Chapter 179 – You Can't Love Konoha Only When It Falls Behind — Tobirama Senju Begins to Reflect!
The special Anti-Uchiha alarm that belonged only to Tobirama Senju was blaring furiously, yet he still couldn't figure out what exactly Uchiha Makoto was trying to do.
After thinking for a long time—
Tobirama finally decided to agree.After all—money. Without money, even the problems right in front of them couldn't be solved!
"Then it's settled."
Uchiha Makoto grinned. The two had reached a consensus.
After that, Makoto didn't plan to continue hanging around with Tobirama in Akatsukigakure any longer. There was still a pile of documents and people waiting for him at the office.
Tobirama didn't want Makoto tagging along anyway—it made him feel restrained.
"I'm going back to work. You can look around on your own.""Hmph, fine! Go!"
The two exchanged middle fingers in perfect mutual understanding.
Back at the Light Shadow Office
Following his rule of "What can be done today must be executed today",Uchiha Makoto quickly resumed his duties as the Light Shadow.
As soon as he returned, letters from Iwagakure and Kirigakure were already lying on his desk.
The content was similar:in a few days, their representatives would arrive at Akatsukigakure to officially begin negotiations.
Makoto was already prepared.
It was simply about giving them a place to argue.Neither side really wanted an all-out war, and once he grasped that psychology, the matter became easy to handle.
After arranging the reception for the two Kage,Makoto turned to the real task of the day—
The establishment of Akatsukigakure Bank and the issuance of currency.
Preparations and connections were already in place.Wealthy merchants and nobles were ready to invest real gold and silver to support the village.
Experts had already drafted an action plan.Makoto reviewed it carefully from start to finish—the core principle was to balance the ratio between actual reserves and the money supply, linking it to the village's gold and silver reserves, ensuring price stability.In simple terms: no printing excess money.
Since the first testing ground would be Akatsukigakure itself—Makoto's own stronghold—it could be enforced smoothly.
"Everything's ready, huh."
Seeing no problems, Makoto signed over a dozen administrative orders, all to take effect the next day.
Yet even after signing, he felt something was missing.
"Hmm… something's off. Ah—right! The bank president hasn't been decided yet!"
"That's a big issue indeed," he muttered. "It concerns the village's core finances—such massive sums of money could tempt anyone. The person must be reliable!"
After some thinking, Makoto suddenly realized—
Up till now, there was still no chosen bank president!
This position involved immense financial power—so the candidate had to be both capable and morally upright.Strength was also a factor—because this job was far too conspicuous and could easily draw danger.
After pondering for a while,Makoto couldn't find a suitable person within the village.
He needed someone with combat strength—a ninja.But most ninjas in the village were brutes.Ask them to kill, and they'd smile and head off immediately.Ask them to do accounting or manage funds, and they'd lose their minds.
Makoto himself couldn't handle this position forever either. Short-term was fine, but long-term? As the Light Shadow, his daily duties were already endless.
"Too many muscleheads in Akatsukigakure, not enough brains…"
He sighed. Then suddenly—a spark of inspiration.
"Wait. Maybe that guy could do it. He's capable, trustworthy… the only issue is his identity."
Makoto's eyes lit up.
Yes—the perfect man for the job was Kakuzu!
The Miserable Kakuzu
At this moment, Kakuzu's fate hadn't changed much from the original story.
A top-tier ninja of Takigakure, he was sent by the higher-ups to assassinate the Hokage.When he returned, he was met not with praise but with betrayal and slander.
To avoid blame from Konoha, Takigakure's elders threw all the responsibility onto him.
Such despair and betrayal could transform anyone.After that, what was left to trust in this world?
The answer was clear—money.
Because money is just money.Put two gold bars together—who can tell which one is noble and which one is filthy?
From a leadership perspective, Makoto found Kakuzu ideal.Strong, disciplined, and now fully "enlightened"—his ninja way had become making money.
Recruiting him would be difficult, given his deep distrust after Takigakure's betrayal.But—he loved money.And Akatsukigakure had plenty of that.
Theoretically, throwing enough money at him might actually work.Maybe Makoto wouldn't get his loyalty—but he could buy his loyalty.
The only issue was Kakuzu's identity.He was a missing-nin, a would-be Hokage assassin, and a mass murderer of noble families in the Land of Fire.
Both Konoha and Akatsukigakure had S-rank bounties on his head.
Having such a man as the village's bank president would be… explosive if exposed.
Makoto hesitated.
It'd be a waste to use such talent for mere fighting—but hiring him would be like planting a ticking time bomb in the village.
"…Forget it. Let's catch him first and then decide."
Makoto made up his mind.
He pressed a button on his desk.
An Anbu operative appeared instantly.
Makoto requested Kakuzu's intel.
Catching Kakuzu was no easy task—he was a veteran, extremely cautious about his movements.After mastering Takigakure's forbidden jutsu Earth Grudge Fear, his power had skyrocketed.
Despite being hunted jointly by Konoha and Akatsukigakure, he'd still evaded capture.
"From now on, use all available resources—find Kakuzu's whereabouts."
"Yes!"
"And—do not inform Konoha.""Yes!"
That order was highly irregular.But as a true shinobi, the operative didn't question it.
