Tobirama Senju

Night fell.

Inside a brightly lit office in the Hidden Leaf Village.

Hashirama sat in his chair, the desk before him piled with official diplomatic documents delivered from various countries like snowflakes.

Some were simple courtesy visits. Others revealed wariness and distrust toward Konoha between the lines, believing Hashirama harbored some scheme in secret.

Still others hoped to establish cooperation with Konoha and exchange resources while the village was still recovering from its founding.

"There are currently thirteen delegations in Konoha. The delegations from the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth are the most important, so we need to pay special attention to them. However, neither country's daimyo came in person. They sent other high-ranking officials as representatives, and their entourages are filled with troublesome ninja."

Tobirama succinctly explained the current situation.

Hosting delegations from so many countries at once was also a huge test for Konoha.

However, in Tobirama's eyes, some of those countries barely even counted as countries. On the map, their territories were no bigger than dots. It would not be surprising if they suddenly vanished one day after being wiped out.

These days, there were plenty of people who built a city and called themselves daimyo.

There was no need to pursue cooperation with those countries. Tobirama was worried that they might cooperate one day, only for that country to disappear the next, harming the interests of Konoha and the Land of Fire.

"Besides the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth, we should also keep an eye on the Land of Night in the north. Its ruler is called the 'Shogun,' the highest leader who commands both the civil and military affairs of the country. The fact that he is not called a daimyo is quite unusual, and he seems to have stronger authority than a daimyo. It is like the Land of Demons in the far west, where a shrine maiden leads the nation."

The Shogun of the Land of Night and the shrine maiden of the Land of Demons were both leaders without the title of daimyo, yet they ruled their nations.

In Tobirama's view, whether it was the shogun or the shrine maiden, both held complete control over military and political power. They were simply a variant of daimyo.

"...Hey, are you even listening, Brother?"

When Hashirama gave no response, Tobirama could not help frowning.

"Huh? Oh, of course I was listening. Mm, let's handle it that way."

Hashirama immediately straightened his back. The sleepiness vanished from his face as he nodded solemnly.

Tobirama: "..."

Had he not heard a single word?

"You actually fell asleep from this much work? Have you been slacking lately, Brother?"

"You can't blame me for that. I smiled so much while receiving them today that my mouth cramped up."

At the mention of it, Hashirama became thoroughly depressed.

For some reason, those delegations were incredibly talkative. They kept rambling about trivial matters, more sleep-inducing than a ninja's genjutsu.

Especially since Tobirama had told him to speak as little as possible while receiving guests—just keep smiling and nodding, while Tobirama handled the talking.

As a result, Hashirama's responses to the delegations from various countries had been limited to brief words like "Mm," "Okay," and "Sure."

By the time he returned, he discovered that his face had cramped from smiling, and even the muscles were twitching.

Worst of all, Madara had seen it and laughed at him for ages.

"It is because whenever you open your mouth, Brother, you are liable to say something foolish. This is an important window for dealing with other countries. If the leader suddenly acts foolishly, it will seriously damage the dignity of the nation and village."

Tobirama sighed.

"Yeees."

Hashirama dragged out his reply, clearly not taking Tobirama's lecture to heart.

"I'm talking about you, Brother..."

"Anyway, I'll take the reception work seriously from now on. Is there anything else to add?"

"There is indeed something important. Over in the Hyuga Clan, some elders are willing to join Konoha, but there are also quite a few opponents within the clan... I hear the arguments have become intense. If things go badly, armed conflict may break out in the end."

Tobirama stroked his chin as he described the Hyuga Clan's current situation.

Konoha was taking in more and more ninja clans. Under Hashirama's recruitment efforts, many large and small ninja clans in the Land of Fire had undergone peaceful transitions. The work of bringing them in had been completed with barely any fighting.

However, there were still some particularly stubborn holdouts in the Land of Fire, with the Hyuga Clan foremost among them.

"The Hyuga Clan has a history as long as the Senju Clan, but its customs are extremely old-fashioned. The clan follows a main-family and branch-family system, and branch-family members are even branded with a curse mark called the Caged Bird... I do not know the exact reason behind it, but given the Hyuga Clan's current state, they will be difficult to handle."

Tobirama drew a deep breath. In his view, the Hyuga Clan's problem was second only to that of the Uchiha Clan.

Their old-fashioned customs and rigid rules still followed ancient traditions, with almost no flexibility. Every time he interacted with someone from the Hyuga Clan, they wore faces like the dead, making one feel stifled inside.

"Is it to prevent their Kekkei Genkai from spreading outside the clan?"

Hashirama knew something of the Hyuga Clan's ways.

As fellow prominent ninja clans, it was only natural that they had dealings with one another.

"If that were the case, a curse mark like the Caged Bird would not be enough to prevent it. I believe there must be a deeper reason behind the creation of the Caged Bird."

