Chapter 17: Workhorse Life
[System, isn't there an item that can just transport me to the Crown Prince's era in one go? If not, Kakashi's time would be fine. Let me go fight in the Third or Fourth Great Ninja War.]
[Host, please don't make things difficult for me, meow. With a hundred rewards, you will surely survive until the Fourth Great Ninja War—and even have a hand in starting it. The system believes in you!]
Stelle was just asking casually; she hadn't actually pinned her hopes on some magical item.
She stepped out of the restaurant, her footsteps echoing softly in the alley. After several twists and turns through the unfamiliar streets, she arrived at a bustling Exchange Center. Recently, she had been operating under the identity of a bounty hunter. Her formidable strength had even landed her a high-profile mission directly from the Daimyo: to gather intelligence on the Hidden Cloud Village.
Over in the Land of Fire, Konohagakure was undergoing what sounded like a full-blown revolution, having already broken free from the Daimyo's direct control. Seeing how well Konoha was developing—especially now that its economic lifeline was no longer held hostage by the feudal lord, a factor that had always hindered its growth—the other great villages were starting to get ideas.
The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning, in particular, was growing anxious. He had hired a slew of shinobi from the Exchange Center, all tasked with probing the First Raikage's attitude.
Stelle had accepted the mission. She hadn't just taken a leisurely stroll through Kumogakure; she had even found her way into the First Raikage's office for a chat. The final result, naturally, was a full-blown brawl with the man himself.
After tallying the mood values she had squeezed from the other three nations, Stelle came to a familiar conclusion: Konoha was still the most profitable venture.
After all, the entire narrative of this world revolved around Konoha. The First Kage of the other villages were like the Hyuga Clan Head or Uzumaki Ashina from the Warring States Period—they had names, but they carried little narrative weight. Without a titan like Uchiha Madara to stir the pot, there simply wasn't much emotion to be farmed.
'I might as well just go back to Konoha and work honestly,' she mused.
Stelle turned on her heel and left the Exchange Center. Activating the Flying Thunder God Technique, she sensed several of her marked coordinates and vanished from the Land of Lightning in a flash.
She needed to scout a new identity, a new alias, and get back to earning mood values. A day without income made her feel uncomfortable all over.
In the Hidden Leaf Village, a strange calm had settled. Ever since Tobirama and Uchiha Izuna had their talk, the two had completely reined in their emotions, returning to their former states of cool-headed composure.
They no longer spoke of Stelle, nor did they even mention her name. It was as if they had sealed her memory deep within their hearts, choosing instead to throw themselves into the monumental task of building their new home.
After Senju Hashirama officially took office as the First Hokage, he quickly won the sincere support of every shinobi and villager. His carefree personality and gentle approach to resolving conflicts made him seem like an angel, especially when compared to the other hot-headed figures in the village's leadership.
Under his guidance, the village began to develop in an orderly fashion, with political power consolidated firmly in the hands of the four founders. As for the Daimyo, Stelle had repeatedly warned them that a country could not have two voices and that true power must be held in one's own hands.
So, the four of them simply ignored him. Aside from making an appearance when they were short on funds, they treated the Daimyo's decrees like utter nonsense. They were all in their prime, and the Daimyo didn't dare provoke them anyway. This subtly diluted the common people's sense of awe toward the nobility, though it was only a small first step.
Influenced by Stelle's forward-thinking ideals, the ultimate goal for Tobirama and Izuna was to seize complete control of the Land of Fire and its political power. But for now, they first had to learn how to properly manage a single village.
With everything waiting to be rebuilt, and in order to put the ordinary citizens at ease, the village successively established a hospital, an orphanage, a police force, a school, and other essential facilities.
The Senju Clan's natural talent meant that most of its members possessed some degree of Medical Ninjutsu. It was only fitting to leave the management of the hospital to them.
As for the Konoha Military Police Force, it was originally intended for the Uchiha Clan. However, both Tobirama and Izuna hesitated, sensing that the position was a thankless one, bound to create friction.
Hashirama raised his hand. "Why not let me do it? No matter what the dispute is, I'll handle it well!"
The other three immediately recalled the scene when they were inviting the various ninja clans to join their cause. While they had been piloting a Susanoo or brandishing their weapons, Hashirama had suddenly dropped to his knees in a dramatic bow.
If a large-scale clan dispute broke out and he, the Hokage, stepped forward to kowtow to each side… The thought alone sent a cold sweat trickling down their foreheads.
They absolutely could not let that happen again.
"You just focus on being the Hokage!" the three of them snapped in unison.
"But being Hokage is so boring," Hashirama whined. "I'm processing documents every day, and I was never good at this stuff to begin with."
"That's still a no."
The hospital had already been given to the Senju. If their big brother, the Hokage, then went to take a piece of the Uchiha's pie, wouldn't that just be asking for trouble? After some thought, they decided to supplement the Police Force with a small contingent from the Hyuga Clan, whose exceptional insight would be very useful.
Uchiha Izuna added, "Let's also arrange for some shinobi from non-clan backgrounds. If shinobi from the major clans show up for every small dispute, it might feel like they're using their power to oppress others. If civilian-born shinobi step in, everyone's status is equal, and the villagers won't develop a rebellious mindset."
"What about the school?" The Ninja Academy was still under construction, but someone needed to be assigned to take charge.
"We'll consider that later. The most urgent matter right now is developing the economy, but how to do that is the problem."
"We need money for construction everywhere," Izuna stated, his brow furrowed. "If we can't break away from the financial support of the Daimyo and nobles and establish our own independent economic system, we'll still be held in check by them, just like during the Warring States Period. The only difference is that before it was families, and now it's a village."
