Naruto: Yes, Uchiha-sama.

Chapter 195 Hashirama Senju: Tobirama is still too conservative. He only copied the surface-level techniques and didn't copy the real stuff!

The First Hokage was not a sore loser.

The facts are right in front of us.

Konoha's development is indeed not as good as Akatsuki's.

However, he had great confidence in his younger brother, Tobirama Senju. Tobirama had already written a development strategy for Konoha in response to Akatsuki's policies, and given time, Konoha would surely be able to catch up.

After this mental preparation...

Hashirama Senju quickly came to terms with it.

Moreover, the relationship between Konoha and Akatsuki is extraordinary. They are not only allies, but Uchiha Makoto and the Senju clan are also planning a marriage alliance, making their relationship extremely close.

For an outstanding junior like Uchiha Makoto.

Therefore, Hashirama Senju held a more appreciative attitude towards it.

This era belongs to himself, and to young people like Makoto Uchiha, but ultimately it belongs to the young.

Of course, feelings of frustration can't disappear overnight.

"I wonder when Konoha can become like Akatsuki."

"Makoto, I'm relieved that the ninja world has produced a young man like you."

"If you hadn't left the Uchiha clan and established Akatsuki on your own, it would have been better if you had joined Konoha."

"I think you can be Hokage!"

"Hahaha"

As Hashirama Senju sighed, he found Makoto Uchiha more and more pleasing to the eye, and he even said something so unreserved that it would frighten Tobirama Senju, who was far away in Konoha, so much so that he couldn't sleep.

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Makoto's face lit up with a smile, and he became interested.

"So, First Hokage, how many Hokage do you plan me to be?"

"The second generation, huh?"

"Third Hokage, right? You're still young, hahaha. Second Hokage, I want Madara to..."

"."

Uchiha Makoto knew perfectly well that this was impossible, but he still seriously discussed it with Senju Hashirama.

As expected, there was no hope for him to become the Second Hokage.
Hashirama Senju genuinely wanted Madara Uchiha to sit in the Hokage position, not for any other reason than to let Madara Uchiha experience the thrill of being Hokage.

However, the Third Hokage, Hashirama Senju, had a high opinion of Makoto Uchiha.

—Hmm, that's right, Tobirama Senju was completely overlooked by Hashirama Senju. (Sad)
Tobirama Senju's long-term hard work and dedication had made Hashirama Senju accustomed to the fact that those who dedicate themselves silently are always the easiest to be forgotten.

This is human nature.

Even Hashirama Senju was no exception.

However, Uchiha Makoto chose to stop there when it came to this topic.

Hashirama Senju could say such things so naively, but Makoto Uchiha couldn't. Tobirama Senju would really fly into a rage over this.

“Cheng, sometimes I feel that our generation has fallen far behind you young people.”

"Even Tobirama has to learn from you."

"Lord Hashirama, it is because of seniors like you that the structure of the ninja village was laid out, and young people like me have the opportunity to display our talents in a peaceful era. If it weren't for Lord Hashirama, I don't know what the ninja world would be like, with a few people dominating and a few becoming Kage."

"Am I that awesome?"

Uchiha Makoto interrupted the flattery.
—This is the time for mutual flattery.

You can't neglect interpersonal relationships and social etiquette!
Upon hearing this, Hashirama Senju immediately put his hands on his hips and burst into laughter, looking like a fool who thought he was incredibly awesome.

Madara Uchiha, standing to the side, was slightly annoyed. Makoto Uchiha had just rambled on and on, and not a single word of it was something he wanted to hear.

Makoto Uchiha, why do you keep praising that idiot Hashirama?

What about me?

then
Madara Uchiha: "Cough cough cough" (Madara Uchiha is annoyed.jpg)

Hashirama Senju: "Madara, what's wrong? Why are you coughing all of a sudden? Is your throat sore?"

"Lord Madara is naturally also my respected senior. You and Lord Hashirama are the pillars of Konoha. Without either of you, Konoha would be incomplete."

Makoto Uchiha instantly understood and offered a few flattering words, which stopped Madara Uchiha's sudden "lung disease" from worsening.

Then, as is customary
Makoto Uchiha planned to take Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha with him as they wandered around Akatsuki Village.

Those bustling scenes were indeed a great shock to Hashirama Senju, but what Makoto Uchiha really wanted Hashirama to see was not this "superficial prosperity".

Rather, it's about the spiritual and cultural development of Xiaoren Village and a series of welfare facilities.

