Handling the Border

Similar border incidents have actually occurred twice already.

That happened shortly before the arrival of the Envoy from the Land of Whirlpools.

At that time, Izuna had not yet entered the core decision-making level, so he did not know what was going on, but Hashirama did.

With Konoha newly established and many things to be done, the selection of personnel to Border Checkpoint was one of the first things to be finalized.

Hashirama assigned the task to the Senju Clan and other families on friendly terms with them almost without hesitation.

It wasn't out of favoritism, but because these were the only people available at the time.

The Uchiha clan members do not trust him, and other clans are still observing; they have not yet truly integrated into Konoha's operating system.

He knew the Senju Clan inside and out, and could mobilize them without much adjustment.

The outpost operated smoothly after it was set up, Senju Clan members firmly believed that their Clan Head would be the leader of Konoha, so they worked very hard.

Six months passed, and on that day, Izuna returned.

At first, no news was received at the border, after all, no one would believe that someone who had been dead for half a year could come back to life. But unexpectedly, more than ten days later, Izuna's performance in Kyoto suddenly caused a sensation in the world.

An Uchiha shone brightly in the Capital of the Land of Fire. The news traveled along the trade routes to the border, and was then embellished and relayed back to the outposts.

It was a gloomy afternoon.

A caravan coming from the direction of Kyoto stopped at the checkpoint for a routine inspection. The leading merchant, while unpacking his baggage, chatted with the Senju Ninja stationed there, saying that a major event had recently occurred in Kyoto: a member of the Uchiha had put on a show at the Spring Festival, leaving all the nobles present dumbfounded.

"Uchiha Izuna?" Senju Tetsugaku, stationed there, paused for a moment as he took the Clearance Document. "Izuna wasn't... gone half a year ago..."

"So you all know him!" The merchant slapped his thigh, spitting as he spoke. "Him? He sang and danced on the stage in Kyoto, and even the Daimyo personally received him! Let me tell you, the scene was... wow, I've been a merchant in Kyoto for over ten years, and I've never seen a Ninja stand in such a place, chatting so amiably with that noblewoman in her Jūnihitoe kimono! His looks, his musical skills! Absolutely amazing! Uchiha Izuna, he stunned everyone!"

Tetsugaku returned the Clearance Documents to the merchant without saying a word.

He listened as that guy boasted to him about how powerful Uchiha Izuna was and how moving the stories he told were.

I only managed to get over it after hearing some gossip about the handsome Uchiha.

After the caravan had gone far away, he turned to look at the sentry post behind him.

The news spread rapidly through the Border Checkpoint like ink dripping into water.

At first, only one or two people were whispering during their shifts, but later even the kitchen helpers chopping vegetables were talking about it. Tetsugaku tried to suppress the rumors, but he couldn't.

Life at the Border Checkpoint was monotonous and long. Any news from the mainland was like a spark falling onto dry tinder, especially since this news was related to the Uchiha.

Uchiha, the Uchiha who fought against the Senju for hundreds of years, the Uchiha whose second-in-command had died just half a year ago, the Uchiha who everyone thought would never recover.

Now, their second-in-command is not only alive, but is also shining brightly in Kyoto and has even gained the favor of the Daimyo.

"A skill that amazed everyone." A young Senju Ninja squatted on a stone bench outside the sentry post, repeatedly chewing on the phrase he had just heard from the caravan. "Listen to that, 'amazing everyone.' We Senju people are risking our lives on the front lines, while the Uchiha people are showing off in Kyoto. What kind of nonsense is this?"

Another, slightly older Ninja leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "How many years have we Senju fought the Uchiha? Lord Hashirama finally managed to suppress the Uchiha, and now, the Uchiha are running right up to the Daimyo. Has the Daimyo forgotten who started building Konoha?"

"The Uchiha is likely to rise to power." Someone whispered in a corner, and the surroundings suddenly fell silent. "The Daimyo receiving Ninja is unprecedented. The nobles used to ignore us completely, but now they've allowed an Uchiha to sit among them."

After those words were spoken, no one else spoke.

As the Senju tribesmen stationed there listened to these rumors, their unease grew higher and higher, like a pile of firewood.

They were unaware of what was happening within Konoha, and of what Izuna had changed and what foundations he had laid.

They only know that their Clan Head was Hashirama Senju, and that Konoha was founded by the Senju clan. But now, rumors about the Uchiha are circulating wildly outside.

What are those Red Eye bastards up to? Seize power?

No! Absolutely not! We must uphold Lord Hashirama's status!

So they did the first thing.

At that time, Envoys from the Land of Whirlpools had already entered the border, and their follow-up caravan carried a batch of Sealing Jutsu Scrolls, intending to use them as a stepping stone to establish trade relations with Konoha.

The shipment was stopped at the border.

The Senju intercepted the shipment thought that if the Uchiha truly seizing power, then at least they couldn't be allowed to obtain Sealing Jutsu, which could greatly enhance Chips Strength.

Hashirama learned of this by intercepting the Messenger Hawk used by the Land of Whirlpools for communication. If this hawk had been successfully delivered to Delegation, his family would have used it to cause trouble, becoming even more arrogant and creating further complications.

Moreover, the village was undergoing construction at the time, Space-Time Scrolls were in extremely short supply. These people actually managed to intercept such an important item!

Do these people really understand what they're doing?!

He suppressed his anger and did not lash out, but only sent a message to the border with Tobirama, the wording of which was stern but the manner of handling the matter was mild.

Release them immediately, and don't let it happen again.

He thought that was enough. He was the Clan Head of the Senju Clan and the Hokage of Konoha. No one in the Senju Clan dared to disobey him. He planned to deal with the rest after he officially took over as Hokage.

But he was wrong.

