Chapter 423: Life is not easy, Hokage sells art

"Achoo!"

"Yuck, 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 bad-mouthing me behind my back!"

"It must be your unit leader nagging you. The holiday has passed for several days, yet you still won't go 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, under Senju Itama's almost cannibalistic gaze, he sighed lightly.

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

"You guy..."

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

"Go to work for me!!!"

Clang~

Bang!

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

Uchiha Gin, who was swept out the door by Senju Itama, scratched his curly hair helplessly, and 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.

"Hoo... 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 sigh. He suddenly missed the little Senju Itama from before.

With that flat body type, he could beat her up without any psychological pressure, but facing this mature body that was dripping with ripeness, 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 a retirement policy?"

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

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 full-of-energy voice sounded in his ear.

"Gin-san! Sashiburi~"

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

Turning his face, seeing the 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."

Uzumaki Brother Zhouxuan, with graying hair, shook his head, his furrowed face carrying a sense of nostalgia.

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

Uchiha Gin's eyes were full of regret. If Uzumaki Brother Zhouxuan didn't do business as a traveling merchant, how would he collect interesting little gadgets?

"I'm not exactly retired. I just 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 Brother Zhouxuan's old face wrinkled into a chrysanthemum, his eyes full of yearning for a better life.

"This street..."

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

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

"Oh my, this is truly incredible. Then we'll be neighbors from now on."

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

"For sure, for sure~"

After catching up with Uzumaki Brother 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 waist 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 in the village. That posture looked like they were going to snap up some special-offer products.

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

"A new building materials street opened at the west end of the village, and they're having an event now: renovate fifty square meters and get fifty square meters free."

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

"Just this?"

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

Hearing this answer, Uchiha Gin suddenly realized. So it was his own people. He let go, and the middle-aged man immediately fled the clutches without looking back.

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

Not only building materials, but also giving away eggs, it meant 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 ancestral property sold by the Senju clan earlier, Uchiha Gin shook his head regretfully.

If it were normal times, these properties and land deeds would be sold at normal prices, and 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 instead benefited the relatives of the Land of Waves and the Land of Whirlpools.

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

"Eating radishes and worrying about nothing, I'm just a small jailer, why am I worrying for those officials~"

Waving away the distracting thoughts in his mind, Uchiha Gin rolled his eyes and restarted his dull career. He still had steel to finish eating.

You know, after opening the fifth steel, the magic ball will drop some interesting little props~

Senju Clan Grounds.

The once-prosperous Senju clan grounds, full of people, were now very 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 bills in their hands, their expressions were as dark as 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, he wouldn't have caused the Senju clan to go collectively bankrupt.

"Hoo... 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 dry throat.

"Big Brother, I accept your sentiment. I knew you had this awareness, so I mortgaged this mansion from the very beginning."

Senju Tobirama opposite felt a warmth in his heart upon hearing this. With an expression of "I expected this," he sincerely praised Senju Hashirama for being selfless, and by the way, made his dark-box operation public.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Hearing this, Senju Hashirama was stunned on the spot. The boiling 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 be so unceremonious, 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 chill radiating from Senju Hashirama, Senju Tobirama's expression straightened, and he quickly drew a big pie.

"No need, just redeeming this one is enough."

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

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

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

"How about... 'borrowing' it?"

A penny stumps a hero. After thinking hard for a long time, Senju Tobirama asked his own 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 head.

"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 order to fill the fiscal deficit in recent years, I have already asked the Daimyo for several funds. It would be impolite to ask 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?"

Uchiha Gin's door was suddenly pulled open. Senju Itama, with an indignant face, questioned him fiercely, only to find that the person entering wasn't 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, who was carrying two boxes of strawberry milk, was full of relief.

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

As the saying goes, if there's nothing to do, one doesn't visit the temple. Besides, they were carrying gifts. Senju Itama didn't need to guess to know that her brothers had something to ask, so she moved aside and invited them in.

"Is it troublesome?"

Senju Tobirama beside her frowned slightly, his gaze darting to the second floor, 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 wasn't there, the Senju brothers instantly felt a relief in their hearts. Both had been educated by her, so naturally, there was some lingering fear in their hearts.

