In Konoha: I will spread the will of conquest throughout the ninja world.

"Hiss~~"

"call--"

Orochimaru glanced at the object emitting the mysterious sound—Tsunade's mouth.

"A billion! That's a billion!" Tsunade's eyes practically turned into the shape of money.

Moreover, it's not a simple one-time transaction; there's a subsequent profit-sharing arrangement!

Under the persuasive and reasoned persuasion of Ishigaki, Fujiwara Osamu realized that money, such an evil thing, should never be held by himself alone. He immediately began to lavishly spend money. The other officials who came with him did not have such wealth, but they also contributed a considerable amount.

And since Jingyin isn't here this time, she's definitely going to get the money! Grandpa's here too... Oh, Grandpa's here, we'll go into the casino together and dominate.

She licked her cheeks, while the fly rubbed its hands together: "Hehe, my share."

"Take it or leave it. If you don't want it, I'll buy you dog food."

"Alright, alright, this is fine as it is." Tsunade raised her hand in a French military salute.

One hundred million is enough for me to live a carefree life.

You're celebrating too soon.

Fifty Strings grinned.

He wanted to make Tsunade so happy she was practically dizzy, and then have everything taken away from her when she was at her most excited!

Orochimaru realized this early on and didn't intend to warn him.

It's such a waste for Tsunade to give so much money to the gambling den; it would be better to let Lady Mito keep it as New Year's money.

As for Tsunade's feelings.

What is that?

"By the way," he cleared his throat, "Has Mr. Isogen considered how the officials might react to this?"

The fifty strings tilt their heads.

"...So you didn't think about it?"

"Why even think about it? If they dare to jump, we'll beat them up again. If that doesn't work, we'll just find another nobleman. If they don't want to be nobles, there are plenty of others who do."

That's true...

So you really want to kill them?

Orochimaru knew that the reason things went so smoothly this time was partly due to the intimidating presence of the Fifty Strings and partly due to Tsunade's identity.

Otherwise, if a different ninja did this, it could very likely trigger a huge conflict between the ninja village and the nobles.

In reality, the relationship between ninja villages and nobles was more about the latter needing the former. However, most ninjas did not engage in production and needed to be supported by the state. In addition, due to ideological constraints, many ninjas believed that the daimyo was the true ruler and that ninjas should be completely loyal to the daimyo.

This idea also has a strong basis in Dainen Village.

It's just a matter of opinion; the ninja who ignored it truly didn't care about the daimyo.

If Igarashi were just an ordinary genius, he might have been pushed out to appease the anger, but he is not. Not only is he not, but he also has a top-tier ninja behind him, and he himself is equally powerful.

At the same time, they are mentally strong and do not suffer from internal conflicts.

Anyway, he believed that the daimyo's intelligence channels already had information on Fifty Strings. It was undeniable that most nobles were just loafing around and waiting to die, but becoming a true ruler was certainly not that simple.

Therefore, the decision on this issue never lies with the ninja village, but with the daimyo.

Do you dare let a powerful figure who could blow up the capital and the daimyo into the sky escape?

To be honest, he really wanted to see that scene.

clap clap.

The pain in his shoulder pulled Orochimaru back to reality.

Completely oblivious to being the culprit, Isogen asked, "How are your preparations going?"

Orochimaru licked his lips and smiled, "Everything is ready. We're just waiting for the funding and materials to arrive."

"Okay, I believe in you. Keep up the good work, and you'll definitely get promoted and a raise in the future. Just be a good workhorse." Isogen accidentally revealed his true thoughts.

Orochimaru: "..."

Did you just hear some incredible words?

The cash that was in hand was quickly divided up by Fifty Strings.

Even little Hinata Mizuki got a share.

He doesn't have many flaws, but his clear distinction between rewards and punishments is one of them.

The little girl has made great progress, and he is very satisfied.

Orochimaru received the money, and his cold face melted like ice cream under the scorching sun.

The warmth of cash still managed to open the door to a cold heart.

As for whether this money will affect his future path to becoming Hokage.

It probably exists, but it's also unlikely.

First, it's important to understand that while the Daimyo controls the financial support for the ninja villages, it doesn't mean they have absolute control over them.

