Chapter 328: Leave This to Tobirama  

"If we don't interfere, will anything change?" 

Tsunade pursed her lips and asked Raijin. 

"Of course." 

Hearing this, Shuuji raised an eyebrow and chuckled. 

"Take the Land of Fire as an example. When bandits increase, more villages will be affected. 

When the villagers can no longer survive... 

Even if it's just to stay alive, they'll eventually choose to become bandits too. And so, a vicious cycle begins. 

More bandits, fewer villagers. Over time, the bandits will start fighting among themselves. 

Because in one region, when there are too many bandits and not enough villagers left to rob, and when the Daimyo's wealth is beyond their reach, they'll have no choice but to turn on each other to survive." 

"I see." 

Hearing this, Tsunade nodded, twirling a wooden stick in her hand. 

"When scattered groups of bandits merge, even if they're not as well-equipped as the Daimyo's army, their numbers will give them an advantage. 

At that point, they'll pose a real threat to the Daimyo. And when that happens, the Daimyo will issue a large number of requests to Konoha. 

They'll use the wealth they've spent years accumulating to gain an advantage. If they succeed, the Land of Fire will be stable for a while. 

If they fail, the Land of Fire will still be stable for a while—just with a different Daimyo in power." 

Having served as Hokage, even if she usually didn't deal with village affairs, Tsunade could still see the bigger picture. 

"That's pretty much how it goes." 

Raijin nodded and spoke to Tsunade. 

"If Konoha gets involved in these matters, it will easily gain the support of most people. Because for the majority, no matter how bad their lives are, they can always get worse. 

And besides, everyone knows—when Konoha decides to do something, no one can stop it. 

So if we want to make the Hokage the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, like what happened in the Land of Whirlpools, it wouldn't be difficult at all." 

"But that would only be a surface-level solution. A single natural disaster, a failed harvest, or a plague would still create countless refugees. 

And when those refugees have no way to survive, they will inevitably turn to banditry." 

Raijin laid out his entire analysis in front of Tsunade. 

"Yeah, a disaster, a plague, or a bad harvest can shatter countless families. 

But I think the power of ninjas could help prevent these things to some extent, don't you?" 

Tsunade turned to Raijin and asked. 

"Of course. Ninja abilities could definitely help with that to some extent."

Raijin nodded. Using chakra to create a large amount of water could save the crops that were about to wither due to drought. 

Medical ninjutsu could also solve most of the diseases that existed in the ninja world. 

If the power of ninjas were truly applied to everyday life, it would naturally be a great thing. 

"Then let's get to work. I think this would bring enough benefits to Konohagakure. There are many unknown geniuses in this world who will never get the chance to learn ninjutsu in their lifetime. I believe they should have a platform to develop their potential." 

Tsunade stood up and spoke to Raijin. 

"I think this is a very meaningful thing." 

"Yeah, so why did you step down as Hokage?" 

Raijin pursed his lips helplessly and asked Tsunade in front of him. 

"Well... it doesn't matter. I'm sure Namikaze Minato won't reject my proposal." 

Tsunade's expression froze for a moment but quickly returned to normal as she replied to Raijin. 

"Hmm? What if he refuses?" 

Raijin raised an eyebrow and asked Tsunade in return. 

"Then... we'll hold a high-level meeting and remove him from office!" 

Tsunade immediately responded. 

"Tch, as expected of you, Tsunade-hime." 

Raijin let out a helpless chuckle. So, if you can't solve the problem, just get rid of the person causing it? That's quite an approach. 

"In that case, let's do it." 

Raijin nodded and spoke to Tsunade. 

Honestly, if Konohagakure could increase the number of ninjas graduating each year, it would indeed be a great thing. 

It wouldn't just mean an increase in the number of ninjas—it would also mean that the amount of chakra available to the ninja world would grow. 

As his strength increased, especially after devouring Kaguya, who had once eaten the fruit of the Divine Tree, Raijin gained a new understanding of chakra. 

When the Sage of Six Paths founded the Ninja Creed, rather than simply passing chakra to everyone, it was more like he taught people how to create chakra. 

Indeed, every person has chakra within them, but this chakra wasn't given by the Sage of Six Paths—it was something people were born with. 

Otherwise, Kaguya wouldn't have chosen to sacrifice so many humans to create an army of White Zetsu. 

This led to the accidental killing of the Sage of Six Paths' lover and sparked a battle between mother and sons. 

In the end, she was sealed away. 

After all, Otsutsuki Kaguya wasn't stupid. She knew how powerful Momoshiki was, so she wouldn't waste too much effort on meaningless things. 

Sacrificing living people to the Divine Tree allowed the tree to absorb the essence of their bodies, shortening the time needed for it to bear its sacred fruit. 

In other words, even if the Otsutsuki hadn't come to the ninja world and the Divine Tree hadn't been planted here... 

People in this world could still ignite the fire of chakra when they combined their spiritual and physical energy. 

From the perspective of Sage Mode, life energy is also a form of natural energy. 

And life energy exists in every living being. 

So, in a way, chakra can also be understood as life energy. 

"Let's go back to the village." 

Once they made up their minds, Tsunade grabbed Raijin's hand without hesitation. 

The next moment, both of them disappeared from where they stood. 

... 

Konohagakure, Valley of the End. 

"I really can't take this anymore!" 

Looking at Uchiha Madara in front of him, Hashirama's face turned red with frustration. 

Senju Hashirama didn't think of himself as someone unwilling to learn from others. 

But this guy, Uchiha Madara... 

He was just too damn annoying! 

With a loud clap of his hands, a massive number of trees rose from the ground, forming a giant wooden figure. Hashirama stood on its shoulder, glaring angrily at Madara. 

