Hashirama could wake up smiling in his sleep, seeing the village at its current scale.
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. Other resources were manageable; the Land of Fire was rich in resources, enough for Konoha to use for decades. Moreover, Konoha imported these resources from other countries, undoubtedly slowing the consumption of the Land of Fire's own resources. So, these were not major problems.
Minerals, however, were a bothersome topic. Up until now, when Konoha needed minerals, it was only for making kunai, shuriken, and various Ninja Tools. These consumables were recyclable, and the few small mineral veins within the Land of Fire were sufficient. Not to mention the large vein in the Valley of Hell. But even the Valley of Hell couldn't withstand ten years of mining and was already nearing depletion. The few mines in the Land of Fire couldn't solely supply Konoha; the Royal Capital and other villages also needed to consume them. Unfortunately, manufacturing appliances required a huge amount of minerals. Therefore, they had to turn their sights to the Land of Iron.
"General Ichiryu of the Land of Iron is reasonable, and he is currently working with his apprentice to reform the Land of Iron. So, he signed a contract with Konoha to cover all inhabited villages in his entire country with electrical appliances."
"This is a massive order. The minerals from this single contract alone will be enough for Konoha's development for five or six years, or even longer."
Hearing Torifu's words, everyone in the room smiled. Naturally, the better the village developed, the happier they were.
Hashirama exclaimed, "Excellent! This makes it worthwhile for you to spend your first day of marriage meeting with them. The returns are truly wonderful. I imagine Naori can forgive you."
At the mention of Naori, Torifu looked at her apologetically. "I apologize, Naori. Work took up our entire morning, but there's nothing scheduled for the afternoon."
Naori smiled gently. "Of course, it's fine. Hearing that the village signed so many contracts with other countries makes me very happy too." Naori was as understanding as ever.
Afterward, everyone sat together and chatted about some amusing anecdotes from the meetings. Torifu deliberately omitted the details regarding the Land of Water. He didn't want Ashina to lose face in front of everyone. Although their discussion in the courtyard was a bit loud, only Naori likely overheard it. No harm done.
"Torifu, Naori, come and bring the dishes." Mito called from the kitchen. Torifu and Naori immediately got up to help. Tobirama and Ashina also rose to set the table and arrange the cutlery. Only Hashirama remained seated on the sofa, claiming his duel arena rewards.
In reality, Hashirama had a certain sense of male chauvinism, or rather, most men in the Ninja World shared this trait—the belief that women should stay home to cook while men went out to earn money and fight. This situation existed even in the original world, let alone this Ninja World where one could wield power; the male chauvinism was even more pronounced.
However, since Torifu became Hokage, the villagers' mindsets had gradually begun to shift. Before, Tobirama and Hashirama would have done nothing, simply waiting to eat. Everything would have been prepared by Mito. Now, Tobirama would help with small tasks. Hashirama, though, still maintained his old views. There was nothing that could be done; even though his body was young again, his soul and mentality hadn't changed at all. Still, Hashirama was extremely good to Mito; most people couldn't match his dedication.
Before long, the food was placed on the table. There were eight dishes in total, including those with flavors Torifu liked, and some he wasn't fond of, such as sashimi. However, since his Master's wife was treating, he couldn't be picky; he could simply choose not to eat those dishes.
"Today is Torifu and Naori's first day of marriage. We were wondering if you two have gotten used to this life as a pair."
Torifu scratched his head and smiled. "It's fine, really. It's not about getting used to it. Everything feels like it happened naturally. Perhaps it's because we grew up together since childhood. Now, it's just a change in status."
"We haven't felt any difference, really."
Naori nodded, sharing Torifu's sentiment. She had initially expected some discomfort or clashes in their living habits, but in the end, they discovered that their habits had already merged over the two decades they spent together. Their habits were surprisingly consistent; what they liked and disliked were exactly the same. It felt truly miraculous.
Hearing the young couple's answer, Hashirama and Mito chuckled behind their hands. "You two are like that because you grew up together. Your Master and I cultivated our relationship after we got married."
"When we first started living together, it was really uncomfortable. Our habits were completely different, and it took a long time to smooth things out."
This was the first time Mito had told Torifu and the others the story of her marriage to Hashirama. Thinking about it, Mito and Hashirama's marriage had been somewhat of a political alliance; they had no emotional foundation. Everything was cultivated later on, resulting in the deep affection they shared today. This was completely different from Torifu and Naori's relationship.
"But no matter what, as long as you're happy, that's all that matters," Hashirama said at the right time.
Mito glanced at Hashirama, seemingly surprised to hear such words come from his mouth.
Yes, as long as we're happy. Torifu felt that he was very happy right now. The affection he shared with Naori wasn't turbulent or dramatic; it was very calm. It flowed like a quiet stream, just like the life Torifu desired—less drama, more simplicity.
During the meal, Torifu occasionally helped Naori with some food. He only picked out the things Naori liked; that was their mutual understanding—they didn't need to ask to know each other's preferences. Therefore, a calm, steady love like theirs wasn't necessarily a bad thing. While a dramatic, passionate love was certainly nice, it simply wasn't suited for Torifu and Naori.
The conversation flowed back and forth across the dinner table, and the dishes gradually diminished. Once Torifu ate the last slice of meat, the gathering for the day was completely over.
"Naori, shall I take you somewhere tonight?"