Chapter 423: Life is not easy, Hokage performs for a living

"Achoo!"

"Ew, you're disgusting!"

Senju Itama, who was bending over in the living room, straightened up, her small face full of disgust.

"If you're sick, go see a doctor. I know a capable physician who specializes in male diseases."

Uchiha Gin didn't pay attention to her slander, reached out to rub his sore nose, and frowned slightly.

"This feeling... someone must be gossiping about me behind my back!"

"It must be your unit's leader nagging you. The holiday has passed for several days, and you still haven't gone to work."

Although her words were unforgiving, Senju Itama still thoughtfully handed over a tissue, her beautiful big eyes full of teasing.

"Don't you think so, Mr. Konoha Salary Thief."

"Sigh... people are just like this. Once they enjoy freedom, they don't want to return to the cage."

Casually throwing the tissue he used to wipe his nose aside, amidst Senju Itama's near-cannibalistic gaze, he sighed lightly.

"In short, one sentence: I don't want to go back to work!"

"You guy..."

Seeing Uchiha Gin's salty-fish appearance of refusing to turn over, the veins on Senju Itama's forehead bulged, and a dangerous aura radiated from her whole body. Her black and white hair moved without wind, floating behind her like the tentacles of an octopus.

"Go to work for me!!!"

Clatter~

Bang!

"Really, if I don't work, there are plenty of people fighting to support me."

Uchiha Gin, who was swept out of the house by Senju Itama, scratched his curly hair helplessly, then whispered to himself.

"What did you just say?"

The door that had been closed a moment ago was suddenly pulled open. Senju Itama, holding a broom, looked dangerously at Uchiha Gin, who was looking left and right.

"No... nothing, I said I wanted to eat fish tonight~"

"Hmph!"

Senju Itama snorted coldly, her tense little face eased slightly, and before closing the door, she nodded imperceptibly, considering it agreed upon.

"Phew... really, the older you get, the harder you are to deal with."

Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Uchiha Gin let out a long breath. He suddenly missed the little Senju Itama from before.

With that flat body type, he didn't feel any psychological pressure when beating her up, but facing this mature body that was dripping with water, it was truly hard for Uchiha Gin to make a move.

He couldn't hit her, and he couldn't scold her, so he could only spoil her.

"Sigh... work, work, when will it ever end? By the way, does Konoha have the concept of retirement?"

With his hands pillowing his head, the sighing Uchiha Gin could only go to the dungeon he hadn't visited in a long time to slack off, while calculating his seniority, preparing to ask Hashirama when he could enjoy retirement life next time.

Strolling on the streets of Konoha, Uchiha Gin half-squinted his lazy eyes, looking at the new storefronts being renovated around him.

"Mito and the others are quite fast."

Seeing the renovation workers take down the Senju clan emblem on the door and replace it with the Uzumaki clan emblem that looked like a fish cake, Uchiha Gin nodded secretly in his heart, giving a thumbs up to the other party's efficiency.

Just as Uchiha Gin turned around, an old but vigorous voice sounded in his ear.

"Gin-san! Sashiburi~"

"Uh... Brother Zhouxuan, finally stopped setting up a stall?"

Turning his face, he saw a familiar face. Uchiha Gin stopped his steps, a nostalgic expression appearing on his face.

"My old arms and legs are no longer suitable for being a traveling merchant."

The white-haired Uzumaki Zhouxuan shook his head, his furrowed face carrying a look of nostalgia.

"I think Brother Zhouxuan is still hale and hearty, it's a pity to retire so early."

Uchiha Gin was full of regret. If Uzumaki Zhouxuan didn't do traveling merchant work, how would he collect interesting little gadgets?

"I don't count as retired either. Isn't it that I caught up with a good policy? The Daimyo of the Land of Whirlpools has exempted the rent for the shops on this street for three years, so I'll stay in Konoha to watch the shop and let that kid Masahiko take over my shift."

Uzumaki Zhouxuan's old face wrinkled into a chrysanthemum, his eyes full of longing for a better life.

"This street..."

Uchiha Gin pretended not to know, and Uzumaki Zhouxuan then explained.

