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Year Two of the Hidden Leaf.
Akio walked along the streets of Konoha, momentarily lost in thought as he took in the growing hustle and bustle of the village.
In just one year, the appearance of the Hidden Leaf had changed dramatically. A large influx of civilians had settled in, driving the village's rapid economic development.
To meet the needs of the villagers, new buildings were gradually constructed. Public facilities like the Konoha Hospital, the Konoha Bathhouse, and a variety of food stalls and shops had all sprung up. Every day, Akio eagerly looked forward to the opening of Ichiraku Ramen, but so far, there wasn't even a trace of it. Another well-known shop, the dango store, had already opened. Akio had tried it a few times but found the taste rather ordinary.
The things that should have been built weren't, and the things that shouldn't have been built—were. Akio stared at the building before him, his mouth twitching slightly.
"Konoha Casino?"
Ever since the Konoha Casino opened, our beloved Hokage hadn't personally handled any official duties. It was either Tobirama or a Wood Clone doing the work…
The Nara clan head had come to Akio multiple times for help with the issue. Akio had used the Transformation Jutsu to disguise himself and systematically win all of Hashirama's money. Yet somehow, Hashirama always managed to find more money from somewhere and would rush right back to the casino.
As for how Akio always managed to win against Hashirama—he had spent 10 Witness Points.
Gambling Skill: LV10 (100000) (Max Level)
"If I were back in my previous life, I'd basically be the God of Gambling…" Akio muttered. "But even that isn't enough to save the Hokage!"
Still unwilling to give up, he changed into another disguise today, tidied his clothes, and prepared to head into the casino once again to clean out the Hokage's wallet.
Bang!
That wasn't the sound of a door slamming—it was Akio bumping into someone.
Given his level of taijutsu, it was surprising that he was the one who ended up falling onto his butt. Confused, Akio looked up, ready to curse—
"You…"
Looking up, he was shocked to see someone he hadn't met in a long time: Uchiha Madara.
Madara looked down at him, furrowing his brows. "Apologies. I didn't mean to bump into you. Are you a new resident of Konoha? You've got good physical strength."
Akio was stunned. Madara… apologized? That was a first.
He was about to drop the disguise and mock Madara when the man turned and walked straight into the casino.
"Hashirama! You took all my money just to come gamble?"
Akio sighed. At last, he had discovered the source of Hashirama's funds.
As the head of the prestigious Uchiha Clan, Madara was probably the wealthiest person in Konoha right now. As for Hashirama… well, Senju finances were controlled by Tobirama.
"But actually… I'm probably the richest one now," Akio murmured. That alone said a lot about how much money he'd won from Hashirama recently.
"Technically, that money came from Madara. Just thinking about it makes me happy…"
Inside the casino, the First Hokage looked no different from any other gambler as he faced his debt collector. Faced with Madara's demands, he kept making excuses: "Give me a few more days," "I'm about to win it all back," and so on. Akio could hardly keep from laughing.
One creditor wasn't enough—another showed up: Tobirama Senju.
Hashirama looked dejected, silently pondering, Who can I borrow from now? Great-Uncle? Maybe the Uzumaki clan… they should be loaded, right?
Before Tobirama could speak, Hashirama beat him to it. "Tobirama, you've got to believe in your big brother's gambling skills! I've just been on a losing streak lately. Every time I'm about to win big, some random guy comes along and cleans me out…"
"Big Brother, enough!" Tobirama sighed. "Give it up. All your money's been going to Great-Uncle."
At the door, Akio's expression shifted.
"Stupid Nara clan head… blabbing too much…"
Hashirama's face changed repeatedly before realization dawned.
"Hmph. So all my money's with that old guy?" Madara's face darkened. It seemed there was little hope of getting his money back.
"Big Brother, no more gambling. We have urgent intel," Tobirama said.
Hashirama immediately grew serious. "What intel?" He glanced around. "Madara, Tobirama, let's talk back at the office."
Tobirama sighed and called toward the entrance, "Great-Uncle, you too."
Akio innocently dropped his transformation and walked over to the three.
"Great-Uncle…" Hashirama hesitated. Akio thought he was about to ask for money. Instead, after a moment of hesitation, Hashirama said—
"Teach me how to play dice!"
Akio was speechless. He glanced at Tobirama, whose face screamed defeat.
"That money can count as your retirement fund, old man!" Madara grumbled. He just couldn't bring himself to ask Akio for it directly.
Half an hour later
Hokage's Office
Hashirama sat at the head of the table. The Four Elders had already arrived. Tobirama stood off to the side, delivering his report.
"Big Brother, news just came in. Earlier this year, the Village Hidden in the Sand was established in the Land of Wind, with its leader calling himself the Kazekage. In the Land of Water, the Village Hidden in the Mist was formed under the Mizukage. The Land of Lightning has Kumogakure under the Raikage, and the Land of Earth has Iwagakure under the Tsuchikage."
"All these villages are now being collectively referred to as the Five Great Hidden Villages, and their leaders as the Five Kage. Smaller nations are also looking to establish ninja villages, with everyone adopting a one-country-one-village system."
"They dare consider themselves our equals?" Madara said coldly. "They dare group themselves with us?"
"Madara!" Hashirama interrupted. "This is a good thing! With these villages established, our dream has truly begun to take shape. No more endless war—people united under one banner…"
"Hokage-sama…" the Nara clan head interjected, "We must approach the formation of these other villages with caution. If not, the nature of war could shift—from clan versus clan to village versus village."
"Let them come!" Madara said again. Akio sighed, rubbing his forehead at Madara's war-hawk attitude.
"Madara!" Hashirama shot him another look, then turned to the Nara head. "I'm planning to send word to the other Kage and hold the first Five Kage Summit. What do you all think?"
"Agreed!"
"Agreed!"
"Agreed!"
The three elders spoke in unison. Only Madara remained silent—something that had become a familiar routine.
Akio chimed in, "Hashirama, the summit would be a great chance to deal with those eight tailed beasts we're keeping like guard dogs. It's not sustainable to just keep feeding them like this…"
"You mean…?" Hashirama turned to him.
"I bet the other four countries would be happy to pay for them. It could even solve some of our village's financial issues."
"That's not a good idea," the Hyuga clan head objected. "The tailed beasts are too dangerous. If we sell them to other nations…" He shook his head. As the ones tasked with guarding the beasts, the Byakugan-wielding Hyuga understood the threat they posed best.
The Nara clan head, however, shook his head and looked at Hashirama. "There's no need to worry. Distributing the tailed beasts could balance power among the other villages and prevent war."
"Then it's decided," Hashirama concluded. "Tobirama, send word to the other Kage at once!"
Tobirama nodded.
Another Elders' meeting came to a close…
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