Chapter 271: Konoha's Founding, A Financial Crisis

The Flying Thunder God Jutsu, as a space-time ninjutsu full of prestige, probably never imagined in its entire life that one day, it would be carved onto a toilet lid.

"I know you are all in a hurry, but don't be so hasty. There is only one toilet, let the smallest one go first~"

Uchiha Gin, who had just used the Flying Thunder God Jutsu to rush back from the seaside, appeared instantly on the toilet lid. Sensing three familiar auras outside, he immediately frowned. After pressing the flush button, he loosened his pants, pushed the door open, and feigning surprise as he looked at the three people before him, he spoke to mediate,

"Ah? Are you suffering from kidney deficiency?"

Senju Itama, who had been trading barbs with Uchiha Hikari, was startled by a cry of surprise upon hearing Uchiha Gin's voice behind him. After turning around with a guilty conscience, he caught a glimpse of a black water stain on the corner of the pants Uchiha Gin was pulling up. His expression turned one of extreme disgust, and he covered his nose and stepped back a few paces instantly.

Following the other's gaze, Uchiha Gin looked down and saw the water stain on his pant leg. He instantly deduced that it must have been splashed onto him by that guy, Uzumaki Hanado, when he jumped up from the sea.

To think it was discovered by this sharp-eyed brat, who even misunderstood that he was leaking because of kidney deficiency—this was truly unbearable for an uncle, and even more so for an aunt.

"Tsk! You rebellious brat, just you wait—sigh~"

An annoyed Uchiha Gin reflexively reached out, preparing to give this guy a righteous flick to the forehead. But his hand, just raised, hung suspended in mid-air upon seeing that beautiful and familiar face. He then sighed slightly, withdrew his hand, and looking at the bewildered Senju Itama, he said,

"You brat, wandering out at this hour, do you want to go home?"

Looking past Senju Itama's tall and curvaceous figure, Uchiha Gin saw a certain white-haired person not far away, looking toward this side in deep thought. He spoke slowly to her, who remained silent,

"Your brother keeps peeking over here, aren't you going over?"

"Then should I leave?"

Hearing this, Senju Itama felt a pain in her heart. Her head, which had just been held high, drooped to her chest. Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's, aggrieved enough to make one's heart ache.

"I respect your choice, but for certain personal reasons, I still hope you won't leave~"

Watching the suddenly dejected Senju Itama, Uchiha Gin scratched his head helplessly. He walked up and rubbed her little head in a comforting manner. Looking at the slightly white hair roots on one side, he said,

"Don't dye your hair anymore; it's too damaging to the roots."

Having said that, he patted Senju Itama's slightly trembling shoulders and said with a smile,

"Short hair suits you quite well, please be sure to keep it that way."

"Big Brother, look at that woman beside Uchiha Gin, doesn't she look a bit familiar?"

Senju Tobirama, who had just finished bickering with Senju Hashirama, once again focused his attention on the woman from the Uchiha clan. Looking at her delicate and beautiful face, he frowned and asked his older brother beside him,

"Huh? Why are you still staring at that young lady? Uh... that woman..."

"Right? Doesn't she look very familiar?"

Thinking his older brother had noticed something, Senju Tobirama hurriedly pressed for an answer.

"Haha, Brother Gin is truly blessed, having so many girls around him~"

Senju Hashirama, who hadn't noticed anything unusual at all, laughed out loud after seeing the three girls surrounding Uchiha Gin and teased him. He then left his pained-looking younger brother behind and walked toward Uchiha Madara, who had been waiting for a long time.

"..."

Forget it, it's just an Uchiha; perhaps they just happen to look a bit alike.

Receiving no response, Senju Tobirama glanced at the high-collared robe the woman was wearing, shook his head in his heart, and stopped paying attention. He stood up to follow his older brother, preparing to begin signing the alliance.

"Gin, hurry up, the ceremony is about to start~"

Uchiha Hikari, who was on the side, saw the atmosphere between Uchiha Gin and Senju Itama become somewhat strange. Feeling that something was wrong, she immediately spoke up to break the silence.

"That's right, Mr. Gin, the Clan Head was just looking for you, saying you should stand in the first row to witness the alliance."

Uchiha Jiri, with brilliant colors flashing in her beautiful eyes, also reminded him. Looking at her best friend who had regained some vitality, she felt genuinely happy for her.

Little Itama is one of my indispensable combat forces, after all~

Best friends for life!

"Damn, I can't miss this~"

"Madara, aren't we starting yet?"

Senju Hashirama, whose smile hadn't faded all day, looked at the ice-berg-like Uchiha Madara. With his hands clenched into fists and an impatient look on his face, he asked,

"Wait a moment, the eldest cousin hasn't arrived yet."

At such a critical moment, one cannot do without an elder to witness it. As the saying goes, an elder brother is like a father; after his father's death, Uchiha Gin's family status had instantly risen by several notches.

"That's true, then let's wait, no rush, no rush~"

Since they were waiting for Uchiha Gin, Senju Hashirama expressed that it was no problem for the time being. He also felt that this ceremony absolutely could not proceed without Brother Gin's witness.

"Phew~ I didn't miss it, did I?"

Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Less than a minute after he had spoken, a panting Uchiha Gin arrived at the scene. Seeing both sides looking straight at him, he asked cautiously and somewhat puzzled,

"No, you arrived just in time."

A flash of inexplicable emotion crossed Uchiha Madara's eyes. He nodded at Senju Hashirama in front of him, signaling that they could begin.

"I, Senju Hashirama, representing the Senju clan, swear in the name of our ancestors that from this day forward, with the Uchiha clan..."

Senju Hashirama, with a face full of smiles, pulled a scroll from his sleeve. After unfolding it, his expression became extremely serious. Looking at the contents of the scroll, he read aloud,

"I, Uchiha Madara, representing the Uchiha clan, swear in the name of our ancestors that from this day forward, with the Senju clan..."

After Senju Hashirama finished reading the script eloquently, a cold-faced Uchiha Gin also pulled a scroll from his bosom. After unfolding it, he read in a cold voice,

As the two finished reading the formulaic alliance, an excited Senju Hashirama was the first to reach out his hand. With a hearty smile on his face, he looked at his best friend, his eyes filled with the urgency of seeing his dream realized.

"Congratulations, Hashirama, your dream is about to come true."

Uchiha Madara looked at the large hand extended toward him and grasped it without hesitation. A touch of gentle warmth bloomed on his cold face as he said softly to the man before him,

"No, Madara, it is *our* dream."

The two largest forces in the Land of Fire, at this moment, laid down their millennium-old hatred and united. With the rising of the morning sun, a brand-new era was about to arrive.

"Madara, our dream is right before our eyes. Which part does your Uchiha clan want?"

Standing atop a towering mountain peak were two figures, overlooking the village under construction in the basin below. Senju Hashirama's long black hair fluttered in the wind, leaving Uchiha Madara, who was peeking from the side, mesmerized. Just as he was dazed, the other's question pulled him back to reality.

"Uh... I don't care about such things, let the eldest cousin decide."

Still afraid of having his secret thoughts discovered, Uchiha Madara looked up with a guilty conscience. Suddenly seeing leaves falling all over the sky, he caught one at random, only to find a small hole in the middle of the leaf. Examining the leaf in his hand, he said casually,

"What do you think would be a good name for our village?"

Senju Hashirama was still in high spirits and did not notice Uchiha Madara's abnormality. Looking at his ideal village and thinking that it didn't have a name yet, he asked his best friend,

"I once thought that a dream was just a dream..."

Hearing this, Uchiha Madara regained his composure. He held up the leaf in his hand and, through that small hole, looked at the village that already had its embryonic form below. After pondering for a moment and recalling the fear of being dominated by Wood Style, he suggested,

"How about Hidden Leaf Village?"

"Haha, then the leader of the village shall be called Hokage, what do you think?"

Upon hearing the words "Hidden Leaf," Senju Hashirama was immediately overjoyed. This title struck a chord in his heart. He nodded with a smile and agreed, taking the opportunity to say the leader's name he had thought of in advance.

"Hehe, as long as you like it."

Uchiha Madara, secretly pleased, could barely suppress the smile at the corner of his mouth. The Uchiha clan was famous for Fire Style; wasn't the title of Hokage meant to commemorate the Uchiha clan?

"Everything will get better~"

"Big Brother, there isn't enough money."

Senju Hashirama sat in his office, reviewing applications from various ninja clans that had heard the news and come, including famous families like the Hyuga and Sarutobi. Just as he was preparing to accept them all, a worried-looking Senju Tobirama pushed the door open and told his older brother about the village's current predicament.

"The Senju clan's money is all gone?"

"It's gone, even your son's New Year's money has been poured into it."

"Ah! Toka will fight me to the death~"

Hearing that the New Year's money his son had saved for years had been invested into this bottomless pit of a village, Senju Hashirama felt his heart turn to ash. He truly hadn't expected a village to be so expensive.

"Tobirama-a-mon, help me~"

Thinking of his younger brother's many clever ideas, Senju Hashirama grabbed his brother with tears and snot, begging him to come up with a plan.

"Hmm... the Uchiha side seems quite wealthy. The construction team they hired from outside—the way they renovated their clan grounds is even more luxurious than the Senju clan's."

Senju Tobirama rolled his eyes and spilled the beans about the Uchiha clan's wealthy financial foundation.

"Huh? Madara is that rich? Go invite him quickly~"

Not expecting his best friend to have such a deep financial foundation, and holding the mentality of "what's yours is mine," Senju Hashirama ordered his subordinates to invite Uchiha Madara over to discuss important matters.

"Knock, knock, knock~"

"Please come in!"

Before long, the door was knocked upon, but the person who entered was not the one Senju Hashirama had in mind. Looking at that familiar curly hair, Senju Tobirama, who was on the side, was the first to ask,

"Uchiha Gin, where is your Clan Head?"

"Ha~ The eldest cousin is currently in seclusion at the family shrine. I am currently acting in his stead for all matters, large and small, within the clan."

Uchiha Gin, who was yawning, rolled his dead-fish eyes helplessly. Looking at the Senju brothers before him, he spread his small hands, his handsome face looking as innocent as could be,

"Sigh, it's such a bother. It's all that kid Izuna's fault, being so silly and dazed, making one unable to feel at ease~"

(End of chapter)