Naruto, all the ninja women love me, and Konoha depends on me.

Chapter 036: When Money Speaks

Senju Wakama regretted his actions. He had deceived a spiritually attuned little mouse.

He had introduced Tobirama to the mouse.

The mouse was captured by Tobirama.

Senju Wakama even explained to the little mouse that Tobirama wanted to keep it as a pet.

When he said this, he clearly saw the disdain in the mouse's beady little eyes.

This mouse had a temper. To resist Tobirama, it started biting.

Then, the cold-hearted Tobirama did something cruel to the little mouse.

Tobirama first took out a hairpin he had originally intended to give to Tsukuyo. It was a cherry blossom-shaped hairpin made of chakra metal.

Using a fire release technique, Tobirama heated the hairpin until it glowed red, then branded a cherry blossom pattern onto the mouse's rear.

Even after this torture, the little mouse remained defiant and refused to submit.

Tobirama then mercilessly tied the mouse's front teeth with a thread and tethered it to a cherry blossom tree in Tsukuyo is courtyard.

Senju Wakama felt that Tobirama was very angry about Tsukuyo is previous actions but couldn't bring himself to take it out on his siblings, so he vented his frustration on the animals close to Tsukuyo.

The method was too cruel. Senju Wakama couldn't bear to watch and told Tsukuyo about it.

In the end, Tsukuyo saved the little mouse.

The mouse then officially became Tsukuyo is pet.

This left Senju Wakama, who had witnessed the entire ordeal, feeling that something was off.

The mouse was taken in by Tsukuyo, and Tobirama didn't stop her, nor did he ask Senju Wakama to capture another spiritually attuned animal.

But Senju Wakama still felt that something was strange.

This incident was quickly brushed aside.

Meanwhile, Hashirama and Tsukuyo no longer went to the Naka River to meet with that Uchiha boy.

During this boring lull.

Tsukuyo "imparted all her knowledge" to Senju Wakama.

As a princess, Tsukuyo personally taught the commoners in the clan how to farm and how to apply poisons in agriculture.

For example, the use of Gelsemium elegans, a wild plant that is entirely poisonous. Its roots, stems, branches, and leaves contain eight types of alkaloids.

While deadly to humans, small doses of this poison in animal feed can promote growth.

Used in moderation, it can increase the appetite of livestock like pigs.

Adding a tiny amount to chicken feed can increase their weight by ten percent in a month and a half, reduce feed consumption by ten percent, and lower the mortality rate of the flock.

In moderate amounts, this poison can also deworm animals like pigs, cows, and sheep.

It can even be used as a pesticide to control rice borers.

Every day, Senju Wakama practiced the skills taught by Zetsu and took time to learn strange knowledge from Tsukuyo.

Though he didn't understand much, he recorded everything on scrolls for later.

The rainy season passed.

Autumn was approaching.

The clan's territory, influenced by Tsukuyo, was thriving.

Unlike the other clan members who were filled with joy, Senju Wakama felt endless worry.

Looking at the ever-changing Senju territory, Senju Wakama couldn't help but glance at Tsukuyo standing beside him.

She had grown taller and become even more beautiful, to the point where it was hard to look directly at her.

"...Tsukuyo, Father said that as shinobi, we are born to fight," Senju Wakama said with a puzzled expression. "Is learning to farm and raise pigs really that important?"

Tsukuyo smiled but didn't look at Senju Wakama. Instead, she softly asked, "Wakama, why do shinobi take on missions?"

"To survive?" Senju Wakama pondered. "We take missions, earn money, spend it, and live our lives..."

"So, if we create our own wealth and become the patrons, do we still need to bow to those wealthy but weak individuals?" Tsukuyo slowly turned to Senju Wakama, her voice lowering. "If we become the daimyo ourselves, do we still need to..."

Before she could finish her treasonous words, Senju Wakama quickly stuffed a piece of rock candy into her mouth using his Dexterity Technique.

Cold sweat dripped down his back as Senju Wakama nervously glanced around and whispered, "Can you say things like that? Thank goodness no one heard..."

"Am I wrong, Brother?" Tsukuyo smiled. "Who doesn't like money?"

Senju Wakama sighed. "Isn't having enough money sufficient? Why can't you be satisfied?"

"When money speaks, even truth falls silent," Tsukuyo said softly. "If you have enough money, everyone will respect you. They'll grovel at your feet."

Standing at the edge of the rice field, Tsukuyo spread her arms as if embracing the golden fields before her.

Her sweet voice carried on the breeze along with the scent of rice. "When power rises, even money must step aside."

"When you have absolute strength, everything must obey you. Power and money are both sources of strength."

"Without money to sustain it, power will vanish like foam."

"Absolute power crushes everything. Those good-for-nothings in the Land of Fire, because of that unspoken status of theirs, force us poor shinobi to bow and scrape."

"Why? Because we're poor. Because we need to take missions from them to earn money. Because we're not strong enough yet. Because we can't rise above them."

Senju Wakama felt this topic was extremely dangerous, but he couldn't stop his exceptionally talented sister. He frowned and asked, "So... what are you planning?"

Tsukuyo slowly lowered her hands and said calmly, "First, we make money. A lot of money. When we have enough, we'll take the next step."

Senju Wakama didn't fully understand Tsukuyo is thoughts, but he followed her gaze to the bountiful rice fields and said firmly, "I'll help you. I'll always stand by your side."

Hearing this, Tsukuyo is face lit up with a gentle smile. "Brother, to make money with peace of mind, there's one thing we must do first."

Senju Wakama was puzzled. "What do we need to do first?"

Tsukuyo turned her head gracefully, her beautiful eyes fixed on Senju Wakama as she enunciated each word clearly, "We must first annihilate our enemy clan the Hagoromo clan."

Hearing this, Senju Wakama's pupils slightly contracted.

The Hagoromo clan was an enemy of the Senju clan.

The conflict originated from missions, just as Tsukuyo had said it was a game of patrons.

The Hagoromo clan was hired by the lord of Rift Valley City, the Hachisuka family.

The Senju clan was hired by the lord of the Land of Pine, the Hori Hide family.

The Land of Pine was rich in iron ore, and Rift Valley City wanted to seize it. They sent the Hagoromo clan to assassinate important nobles of the Land of Pine.

To resist the invasion, the Hori Hide family hired the "industry benchmark," the Senju clan.

The Hachisuka family ordered the Hagoromo clan to annihilate the Senju clan, but the Hagoromo clan wasn't strong enough to defeat the Senju alone. So, the Hachisuka family also hired the Uchiha clan, uniting the two clans to destroy the Senju.

What started as a conflict between two lords.

Had now escalated into a war between two ninja clans against the Senju.

Senju Wakama frowned. "Tsukuyo, if we annihilate the Hagoromo clan, the Hachisuka family will just hire the Uchiha clan, or the Hyuga, the Yūjo, the Nara, the Sarutobi... There are so many ninja clans. We can't just annihilate every one we encounter, can we? It's too exhausting..."

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