"Damn it! My clan stipend was taken by Tobirama too!"
Tsunade snapped.
"And what does that have to do with me? Go talk to Tobirama! I didn't take your money."
Hashirama shot back without backing down.
"Hmph!"
Tsunade let out an annoyed snort and went silent.
After a while, she glanced at the cards in her hand and suddenly said,
"You're the Hokage, and yet you're this broke? That's rough."
"How am I supposed to make money when I have no time for missions?"
Hashirama protested.
"I was Hokage too. Even without doing missions, just the clan stipend alone is a decent amount."
Tsunade rolled her eyes.
"Not to mention Raijin's stipend and mission rewards. If I wanted to, I could buy a hundred Konoha casinos."
She added.
"You guys still went on missions after becoming Hokage?"
Hashirama blinked in surprise.
Buying a hundred Konoha casinos—just from missions? Even if he ignored the clan stipend and Hokage salary, the number of S-rank missions required for that was insane.
"Mainly war missions. Raijin wiped out four major hidden villages by himself."
Tsunade pursed her lips and slapped her cards onto the table.
"Three of a kind!"
"Heh…"
Hashirama chuckled and threw his cards onto the table as well.
"2, 3, 5!"
"Pay up!"
Senju Hashirama reached out toward Tsunade.
Seeing this, Tsunade's face twisted almost instantly.
Seriously…
So annoying!
…
"Minato, there's something that needs to be done next."
In the Hokage's office, Senju Tobirama had come to see Namikaze Minato.
As long as it could truly strengthen Konohagakure, Tobirama was willing to do it.
Even if it was troublesome, dealing with trouble was still better than doing nothing.
Compared to developing a new Senjutsu, turning Konohagakure into a hidden village like the Land of Whirlpools was much easier.
"Go ahead."
Minato immediately set aside his work and looked at Tobirama.
Right now, Konohagakure wasn't a place where the Hokage had the final say.
Especially with the First, Second, and Third Hokage all still around.
In reality, the so-called Fourth Hokage… was more like an employee.
"I plan to turn Konohagakure into a hidden village like Uzushiogakure. Any issues with that?"
Tobirama looked at Minato as he spoke.
"A hidden village like Uzushiogakure?"
Minato was stunned for a moment and looked at Tobirama in surprise.
"Is this what Raijin and Madara want?"
The way Tobirama said it didn't sound like he was asking for Minato's opinion…
It felt more like a decision had already been made, and he was just here to inform him.
Given the situation, it was almost certain that Raijin and Madara had already come to an agreement.
Even so, it was still necessary to confirm it.
This was also how Minato managed things with the village's higher-ups.
There wasn't much else Minato could do.
As Hokage, if he wanted the higher-ups to act, he had to rely on this kind of approach.
"This is their decision. I was the last to know."
Tobirama sighed slightly and said with a hint of helplessness.
He didn't find Minato's question unreasonable.
Honestly, not just Minato—even Tobirama himself would often consult Raijin before making a move.
After all, while not everything required brute force, having enough power on your side was never a bad thing.
And Raijin and Madara's opinions were extremely important.
If you wanted people that powerful to support you, the best and only way was to keep them happy.
"In that case, this will be much easier to handle."
Minato nodded.
In reality, this wasn't a difficult thing to achieve.
The Land of Fire and Konohagakure weren't even on the same level.
If Konohagakure really wanted to take action against the Fire Daimyo,
what could he possibly do to fight back?
Rely on his Twelve Guardian Ninja? That was a joke.
The only challenge for Konohagakure was finding the right excuse to make a move against the Land of Fire.
"Do you have a plan?"
Tobirama asked.
"Well… there aren't many good options. Personally, I'd prefer a more peaceful approach."
Minato could tell that Tobirama wanted to finalize the plan right here and now.
Which meant Tobirama wasn't planning to hold a high-level meeting about it.
In other words, no matter what the higher-ups thought, this plan was going forward.
But… what exactly was the benefit of turning Konohagakure into a village like Uzushiogakure?
If Raijin, Madara, and Tobirama all agreed on it,
then chances were that Hashirama had approved it as well.
Minato pursed his lips and let out a quiet sigh.
Without enough information, he couldn't see how this would benefit Konohagakure.
A benefit for Konohagakure…
This way, Konohagakure can gather all of the Land of Fire's resources, allowing the village to train more ninjas.
And as everyone knows, the more ninjas there are, the higher the chances of producing geniuses.
So, is the plan to concentrate all the ninja world's resources into Konohagakure?
For some reason, Namikaze Minato suddenly had a moment of realization.
Maybe this was the reason why Lord Raijin and Madara could find common ground—
Bringing together the entire ninja world's resources to fight against enemies from beyond.
As this thought settled, Minato felt a surge of excitement.
Sitting in the Hokage's office every day, managing the relationships between Konohagakure's different departments—anyone could do that.
Sure, it was tedious, but there was nothing special about it.
It was just something every Hokage had to be capable of.
But if things continued like this, what difference would it make if he were just an ordinary Jonin instead of the Hokage?
Honestly, maybe being just a regular Jonin would be better.