This is the kind of cannonball that can strike Hashirama Senju's heart!
Especially those image-building projects documented in the magazine "New Ninja".

Although it usually seems insignificant and is considered a meaningless expense by the higher-ups of Akatsuki, it is now truly playing a role.

For example, orphanages.

Orphanages are always the most vulnerable institutions.

Orphans in the ninja world have no parents, no clan, which means they have no one to back them up.

No one would waste too much money on orphanages.

Even most ninja villages in the ninja world do not have orphanages. Even the orphanages established by Konoha only have a small amount of funding to barely keep them running.

As for the treatment
Konoha's budget is limited, and even disregarding the dirty dealings hidden in the shadows, the Konoha ninja clans have never stopped vying for funds.

Moreover, it was a fair and square competition, with ninja clan leaders fighting tooth and nail until their faces turned red!

After all, money doesn't just fall from the sky.

If you don't take the gun, someone else will happily accept it.

But who would bother to steal funds from orphans with no relatives or friends?

As long as the orphans don't starve, that's enough.

If they ask for more, Konoha's funds simply cannot afford it.

Even the funding for Konoha's future orphanage might come from children becoming bargaining chips for some powerful figure—yes, I'm talking about Danzo.

Meanwhile, at the orphanage in Xiaoren Village.
Hashirama Senju saw rows of brand-new, bright houses, and several caregivers were teaching the children the most basic literacy skills.

Children who perform exceptionally well can also receive candy as a reward.

The children's rosy cheeks and smiling faces showed that they had received plenty of nutrition, and they looked especially adorable in the sunlight.

"Lord Light and Shadow has arrived!"

"Ah, it's Lord Light and Shadow!"

"It really is Lord Light and Shadow."

The children cheered excitedly, and as soon as they saw Uchiha Makoto, they all screamed and surrounded him.

Uchiha Makoto is usually busy with official duties, so he only comes here on major holidays.

For all orphans, Makoto Uchiha was the light that gave them a new life, a leader, and a father. In short, he had many identities, and you could identify with any of them.

Makoto Uchiha smiled and patted the adorable children, his mood becoming very pleasant.
Except for mischievous kids.
Those sensible little children, so small, soft, and adorable, truly deserve to be called angels, gifts from heaven.

Taking advantage of his happy mood, he distributed several boxes of candy.

Hashirama Senju felt the same way. His initial intention in establishing Konoha was to prevent children from repeating the mistakes of the past, from going to the battlefield to fight, bleed, and die at the tender age of blossoming youth. Unsurprisingly, he also gained several children as his companions.
After all, it's hard for children not to like Hashirama Senju with his sunny, goofy smile and candy in hand.

Madara Uchiha's situation was rather tragic. He also liked children, but his forced smile terrified several kids. They cried and ran to Makoto Uchiha and Hashirama Senju, who gave them several candies before they stopped sobbing.

The children became increasingly excited.

Then they gradually shifted their attention to the cute thing on Uchiha Makoto's shoulder.

"Lord Light and Shadow, is this a cat?"

"How strange, it has two tails."

"Can I touch it?"

"."

Faced with the children's request, Makoto Uchiha had no objection whatsoever.

The two-tailed cat was indeed very cute after it shrunk, making people want to pet it a couple of times. Uchiha Makoto had petted it many times along the way.

But the Two-Tails is a tailed beast after all, not a real cat.

Faced with the outstretched claws of a large group of human cubs, it instinctively wanted to resist, but the two-tailed cat ultimately chose to submit, letting the children knead it.

no way.

Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, those two great demon kings, were squatting to the side. The fate of a disobedient cat that hisses is the same as that of a dog that bites—it gets a good beating with onions, ginger, and garlic. If the Two-Tails dares to hiss, even Makoto Uchiha really can't save it.

After the children had their fill of fun, the two-tailed cat was finally rescued and returned to Makoto Uchiha's shoulder, looking utterly exhausted.

—The cat is a good cat from a good family. It has never come out to greet customers before. This is the first time it has dealt with so many people.

Happy times are fleeting.

Makoto Uchiha had no choice but to wave goodbye to the children, who lingered behind their caregiver, watching his retreating figure with longing.

Next stop: Ninja Sanatorium
Here, Hashirama Senju witnessed the helpless wounded warriors diligently training their bodies, while professional medical ninjas provided them with timely treatment and changed their dressings.

There are even ninja beasts among them.

