Tobirama: Big Brother, You'll Regret This. (Third Update)**
"Big brother, have you lost your mind?!"
"Two million ryō isn't enough, and now you want to add another two million?!"
"Do you even understand how much money it takes to build a powerful and prosperous Konoha? Even the ten billion ryō granted by the Fire Daimyō is nowhere near enough!"
"And this so-called 'Konoha's inherent flaw'—where did that even come from?!"
"???"
Tobirama's voice trembled slightly. He had pinched every ryō, shaved every budget, not so that his brother could go insane today.
He had always thought his brother was a bit… unconventional.
But now—
He was getting worse.
To openly claim that Konoha's ninja possessed inherent flaws—if that ever spread beyond this room, the consequences would be disastrous.
"The article says exactly that!" Hashirama insisted.
"If a ninja village can't do this, it means its ninja still retain the flaws of the Warring States Era. I think it's absolutely right!"
Hashirama looked intoxicated, smacking his lips as though savoring the aftertaste.
What a profound little story from Amegakure—philosophy woven into every line.
'Turning hatred into warm soup to nourish the heart.'
That was what Hashirama had pursued all his life.
Was it not his tireless effort that had ended the blood feud between the Senju and the Uchiha? Now, he wanted to pass that spirit on to the entire village.
"…"
"Enough, big brother. This is ridiculous."
"That money is guaranteed to be gone forever—like meat buns thrown to dogs. Instead of wasting it on this nonsense, we should spend it on something meaningful. I absolutely refuse!"
"Two million ryō cannot be spent on something like this!"
Emotionally, Tobirama could admit that Hashirama's intentions weren't wrong.
But rationally, the entire thing felt absurd—deeply, inexplicably wrong. Something about it reeked of abnormality, yet he couldn't pinpoint exactly why.
And above all—
It was expensive.
"Tobirama, your thinking is far too narrow," Hashirama said, clearly disappointed.
"We need to look further ahead. What matters most is will—what you yourself once called the Will of Fire. Isn't this exactly what you advocated?"
Disappointment filled Hashirama's face.
He didn't understand.
Why would Tobirama oppose such a good proposal?
He wasn't gambling with village funds—he was trying to cleanse Konoha of its flaws, to build a better village.
So what if it cost a bit more money?
Two million ryō?
Even twenty million ryō would be worth it if it erased Konoha's inherent flaws.
"I'm narrow-minded?!"
Tobirama's eyes widened in disbelief.
He couldn't believe those words came out of his brother's mouth.
His brother, who spent all day fooling around with the "inherently evil" Uchiha Madara—sometimes disappearing for an entire day.
While he sat here working himself to the bone, drafting plans for the next thirty years—
And now he was being called narrow-minded?!
"Tobirama, you must approve this funding!"
"I'm doing this for Konoha!"
"I refuse!"
Hashirama slammed down the final card.
"Tobirama—I am the Hokage!"
Tobirama clenched his teeth.
"Big brother… you will regret this."
He was so angry he could barely breathe. For a moment, he even wondered if Hashirama's mind had been hit by some kind of genjutsu.
There was something wrong with that book.
Very wrong.
After a long silence, Tobirama sighed.
His brother rarely tried to do something serious. Even though Tobirama could already foresee the outcome, he still chose to compromise.
After all—
That was his brother.
And he was the Hokage.
"Fine. You win."
"I'll approve two million ryō. But only this once. Any further funding, you earn yourself."
"And you might as well use this opportunity to stay away from Uchiha Madara."
Tobirama yielded.
"That's great!"
"Tobirama, I knew you'd agree with me!"
"I'm going to place the boxes with Madara right now!"
Hashirama beamed with joy, grabbed the approval slip, and rushed off to the Finance Department—fully intending to complete the plan together with Uchiha Madara.
"…I need to study this book carefully."
"After reading it, big brother practically lost his sanity. That's terrifying."
Tobirama muttered to himself, picking up the copy of New Ninja that Hashirama had left behind.
Capital of the Land of Fire
Under a heavy, oppressive atmosphere, Uchiha Makoto stepped into the Fire Daimyō's reception hall.
The Fire Daimyō was already waiting. The moment he saw Makoto, he sprang to his feet.
"Makoto, do you have any idea what you're doing?! Using my banner to carve meat off the nobles—do you know many of them are now planning to unite against me?!"
"Please rest assured, Your Highness," Makoto replied calmly.
"Amegakure remains unwavering in its support of you."
"You support me—and yet you pull stunts like this behind my back?!"
The Daimyō's anger was unmistakable.
This could truly explode into a disaster. If the great nobles banded together against him, even as Daimyō, he might not survive the consequences.
"I had no choice, Your Highness," Makoto said smoothly.
"Amegakure is short on funds."
"Short on funds?!"
The Daimyō's voice rose again.
Not long ago, Amegakure had walked away with nine billion ryō in profit. Even to him, that was an enormous sum. How could they possibly be short on money?
"Everything is for dealing with Senju Hashirama," Makoto continued.
"He is far too powerful to be defeated by any single individual. To oppose him, we must rely on numbers."
"I've recruited three thousand reserve ninja in one sweep. They will form the sharpest blade to defend Amegakure, protect Your Highness, and counter Senju Hashirama."
Once again, Makoto pulled out Hashirama as his shield.
The Daimyō gradually calmed down.
He knew well how terrifying Hashirama's strength was—and had long hoped for a force capable of restraining him.
Having a sword unused was still better than having no sword at all.
"Please take a look, Your Highness. These are Amegakure's recent expenditures."
Makoto presented the account books.
They detailed the training of three thousand ninja, construction of a wartime logistics reserve system, medical-nin training programs, and the establishment of explosive tag factories.
Every item burned money.
Naturally—
Amegakure's finances were still extremely healthy.
Because this ledger was fake.
If you dare, Makoto thought, send accountants to Amegakure and audit it yourself.
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