"This street has been bought by the Land of Whirlpools. It will be renamed Uzumaki Style Street soon. The usage rights of the shops are permanent, so there's no need to worry about being taken back by Konoha."

"Oh my, this is really incredible. Then we'll be neighbors in the future."

"Guaranteed, next time you come to this street, report my name, I'll give you a discount."

"Guaranteed, guaranteed~"

After catching up with Uzumaki Zhouxuan, whom he hadn't seen for a long time, Uchiha Gin smiled and waved goodbye to this magical brother.

"Uzumaki Style Street, huh..."

After walking out of the commercial street, Uchiha Gin turned his head and saw workers hanging the Uzumaki clan emblem on the stone archway at the entrance. His kidneys began to ache faintly. He felt that he might frequent this place often in the future.

After walking only a few steps, Uchiha Gin saw a group of Konoha residents rushing aggressively toward another direction of the village. That posture looked like they were going to snatch some special-priced products.

Driven by curiosity, Uchiha Gin grabbed a middle-aged man and asked in confusion why the other party was so anxious.

"A new building materials street opened at the west end of the village. They are having an event now: renovate 50 square meters and get 50 square meters free."

The man grabbed by Uchiha Gin was also an honest person. Seeing the forehead protector worn on Uchiha Gin's waist, he swallowed the Konoha slang in his mouth and replied truthfully.

"Just this?"

"Not only that, as long as you show up, the organizer will give 10 eggs."

Hearing this answer, Uchiha Gin suddenly realized. It turned out to be his own people. He let go, and the middle-aged man immediately fled the devil's claws without looking back.

"Old Uncle's speed is not slow either."

Not only doing building materials but also giving away eggs, it showed that the person in control of that building materials street must be the Land of Waves, no doubt.

"It's a pity that this money is still a bit difficult to use to fill the hole~"

Recalling the approximate total amount of the Senju clan's ancestral property sold earlier, Uchiha Gin shook his head regretfully.

If it were normal times, these properties and land deeds would be sold at normal prices, perhaps they could fill the hole poked by Senju Tobirama.

But as luck would have it, the old Konoha people were suspicious by nature and didn't dare to make a move for a long time, which in the end benefited the relatives of the Land of Waves and the Land of Whirlpools.

Now, that white-haired guy won't be able to cry to death in his quilt.

"Salty radish worrying about light, as a small jailer, why am I worrying about those officials~"

Waving away the distracting thoughts in his mind, Uchiha Gin rolled his eyes and restarted his dull career. He still had steel that hadn't been eaten.

You know, after opening the five steels, the magic ball will drop some interesting little props~

Senju Clan Grounds.

The once-prosperous Senju clan grounds, bustling with noise and excitement, were now extremely desolate. The Senju clansmen with dim expressions were packing their luggage and furniture, preparing to move away from this place where they had lived for more than twenty years.

Inside the Senju clan leader's mansion, Senju Hashirama and his younger brother sat opposite each other. Looking at the bill in their hands, both of their expressions were as gloomy as dripping water.

"Tobirama... is there still so much missing?"

The long string of zeros on the bill made Senju Hashirama's eyes go black.

"I didn't expect such a change either."

Senju Tobirama's eyes were full of regret. If it weren't for his own stupidity and arrogance, the Senju clan wouldn't have collectively gone bankrupt.

"Phew... if it really doesn't work, let's mortgage this mansion of mine too."

Taking a deep breath, Senju Hashirama looked with reluctance at the home where he had lived for so many years, and picked up the tea in front of him to moisten his parched throat.

"Big brother, I accept your sentiment. I knew you had this kind of awareness, so I mortgaged this mansion for money from the beginning."

Senju Tobirama opposite felt a warmth in his heart upon hearing this, with an expression of "I expected this," sincerely praising Senju Hashirama for being selfless, and by the way, making his own back-door operation public.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Hearing this, Senju Hashirama was stunned on the spot for the first time. The scalding tea choked into his nose and mouth, making him cough several times before he recovered.

"You!"

Learning the bad news from his younger brother's mouth, Senju Hashirama's face was terrifyingly black. He had originally just wanted to be polite, but he didn't expect the other party to not be polite at all, actually mortgaging his home for money without his knowledge.