Welcomed into the house by Senju Itama, fragrant tea was soon placed in front of the Senju brothers. The two looked at each other in embarrassment, not knowing how to speak.

"Speak, don't sell out."

Sitting in front of her two brothers, Senju Itama went straight to the point. She 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 really encountered a difficult situation, so can you..."

"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 an expression of relief.

"How much do you want to borrow? I've saved quite a bit of money over the years."

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

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

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

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

"... billion."

"Hey, Security Team? Someone is trespassing on private property. Yes! I don't know them, they are strangers."

Senju Itama, with an expressionless face, dialed the security team's hotline, swearing to bring these two scammers to justice.

"Ah, ah, ah! Chotto matte!"

"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, her face revealing an expression of "hating iron for not becoming 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 have a certain responsibility for this matter too."

"Hmph! Don't shield him. But Big Brother, you indeed have responsibility too. If you had found a wife for Second Brother earlier, he wouldn't have stumbled 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 stray too far, we are talking about borrowing money now."

Having his scars mercilessly exposed by his little sister, Senju Tobirama's face couldn't hold it.

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

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

Looking at Senju Itama, who had her hands on her hips and an indignant face, Senju Tobirama then brought up 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?

Curly-haired baboon's money, rounded up, is her money. If the meat bun hits the dog, how could Senju Itama have the face to stay in this house?

"We guarantee, we will definitely return it."

Senju Tobirama immediately raised his finger.

"I swear in the name of our ancestors."

"Don't pull that, if there isn't any, there isn't any."

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, why don't you go earn it yourselves?"

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

Senju Tobirama frowned upon hearing this. What was 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 if the two of us go out together, it's really too eye-catching."

Seeing that the atmosphere between his younger brother and 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.

"Those are all excuses. I think you guys just 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, the meaning of seeing guests out was very clear.

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

Things had reached this point, and Senju Hashirama didn't want to make things unpleasant between siblings. After letting out a long sigh, he greeted Senju Tobirama, who had an unhappy face, to leave.

"Whoosh~"

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

"This is?"

Senju Hashirama caught 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 'billion' points of money I saved over the years. I originally thought about 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. They were immediately filled with tears, especially Senju Tobirama; he wished he could slap himself twice right now for speaking to his sister like that just a moment ago.

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

"Itama, as long as your brothers are 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 intentions."

Looking at the slightly old storage scroll, Senju Tobirama felt a sourness in his heart. This money was probably scraped out from between his younger sister's fingers over the 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 doing?"

"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 gaze filled with determination. The confusion that had been lingering in his heart was swept away by Senju Itama's words.

So what if he is a village secretary?

Isn't he also a ninja?

"But, if we do missions now, it might be 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 for. The more difficult the mission, the longer the cycle will increase accordingly.

Now, the day of the Second Hokage election and change of term is running out. 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 were filled with an inexplicable look. Senju Hashirama blinked in confusion upon hearing this.

"What do you mean by unconventional?"

"Bounty hunter."

That's right, in this time of difficulty 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.

A rogue ninja from a small ninja village could earn so much money through the black market. If he and Big Brother made a move, wouldn't it be like 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 reluctance, 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 the pattern of banknotes, and he slapped his thigh in a hurry. If it were really this profitable, wouldn't he have lived the first half of his life in vain?

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

Do it as you say!

The swift and decisive Senju brothers quickly packed simple luggage, preparing to go out to pan for gold. As a result, as soon as they stepped out 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. 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 great 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," a clone of himself appeared 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 a shadow clone to handle government 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 gave an honest smile, clapped his hands, and separated a Wood Clone from his body. Because both sides shared memories, the Wood Clone didn't ask much and nodded, then went straight away to fulfill his duties.

"This move is quite useful, 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 about how he had been working personally for all these years since he took office.

Must not teach this method to Madara!

"Let's go, making money is the priority."

In this gap, Senju Tobirama finally locked onto the coordinates of the Exchange Shop in the Land of Fire, beckoned 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-edition supernovas were added to the bounty world.

Simple and powerful heroes are about to appear~

The suddenly-working "Lao Du" felt something, and he, who didn't know he was about to welcome the strongest competitors, scratched his head in confusion.

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