Next was Kumogakure. Since Uchiha Mu had stripped so many Small Countries of their wealth, there was little left for them to plunder while Hashirama was alive. Making money was out of the question.
They could not squeeze any more money out of the Daimyo, either. The Daimyo liked to show off to one another. If another Daimyo had something they did not, they would lose face, so they would spend money to buy it too. But their nations still needed to function, and until Hashirama died, the shinobi were of little use. Thus, the Daimyo tacitly agreed to cut their shinobi villages' funding.
With less money, the internal tensions in each shinobi village intensified. They desperately needed an external enemy.
Just then.
"Lord Tobirama, someone has leaked the secret of Lord Hashirama's death," an Anbu ninja whispered in Tobirama Senju's ear.
"How could this happen? Big Brother has been gone for less than five days. Who was it?" Tobirama Senju's gaze turned vicious. It seemed Konoha was as full of holes as a sieve, too. Then he thought of Uchiha Mu. Whoever had done it, Uchiha Mu would surely be the one to benefit in the end, so suspecting him was the right move.
The Anbu ninja shook his head, indicating that he did not know, but said he would investigate immediately.
"Wait. Focus your attention on Uchiha Mu. Report any movements at once." Tobirama Senju set his sights squarely on Uchiha Mu. Whether he was responsible or not, Tobirama would pin the blame on him first.
"Yes." The Anbu ninja promptly withdrew.
The other shinobi villages also received the news. They were all as delighted as if it were New Year's, but they did not fully believe it either. They decided to wait a while before probing Konoha.