At least then, he could keep taking on missions and build a reputation for himself.
Instead of having some random kid in the village, standing near the Hokage Rock, pointing at his face, and asking—
~~
"Mom, who's that?"
"Uh… That's the Hokage."
If that happened, then what was the point of being Hokage?
But if he could accomplish this plan, things would be different.
"Oh? Tell me more."
Senju Tobirama rested his chin on one hand and looked at Minato with interest.
"Right now, there are a lot of homeless people in the Land of Fire. They have no place to stay, and their biggest concern every day is just getting enough to eat. I think we should start with them."
Minato paused to gather his thoughts before speaking.
"We can expand Konohagakure's outskirts, build new residential areas, and bring these people in.
If we promise them enough food and resources, they'll settle here."
"Hmm, and how will they support themselves?"
Tobirama asked.
Expanding the village wasn't a problem. With the right orders, a team of Jonin could finish the job overnight.
"We can find suitable land for farming. Some people can work the fields, while others take up trade skills."
Minato pulled out a map and spread it across the table.
"If we rely solely on Konohagakure, we won't be able to take in too many people.
So, creating new settlements outside the village is also necessary."
"This area here looks perfect for farming. It's close enough to Konohagakure that if anything happens, the village can respond quickly."
"Not bad."
Tobirama nodded approvingly before asking,
"And then?"
"When the population grows, Konohagakure will have more resources.
Other than investing in key departments, I want to bring all the ninjas together under a structured system.
The village will provide financial support, paying them on a regular basis, even when they're not on missions.
That way, ninjas can keep training at all times.
It'll also give those who were injured in battle and forced to retire a way to continue contributing."
Minato explained.
After years of handling administrative work, this was something he had come to understand.
Injured ninjas who could no longer fight were always the most unstable group in Konohagakure.
They had disabilities, yet their abilities far surpassed ordinary civilians.
The village gave them some financial aid, but it was only enough for basic survival.
If not handled properly, it could lead to big problems.
But if they were brought together and allowed to pass down their experience to the next generation—
Not only would they be useful again, but keeping them engaged would also prevent them from causing trouble out of boredom.
"Besides, we could develop more techniques like the Four Violet Flames Formation and the Four Red Yang Formation—jutsus that require multiple ninjas working together."
Minato continued.
"Hmm, that's a good idea."
Tobirama nodded.
Based on the information Raijin had shared before—
The chakra inside the human body was far greater than what Otsutsuki Kaguya had absorbed from the Chakra Fruit.
So, concentrating ninja forces and combining their strength for large-scale jutsu could be a valid strategy.
"And if we keep expanding like this, eventually, the Daimyo will feel threatened and try to take action against Konohagakure.
By that time, the civilians who have gotten used to living here won't want to go back to their old lives."
Minato nodded and continued,
"When that happens, the people will side with us, and the Daimyo's influence over us will be meaningless."
If he wanted to, Namikaze Minato could take the Daimyo's life in an instant.
To a ninja, an ordinary person like the Daimyo was far too fragile.
"Hmm, as expected of the Fourth Hokage. In such a short time, you've already come up with such a well-thought-out plan."
Tobirama nodded in satisfaction and patted Namikaze Minato on the shoulder.
"You flatter me."
Minato chuckled a little, feeling slightly embarrassed, and spoke to Senju Tobirama.
"Alright, then I'll leave this matter to you. Use the village's leadership as you see fit. If they aren't doing their jobs properly, replace them. Konohagakure doesn't need people who just sit in their positions without doing anything.
If someone wants to train, let them train properly. If someone wants to work, let them work properly. And if someone wants to enjoy life, then let them enjoy it.
Uchiha Raijin is focused on training, so he resigned as the captain of the Hokage Guard.
Tsunade wanted to enjoy life, so she stepped down from the position of Third Hokage."
"And what about others? Anything special about them?"
Senju Tobirama nodded and looked at Namikaze Minato.
"As Hokage, you must take on the responsibilities that come with it. If you ever run into a problem you can't solve, remember that the past Hokages are still alive."
"I understand. I'll do my best!"
Minato smiled and nodded. Tobirama's words, at their core, were telling him to take full control.
The First Hokage, who had been dead for many years, was now training hard to adapt to the current era.
The Second Hokage was tirelessly developing powerful new techniques at the Konohagakure Research Center.
The Third Hokage, tired of being Hokage, had gone into seclusion with Raijin to focus on training.
And all of them would be his support. As the Fourth Hokage, if he ever faced difficulties, he could always ask these people for help.
With Tobirama's words, Minato had now truly gained the authority of the Hokage.
Of course, Minato was well aware that even though he now held the Hokage's power, he couldn't let it get to his head.
The past Hokages could choose to support him, but they could also choose to bring him down.
Even so, Minato was still excited. It meant that he could now fully use all of Konohagakure's resources to accomplish something truly impactful.
If he did well, he would become a Hokage no less than those before him.
"Go ahead and do what you need to do. If you run into trouble, come find me at the Research Center."
Senju Tobirama nodded, and with that, he disappeared in an instant. .
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