however, his focus was elsewhere—on Akatsunimura's internal affairs and its dealings within the Land of Fire.
After glancing briefly at the latest intelligence from his ANBU, he set the report aside.
Today, he had a far more important meeting to attend.
He had invited several wealthy Arasaka-aligned merchants, noble families with ties to Akatsunimura, and professionals from the financial sector—all staunch supporters of his.
Inside the conference room—
"Is everyone here?"
"Kōkage-sama, just one person is still missing."
"Oh? Then we'll wait a bit."
"Why not start without him? Everyone else is here—no need to waste time on one man."
The room buzzed with impatience.
Everyone was eager to know what Makoto had planned.
But Makoto said nothing. He simply poured himself a cup of tea and drank in silence.
Seeing that, the others reluctantly held their tongues and waited.
After fifteen minutes, the tardy man finally arrived, bowing repeatedly and dripping with sweat.
"My apologies, everyone—I was late because of traffic…"
"Traffic? Ever heard of punctuality?"
"Yeah, maybe next time you can just stay home and wait for the results!"
"Ahem."
Makoto coughed twice, breaking the tension. Then he began pouring tea for everyone.
"Please, gentlemen—have some tea."
The room immediately fell silent.
Once everyone had finished their tea, Makoto got straight to the point.
"I want to thank you all for your continued support—for me and for Akatsunimura.
We are the pioneers of a new age. Those who cling to the old ways and feed off outdated systems will be swept aside by us.
Akatsunimura will issue its own currency, primarily in paper form.
I intend to make it circulate throughout the Land of Fire—and eventually, throughout the entire ninja world. "
The representatives' eyes lit up.
Years of war had stifled the economy, reducing trade. Most transactions were still conducted with precious metals.
But now, trade was booming—and the old methods had become cumbersome and inefficient.
With modernization inevitable, the Land of Fire needed a unified paper currency system.
Yet thanks to the mismanagement of previous daimyō, the credibility of any paper money had long been destroyed.
The people had suffered for years—but had no power to change it.
To rebuild a functioning monetary system required a force powerful enough to guarantee it—and brave enough to face the political backlash.
Now Akatsunimura had stepped forward.
The plan would benefit everyone. Those with money could invest; those with influence could support.
If it succeeded, everyone would profit.
Still, the room filled with hesitant whispers.
The memory of the daimyō's reckless manipulation of currency was hard to forget.
No one wanted to see their wealth evaporate overnight.
Makoto smiled faintly.
"Gentlemen, rest assured—I'm not a fool without foresight.
The new currency will first circulate within Akatsunimura itself.
This village is my creation—if the monetary system collapses, Akatsunimura will suffer first.
I have no intention of digging my own grave.
As I said, my goal is to make Akatsunimura's currency circulate across the entire ninja world.
And this is just the beginning.
Tell me—have you ever heard of a currency tide? "
"Oh? Please elaborate, Kōkage-sama!"
With practiced ease, Makoto began spinning his grand vision—the theory of the Currency Tide.
One day, he explained, the capital in the Land of Fire would surge and overflow, and Akatsunimura's central bank could quietly "release the waters," guiding that capital toward other nations—and, at the perfect moment, raise interest rates to pull it all back.
The representatives didn't fully grasp the economic mechanisms—but they understood the implications.
By the time Makoto finished, they were awestruck.
This man wasn't just powerful—he was dangerous.
If such a plan succeeded, it could topple nations effortlessly, draining their wealth without a single battle.
Of course, implementation wouldn't be easy.
Akatsunimura's currency would need to be backed by a solid anchor—and Makoto had already chosen it: Chakra.
The Currency Tide Plan and Akatsunimura's Chakra and Jutsu Popularization Program were two sides of the same coin—interlinked, mutually reinforcing.
It was all part of Makoto's grand design: to use these mechanisms to ultimately crash this corrupted world.
Everyone invited to this meeting was a visionary in their own right—ambitious men who trusted Makoto implicitly.
After hearing his plans, their hesitation vanished. They pledged their full support.
When the meeting finally ended, Makoto exhaled in relief.
Moments later, he received a "cordial" letter from Tobirama Senju.
The message was simple: nearly an entire page of curses, followed by a time and place to meet.
Makoto chuckled.
"Ah, Tobirama—your instincts are as sharp as ever. And your timing too.
Perfect. If Konoha joins in, the results will be even more spectacular! "
"After all, the ninja world needs a police force to uphold justice!"
(End of Chapter)