The head of a ninja village is the Kage, and becoming Kage requires the support and approval of everyone in the village. Once a candidate is chosen, the daimyo is informed, and the daimyo makes the final decision.

That's the theory, of course. The daimyo has the final decision-making power, but in practice, the ninja villages still govern themselves. Informing the daimyo of the candidates is just a formality, a matter of signing and stamping.

If the Daimyo really thinks he can control who gets chosen as the leader of the ninja village, then the ninjas in the village who don't care about the Daimyo won't mind showing off their ninja power.

Killing the daimyo directly is unrealistic unless one possesses the power of a ninja god or a ninja world demon; otherwise, other ninja villages will be eager to launch a siege.

But a little intimidation could still get Danzo released behind closed doors.

This unspoken rule will be naturally understood once you reach a certain level.

Therefore, Orochimaru only found this behavior novel, not frightening. At most, he would be called over by his teacher and scolded for not only failing to stop them but also participating in it.

Orochimaru scoffed.

stop?

How can stopping this allow me to secure hundreds of millions in research funding? And with a continuous stream of additional funding coming in?

Of course, there will be some troubles, but they are unlikely to affect the fifty-stringed instrument.

Looking at Yuuka Igarashi, who suddenly realized how outrageous his act of beating up a nobleman was, Orochimaru suddenly remembered a sentence that Igarashi had once said.

"Hokage? I wouldn't even be a dog in the Inuzuka family."

"I'd be happy to be the man behind the Fifth Hokage."

It's true that Isogen didn't want to be Hokage, but why did he choose to become the man behind the Fifth Hokage? Why the Fifth Hokage?

Orochimaru was puzzled, Orochimaru was confused, and Orochimaru stopped thinking about it.

Tsunade, having received the money, excitedly headed to the gambling den to wreak havoc, but Orochimaru quickly stopped her.

"Someone will definitely complain to the teacher. If you go to the gambling den now, wouldn't you be walking into a trap?"

"That's right." Tsunade tapped her palms together with her left and right hands.

We can't let the money that finally arrived in our account be taken away again.

"I need to hide. The old man is looking for me, so I told him I'm not home."

Isogen looked at these spineless words with disdain and admonished Hinata Mizuki, who was standing to the side.

"Ugh, Tsunade is such a loser, you can't be like her."

Hinata Mizuki nodded obediently.

Tsunade glared at him. "Don't set a bad example for the kids!"

Is Wuzhi still a child?

Ha, whose child is like him?

For the sake of the large sum of money, she stopped arguing and ran away before the old man could react.

……

The Thousand Hands Old House.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been summoned without provocation, was bewildered.

Normally, when they meet with Mito Uzumaki, a veteran with both strength and seniority, they come in person. The fact that Mito Uzumaki appeared in the Hokage Building before was an extremely low-probability event.

To some extent, it was her way of giving them a fright; she may be old, but she's young at heart.

Why were you called here this time?

Looking at the energetic Mito Uzumaki, he was very puzzled, but dared not speak or ask.

He dared not touch his pipe here, so he picked up his teacup and pondered what it was all about as the warm tea flowed down his throat.

The peace was shattered when the secret agents protecting the officials of the Land of Fire, along with their messengers, arrived together.

What do you mean by saying that not a single official who came to Konoha escaped punishment?

Hiruzen Sarutobi's face darkened as he looked at the silent, head-bowed Anbu members.

"Where's Tsunade?"

"Lady Tsunade's whereabouts are unpredictable."

Where is Orochimaru?

As soon as he said that, Hiruzen Sarutobi realized he had asked a stupid question.

Even Tsunade is hiding, so Orochimaru is even more so.

That's what you call swaggering around, brazenly walking in the sunlight.

Putting aside whether we can even get them here, what can we do even if we do get them here?

Based on his limited understanding of the fifty strings, he knew that when the person arrived, it wouldn't be to admit their mistake, and someone would definitely be in trouble, though he wouldn't be the first to suffer.

After much thought and searching,

Hiruzen Sarutobi made a startling discovery.

Hey, I guess I really have to take the blame for this.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.