A New Year, A New Crisis

Two months had passed since the Second Hokage's near-fatal encounter with the Gold and Silver Brothers. The village had slowly begun recovering from the war, and life in Konoha was returning to a semblance of normalcy.

Today, Tobirama Senju finally returned to his office after months of recuperation. It was the first day of the new year, marking 19 years since Konoha's founding.

As he settled into his chair, he exhaled slowly, taking in the familiar sight of the Hokage's office. Stacks of documents and reports were neatly arranged on his desk, waiting for his review.

He reached for the first set of papers—a financial report for the village. However, as he read through the contents, his expression darkened.

Deficit.

An alarming one.

Tobirama's brows furrowed as he flipped through the pages, scanning the numbers carefully. The village's budget was in worse condition than he had anticipated. The war had drained Konoha's resources, but this… this was unacceptable.

"Who was overseeing this mess while I was gone?" he muttered under his breath.

Without hesitation, he called for the civilian councilor in charge of finances and Hiruzen Sarutobi—the acting Hokage in his absence.

A few moments later, the two men arrived.

Hiruzen, dressed in his usual battle kimono, stood calmly, though he could sense the tension in his teacher's voice. Meanwhile, the civilian councilor—a portly man with graying hair—fidgeted nervously as he entered.

Tobirama wasted no time. He slammed the document onto the table, his sharp red eyes boring into them.

"Explain this." His tone was firm, demanding answers.

The civilian councilor swallowed hard, wiping the sweat off his forehead. "H-Hokage-sama, the village has been struggling with war expenses… The reconstruction efforts… compensation for the wounded… And the orphanages—"

Tobirama raised a hand, silencing him.

He turned to Hiruzen. "Did you approve all these expenditures?"

Hiruzen nodded. "I did, sensei. The war left thousands injured, many without homes. We had to allocate funds for relief efforts, or the people would have suffered greatly."

Tobirama sighed deeply, rubbing his temple. He understood the necessity, but Konoha couldn't afford to spiral into financial ruin.

"I won't say it was the wrong choice." His voice was measured. "But tell me, how do you plan to stabilize the economy?"

The civilian councilor spoke hesitantly. "We… We were hoping to negotiate increased mission fees from other nations, but—"

"But?" Tobirama's gaze sharpened.

The man hesitated before answering. "But our competitors, particularly Iwagakure and Kumogakure, have been offering lower prices. Many clients have taken their business elsewhere."

Tobirama leaned back in his chair, deep in thought.

War had weakened Konoha, not just in military strength, but economically as well. If they didn't act fast, other villages would take advantage of their weakened state.

"We need solutions. Now." His tone left no room for argument.

Hiruzen stepped forward. "We could expand our trade agreements with the Land of Fire's nobles. Many of them rely on shinobi for security."

The civilian councilor quickly nodded. "We could also tax imports more heavily—"

"No." Tobirama shut that down immediately. "Heavier taxation will only hurt civilians. We need long-term stability, not short-term fixes."

Silence filled the room as they pondered their next move.

Then, a knock on the door interrupted them.

Tetsuma stepped in.

His expression was unreadable as he glanced at the financial report on the desk before looking at his uncle.

"Looks like Konoha needs money," he said bluntly.

Tobirama didn't deny it. "You have something to say?"

Tetsuma smirked. "As a matter of fact, I do."

All eyes turned to him.

Konoha's future depended on what came next.