"Looks like persuading them will not be easy."

Hashirama rubbed his brow.

"That is how it is when negotiating with old fossils, just like Father in the past. However, I heard that they recently formed a marriage alliance with the Land of Night. A daughter of the Hyuga main family has now become the Shogun's wife."

Tobirama recalled the rumor that had spread not long ago, wondering whether marriage alliances might be an effective approach.

Such methods had been common throughout the Warring States Era. The marriage alliance between the Hyuga Clan and the Land of Night was not an isolated case.

Even between clans, marriage alliances were often needed to maintain connections.

For example, his elder brother Hashirama had married a woman from the Uzumaki Clan and gained the Uzumaki Clan's support.

Originally, Konoha had planned to invite the Uzumaki Clan to join them, but after considering the matter, the Uzumaki Clan had refused.

On the southeastern border of the Land of Fire, the Uzumaki Clan had found a vast tract of unclaimed land. They appeared to intend to establish a country there.

Tobirama thought that was not bad either. Even if the Uzumaki Clan encountered danger in the future, Konoha could react quickly and provide support.

"So, the Hyuga Clan intends to relocate to the Land of Night?"

Hashirama blinked.

"No. If they had such intentions, they could have migrated directly like the Aburame Clan. Yet after Konoha was established, they remained in the Land of Fire... On top of that, half the clan opposes joining Konoha while the other half supports it. They may be waiting to see who offers the better price."

Tobirama curled his lip.

If that truly was the Hyuga Clan's plan, they were being far too optimistic.

"Then I'll go see them later."

After the Hokage inauguration ceremony, Hashirama planned to visit the Hyuga Clan.

At a time like this, face-to-face negotiations were still best.

"Mm. The Hyuga Clan has also sent people to this ceremony. Later, I will have someone sound them out and first determine which side they lean toward."

"I'll leave it to you, Tobirama. Having you around saves me a great deal of effort."

Hashirama walked over and patted Tobirama's shoulder in approval.

"Sigh... As long as you can rein in your impulsive nature, Brother, we can avoid a lot of trouble."

Whether it was the alliance with the Uchiha Clan or Konoha as it now stood... Tobirama did not think either had been plans Hashirama arrived at after careful consideration.

They were more like ideas that suddenly appeared in Hashirama's mind, prompting him to make a decision on the spot.

Without Tobirama at his side to assist him, this village would collapse sooner or later.

Still, it was precisely that emotional style that allowed those ninja clans to lower their guard around one another.

Hashirama decided the village's broad direction and mediated conflicts between the clans, allowing them to interact as equals. Meanwhile, Tobirama built upon that foundation, perfecting the village's framework and bringing their dream into reality.

The day after arriving in Konoha.

As the Shogun of the Land of Night, Yayoi was the first to receive a visit from the Hyuga Clan.

The Hyuga Clan's representative in Konoha this time was not Kicho's father, Hyuga Hideto, but another elder of the main family, Hyuga Sekijin.

He was around sixty years old, with a stern face and a ninja uniform worn with meticulous precision, perfectly fitting the Hyuga Clan's old-fashioned style.

According to what Kicho had revealed, Elder Sekijin had also been a powerful ninja who charged into battle in his youth.

More importantly, he was the grandfather of Kicho's attendant, Hyuga Aoi.

However, because Aoi belonged to the branch family, she had been an overlooked peripheral figure in the Hyuga Clan. There was probably little familial affection between her and her grandfather, Hyuga Sekijin.

Rinko's situation was much the same. Among her older relatives were members of the main family, but because she had not been the firstborn and her talent was average, she had been relegated to the branch family.

Hyuga Sekijin had no special purpose in coming here. He was merely paying a simple visit to maintain the necessary connection.

After all, because of Kicho, the cooperation between the Land of Night and the Hyuga Clan had not been cut off, but had continued all along. There was no need to do anything extra.

When Hyuga Sekijin left, Yayoi symbolically returned some gifts.

This time, Yayoi had brought many gifts suitable for reciprocation, to establish diplomatic relations with various countries.

"Lord Yayoi, the daimyo of the Land of Song just sent someone with a letter requesting a visit."

At that moment, Irori entered the quiet room temporarily being used for talks. She held a letter and handed it to Yayoi, who was seated cross-legged on a cushion.

"?"

Yayoi froze.

The Land of Song? What country was that?

Was there even such a country on the map? Surely it was not one of those countries that were only a dot on the map?

Although Yayoi had some knowledge of the countries of the Ninja World, the countries he knew did not include tiny nations so small that they did not even appear as colored patches on maps.

Several such countries appeared every year, only to vanish suddenly afterward. It was extremely strange and mysterious.

To avoid damaging the Land of Night's reputation among other countries, Yayoi still agreed to receive them.

Soon, the daimyo of the Land of Song paid a personal visit.

