“Hashirama really is amazing!”
“He gained the support of Uchiha clan members so quickly…
It seems the day when the Senju clan and Uchiha clan finally put an end to their generations-old feud is just around the corner!”
Time passed little by little.
Before long, Senju Hashirama reached the end of the questionnaire report.
“According to the public opinion survey, Senju Hashirama has received approximately eighty percent support.
This proves that…
Senju Hashirama becoming the village leader is the will of the people!”
This was the concluding statement personally written by Senju Tobirama.
According to his plan, over the next few days, the results and conclusions of this questionnaire survey would spread throughout the Senju clan and Uchiha clan.
He wanted to build momentum for his elder brother, Senju Hashirama, and leave Uchiha Madara absolutely no chance of becoming the village leader.
At this moment, Senju Tobirama’s smile disappeared, and a sharp glint flashed through his eyes.
He carefully observed Uchiha Madara’s expression.
Unfortunately…
he didn’t see the reaction he had been expecting.
There wasn’t the slightest trace of anger on Uchiha Madara’s face.
Instead…
was that…
excitement?
This gave Senju Tobirama the strange feeling of throwing a punch into cotton.
Was this really reasonable?
It shouldn’t be!!
Senju Tobirama began to doubt his own judgment.
By all common sense, the leader of any clan in the shinobi world would be furious after seeing such a survey report.
His own clansmen were actually rebelling!
When it came to such an important position as choosing the village leader, his clansmen actually refused to support him and didn’t even vote for him?
How outrageous!
They were all disloyal and needed to be dealt with an iron fist!
But…
Senju Tobirama soon remembered something.
The Uchiha clan was inherently troublesome, and there was clearly something wrong with their brains.
This was especially true of Uchiha clan members who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
And the Uchiha Madara standing before him possessed the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
That made him even less suitable for judging by ordinary standards!
But a person who couldn’t be judged by ordinary standards often meant a person who was extremely dangerous!
The inherently troublesome Uchiha clan…
troublesome.
Truly too troublesome!
Still, at least for now…
everything appeared to be under his control.
Thinking this, Senju Tobirama cleared his throat and looked toward his elder brother.
“Big brother, I told you long ago.
You becoming the village leader is completely in accordance with the wishes of the people!”
“No one is more qualified than you to serve as the village leader.”
After saying this, Senju Tobirama secretly glanced at Uchiha Madara from the corner of his eye.
The result?
Absolutely no reaction.
Uchiha Madara still wore that deadpan expression.
Even if Uchiha Madara himself believed that his Hashirama could completely become the village leader, he had no intention of giving Senju Tobirama—the murderer who had killed his younger brother—a pleasant expression.
“Madara, what do you think…
Actually, I think you’d be more suitable than me.
Why don’t you do it instead?”
Senju Hashirama, as always, supported Uchiha Madara.
Madara, you’d be more suitable than me!!
“Big brother, what are you talking about?”
“The Senju clan supports you becoming the village leader, and the Uchiha clan supports you becoming the village leader as well.
Everyone believes in you, and yet you’re still…”
Senju Tobirama, who had been waiting in vain for Uchiha Madara to become angry and lose his composure, was the first to break down.
He hurriedly cut in before Uchiha Madara could speak.
He was genuinely afraid that Uchiha Madara would simply agree.
Big brother, as your younger brother, I didn’t just cook the meal for you.
At this point, you could say I’ve already chewed the food up and fed it to you!
But…
Why the hell are you not even looking at it, only to spit the food directly into Uchiha Madara’s mouth?
I’ve exhausted myself, and isn’t it all for you—for the Senju clan?
If you’re not hungry, you could at least give the food to me!
Exhausted…
I want to die!
Faced with Senju Tobirama’s frantic breakdown, Uchiha Madara’s expression remained extremely calm.
His eyes showed neither anger nor sadness.
If one had to describe it, there was only an indescribable contempt.
“Insignificant Senju Tobirama!
Do you think I can’t see through your intentions?”
“Hashirama and I are different from you…”
Without a doubt!
Uchiha Madara was still an idealist at this point, filled with boundless hope for the village’s future.
This village had been founded by him and Hashirama with their own hands!
In his eyes…
Whether Senju Hashirama became the village leader or he himself became the village leader made no difference.
The most important thing was to carry out their shinobi way, ensure that children would no longer have to go to war, and ultimately achieve peace in the shinobi world!
The title of village leader was completely insignificant.
Did Hashirama really think he would be shackled by worldly fame and fortune?
The great ambitions Hashirama and I share were something that Insignificant Senju Tobirama could never understand!
“Hmph…
Hashirama, hasn’t your good little brother Senju Tobirama already prepared everything for you?”
“In that case…
I have no objections.”
“Let’s do it this way.”
Uchiha Madara’s voice was as cold and aloof as ever.
Hashirama…
I don’t mind if you become the village leader.
But your younger brother Senju Tobirama has been scheming behind my back right under my nose.
I’m unhappy about that.
So you have to make it up to me!
(I heard you’re supposed to accompany that woman, Uzumaki Mito, tonight.
I hope you know what the right thing to do is!)
“Madara…
that’s not what Tobirama meant!”
“I’ve always believed that you’d be more suitable to become the village leader than me.”
Senju Hashirama became somewhat anxious.
He had understood the implication behind Uchiha Madara’s words.
Madara…
He was sulking!
What should I do?!
“That’s enough.
I still have something to do, so I’ll be leaving first.”
Uchiha Madara gave Senju Tobirama a cold glance, then looked meaningfully at Senju Hashirama.
After saying this, he left the room without looking back.
Hashirama, there are too many people here.
