chsdbacks Chapter 68 Those traitors are enjoying wealth and luxury in Daming Prefecture.
Chapter 68 Those traitors are enjoying wealth and luxury in Daming Prefecture.
Inside the head of the guard's office, the reanimated Hashirama Senju had already transformed into an ordinary Konoha ninja using the Transformation Technique.
Short brown hair, an ordinary face, the only thing that hasn't changed is those deep eyes.
Uchiha Mitsunori took out a large amount of property and signed documents registered when the four clans left from the drawer.
He handed the documents to Hashirama, his voice low and restrained: "First Hokage, please look at these. This is a list of the property that the Sarutobi, Shimura, Utatane, and Mito clans registered and took with them when they left Konoha, along with signed confirmation forms."
Senju Hashirama took the document, his fingertips feeling slightly cool the moment they touched the paper.
His gaze swept across the first page: the densely packed entries were neatly arranged: the Sarutobi family had 373.6 billion taels of cash, the Utatane family had 137.8 billion taels of cash, the Shimura family had 195.3 billion taels of cash, and the Mito family had 129.8 billion taels of cash, totaling 836.7 billion taels of cash, an astonishing amount.
Each sum of money bears the signature of a ninja, the handwriting arrogant and domineering, as if mocking something.
Uchiha Mitsunaga walked to Senju Hashirama's side, his long, slender fingers pointing to one of the lines: "This is the evidence of their betrayal of Konoha. Hiruzen Sarutobi alone has 247 billion ryo in cash, 11 ryo in gold, and 159 million ryo in silver registered. However, through a gambling match, I managed to retrieve 200 billion ryo from Hiruzen Sarutobi; he took the rest. All this money was embezzled from Konoha's public funds."
Hashirama Senju's brows furrowed, and a vein bulged on his forehead.
When he turned to the last page and saw the total figures, the temperature in the office seemed to drop several degrees.
"Why let those toxic families leave? Wouldn't it be simpler to just execute them and reclaim Konoha's assets?"
Hashirama Senju's voice was no longer gentle, but filled with suppressed killing intent.
Uchiha Mitsunori shook his head with a wry smile, walked to the filing cabinet in the corner of the office, and took out a thick list of casualties.
"First Hokage, do you know how many fighting forces Konoha had left after the Third Shinobi World War?"
He flipped through the roster, the names densely packed like ants: "12597 ninjas died in battle, only 6652 remain. The ninjas of the Sarutobi, Shimura, Utatane, and Mito clans combined number 3556, more than half of Konoha's current fighting force."
"If we had forced a war back then, Konoha would have been reduced to ruins. Even worse, spies from Kumogakure, Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and Sunagakure had been lurking in the Land of Fire, waiting for us to fall into internal strife before invading again."
A brief silence fell over the office.
Hashirama Senju walked to the window and looked at the Hokage Rock in the distance. Next to his own statue were the faceless statues of the Second and Third Hokage.
Hashirama Senju murmured wearily, his voice filled with weariness: "No matter the era, war is inevitable... If I had agreed to Madara's plan back then... perhaps... the ending would have been different!"
Uchiha Mitsunori walked back to his desk and took out a roll of design drawings from the drawer: "Today is not the time to discuss this, First Hokage. Please take a look at this."
This is the new design plan for Konoha Village. It is labeled "Konoha Clone Center," and next to it is a detailed list of building structures and medical equipment.
"More than 2000 ninjas were left with lifelong disabilities after the war, and traditional medical ninjutsu could not give them a new lease on life. Through research into cloning technology, we might be able to help them stand up again."
Hashirama Senju carefully examined the blueprints, his expression gradually softening.
Uchiha Mitsunaga then produced several other documents: "This is the construction plan for a cultural school, so that children without chakra can also receive education; this is the construction plan for an orphanage and a nursing home... but all of these require funding."
He pressed his finger heavily on the stack of property lists: "And this money is currently being used by those traitors to enjoy wealth and luxury in Daming Prefecture!"
Hashirama Senju put down the blueprints, his gaze sharpening: "What is your plan?"
Just then, Uchiha Mitsunori pointed to the main road outside the window and said, "Lord Hashirama, did you sense that? Tsunade just got off work. Would you like to go see her?"
Hashirama Senju turned around abruptly, his powerful senses instantly locking onto a figure several hundred meters away.
Through the window, he saw a blonde woman crossing the street, her white medical ninja coat fluttering in the wind, and a green crystal pendant on her chest glittering in the sunlight.
On Hashirama Senju's disguised face, a genuine emotional fluctuation appeared: "Tsunade... she's grown so much."
Uchiha Mitsunori stood quietly to the side: "Tsunade has had a very hard time these past few years... After her younger brother Nawaki and her lover Kato Dan were murdered... she left the village... and spent her days with alcohol and gambling... She had bad luck gambling and accumulated a lot of gambling debts... She wandered around..."
Hashirama Senju's hands clenched unconsciously, and the wooden window frame groaned under the weight of his palms.
Uchiha Mitsunori continued, "I only recently brought her back to the village. She's now an advisor elder in Konoha and also serves as the head of medical affairs... but the wounds in her heart... will need time to heal..."
On the street, Tsunade stopped and, as if sensing something, looked up at the window of the guard unit.
Hashirama Senju instinctively took a step back, avoiding her gaze.
Uchiha Mitsunori gave Tsunade a knowing look and whispered, "Tsunade still misses you a lot!"
Hashirama Senju took a deep breath, and when he spoke again, his voice was icy: "Take me to the Daimyo's residence. I can't wait to teach those bastards a lesson."
Uchiha Mitsunori's expression was serious: "Lord Hashirama, we need a plan. The Daimyo's residence is heavily guarded, and we also need to consider the political implications. If we launch a direct attack, it will give the four great nations an excuse, which could very well trigger a war."
Hashirama Senju stopped moving, his brow furrowed.
Uchiha Mitsunori seized the opportunity and continued, "The four clans can be killed at any time, but we still need to utilize their power now. I suggest a secret operation, disguising ourselves and infiltrating the Daimyo's residence. Let's beat up all the ninjas of the four clans and take back the money they've embezzled."
Outside the window, a dark cloud obscured the sun, and the office suddenly became dark.
Hashirama Senju pondered for a moment, then finally nodded: "Do you have a concrete plan?"
Uchiha Mitsunori breathed a sigh of relief and quickly took a map from the bookshelf and spread it on the table: "During the Third Shinobi World War, Kirigakure and Sunagakure invaded the Land of Fire, looting seven cities and causing heavy losses to some nobles."
"As the saying goes, 'The rabbit dies, the fox grieves,' so the daimyo recruited the Sarutobi, Shimura, Utatane, and Mito clans. Firstly, to counterbalance Konoha, and secondly, to protect the capital. Therefore, he placed these four clans in the four corners of the daimyo's prefecture..."