Well, well, well, it seems they got too carried away losing in the game and decided to take it offline, huh!
Torifu could only lament the misfortune of these Amegakure Ninja; the wrath of the former God of Shinobi was not so easily appeased.
"Alright, Sensei, but games should be played in moderation. I haven't played in a long time."
These were words meant to advise Hashirama to take care of himself, but Hashirama merely rolled his eyes at Torifu.
"You brat, don't think I don't know who the current number one player on the server is. Of course, you'd find the game boring when you're standing at the pinnacle, but I'm only in the top fifty!"
Torifu scratched his head at that. He didn't mean that at all; it was just that the old man was overthinking things.
"Oh, you'll become the number one player on the server eventually. It's just a matter of time, don't worry."
Hashirama snorted, "As long as you're around, I can't be number one. Alright, alright, go and have dinner with those two Kage. If Amegakure really declares war, Tobirama and I will go. At that time, let Mito handle the Village's affairs."
Since his Sensei said so, Torifu nodded. He was very relieved to entrust the Village to his Sensei's wife. Even though Mito seemed to spend all her time buying groceries, cooking, and washing clothes, no one in Konoha dared to underestimate her.
Her Sealing Technique was probably only rivaled by Ashina-senpai.
"Since your mood isn't very good, Sensei, I'll take my leave now and come back to see you another day."
Hashirama waved his hand, "Alright, alright, go. Have a good talk with the Kazekage and the Tsuchikage."
Just as Torifu was about to leave the Senju Clan, Mito came out of the kitchen with a fruit platter.
"Hey, why are you leaving just as I've cut the fruit? Isn't that a waste?"
Hearing Mito's voice, Torifu had no choice but to step forward, take a piece of fruit, and eat it: "Thank you, Aunt Mito. Leave the rest for Sensei."
[T/N: The address for Kato Mamiko and Mito will change to Aunt from now on. As Torifu basically address others from this family as siblings.]
After bidding Mito farewell, he left the house.
Hashirama, who was lying on the sofa, was about to get up and get some fruit, but Mito took the fruit platter away directly.
"What do you mean by this?"
Mito looked at him: "Look at yourself now. You're already an old man, yet you don't go out more often."
"You don't look anything like you did when you were young."
Hashirama got up and walked to the mirror, looking at himself: "Has anything changed? Don't I still look the same?"
Mito sighed: "It's your mindset that has changed. You weren't like this when you were young."
Hashirama walked over to Mito and laughed heartily: "People change. When I was young, I wanted to train an excellent successor for Konoha, so I was very strict with Hiruzen and the others."
"And the Ninja World wasn't very peaceful back then. I had to maintain the highest level of vigilance at all times to prevent impending crises."
"But now Torifu has become Hokage, and he has surpassed me to become the strongest Ninja. I no longer need to worry about most of Konoha's affairs. This is a sign of my trust in him."
After speaking, Hashirama pointed outside: "Listen to the lively atmosphere out there. It's a welcoming ceremony for the two Kage visiting Konoha, and Torifu handled the previous incident of the attack on Konoha very well. He is already a qualified Hokage."
Mito wanted to say something more, but after thinking about it, what Hashirama said did make sense.
"Alright, I can't argue with you, but don't just stay cooped up at home playing games. Go out for walks more often. How long has it been since you went out on the street and chatted with the Villagers?"
Hashirama walked behind Mito and massaged her shoulders: "Alright, alright, I know. I'll go out for a walk now. You come with me too."
Mito's face clearly brightened upon hearing this: "That's more like it. I'll go change."
"Okay, I'll wait for you."
After leaving the Senju Clan, Torifu still had some time before the appointed dinner, so he wandered around the Village for over an hour before heading to the agreed-upon banquet hall.
This was also a new establishment opened by the barbecue restaurant owner, but it wasn't a barbecue place; it was a reception hall specifically for foreign guests.
The dishes were ones that only wealthy people in the Land of Fire could enjoy, and some were even reserved for the Daimyō.
Although in Other countries, the Kage were merely vassals of the Daimyō, in the Land of Fire, the Hokage's status was equal to, or even higher than, the Daimyō.
This was due to Konoha's strength; they didn't need to rely on the capital for economic support, which gave them such confidence.
Other Kage, who were constrained by others, were because the Ninja Village's funds were allocated by the capital. The Daimyō could stop the allocation at any time for various reasons, in which case the Ninja Village could only barely survive on its reserve funds.
Forget about development; it would be impressive if they didn't regress, so they didn't dare offend the Daimyō, let alone eat dishes of the same level as the Daimyō, which would be even more disrespectful.
When the Ninja brought the Kage and their entourages to the banquet hall, which was located in a relatively secluded part of Konoha, the scenery was excellent, and it was far from the noisy city, allowing the Kage to talk without being disturbed.
"Kazekage-sama, Tsuchikage-sama, please take a seat."
Seeing the two Kage arrive, Torifu rose to greet them.
"Hokage-sama, you are too kind. The scenery here is truly beautiful, making me quite envious."
The three sat down together and exchanged some pleasantries, but Ōnoki and the Kazekage were indeed very envious of Konoha's various resources.
Among the initial Five Great Nations, only Konoha possessed various resources and diverse terrains.
It could be said to have gathered the essence of the other four nations, while the remaining four nations were either entirely mountainous or entirely sandy, with very harsh environments, naturally making them very covetous of Konoha.
But ever since the Land of Lightning was destroyed, no one had the guts to do so anymore.
Torifu clapped his hands, and the waitresses brought up the prepared dishes: "Gentlemen, let's eat and talk."
"Alright, alright."
The two Kage, who had traveled a long way, were naturally somewhat hungry, but out of politeness, they still didn't gorge themselves.
"Hokage-sama, could you please elaborate on the state of those Ninja's deaths that day?" Ōnoki suddenly asked.
"Of course, that day..."
Torifu recounted the events of that day to the two of them in detail, and both frowned upon hearing it.
"They even left such a contingency on the Ninja to prevent information retrieval. Unfortunately, two of the Ninja who invaded our Village were blasted into dust by Sensei, and we couldn't capture another one."
The Kazekage then asked: "Since these Ninja were all suicide bombers, why would one normal Ninja be left? Invading Konoha is clearly an impossible task. If they were all suicide bombers, there would be no information leakage."
"Could it be that this was just Amegakure's arrogance?"