I’ll wait for you somewhere else!
Seeing this scene, Senju Tobirama was quite pleased.
His scheme seemed not to have produced the effect he had expected…
But the final result should still count as a success, right?
Meanwhile, Senju Hashirama looked anxious.
He immediately put down the questionnaire report in his hands and hurried out the door after Madara.
Corridor
“Madara…
wait for me!
Listen to me explain…
I’ve always supported you becoming the village leader!”
“Didn’t I already say that this matter is settled?
I, Uchiha Madara, never go back on my word!”
Uchiha Madara folded his arms across his chest, continuing to play it cool.
Hashirama, I don’t care about being the village leader!
What I care about is your attitude!!
“All right, then…
Madara…
are you free tonight?”
“Didn’t you say you were going to spend tonight with Mito?”
“Another day.
Another day!
Mito won’t mind.
Since I’m going to become the village leader, tonight is actually a good opportunity for us to discuss how to plan the village’s future.”
“Hmph…
honestly…
Fine!”
Hearing this, Senju Hashirama immediately broke into a delighted smile.
He slung an arm around Uchiha Madara’s shoulders, then turned toward the office they had just left and shouted:
“Tobirama!
Tell Mito for me that I won’t be coming home tonight!”
Senju Tobirama: “….”
(Am I going to get used as my sister-in-law’s punching bag again?)
That evening, Uzumaki Mito had prepared an entire table of dishes and was eagerly waiting for her husband, Senju Hashirama.
The expectant look in her eyes and the way she sat there…
She looked practically like a stone statue waiting for her husband to return.
And the result was self-evident.
Uzumaki Mito would apparently be spending another night alone.
The only person who returned was Senju Tobirama.
Seeing that only Senju Tobirama had returned, Uzumaki Mito asked in confusion:
“Tobirama, where’s your big brother?
Why didn’t he come back with you?”
“Sister-in-law, Big Brother asked me to tell you that he’s going to spend the entire evening with Uchiha Madara, so…
he won’t be coming home for dinner!”
Senju Tobirama answered nervously.
Uzumaki Mito: “AAAAAH…
that naturally troublesome Uchiha Madara…
I *****!”
“******”
“And Tobirama!
Didn’t I repeatedly warn you to keep an eye on your big brother and make sure he spent less time with that Uchiha Madara?”
“I made an entire table of food!
What am I supposed to do with it now?!”
Senju Tobirama: “Sister-in-law, this is really difficult to deal with!”
(Sister-in-law, you can’t even keep an eye on your own man.
How is that my fault?)
(Besides, I’m starving too.
Big Brother and Uchiha Madara have run off, and I’ve been working all day.
I can finish this entire table by myself!)
Uzumaki Mito: “Difficult?
Then don’t do it!”
(Mito flips the table.jpg)
…….
Meanwhile…
Uchiha Makoto was lying on his bed.
At this moment, he was experiencing both pain and joy, his emotions so complicated that he couldn’t fall asleep.
After days of tireless effort, he had successfully secured the sponsorship of the Fire Daimyō.
The Fire Daimyō had expressed his strong approval of Uchiha Makoto’s plan to establish a shinobi village, provide the Uchiha clan with a fallback option, and keep the Senju clan in check.
He was even willing to provide Uchiha Makoto with a wide range of support, including but not limited to financial support, land and facilities, favorable policies, and so on.
For a daimyō, maintaining balance in the shinobi world was extremely important!
Senju Hashirama’s attempt to gather the Uchiha clan under his banner, establish a shinobi village, and subsequently sweep across the shinobi world was an extremely dangerous prospect.
The daimyō was so worried about this that he couldn’t even sleep peacefully.
However…
The daimyō’s support also had its limits.
Take financial support, for example.
The daimyō had initially provided Uchiha Makoto with one billion ryō in funding.
After all, Uchiha Makoto was still far too weak at this point.
His grand promises were beginning to sound like a recruitment scam.
Mere threat theories and promises of a glorious future weren’t enough for the daimyō to offer his full support.
One billion ryō sounded like an enormous amount.
Well…
For Uchiha Makoto personally, it really was an astronomical sum.
Using the standard minimum reward of one million ryō for an S-rank mission, Uchiha Makoto would need to complete a full one thousand S-rank missions.
If he followed the normal shinobi system and accepted missions one by one, he’d probably have to work like a laborer in the shinobi world, living frugally and working himself to death, just to earn that amount.
But…
For a shinobi village—especially a newly established village where money was needed for absolutely everything—it could only be considered basic startup capital.
Still short of money…
Damn it, he was still short of money!
Uchiha Makoto was genuinely troubled by this.
But thank the heavens.
His efforts over the past few days had borne fruit.
Aside from securing the daimyō’s support, he had also recruited a minor shinobi clan—the Sato clan.
The clan head was named Kazuma Sato, and the entire clan consisted of only around a dozen people.
But no matter what…
His shinobi village had finally been successfully established!
Of course…
None of that was the most important thing!
What mattered was that tonight, his system had finally met the conditions required for activation.
“System, activate!”
[Shinobi Village Prosperity System: The more prosperous and powerful the shinobi village under your command becomes, the more generous the rewards Uchiha Makoto will receive.]
[System activation requirement — Become the leader of a shinobi village.]
[Requirement fulfilled…
Loading system…
Progress: 97…
98…
100…
System activated!]
Uchiha Makoto listened excitedly to the mechanical electronic countdown in his ears.
The instant the system activated, he eagerly opened his system panel and began studying it carefully.
After looking through it for a while…
Uchiha Makoto felt that his damn system was as terrible as something a drunken old man might have created while picking his feet.