The 'Village Construction Guide' Stelle had provided was just a bare-bones outline. It touched upon everything with a few words but lacked any specific, actionable steps. The two intellectual powerhouses, who had spent their lives on the battlefield and were completely out of touch with civilian production, were at a loss.
"Who doesn't understand the logic?" Tobirama snapped, annoyed by the questioning. He decided to push the problem onto Izuna. "But as for how to apply it, you're the one who should be providing a plan! Weren't you the one who wanted to manage the economy? Don't ask me about everything!"
"I have a way!" Izuna declared, adopting the tone of a seasoned scholar. "First, we develop agriculture so that every household is well-fed and has surplus grain. This requires research. Aren't you the one who loves researching strange jutsu? Start by researching how to increase crop yields. Then, we establish merchant caravans to trade with other countries and sell the Land of Fire's rich local specialties..."
"That could work," Tobirama conceded, his mind already turning. "We can also build various entertainment facilities in the village to provide employment opportunities for everyone..."
The two began another heated discussion, their bodies practically humming with the spirit of overworked bureaucrats. To the side, Hashirama felt like he was listening to a foreign language.
"Um... I say..."
"Shut up!" they both barked without looking at him. "Are your documents finished? Has the meeting been held? You've done nothing, so what are you doing just standing there?"
The rejected Hokage squatted on the ground, familiar gloomy lines covering his body as he called out to his best friend.
"Madara... my brother is looking down on me again."
Uchiha Madara, who was wrestling with a mountain of scrolls, wore an expression of deep constipation. He yanked the man up, forced him back into his chair, and shoved a pen into his hand.
"Hurry up and handle the work assigned to you. Don't even think about slacking off and dumping it on me when you're done."
Four workhorses—no, the four highest-ranking officials of Konoha—were burning their lives for the construction of their village. They were busy every single day, waking up earlier than chickens and sleeping later than dogs.
Under such intense work pressure, the various systems of Konoha were soon perfected, and the village took shape in an orderly manner.
But it was too busy. The kind of busy that worked a man to the bone. Why was there so much to handle?
Hashirama was naturally someone who couldn't sit still. If he had to be cooped up in an office every day processing documents and debating policy, he would rather go out and carry bricks.
And so, when Tobirama wasn't looking, the delinquent Hokage sneaked out, rolled up his sleeves, and joined the construction crews in carrying bricks and paving roads. He did so with great enthusiasm, looking far happier than he ever did staring at a scroll.
In the blink of an eye, a figure stood before him. Hashirama looked up and grinned like a fool.
"Madara, why are you here? Do you want to carry bricks, too?"
He most certainly did not.
Uchiha Madara stood to the side with his arms crossed, his cold face silent. Even his normally arrogant features showed clear signs of fatigue. He would absolutely never admit that he was about to vomit from processing paperwork. Seeing Hashirama sneak away, he had used the excuse of finding him to slip out as well.
How could there be so many things to handle? It was more exhausting than maintaining a Susanoo in a prolonged battle. Since Izuna and Tobirama were better at this sort of thing, he would just let them do more. He needed a rest.
Thus, the two peak combat powers of Konohagakure were openly slacking off.
A large number of villagers had already migrated to their new home. The commercial street hadn't been formally planned yet, so the main thoroughfare was lined with small stalls, arranged neatly and selling all sorts of goods. There was food and drink, daily necessities, fresh vegetables, and even weapons.
Walking through the crowd, one could hear the cries of vendors and the lively sounds of customers haggling—it was noisy and bustling, filled with an infectious vitality.
Seeing this scene, faint smiles appeared on the faces of both Hashirama and Madara. To them, these sounds were far more pleasant than the clang of steel and the screams of the dying on the battlefield.
This, perhaps, was the very reason they had insisted on building this village.
A little girl spotted a vendor selling candied fruit skewers up ahead and ran over with a happy squeal. But she ran too fast, tripped over her own feet, and fell to the ground with a soft thud.
Uchiha Madara was on her in an instant, quickly helping the little girl up.
The little girl was about to say thank you, but when she looked up and saw Madara's unsmiling, fiercely intense face, she burst into tears.
Uchiha Madara froze.
Hashirama quickly came over and scooped the little girl into his arms. When he wasn't on the battlefield, he looked like a simple-minded, friendly fool. With just a few playful words, he had the girl laughing. She held out a small, wild flower she had been clutching, offering it to him.
Hashirama took the flower, set the girl down, and then turned back to show off to Madara.
"See, Madara? When it comes to coaxing children, I'm much better than you. The kids at the orphanage are always happy whenever they see me."
What was there to brag about when it came to handling children?
Uchiha Madara left with a cold expression, vanishing with the Body Flicker Technique.
Back in the office, the two younger brothers, who were drowning in work, occasionally looked up at the sky. They suddenly realized a long time had passed, and their older brothers still hadn't returned. It dawned on them instantly: both of them had slipped away.
"Tobirama, can't you control your brother?" Uchiha Izuna said angrily, slamming a scroll down. "He's the Hokage now, yet he's constantly neglecting his duties. He doesn't act like a Hokage at all!"
Tobirama calmly placed the document in his hand on the desk. "Your brother slipped away too. What right do you have to talk about mine?"
The two, whose temperaments were a natural mismatch, began to argue again.
Not satisfied with just a war of words, they simply rolled up their sleeves. One grabbed the other, and with a flash of the Flying Thunder God, they warped to the training grounds to settle things with a fight.
Consequently, when a subordinate came to deliver a fresh stack of documents and pushed open the door, all he found was an empty office. Not a single one of the four high-ranking officials was there.
They had all skipped work together.
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