"How powerful is Wood Release, really?" 

With a smirk, Uchiha Madara looked at Hashirama, who stood on the wooden figure's shoulder. 

With a thought, a massive surge of ocular power erupted. 

A fully formed Susano'o instantly appeared in front of Hashirama. 

But it wasn't just any Susano'o—Madara, pouring an immense amount of chakra into it, had created one at least ten times larger than Hashirama's wooden giant. 

Not only that, but nine Truth-Seeking Orbs floated around the Susano'o. 

Seated inside the rhombus-shaped core on its forehead, Madara crossed his arms and looked down at Hashirama and his wooden giant with a cold smile.

"Hashirama~ where are you? I can't see you!" 

"You idiot~" 

Clenching his fists, veins bulging on his forehead, Hashirama was furious. This bastard! 

He really couldn't take it anymore! But... 

The difference was just too big. Hashirama had no doubt—not to mention a real fight, if he carelessly charged in, he'd probably need Tobirama to revive him again. 

"Grandpa Hashirama, you don't look too good right now." 

At that moment, a voice suddenly rang out. Hashirama turned his head and saw Raijin and Tsunade standing in front of him. 

"How embarrassing." 

Seeing Raijin smiling at him, Hashirama opened his mouth and said, a little awkwardly. 

"What's there to be embarrassed about? He's lived decades longer than you, and half of his most important power was stolen from you." 

Raijin chuckled and slowly crouched down, tapping his finger on the wooden giant. 

In that instant, natural energy from the surroundings surged in, and the wooden giant Hashirama had summoned began to swell in size. 

But the control of the wooden giant was still in Hashirama's hands. 

This might seem complicated, but in reality, it was very simple. 

All Raijin did was inject power into Hashirama's wooden giant. 

As long as Hashirama controlled the giant, the energy Raijin infused into it would move accordingly. 

"Hahaha!" 

Standing on the giant's shoulder, looking directly at Madara, Hashirama couldn't help but burst into laughter. 

The wooden giant slowly reached out, touching the expanded Truth-Seeking Orb. At that moment, a faint green light shone from its palm. 

In terms of raw power, Senjutsu was in no way weaker than the Six Paths chakra system. 

In a way, natural energy was more like the original form of chakra. 

Chakra, on the other hand, was something refined by the Ten Tails, making it more suited for the Otsutsuki to control. 

Strictly speaking, natural energy had some advantages over chakra. 

With a slight push, the massive Truth-Seeking Orb was knocked aside, and the wooden giant's enormous hand landed on Madara's Susano'o-clad shoulder. 

"Can you see me now, Madara?" 

Standing on a wooden giant taller than Madara's Susano'o, Hashirama was overjoyed. 

I may not be as strong as you now, but I have numbers on my side! 

"You're back already?" 

Madara completely ignored Hashirama's taunt and simply turned his head toward Uchiha Raijin in the distance. 

"Ah… I had some new insights on the way, so I came back to take care of a few things. Want to talk?" 

Looking at Uchiha Madara in front of him, Raijin smiled. 

He was giving Madara a way out; otherwise, he might feel too embarrassed. 

"Alright." 

Madara nodded and dismissed his Susano'o. 

As he did, the wooden giant beneath Hashirama's feet began to shrink. 

In the end, the four of them stood atop the Valley of the End. 

"I told you, there's nothing interesting in the shinobi world. You were bound to come back soon." 

Standing on the ground, Madara looked at Uchiha Raijin and said. 

"Yeah, this time, I want to reshape Konoha into something like the Land of Whirlpools." 

Raijin nodded and said to Uchiha Madara. 

"That… does that even matter?" 

Madara instinctively paused and asked Raijin. 

"Of course, it matters." 

Raijin first reached out and took Tsunade's hand, then turned to Madara. 

Different people had different priorities. 

For someone like Madara, you had to approach it from a peace perspective. 

"Because I think this might bring true peace." 

Raijin said to Madara. 

"When people have food, shelter, and something meaningful to do, why would they risk their lives for an uncertain future?" 

"You mean…"

Madara's eyes lit up when he heard that. It was definitely a great idea. 

It was also a path he had never considered before. 

"Using a ninja's power to help civilians—protecting the people of the Land of Fire from natural disasters, fighting diseases, and ensuring a good harvest. That way, everyone can live without worrying about food and clothing, and war will naturally disappear." 

Raijin said to Madara. 

"I think this idea is really good!" 

Before Madara could say anything, Hashirama spoke up first. 

"Compared to your idea of changing people through love, this is much more practical." 

Madara raised an eyebrow at that, looking at Hashirama with a hint of sarcasm. 

"Once this method succeeds in Konohagakure, we can spread it across the entire ninja world, uniting all voices into one." 

Raijin nodded and continued speaking to Hashirama and Madara. 

With the constant threat of the Otsutsuki and the reality of countless civilizations beyond the stars, 

Gathering all available strength was always meaningful. 

"I agree." 

Madara nodded. No matter the outcome, it was worth trying. 

"Let's leave this to Tobirama. I think he can handle it well." 

Hashirama nodded slightly at that and responded as if by habit. 

Back when he was in charge, this was something he often said. 

Although he didn't always agree with his brother's ideas, he fully trusted Tobirama's ability to get things done. 

"Alright… Then, I'll leave Grandpa Tobirama to you." 

Raijin blinked and said to Hashirama. 

"Got it! Leave it to me!" 

Hashirama nodded, and in a flash, he disappeared from sight. 

Read +20 advanced chapters on my patreon

patreon.com/GustinaKamiya 

---