The Death of Senju Hashirama

After the shock, Yuya gradually fell silent.

He truly had not expected that Senju Hashirama's expectations for him would lie in this direction.

How should he put it? Senju Hashirama didn't mention a word about Yuya's combat ability, which Yuya accepted; after all, no matter how awesome he was, could he be more awesome than the God of Shinobi?

Therefore, Senju Hashirama proposed something else entirely.

He wanted Yuya to lead Konoha toward prosperity and a comfortable life.

Yuya did indeed have that capability; if nothing else, his golden finger would allow him to develop Konoha by throwing money at it.

If Gild Tesoro could build an entire city out of gold, Yuya didn't believe his own ability to make money was any worse than his.

It was just that...

Everything had a prerequisite...

And that was that Senju Tobirama had to make it through the next ten years steadily.

Yuya looked at Hashirama: "If possible, I will find a way to make Konoha wealthy."

Just as Senju Hashirama nodded in satisfaction, Yuya immediately followed up: "But there is one problem. After you pass away, Master, won't other nations take the opportunity to attack us?"

Senju Hashirama smiled even more gratified.

Beside them, Senju Tobirama also smiled: "The fact that you have this concern shows that you truly have the village's interests at heart.

That's right, other villages might indeed have that possibility, but we have nothing to fear."

Senju Tobirama spoke to Yuya with a serious expression: "Konoha currently has the highest number of shinobi among the five nations. We don't fear other villages, so rest assured."

Yuya: "..."

Is this considered a flag?

To be fair, they did win, but the boss himself ended up gone...

Yuya couldn't possibly say that out loud; if he did, he'd really be dragged off to be sliced up for research.

He could only nod gloomily.

Hashirama smiled and nodded, already able to foresee the future strength of Konoha.

It was a pity he wouldn't be able to see it.

Regarding the Impure World Reincarnation technique developed by Senju Tobirama, the brothers held the same attitude: the living should remain with the living, and the dead with the dead. Disturbing the eternal rest of the deceased was wrong.

Senju Tobirama had even once wanted to completely erase all traces of this ninjutsu.

He only refrained from destroying it entirely out of fear that Konoha might fall into decline in the future and be wiped out by other villages; in that case, if someone knew Impure World Reincarnation, they could at least be summoned to help.

"Basically, that is all I have to entrust to you regarding the village," Hashirama said, looking at the silent Uzumaki Mito. "I am sorry. I was not a good husband, leaving you to walk the path ahead all alone."

Uzumaki Mito looked at Hashirama with a cold face: "Hmph, you think too highly of yourself. I only married you because of the requests from my clan."

That was indeed true; the marriage between Uzumaki Mito and Senju Hashirama was, strictly speaking, a pure political alliance.

What the Uzumaki Clan gained in return was the ability to become a hidden village within a small nation.

Between becoming a hidden village and joining Konoha, if they had the choice, many clans would choose to become their own village.

Whether their own strength was sufficient to hold that position, however, was another matter.

The Uzumaki Clan's strength was indeed nothing to write home about, but after Uzumaki Mito married Hashirama, things changed. Konoha and the Uzumaki Clan became allies; the Uzumaki could handle the weaker threats themselves, and those with real power had to weigh the existence of Konoha.

Hashirama looked at his wife and smiled: "That is good. After I die, if you find someone suitable, feel free to remarry. I won't blame you."

Uzumaki Mito's eyes instantly turned red: "Who asked for your permission?! I'll find someone to marry the day after you die just to spite you!"

Senju Hashirama burst into hearty laughter.

Senju Hashirama meant those words sincerely.

He just forgot that his wife had been the partner of the God of Shinobi; what other man could possibly catch her eye?

And in the original manga, Uzumaki Mito did indeed live out her life in solitude.

Senju Hashirama looked at Tobirama: "I leave Tsunade in your care."

Tobirama nodded.

That girl Tsunade had a mother, but no father, which was why Hashirama said that.

Senju Hashirama looked at Yuya again: "That child likes you quite a bit. If you can, marry her when you grow up, hahaha."

Yuya's face darkened, while Uzumaki Mito began rolling up her sleeves: "Don't you worry about such things! I'll be the one to vet little Ya's future wife!"

Senju Hashirama laughed heartily once more.

Afterward, the three adults and one child chatted there, with bursts of happy laughter echoing from time to time.

Tobirama used the Flying Thunder God to buy some wine and food, though Yuya noticed that his eyes were slightly moist.

After they had eaten and drank their fill, Senju Hashirama began to shoo them away; he didn't want these three to witness his final moments.

However, the three of them naturally refused to leave.

Helpless, Senju Hashirama had no choice but to continue waiting for the end of his time.

Later, Senju Hashirama asked Yuya if he had any plans for Konoha, and how he would strengthen the village if he were to become Hokage in ten years.

Yuya was silent for a moment, then dropped a bombshell: reform and openness.

The ninja system had to change; ninjas should be treated strictly as a military branch. They could have officers and armies, but they could not engage in business or compete for power with ordinary people. If they wanted to make money, they could simply retire from the ninja army and focus on commerce.

The business model needed an overhaul as well. Previously, outside merchants would haul carts of supplies to Konoha to sell, but Konoha was perfectly capable of manufacturing its own goods. In the future, Konoha should reach out and sell its own products abroad.

Of course, Yuya only mentioned a small portion of his ideas. Regarding the ninja army, he had actually considered barring them from government positions entirely, but given the current situation where these ninjas weren't purely soldiers, that was clearly impossible.

However, if he could, Yuya would definitely change the ninja ranking system.

Having only three ranks—Genin, Chunin, and Jonin—was far too simplistic and made it easy for people to see their own ceiling at a glance. It needed to be more granular; something like a structure ranging from squads to armies would be much better.

Then there was the economy. Konoha had a solid foundation; located in the Land of Fire, which possessed ports, it could utilize waterways to conduct trade with the Land of Earth, the Land of Water, and the Land of Lightning.

What about the Land of Wind?

That was a dirt-poor country, nothing but deserts everywhere—what kind of money could they possibly have?

Furthermore, transport between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire could only be done by land, with no access to waterways, making it far too inefficient.

Therefore, the Land of Wind was not a priority.

But these were all matters for another time. If he were really to become Hokage in ten years...

Senju Tobirama, you should worry about surviving past next year first...

Senju Hashirama and the other two were listening with rapt attention; they truly hadn't expected that Yuya already had a blueprint in his mind.

Although many parts of his plan required further thought, for a child, it was already more than enough.

Senju Hashirama finally felt at ease.

Later, as dusk fell, Senju Hashirama felt an overwhelming wave of exhaustion. After bidding the three of them farewell, he fell into a sleep from which he would never wake.

Uzumaki Mito could not hold back her tears, and Yuya turned away, unable to bear the sight.

No matter what, if Senju Hashirama hadn't picked him up back then, he would have already starved to death.

This debt of life... Yuya would never forget it.

As for Senju Tobirama, he walked over and poured the wine from the bottle onto Senju Hashirama's body, then formed a series of hand seals, causing Senju Hashirama's body to sink directly into the earth.

On an evening in the sixteenth year of Konoha, Senju Hashirama fell into an eternal slumber.

That very night, a massive transformation occurred in the woods on the outskirts of Konoha. Trees began to grow frantically, constantly merging with one another, becoming giants that required two, three, ten, and eventually perhaps a hundred people to encircle.

These massive trees formed a spectacle that spanned a hundred miles.

Senju Tobirama, as the Second Hokage, issued an order designating the area a forbidden zone, naming it:

The Forest of Death.

Yes, it was the very same Forest of Death from the Chunin Exams.