After all, the thoughts of a Kage were on a different level entirely.
With those matters handled, Makoto turned to the minor details—mainly budget requests.He skimmed through the stacks from bottom to top, rejecting most.
The larger the system grew, the more opportunists came crawling out for funds.They'd do anything for grant money.
By the time Makoto finished, it was already six in the evening.He left a shadow clone to work overtime and went home himself.
On the Way Home
Coincidentally, he passed by Tobirama Senju.
"Ah, it's Tobirama!"
Pretend not to see!
He had to go home to eat and spend time with his wife!
Makoto coldly ignored Tobirama and walked past him.
Tobirama hadn't intended to talk either—but seeing Makoto's indifference ignited his temper.
"Hey! You're ignoring me? I'm a guest from Konoha! You won't even treat me to dinner?"
"There's a dango stand right there. Buy something. Or are you broke?"
"I'm not paying!"
Tobirama threw a mini tantrum.Makoto, not wanting to argue and delay dinner with his wife, reluctantly bought him some dango.
Tobirama didn't eat immediately. Instead, he stared at the spare change in Makoto's hand—not because he wanted it, but because something struck him.
He had just realized something crucial—the purchasing power of the average Akatsukigakure citizen's daily wage.
"What, you want my change too?""Hmph, then give it to me!""Dream on."
Ignoring Makoto, Tobirama bit into his dango and started chatting with the old lady selling them.
From her, he got genuine, unfiltered information—
And what he learned stunned him.
That "shameless journalist" he'd accused of exaggeration…had actually told the truth.
Makoto wasn't surprised.
There were times in history—like in the Republic era—when rickshaw pullers in big cities ate better than landlords in the countryside.
It all came down to market maturity.
In Akatsukigakure, the market was thriving—goods were plentiful, competition was fierce, prices were stable, and money flowed rapidly, creating a money-breeds-money effect.
Konoha, by contrast, was still like a small town—backward, dependent on imports, and suffering from high costs.
Of course, part of Akatsukigakure's prosperity came from Makoto's massive redistribution—he'd poured all the "blood" he'd squeezed from Fire Country nobles back into the village.He truly didn't care for personal wealth.
Wages rose, but prices stayed stable, thanks to heavy subsidies.
Still, this was far from Makoto's "Golden Age" ideal:where an ordinary worker could support a family of four, own two cars, a dog, a home, and afford their children's education.
"Is Konoha really that far behind?"
Tobirama began to doubt everything.
He had acknowledged that Konoha lagged behind—but he hadn't realized just how much.
Could Konoha even catch up anymore?
Makoto, seeing Tobirama too shocked to enjoy his dango, suddenly felt his own appetite improve.
"Tobirama," he said cheerfully, "as they say, 'The accomplished become the teachers.' New Ninja is the essence of my governance philosophy—you'll find plenty of wisdom in its little stories."
"Akatsukigakure's success didn't come overnight. Maybe you should reflect a bit."
"Hmm… reflect, huh? Maybe I really should."
The world was no longer ruled by war.Makoto's economic warfare was proving effective—perhaps Konoha should copy it.
As Tobirama sank into deep reflection—Makoto quietly slipped away, running home.
Back Home
As he opened the door, a familiar aroma greeted him.Makoto couldn't help but hum a little tune:
"Salted greens and tofu stew—even a Daimyō couldn't eat better than me."
"Makoto, you're home—dinner's ready."
At the table,Makoto ate while Uzumaki Tsubaki's eyes stayed glued not on the food but on a sewing manual.
"I'm thinking of making some clothes and socks myself," she said.
A true devoted wife and mother.She was already preparing to sew clothes for their future child.
Makoto thought it unnecessary—they could easily buy such things—but seeing her enthusiasm, he let her be.
"If you're interested," he said, "I'll hire someone to teach you properly.""Really? That'd be wonderful!"
Makoto smiled, completely at peace.He truly enjoyed this calm domestic life—after all the scheming and politics outside, it was a relief.
"Tobirama that bastard," he muttered to himself, "never lets me rest easy."
Still, he was curious to see what reforms Tobirama would attempt in Konoha.
Akatsukigakure hadn't yet produced any strong public intellectuals within Konoha's sphere of influence—but that would change soon enough.For now, he could only rely on ancient-idealist propaganda methods.
After all, this was still a slow-information era.
"Wait—why the hell am I even thinking about that bastard right now?"
Meanwhile, Deep in the Forest
A group of intel operatives from Konoha and Akatsukigakure whispered nervously.
"That chakra… terrifying! Like a monster!""Don't get closer! It'll sense us!"
Before them loomed a giant, blue-black cat engulfed in flame-like chakra—a creature with two tails.
It was Matatabi, the Two-Tails!
"We've found it—quick, send word to Lord Hashirama!""Yes!"
But just as they exchanged words—Matatabi suddenly shuddered, as if sensing something.
To make a tailed beast shiver like that… something was seriously wrong.
Then, Matatabi arched her back.
"Meow!"
Super Transformation Mode — Spinal Dragon Form, activate!
…A few seconds passed. Nothing happened.
Matatabi: "Was that… my imagination?"
(End of Chapter)