Inside the Hokage building, three figures-two adults and one child-appeared beside the Flying Thunder God Mark Tobirama Senju had left.
Madara Uchiha sensed Hashirama Senju's chakra and looked up from the official documents that had all but buried him.
Several long-distance jumps with Flying Thunder God made Tobirama Senju stagger as soon as he landed. Nearly collapsing from exhaustion, he found a nearby chair and sat down to rest.
Beside them, Uchiha Izuna had been worn out by the mountain of administrative work. He lay slumped over his desk with his eyes closed, stirring only slightly when the three appeared. Sensing no danger, he sank back into a deep sleep.
Looking at the irritatingly tall pile of documents before him, Tobirama Senju casually grabbed two files. He glanced up at Madara Uchiha, who showed no reaction, figured they contained nothing important, and began leafing through them.
"Who's this kid?"
"He says his name is Uchiha Ichiro..."
Hashirama Senju explained what he knew, while Watanabe Ichiro cooperated by nodding or revealing his Sharingan at the appropriate moments.
"Awakened his Sharingan at four? A genius, then..." Madara Uchiha pondered for a moment, his brain stalling under the weight of administrative work. "Hmm. Let him rejoin the clan. You handle it."
"Huh? Me? Madara? You want me to go into your Uchiha District?" Hashirama Senju pointed at himself, his eyes widening. It wasn't that he was afraid to go. Since their clans had formed an alliance, he had frequently visited the Uchiha District to spar with Madara. But returning to a clan was an internal matter, and involving someone with a different surname hardly seemed appropriate.
"Yes. Izuna and I have to work overtime. We probably won't have time to deal with it tonight... Take him there. Hmm, no, that wouldn't really be appropriate. Tomorrow, then... Forget it. Don't leave! Come help with these documents!"
Ripples appeared in his previously lifeless expression. The face that screamed "I'm busy, don't bother me" gradually began to crack.
"Construction progress proposals, Konoha's development plans, clan compound layouts, disputes between civilians, budget allocations..."
"No matter what it is, they all want money, people, or plans from me! They ask me how to do everything, how to handle everything, what to do about everything!"
He clasped his hands beneath his chin, despair creeping into his voice. His Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun in his eyes, his expression dark and his overworked wage-slave aura at full strength.
"There was never this much to deal with in the Uchiha Clan. Why is Konoha like this...?"
"Ahahaha, administrative work, huh? Hahahaha! Well, Madara, you're the Hokage, so I'll just... Uh, this kid's hungry. I'll take him out to eat!" Wearing an expression that said "I have no idea what you're talking about," Hashirama Senju laughed awkwardly and prepared to leave.
"Perhaps you could delegate some authority. Why does a villager's request to open a new vegetable patch require the Kage's decision?" Tobirama Senju tossed down a sheet of paper, picked up another file, and flipped through it.
"Funding to build a children's park? No need to spend money. Have my brother build it."
"A dispute over clan grounds? Problems with the boundary plans? Whoever caused the problem takes responsibility. Get the people who drew the plans, carried them out, and approved them to come up with a solution."
"Drinking water problems... Our village doesn't have enough water? Are our Water Release ninja just sitting around doing nothing?"
"A contract for medical services? What makes the Shimura Clan think they can compete with us Senju in medicine? Rejected."
"..."
Tobirama Senju quickly worked through a stack of documents and delivered his conclusions.
"Many of these matters don't need your personal review. Have your subordinates summarize them and report to you. There are major problems with the preliminary planning. A third of this stack concerns ambiguities and disputes caused by inadequate initial plans. Those could have been avoided without having to redo the work. Also, some ninja clans don't seem to understand what being a Kage means. They're requesting funds for completely fictitious matters. My personal recommendation is that you or my brother go near their compounds and accidentally smash a row of houses to put them in their place..."
Tobirama Senju sorted the documents into three piles, his face weary. "I was wondering why you worked overtime every day. Delegate appropriately, divide the work clearly, and assign responsibility to specific individuals. Just a few suggestions for your consideration."
Interesting. Watanabe Ichiro nodded inwardly in approval. Tobirama Senju certainly lived up to his reputation as the Second, a ruler who could preserve what had been built. He had real ability, and these methods were indeed well suited to Konoha in its current state.
"Hah? Easy for you to say," Uchiha Izuna retorted sullenly. "Who do we have to use? The clan elders each pursue their own interests, and they're greedy as hell. I already dealt with a batch of them back in the Uchiha Clan. The village has only just been founded, and we're still dividing up the benefits. I don't trust them to do the work. Very few young people have any political sense. The younger generation may be fairer and more impartial, but their abilities are limited. Everyone useful is already doing the work of three people. As for the other clans..."
He lifted his head and glanced at Tobirama Senju. His eyes conveyed his meaning plainly: I don't trust them.
"So Madara and I have no choice but to work harder and review everything ourselves."
A vein bulged at Tobirama Senju's temple.
"Do I need to remind you that the Senju and the Uchiha formed this alliance as equals? Under normal circumstances, the benefits and authority should be divided equally."
"Hah? Equally? You think you deserve that? Mere Senju..."
"Mere Senju? Who was it I cut down with a single strike? If my brother hadn't begged me in tears, do you think Konoha would be dominated by your Uchiha alone? If you ask me, we should have..."
"Tobirama Senju, don't be so ungrate-"
"Izuna!"
"Tobirama!"
The two rebukes rang out together, from Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju.
Uchiha Izuna snorted and turned his head away.
Tobirama Senju clicked his tongue and turned in the opposite direction. He couldn't undermine Hashirama Senju in front of outsiders. Once they got home, he would have to give him a good talking-to and make his brother...
Ugh, forget it. I'm exhausted.
Do whatever you want. In this cold, heartless Konoha, only my laboratory can offer me a little warmth. Only researching forbidden techniques-no, ninjutsu-can bring me happiness.
You've got it rough, Second.
Watanabe Ichiro sat nearby watching the drama, feeling that this world's Tobirama Senju had rather strong potential to become everyone's punching bag.
With Izuna alive, Madara still had his external brain. Everything received careful consideration, and the Uchiha side's collective intelligence had shot straight up.
Meanwhile, Hashirama Senju had let Madara steal his brains away. As long as Konoha's safety and his younger brother Tobirama's life weren't at stake, he was always open to compromise. He would even consider things from another clan's perspective, without a trace of selfishness.
Back in the Senju Clan, Tobirama Senju had decided the minor matters, while Hashirama Senju had decided the major ones.
Now, though, the Uchiha Clan decided everything, major or minor. Tobirama Senju had lost his say entirely, and Hashirama Senju wouldn't help him either. In his mind, all that mattered was avoiding war. The Senju Clan's gains and losses? Oh, come on, be generous and give a little!
It was fine for the Senju Clan to lose out, and even giving things away for nothing was acceptable. Tobirama Senju was left utterly speechless-and utterly helpless.
Tobirama Senju was fighting one against three. How miserable.
"Tobirama, I apologize on Izuna's behalf."
After a long silence, Madara Uchiha actually apologized. It was no different from detonating an Explosive Tag in the room. Three people stared at him in shock.
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