"Big brother, don't worry. As long as we get over this hurdle, I will definitely return you a bigger and more luxurious mansion."

Feeling the deep chill radiating from Senju Hashirama, Senju Tobirama straightened his expression and quickly drew a big pie.

"No need, just redeem this one."

Forcing himself to endure the urge to make a move, Senju Hashirama almost bit his teeth to pieces.

"But now there are still hundreds of billions missing, this is not a small amount."

Under Senju Tobirama's scraping together, the payment for the Tailed Beasts only needed a fraction of hundreds of billions to be filled, but now they were at the end of their rope. Where could they scrape together this huge sum of money?

"How about... 'borrowing'?"

A penny can stump a hero. After Senju Tobirama racked his brains for a long time, he asked his big brother in a tentative tone.

"Borrow from whom?"

Senju Hashirama scratched the back of his head. When it came to borrowing money, he only had one candidate in his mind.

"Madara?"

"No!"

Senju Tobirama rejected it directly. Uchiha Madara was about to succeed as the Second Hokage. If he borrowed money from him, it would definitely cause unnecessary suspicion. When the time came for the matter to be exposed, he would completely become a sinner of Konoha.

"Then who else can we find?"

"The Daimyo?"

"No, no, in recent years, in order to fill the fiscal gap, I have already asked the Daimyo for several funds. It would be impolite to open my mouth again."

"Sigh... since that's the case, we can only find our own people."

After weighing the pros and cons for a long time, Senju Tobirama slowly raised his head, his scarlet eyes full of complexity.

"Our own people?"

Blinking in confusion, Senju Hashirama was full of question marks.

"That's right, true own people."

Bang, bang, bang~

"Curly-haired baboon! Are you skipping work again?"

The door of Uchiha Gin's house was suddenly pulled open. Senju Itama, with an indignant face, questioned fiercely, only to find that the person entering was not the curly-haired one she thought, but two familiar heads, one black and one white.

"Big brother? Second brother?"

"Hehe, Itama, is Gin big brother at home?"

Looking at his lively younger sister, Senju Hashirama, carrying two boxes of strawberry milk, had a face full of relief.

"He went to work, you guys come in and talk."

As the saying goes, no one visits a temple without a cause, and they were even carrying gifts. Senju Itama didn't need to guess to know that her brothers had something to ask for, so she moved aside and invited them in.

"Is it troublesome?"

Senju Tobirama beside him frowned slightly, his gaze picking toward the second floor, his eyes full of hints.

"Rest assured, I'm the only one watching the house now, that woman went to train."

Knowing what Senju Tobirama was worried about, Senju Itama shook her head to signal the other party not to panic.

Learning that Uchiha Guang was not there, the Senju brothers instantly felt relieved in their hearts. Both had been educated by her, so naturally, there was some fear at work in their hearts.

Welcomed into the house by Senju Itama, the Senju brothers were soon served with fragrant tea. The two looked at each other in embarrassment, not knowing how to speak.

"Speak, don't sell the suspense."

Sitting in front of her two brothers, Senju Itama went straight to the point. She still had things to do and didn't want to waste too much time.

"I still have to go buy fish later."

"Itama, it's like this... Big brother and second brother, we have never asked you for anything, but this time we have indeed encountered a difficult matter, so can..."

"You guys aren't going to borrow money, are you?"

Looking at the hesitant Senju Hashirama, Senju Itama blinked and asked in an uncertain tone.

"Little sister is indeed smart~"

Senju Hashirama's face immediately revealed a look of relief.

"How much do you want to borrow? I have also saved quite a bit of money over these years."

Seeing that her two brothers had really encountered something, as a younger sister, Senju Itama naturally helped if she could.

"Then thank you so much, borrow us three hundred..."

"Three million? That's not much, you guys wait a moment."

Senju Itama, who was frightened by the serious expressions of Senju Hashirama and the other, felt full of confidence upon hearing "three hundred," and got up to get her small treasury.

"... billion."

"Hey, is this the Public Security Team? Someone is trespassing in a private residence. Yes! Don't know them, they are strangers."

Senju Itama, with a blank face, dialed the hotline of the Public Security Team, swearing to bring these two scammers to justice.

