Uzumaki Mito strolled along Amegakure's commercial street, her gaze filled with curiosity as she took in this unfamiliar ninja village.
Children's laughter echoed everywhere.
To celebrate Uchiha Makoto's upcoming wedding, the Ninja Academy had granted a five-day holiday. For students who had endured nearly half a year of nonstop training, it was a rare chance to breathe. Their daily taijutsu classes had truly been brutal.
In the early days, the pain after training left their bodies exhausted. Muscle aches spread through the dormitories at night, turning them into scenes of collective misery.
Yet despite the hardship, they endured.
Because they were lucky.
Ordinary people didn't even have the chance to suffer like this—let alone receive the Light Shadow's favor.
"This is really nice," Mito murmured.
For a moment, she felt as though she had returned to Konoha.
When Konoha was founded, its original purpose had been to end endless bloodshed among ninja—to let children grow up playing, learning, and laughing, rather than being sent to battle at a young age to kill or be killed.
"But Amegakure seems far wealthier than Konoha," she added quietly.
As she observed more closely, she noticed details others might miss.
Children with healthy, rosy faces. Thick, durable autumn clothing. Toys worth dozens of ryō held casually in their hands.
For children of great clans like the Senju, this wasn't unusual.
But these children bore no clan crests at all.
They were almost all from civilian families.
That implication was profound.
Even in a great village like Konoha, civilians lived frugally, constantly counting costs. Any expense over a hundred ryō required serious consideration.
The wealth Uchiha Makoto had extracted from the nobility—he had kept very little for himself. Nearly all of it was poured back into Amegakure.
Multiple money-burning projects ran simultaneously, all as village-owned enterprises. No middlemen. No private profiteering.
In Amegakure, as long as you were able-bodied and willing to work in a factory, you would never starve.
Of course, unwilling or not, you had to work—Amegakure didn't support freeloaders.
The more Mito saw, the more unbelievable it felt.
Especially when she learned that the Ninja Academy had enrolled three thousand students at once—it was outright insane.
Just how much funding did Amegakure have to burn?
Had all other expenses been cut entirely?
Mito couldn't imagine the true economic gap between Konoha and Amegakure.
And the longer time dragged on, the harder that gap would be to close.
Amegakure's finances were classified at the highest level, never disclosed publicly.
As for why—
Because the source of that money couldn't stand the light.
Soon after, still filled with questions planted by Uchiha Makoto, Mito met the man who came to greet her—Uzumaki Shinji.
Today, Shinji looked radiant.
His joy was practically overflowing.
All 36.8 billion ryō had been transferred today.
How could he not be happy?
When he saw that the wedding guest was Uzumaki Mito, his smile grew even wider. He could hardly wait to share the good news.
A feeling surged in his heart—
What's the point of wealth if you can't show it to family?
The two soon arrived at Amegakure's reception hall. The place was bustling—high-ranking nobles rarely seen in the Land of Fire, along with wealthy merchants from across the shinobi world.
Makoto was carefully weaving Amegakure's web of connections. Future trade, factories, and distribution channels would all rely on people like these.
Shinji greeted the attendants and led Mito into a private room.
Naturally, family greetings followed.
"Mito, how's life after marrying into the Senju clan? Have they treated you well?"
Shinji asked with genuine concern.
Her quality of life reflected how the Senju—and Konoha—treated the Uzumaki clan.
As for Amegakure's attitude toward the Uzumaki, Shinji already knew the answer.
But the Senju and Konoha?
That still required testing.
The sting of their past "betrayal" had never faded.
"I'm doing fine in Konoha," Mito replied with a gentle smile.
Like many who lived far from home, she understood her own joys and hardships. And like many, she chose to report only the good.
After all, family couldn't truly help—and worrying them would only cause trouble.
Materially, Mito lacked for nothing.
In the Senju clan—indeed, in all of Konoha—no one dared slight her. She was the legitimate clan head's wife. The legitimate Hokage's wife.
