Chapter 61: The Five Great Ninja Villages
Year 2 of Konoha.
Masahiko walked down the streets of Konoha, slightly dazed by the increasing bustle of the village.
In just one year, the appearance of Konoha had changed drastically. The influx of a large number of civilians had driven the rapid development of Konoha's economy.
To meet the needs of the villagers, various buildings were gradually constructed. The Konoha Hospital, the Konoha Public Bath, and various snack shops were established one after another. Masahiko waited every day for Ichiraku Ramen, but so far, there was no sign of it. Another famous shop, the Dango Shop, had opened, but Masahiko tried it a few times and found the taste average.
The things that should have been built weren't, and the things that shouldn't have been built were. Masahiko looked at the building in front of him, his mouth twitching. Konoha Gambling Den?
"Big! Big! Big!" A familiar voice rang out. If Masahiko didn't know they were playing dice, he would have thought Sun Wukong was in there...
Ever since the Konoha Gambling Den was established, their beloved Lord Hokage had never been in his office personally. It was either Tobirama or a Wood Clone...
The Nara Clan Head had approached Masahiko multiple times to find a solution. Masahiko had used the Transformation Jutsu to change his identity and win all of Hashirama's money, but Hashirama would always quickly find money from somewhere unknown and rush back to the gambling den.
As for why Masahiko could always win Hashirama's money, it was because he had spent 10 Witness Points.
Gambling: LV10 (100000) (Maxed)
"If I were in my past life, I'd be a God of Gamblers..." Masahiko murmured. "But even that can't save Lord Hokage!"
Masahiko didn't want to give up yet. So today, he changed into another persona, straightened his clothes, and prepared to enter the gambling den to win all of Lord Hokage's money again.
Thud...
That wasn't the sound of Masahiko opening the door, but the sound of Masahiko colliding with someone else.
With Masahiko's Taijutsu cultivation, he was the one who ended up sitting on the ground after the collision. Masahiko looked up in confusion, ready to curse.
"You..." He looked up and saw Uchiha Madara, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.
Madara was also looking at him, frowning. "Sorry, I accidentally bumped into you. Are you a new resident of Konoha? Your physical fitness is good."
Masahiko was shocked. Madara actually apologized? That's a first. He was about to revert to his original appearance and mock Madara, but Madara didn't wait for Masahiko to speak. He turned and entered the gambling den.
"Hashirama! Did you take all my money just to gamble?!"
Masahiko sighed helplessly. He had finally found Hashirama's source of income.
As the Clan Head of the mighty Uchiha, Madara was probably the richest person in Konoha right now. As for Hashirama... the one controlling the Senju's money was Tobirama.
"However, the richest person right now should be me!" Masahiko murmured. One could only imagine how much money Masahiko had won from Hashirama these past few days.
"And since this money effectively came from Madara... thinking about it makes me happy..."
Inside the gambling den, the First Hokage was no different from any other gambler when facing a creditor. Faced with Madara's demand for repayment, all sorts of excuses poured out of his mouth—"Just a few more days," "I'll pay you back as soon as I win it back"—making Masahiko want to laugh.
Before he could deal with one creditor, another arrived. Tobirama had found him.
Hashirama looked miserable. 'Who can I borrow money from? Great-Uncle? The Uzumaki should be rich...'
Before Tobirama could speak, Hashirama took the initiative. "Tobirama, you have to believe in your big brother's gambling skills! I've just had bad luck these past few days. Every time I'm about to win, some guy I've never seen before wins it all..."
"Brother, shut up!" Tobirama looked helpless. "Give it up. Your money was all won by Great-Uncle!"
At the door, Masahiko's expression changed. That blabbermouth Nara Clan Head...
Hashirama's expression shifted several times before realization dawned on him.
"Hmph. In other words, my money is with that old man?" Uchiha Madara's face darkened. He felt there was little hope of getting his money back...
"Brother, stop gambling. There's urgent intelligence!" Tobirama said.
Hashirama's expression turned serious. "What intelligence?" He glanced around. "Madara, Tobirama, let's talk back at the office..."
Tobirama sighed and shouted toward the door, "Great-Uncle, come with us!"
Masahiko looked innocent as he reverted to his original appearance and walked up to the three of them.
"Great-Uncle..." Hashirama hesitated. Masahiko thought he was going to ask for the money back, but unexpectedly, after hesitating, Hashirama said, "Teach me how to play dice!"
Masahiko was speechless. He looked at Tobirama, who looked like he had lost the will to live.
"Old man, consider that money your pension!" Madara said hatefully. He couldn't bring himself to ask Masahiko for money.
Half an hour later.
Hokage's Office.
Hashirama sat in the main seat. The four Elders were all present. Tobirama, lacking a seat, stood to the side to report the situation.
"Brother, intelligence just came in. At the beginning of this year, the Hidden Sand Village was established in the Land of Wind, with the leader calling himself the Kazekage. In the Land of Water, the Hidden Mist Village was established, leader Mizukage. In the Land of Lightning, the Hidden Cloud Village, leader Raikage. In the Land of Earth, the Hidden Stone Village, leader Tsuchikage."
"Now, everywhere refers to them and us as the Five Great Ninja Villages, and the leaders as the Five Kage. Besides that, various small countries also intend to establish ninja villages. Everyone has tacitly accepted the 'One Village, One Country' system."
"Referring to themselves alongside us?" Madara spoke up. "They dare to call themselves the Five Great Ninja Villages alongside us?"
"Madara!" Hashirama interrupted. "This is a good thing! With the establishment of the major ninja villages, our dream is truly realized. No more chaotic wars, everyone united in a village..."
"Lord Hokage..." the Nara Clan Head said slowly, "We must be cautious about the establishment of the other four ninja villages. If we aren't careful, wars between clans could evolve into wars between villages."
"Let them come!" Madara spoke again. Masahiko looked at his war-mongering appearance and facepalmed helplessly.
"Madara!" Hashirama looked at Madara again, then turned to the Nara Clan Head. "I plan to send people to contact the Four Kage and hold a Five Kage Summit. What does everyone think?"
"Seconded!"
"Seconded!"
"Seconded!"
Except for Uchiha Madara, the three agreed simultaneously. This had become a routine for the three of them.
Masahiko thought for a moment. "Hashirama, the Five Kage Summit is a good opportunity to deal with the eight watchdogs at the gate. Keeping them like that isn't a solution..."
"Great-Uncle, you mean?" Hashirama turned to Masahiko.
"I think the other four nations would be very willing to pay money to buy them. It would solve our village's economic problems perfectly," Masahiko explained.
"That's not appropriate," Hyuga Tenjin spoke up. "The threat of the Tailed Beasts is too great. If we sell them to other nations..." He shook his head. The Hyuga clan was responsible for guarding the Tailed Beasts; possessing the Byakugan, they understood the threat of the Tailed Beasts best.
The Nara Clan Head shook his head and looked at Hashirama. "There's no need to worry about that. Distributing the Tailed Beasts can balance the power gap between the other four villages, making war less likely."
"Then it's settled for now. Tobirama, send people to contact the Four Kage immediately!" Hashirama made the final decision.
Tobirama nodded. Another Council meeting concluded...
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