"Ah, ah, ah! Wait a minute!"

"Sigh, second brother, how do you want me to talk about you?"

After the farce, Senju Itama looked at Senju Tobirama, who was kneeling on the ground admitting his mistake, with a look of "hate that iron doesn't become steel."

"I did this for the village..."

Knowing he was in the wrong, Senju Tobirama didn't dare to refute loudly, and could only whisper to himself.

"Big brother, look, he still doesn't know how to repent."

"I also have a certain responsibility for this matter."

"Hmph! Don't you cover for him. But big brother, you indeed have responsibility too. If you had found a wife for second brother earlier, he wouldn't have tumbled on economic issues."

Senju Itama's words were very sharp, and in the end, she even began to attack Senju Tobirama's single status.

"Don't pull it too far, we are talking about borrowing money now."

Having his scars ruthlessly revealed by his little sister, Senju Tobirama's face couldn't hold up.

"Thirty billion, even if you sell me, I won't have that much money."

"You don't have it, that curly-haired guy..."

Looking at Senju Itama, who had her hands on her hips with an indignant face, Senju Tobirama then mentioned the person they were really looking for on this trip.

"Ha? No! He doesn't have it either!"

Hearing her second brother mention Uchiha Gin, Senju Itama's face changed, and she refused first.

What are you thinking?

The curly-haired baboon's money, rounded up, isn't it her money? If the meat bun hits the dog, where would Senju Itama have the face to stay in this house?

"We guarantee, definitely borrow and return."

Senju Tobirama immediately raised his finger.

"I swear in the name of our ancestors."

"Don't come with this set, no is no."

Even if the other party swore by their ancestors, Senju Itama remained unmoved. Her gaze fell on her two brothers, and she suddenly spoke.

"You two have hands and feet, won't you go earn it yourself?"

"Earn? I, the dignified Konoha village secretary, you want me to do missions to earn money?"

Senju Tobirama frowned upon hearing this. What is his status now?

Having been in politics for many years, Senju Tobirama had unknowingly been infected with the evil bureaucratic style, gradually detaching from the masses and going against the passionate self he once was.

"Doing missions is too slow to make money, and the two of us going out together is really too eye-catching."

Seeing that the atmosphere between his younger brother and younger sister was becoming stiff, Senju Hashirama hurriedly came out to smooth things over, analyzing why he and Senju Tobirama couldn't do missions to earn money.

"These are all excuses. I think it's true that you guys can't take off the long robes of Hokage and secretary."

Curling her lips in disdain, Senju Itama took away the tea in front of her two brothers, and the meaning of seeing guests out was very clear.

"Phew... let's go, Tobirama."

Since things had come to this, Senju Hashirama didn't want to make the relationship between siblings unpleasant. After letting out a long breath, he greeted Senju Tobirama, who had an unhappy face, to leave.

"Whoosh~"

The two, with dim expressions, had just stepped out of the door of Uchiha Gin's house when they heard the sound of breaking through the air from behind.

"This is?"

Senju Hashirama backhanded and took the "hidden weapon" that ambushed him, only to find it was a storage scroll. Before they could ask, Senju Itama's voice sounded in their ears.

"That is the 'billions' of money I have saved over these years. I was originally thinking of preparing some dowry..."

"Itama... thank you."

Listening to his younger sister's slightly sorrowful voice, the Senju brothers felt the scroll in their hands was as heavy as a thousand catties, and immediately had tears in their tiger eyes. Especially Senju Tobirama, he wished he could slap himself twice now. How could he have spoken to his sister like that just now?

After carefully putting away the scroll, the two brothers raised their heads, looked at Senju Itama, who was standing at the door with a dejected expression, and promised extremely seriously.

"Itama, as long as your brothers are still alive, we will definitely prepare the most luxurious dowry in the Ninja World for you."

The silent Senju brothers returned home. Senju Hashirama slowly took out the scroll gifted by his younger sister and handed it to Senju Tobirama beside him.

"Don't let down Itama's sentiment."

Looking at the slightly old storage scroll, Senju Tobirama felt a sourness in his heart. This money was probably squeezed out from between his younger sister's fingers over these years. If he really used it, he would be worse than a beast.