But emotionally, psychologically, physically—
Her treatment was abysmal.
Before Konoha was founded, life had been tolerable. Though Hashirama's love was never passionate, she didn't complain.
He was slow when it came to romance. And theirs had been a political marriage, with little interaction before the wedding. Love after marriage was always a difficult road.
After Konoha's founding, even that fragile harmony collapsed.
Because she realized—
Hashirama was capable of blazing passion.
Just not toward her.
It was all reserved for Uchiha Madara.
They were inseparable—sleeping side by side, staying out entire nights.
Each time, Tobirama would be sent to notify her.
Occasionally, Hashirama came home for dinner.
But when Mito sought intimacy at night—
At her age, when desire burned strongest—
She would hear:
"Mito, I'm tired. I spent the day with Madara… Let's sleep early. I'm meeting Madara again tomorrow."
And then—
Instant sleep. A shinobi's elite skill.
Cold words doused her longing like icy water.
This wasn't once or twice.
It had gone from rare to routine.
As a woman seeking her husband's affection—
Mito had failed completely.
"That's good. That's good," Shinji nodded, satisfied.
Both Amegakure and Konoha were pillars supporting the Uzumaki clan. Neither could be ignored.
After some pleasantries, Mito raised the matter Tobirama had entrusted to her.
Why had the Uzumaki clan allied with Amegakure without informing Konoha first?
Why had Konoha only learned through Amegakure's envoy?
Do you Uzumaki still treat Konoha as the elder brother?
Shinji merely smiled.
He couldn't openly mention Konoha's earlier betrayal—that would only damage relations.
So he explained from the perspective of clan survival.
"Konoha is strong," Shinji said calmly.
"But the Uzumaki clan can't rely on Konoha alone. Even with close ties, we can't put all our eggs in one basket. A cunning rabbit has three burrows."
Mito thought briefly.
From the Uzumaki perspective, it made sense.
From Konoha's perspective—
Well, that was her burden to bear, as the bridge between the two.
"The Uzumaki clan worries too much," she said at last.
"Konoha will protect you. This matter is understandable—I'll explain it that way."
They exchanged smiles.
The matter passed lightly.
To ease the atmosphere, Mito brought up Uchiha Makoto.
He was currently entertaining the Fire Daimyō—so even a Konoha envoy had to wait.
"The Light Shadow truly is an extraordinary man," Shinji said with enthusiasm.
"Young, powerful, far-sighted, and ambitious."
Praise flowed freely.
"And it seems you admire him greatly," Mito said.
"Of course! The Light Shadow treats the Uzumaki clan with the utmost respect. Just the bride price alone—36.8 billion ryō!"
Shinji finally released the number he'd been holding back.
His heart felt lighter.
And with it, a long-suppressed sense of revenge toward the Senju quietly dissipated.
"…How much?"
"36.8 billion?"
"I didn't mishear, did I?!"
Mito doubted her ears.
That number dwarfed even the Senju's original bride price for her—once measured in tens of millions.
Women compared themselves instinctively.
And in this comparison—
Mito lost completely.
An indescribable emotion rose in her chest.
"You heard correctly," Shinji said.
"Though called a bride price, it's really economic aid following our alliance."
He tried to sound calm.
But his flushed face betrayed him.
"This is impossible," Mito said sharply.
"Where would Makoto get that kind of money?
Shinji—have you been deceived?"
Her fear was simple:
That Makoto was empty-handed, making promises too big to keep.
But it was too late.
The alliance was public.
The Fire Daimyō himself would officiate the wedding.
Backing out now would disgrace the Uzumaki name.
"You will not slander the Light Shadow like that!" Shinji snapped.
"He paid all 36.8 billion ryō today!"
"Do you think the Uzumaki clan isn't worth that much?"
Those words—
Uttered even in private—
Were intolerable.
Mito fell silent.
She had crossed a line.
And she knew it.
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