"I think with Konoha Village's help all these years, those little brats have gotten a bit carried away and think they can do whatever they want! Truly worthless individuals!"
Ashina was very angry, but his words conveyed more disappointment. It was no wonder he felt disappointed; indeed, none of those princes were particularly promising. The only one Torifu thought was decent was the Second Prince, with whom he had lived for seven days all those years ago. However, the Second Prince was an ordinary person without Chakra, yet he still had his father's favor. Now that their father had left, his influence would naturally diminish.
Torifu stroked Ashina's back to comfort him. "Ashina-sama, I have no other intention in telling you this, but to ask you to remind the princes not to do such things again."
"However, this will not affect the relationship between our two nations."
Ashina looked at Torifu and let out a heavy sigh. "Torifu, I, Ashina, have never done anything underhanded in my life, but these sons of mine are truly making me lose face!"
Torifu nodded. "I naturally know your character, Ashina-sama. Perhaps the princes encountered some difficulty; the Land of Whirlpools might be facing economic hardship, it's hard to say. But doing such a thing is simply wrong. If Konoha Village hadn't stepped in to calm the Mizukage, he certainly would have made an enemy of the Land of Whirlpools."
Ashina understood everything Torifu said, and he was deeply ashamed. The Uzumaki Clan had always been extremely proud, as they possessed the Ninja World's most powerful Sealing Jutsu. Every clansman was skilled in learning Sealing Jutsu. Moreover, they were a bloodline branch of the Sage of Six Paths. Ashina had always taken pride in his bloodline and never did anything to tarnish his clan's name. Yet these sons of his—they didn't seem to care. They committed such a stupid act just for ten million ryō! What's more, it was obvious that the Mizukage would find out, but they did it anyway, knowing that Konoha Village had their back. But such a huge favor had nearly drained half their relationship capital. In the future, if the Land of Whirlpools needed aid, it would not be so simple.
"No wonder the Seventh Prince ran off so quickly. He left for the Land of Whirlpools first thing this morning, probably afraid of being punished if this matter came out!"
Torifu was a bit surprised; he hadn't known the Seventh Prince had left so early. Perhaps he genuinely felt a little guilty. "Ashina-sama, you need not dwell on this too much. You only need to write a letter informing the princes of Konoha Village's stance. As for the relationship between us, you do not need to worry at all, after all, you are not the Daimyō of the Land of Whirlpools."
"Furthermore, my handling of this matter was done from Konoha Village's position, not my personal one."
"If I were handling it under my personal name, I would not have come to speak with you about it, after all, neither one million nor ten million ryō is a big deal to me." Ashina patted Torifu's shoulder. "Torifu, my boy, I truly don't know how to thank you. I am so ashamed. I haven't even thanked you for the divine Fruit of Rejuvenation you gave me, and yet these sons of mine...! Oh, never mind."
Torifu smiled and said nothing. There was no doubt about Ashina's character, so this incident wouldn't affect their bond. Since the Seventh Prince came to Konoha this time, Kushina also didn't seem to have any affection for him. The Seventh Prince had tried to deepen his bond with Kushina, but she didn't seem interested. If that was the case, Torifu didn't need to give the Land of Whirlpools any special privileges. He would only ensure their healthy development so they wouldn't be destroyed by another nation. As for how successful they became, Torifu couldn't concern himself with that much.
Torifu believed that if Ashina were to return to the Land of Whirlpools now and try to retake control, his sons would definitely not be happy about it. After so many years without anyone to supervise or restrict them, once they had a taste of power, they couldn't let it go. That's why Torifu didn't let Ashina return to the Land of Whirlpools; going back would be useless, and he might not even be able to return to Konoha. Patricide was unlikely, but house arrest was a definite possibility.
Torifu and Ashina had been chatting in the yard for a long time, and the people inside must have heard something, but out of tact, no one came out. Just as they finished their talk, Naori pushed open the door and walked out.
"Oh, Torifu, when did you get here?"
Torifu smiled. "Just arrived and chatted with Ashina-sama for a bit."
Naori waved them both over. "Ashina-sama and Torifu, come quickly. Kushina too, the food is ready."
Torifu gestured for Ashina to proceed, and the two entered the house together. Kushina also ran out of the room, following behind her grandfather.
As soon as he entered Hashirama's house, he was greeted by a delicious aroma.
"Mito-sama, did you make my favorite again?" Torifu called out toward the kitchen.
Mito poked her head out and smiled. "Yes, Torifu, go take a seat quickly. The dishes will be ready right away."
Arriving in the living room, Torifu saw Hashirama and Tobirama playing a game and quietly walked behind them to observe. Hashirama was still using his signature character, Senju Hashirama... playing as himself, which was perfectly reasonable, right?
"Haha, Tobirama, you lost again! It looks like your skills are still inferior to mine."
Hashirama's booming laugh echoed throughout the entire living room, genuinely startling Torifu behind him. This made Hashirama notice Torifu.
"Oh, Torifu is here! Did you finish negotiating the cooperation with the Kage already?"
Torifu smiled and nodded. "Yes, I've established cooperation with the Mizukage, Tsuchikage, and Kazekage, though it's all about money. What Konoha Village lacks least right now is money."
"From the way you talk, you don't seem to like money? Back when I was in power, all of Konoha Village's expenses came from the Senju Clan compound; it was much tougher than your time."
When the village was first founded, they were indeed poor. The Daimyō of the Land of Fire was uncertain how much money Konoha Village deserved to be invested in, nor was he certain of its stability and usefulness. Thus, the funds given were certainly not plentiful, and they had to rely on the assets of the Uchiha Clan and the Senju Clan to develop the village. To see it at this scale now, Hashirama could wake up smiling in his sleep.
Torifu found a place to sit and continued, "Some resources can't be bought with money, and I've been worried about this. But fortunately, I've solved that issue today as well."
Hashirama thought for a moment, then a look of delight appeared in his eyes. "It must be the Land of Iron! What kind of contract did they sign with Konoha?"
Konoha was now vigorously developing its industry, manufacturing various appliances, which required a large amount of minerals and various resources.