In the ninja world.

The ninja beasts' injuries and mortality rates are no less than those of the ninjas.

Once injured, a ninja beast's life becomes very difficult. A ninja beast that loses its ability to fight is as powerless as a 35-year-old man who has been laid off.

Sometimes, the cost for ninjas to retrain a ninja beast is less than the cost of treating the beasts they have trained.

For many ninjas, their ninja beasts are like family members, fighting alongside them on missions.

But reality is cruel.

Fortunately, Akatsuki Village has special policies.

Every cruel victim and ninja beast who saw Uchiha Makoto felt as if they had seen the sun, and then burst into cheers like a tidal wave.

Uchiha Makoto responded enthusiastically, stayed for a while, and then headed to the next stop.

One stop, one stop, and another.
There are many, many more such image-building projects.

Makoto Uchiha only picked out a few key points.

As for Uchiha Madara, after Senju Hashirama's spirit followed Uchiha Makoto for half a day, his mind was intensely injected with the will of light.

The two of them were truly shocked.

Hashirama Senju, in particular, was unable to calm down for a long time.

Konoha is ruthless, while Akatsuki's ninja are compassionate. It seems that Konoha's problem is not just economic prosperity, but also its backward thinking!
However, this is actually easy to understand.

Naruto is a shonen manga. Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha are both big shots in the ninja world, sitting high above the clouds. They never have to worry about real-life issues, and readers don't like reading about those.

But after all, it has already gone from illusion to reality.

Reality is complex, and the poverty of the weak is unimaginable to those who have not experienced it.

Both bosses are hands-off managers.

They naively and simply believed that as long as peace was achieved in the ninja world, everything would be alright.

But how could such a thing be possible?
In the past, neither of them had paid attention to the welfare and treatment of the Konoha ninja and villagers.

"Konoha has to learn from them; they can't afford not to."

"Tobirama has never cared about the spiritual and cultural development of Konoha or its welfare benefits. Konoha should be like Akatsuki. He is too conservative."

"We must learn everything!"

Hashirama Senju couldn't help but say this.

Uchiha Makoto couldn't help but nod with satisfaction.

When Tobirama Senju last visited Akatsuki, Makoto Uchiha didn't bring him to these places.

Because Tobirama Senju was too rational.

He might be moved by these scenes, but he would never undertake such image-building and welfare projects in Konoha.

It wasn't that he didn't want to, but that Konoha didn't have that much money.

Maintaining these image projects costs a considerable amount of money.

For the sake of Konoha's development, Tobirama Senju had already shamelessly borrowed money from Makoto Uchiha. Spending that money on "useless" things would only be a waste.

If this money were used in other parts of Konoha, it would play a greater role in the future.

Tobirama Senju was willing to call this a "necessary sacrifice".

One generation plants the trees, another enjoys the shade; someone always has to bear the burden.

The villagers of Konoha suffer a lot; the infamy doesn't come from the wrong people. Now the entire ninja world is like this!

Not every village is as wealthy as Akatsuki Village—they just can't learn to cut off the scalps of nobles, something so simple!
However, compared to Tobirama Senju, Hashirama Senju was quite different; he was an Ashura, and his mind was more inclined towards emotion.

He's gotten used to being a hands-off manager.

Brother, you're under a lot of pressure when you're indecisive.

Hashirama Senju: "Tobirama, I think..."

Tobirama Senju: "What? You can't do it?"

Hashirama Senju: "Then I'll go and discuss it with the Uchiha clan. I heard they can handle it."

Tobirama Senju: "???"

The Uchiha claimed that they could almost predict what Hashirama Senju would do after returning.

Even if he were far away in Akatsuki Village, Makoto Uchiha would still have to find a way to cause some trouble for Tobirama Senju.

Borrowed cash flow is very valuable.

Tobirama Senju was eager to pursue his grand ambitions and negotiate a partnership with the powerful Arasaka clan. He didn't want to waste his precious funds on these "meaningless things." Even if it was only a small portion, it would allow Tobirama to concede some benefits at the negotiating table, ultimately resulting in Akatsuki Village gaining more.

If they refuse to agree to Hashirama Senju's "unreasonable demands".

Those idiots from the Uchiha clan should at least do something. Spend some money, even just a superficial gesture, and it would make Tobirama Senju so disgusted that he couldn't sleep for days.

Senju Tobirama is nearly fifty years old, with little sleep and many tasks to attend to. How can he last long?

(End of this chapter)