As expected, he had come to seek support. The Land of Song was currently under attack from an outside force and could be destroyed at any moment.

At the same time, Yayoi learned where exactly the Land of Song was located in the Ninja World. Well, it was more than half a continent away from the Land of Night.

Even if ninja ran at full speed without sleep or rest, it would take several days to travel from the Land of Night to the Land of Song.

Most importantly, the country had no notable specialties. It was merely a stretch of forest, some mountainous terrain, two cities, and several villages—so barren it was painful to look at.

And who brought several princesses along when coming to negotiate?

This daimyo of the Land of Song did.

Yayoi found it rather pitiful to watch. The man had fallen so low that he was practically putting his daughters up for sale.

In the end, Yayoi could only promise to send a mixed force of ninja and samurai. If the Land of Song fell, they could ensure that the daimyo's family settled safely in the Land of Night, rather than being exterminated.

As for quelling the unrest, that was impossible. The distance was too great and there were too many uncertainties. Protecting the daimyo's family was already the limit of what Yayoi could do.

Even so, Yayoi charged the daimyo of the Land of Song a hefty employment fee.

After all, after the Land of Night was established, its ninja and samurai no longer served as mercenaries. They became national defense forces wholly under the state's authority.

The salaries of ninja and samurai no longer came from mission rewards either. They were paid corresponding monthly wages based on rank, with outstanding performance earning increased compensation on top of that.

In other words, as Shogun, he was supporting all the ninja and samurai in the country.

On ordinary days, aside from patrolling and maintaining public order, the ninja and samurai spent most of their time training their abilities.

After the matter involving the daimyo of the Land of Song was concluded, representatives from several more countries came to visit.

Though Yayoi usually kept a low profile, the Land of Night was a rising power in the Ninja World, and its development momentum had been exceptionally fierce over the past few years. Naturally, many countries had taken notice.

As the Shogun's wife, Kicho naturally sat beside Yayoi, observing the exchanges and cooperation between nations. Occasionally, she spoke as well, sometimes cutting straight to the heart of the matter and sometimes easing the atmosphere when tensions ran high.

She fulfilled the role of a virtuous wife exceptionally well.

After this, her intelligence and beauty would undoubtedly spread widely among representatives from various countries.

This was undoubtedly something that brought great honor to Yayoi as her husband.

Who would not wish for a partner who was intelligent, beautiful, considerate, and capable of fighting side by side with them at crucial moments?

Thus, three days quietly passed.

More and more national delegations arrived in Konoha. The courtyards in the reception area filled one after another, with tension and liveliness existing side by side.

Ninja and samurai could be seen everywhere, serving as guards for the various delegations. They remained wary of one another, yet all exercised restraint.

During his days in Konoha, Yayoi received a total of fifteen national delegations. The daimyo of six of those countries came personally to negotiate.

During that time, Yayoi also formally visited Hashirama Senju, who was about to assume the title of First Hokage.

"Hello, Lord Hashirama. I have long heard of your great name."

Yayoi clasped Hashirama's hand, then quickly released it.

Yayoi's first impression of Hashirama... he was a man who always smiled but did not say much.

Most of the time, it was his younger brother, Tobirama Senju, standing beside him who handled the conversation and communication.

The muscles in this Senju clan leader's face seemed to twitch a little... It was probably just an illusion.

Judging solely from his appearance, he seemed fairly amiable and easy to get along with. Beyond that, Yayoi could not gauge his depth.

His chakra was completely restrained, without the slightest leak, making him seem like an ordinary person.

As for Madara Uchiha, Yayoi had seen him as well. He stood leaning not far from the meeting grounds, his gaze only occasionally falling on Hashirama. As for everyone else... in Madara's eyes, they were likely not even worth as much as air.

Other than Hashirama Senju, he does not take anyone seriously at all.

Yayoi's feelings were exceedingly complicated.

Seeing Madara Uchiha again, he had initially wanted to go over and greet him, make himself familiar to him, and decide what to do afterward.

But after thinking it over, he decided against it. If he went over now, he would most likely be met with cold indifference. It would be nothing but asking for humiliation.

His exchange with Hashirama had only taken a few sentences. After all, diplomatic representatives from other countries were waiting behind him, and Yayoi could not delay for too long.

By the time he returned to the courtyard arranged by Konoha, it was already noon. After Yayoi and Kicho finished lunch, he took an afternoon nap with her. He had been busy these past few days and felt somewhat tired.

Nothing happened between Yayoi and Kicho during their nap. It was the completely innocent kind.

Not until night fell, shortly after dinner, did an unexpected person take the initiative to visit under Irori's reception.

Yayoi brought Kicho with him to the meeting room, where someone had already been waiting for quite some time.

Dressed in a black ninja uniform, with sharp eyes and white hair, it was none other than Tobirama Senju.