Solemnly receiving the scroll, Senju Tobirama didn't choose to open it to count. Instead, he kept it close to his body. Senju Hashirama frowned slightly upon seeing this.

"What are you going to do?"

"Big brother, Itama is right. We have to rely on our own hands to make up for the losses we caused."

Senju Tobirama raised his head, his eyes full of determination. The confusion that had previously entangled his heart was swept away by Senju Itama's words.

So what if he is the village secretary?

Isn't he also a ninja?

"But, if we do missions now, it's too late, right?"

The process of Konoha's mission system is extremely cumbersome. From accepting the commission to paying the reward, there is a certain cycle to wait. The more difficult the mission, the longer the cycle will grow accordingly.

Now, the day of the Second Hokage election and change of term is not far away. In about a month or so, the Hokage throne will have a new owner.

"Conventional missions are naturally too late, but what if they are unconventional?"

Senju Tobirama's scarlet eyes revealed an inexplicable look. Senju Hashirama blinked in confusion upon hearing this.

"What is called unconventional?"

"Bounty hunter."

That's right, in this difficult time of lacking money, Senju Tobirama remembered the rogue ninja Kakuzu who shone brilliantly in the Knight's War. The scene of the other party throwing money around still echoed in his mind.

If a rogue ninja from a small ninja village could earn so much money through the black market, then if he and his big brother made a move, wouldn't it be bagging money, getting rich in minutes?

"Ah? This isn't very good, right?"

Senju Hashirama, who had been upright and open all his life, couldn't help but feel resistant when he heard the four words "bounty hunter." After all, in the eyes of these regular ninjas, bounty hunters were no different from wild dogs rummaging through trash cans on the side of the road.

"There's nothing bad about it, let me tell you..."

Seeing Senju Hashirama's reluctant appearance, Senju Tobirama directly told his big brother about Kakuzu's history of getting rich.

"What? I'll be damned! Let's do it!"

Seduced by Senju Tobirama, Senju Hashirama's eyes lit up with banknote patterns, and he slapped his thigh in a hurry. If it were really this profitable, wouldn't his first half of his life be lived in vain?

"Mm, no time to lose, let's go register now."

Do it!

The vigorous Senju brothers quickly packed their simple luggage, preparing to go out to pan for gold. As a result, just as they stepped out of the door, Senju Hashirama's expression became strange.

"Big brother, what are you stunned for? I'll take you flying over."

Senju Tobirama, who was looking for coordinates, turned his head in confusion. His big brother wouldn't drop the chain at this critical moment, would he?

"No, we're just leaving like this, what about Konoha?"

One Hokage, one secretary, the two big mountains of Konoha slipping away collectively, is this village still going to operate?

"Oh my, such a small matter, I thought you didn't dare to go?"

Senju Tobirama rolled his eyes, pinched a seal with one hand, and with a "ding," there was another one of himself beside him. He nodded to the shadow clone, and the other party disappeared from the spot with a "whoosh."

"Anyway, there won't be any fighting in the village, using shadow clones to handle political affairs is enough."

Good for you kid, it turns out you were the one who started this bad habit!

"Oh~ I almost forgot."

Senju Hashirama smiled honestly, clapped his hands, and separated a wood clone from his body. Because both sides shared memories, the wood clone didn't ask much, nodded, and left straight away to fulfill his duties.

"This move is quite easy to use, why didn't I think of it earlier!"

Shaking his head with some regret, Senju Hashirama felt a blockage in his heart whenever he thought of the years he had been in office, all of which were hands-on work.

Must not teach this method to Madara!

"Let's go, earning money is important."

In this gap, Senju Tobirama finally locked onto the coordinates of the Land of Fire's Exchange Center, waved to his big brother, and flew away first.

And so, the two giants of Konoha merged into the darkness under the cover of night. Accompanied by a blue light, two limited-appearance supernovas were added to the bounty world.

A simple and powerful hero is about to appear~

The suddenly-feeling-something jailer, who didn't know he was about to welcome the strongest competitor, scratched his head in confusion.

"Ew, Lord Divine Beast, why has the top of my head become pointed?" (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 424 =====