The border officials did let them pass, but they weren't convinced.

In their view, this was the second time the Clan Head had made concessions for the sake of the Uchiha.

The first time was when they let Madara Uchiha; they tolerated it.

At that time Uchiha Clan had already been weakened considerably, and some had already surrendered and wanted to stop fighting. But they were still the Uchiha, and there were quite a few of them with backbone and courage. Without a leader, the Uchiha would be even more troublesome.

The second time was this time, and they tolerated it again, but their resentment had already built up into a smoldering fire.

This time, they absolutely cannot allow their clan Clan Head to be led by the nose by the Uchiha!

They dared not tamper with the affairs of the Envoys from the five countries, as that would trigger a diplomatic dispute, a responsibility they could not afford.

So they took their anger out on the subsequent orders from the Land of Whirlpools.

Instead of blatantly seizing the goods, they repeatedly made things difficult with the procedures, delaying customs clearance. As a result, the Sealing Jutsu Scrolls that should have been delivered to Konoha before the Amusement Park opened are still stuck in a warehouse at the border.

This matter was reported the day before the Memorial Service was to begin.

By sheer coincidence, the report scrolls sent from the border were sorted by the Nara Clan and delivered to Izuna, who was in charge of diplomacy.

When Izuna picked up the scroll, he thought it was a routine border report, like a formatted official document stating "Several caravans passed through the border today, with no abnormalities."

However, the document states "Delay in customs clearance of Sealing Jutsu artifacts from the Land of Whirlpools," indicating a delay of five days prior, with the reason given as "incomplete documentation requiring supplementation." The supplementation status section states "not yet complete."

Incomplete paperwork? The caravan from Land of Whirlpools used the priority channel personally stamped by Mito. All the paperwork was verified before departure, how could it be incomplete?

And the signatory was actually a Senju? Aren't the Senju and Uzumaki supposed to be friends for generations? How could they reject it?

"Hashirama," he held up the scroll and waved it in Hashirama's direction, "You might want to take a look at this."

Hashirama, who was engrossed in reviewing documents, looked up when he heard this.

He took the scroll from Izuna, unfurled it, scanned a few lines, and his face darkened visibly.

Then he uttered four words in a calm, almost cold tone.

"These idiots."

Izuna was so startled by the sudden change in Tobirama's expression that she almost dropped the scroll she was holding. She instinctively moved to Tobirama's desk and asked in a low voice, "Why is Hashirama- nii suddenly so scary?"

Tobirama didn't even look up, his pen tracing patterns on the paper. "A batch of Sealing Jutsu from the Land of Whirlpools was seized at the border. There are procedural issues; I wanted to handle it before, but it wasn't a priority, so it's been delayed for a few days."

"That doesn't warrant getting this angry, does it?" Izuna muttered to himself.

Tobirama didn't reply; he knew that Hashirama's real anger wasn't about the procedures at all.

He was angry because his people were disobedient.

The Border Checkpoint are mostly manned by the Senju Clan. It's one thing for them to block goods, but they're also blocking goods belonging to Hashirama Uzumaki Clan Uzumaki Clan, who are the maternal relatives of Hashirama's wife, Mito, and also the ruling family of a country.

To put it mildly, this was a case of incompetence; to put it more seriously, it was the Senju Clan slapping the Hokage in the face, and doing so in front of all the clans in the village, pushing away their own ally.

This was the first time he had been betrayed by his own family members since he became the Clan Head. This feeling was probably exactly the same as when his father sent him to monitor him back then.

My eldest Big Brother didn't speak a single intimate word to the family for six whole months because of this, which shows how much he hated it.

Those guys aren't going to get away with this easily; hopefully, there won't be any bloodshed.

Ban leaned against the window, but he felt no schadenfreude at the Senju Clan's defeat.

If the Delegation finds out that the Senju Border Checkpoint the Sealing Jutsu Scrolls of the Land of Whirlpools, and this gets back to the other Four Nations, the image of justice that Konoha has worked so hard to build will be shattered.

Those nobles who had just been moved at the Memorial Service and begun to regard Ninjas as human beings would also rekindle their doubts.

See? Ninjas are Ninjas after all; they even sabotage each other's own ranks.

They wouldn't think that Ordinary People them can also develop grudges over the slightest suspicion. This matter must be handled properly, and we must find a way to silence the people of the Land of Whirlpools and prevent them from spreading rumors!

Hashirama closed the scroll, raised his head, and the gloom on his face had completely disappeared, returning him to his usual smiling, kind-hearted self.

He placed the scroll on the corner of the table, his tone light as if he were commenting on the Tenten: "Izuna, leave this to me. You focus on receiving the Envoys. Weren't you supposed to take them on a tour? Plan the route carefully, don't lead them astray."

Izuna glanced at him suspiciously, then at Tobirama, and then at Madara, sensing that there was some undercurrent swirling between the three of them that he was unaware of.

Hashirama turned to Tobirama, his smile still there but his eyes cold, "Tobirama, draft the official document for that Rotation Plan I mentioned to you before, and send it out first thing tomorrow morning."

Tobirama nodded. "Understood."

The Rotation Plan had actually been in place for a while; Hashirama had discussed the selection of personnel for border defense with Tobirama before he became Hokage.

It can't all be the Senju; other clans need to be involved as well. But this plan has been shelved because the timing isn't right, and there's no trust between the clans yet.

Now is the perfect time; they don't even need to plan anything, they can simply send out the Guard Corps Squads.

In short, get rid of those brain-dead idiots as soon as possible!

"As for the matter of appeasing the merchants from the Land of Whirlpools, let me handle it." Izuna picked up the scroll, smiling. "After all, it's a diplomatic matter; I, as Diplomat, can't just collect my salary without doing any work."