"The incident has already happened. Arguing is meaningless. Let's think about how to rebuild Konoha. Our funds are not exactly sufficient," Mitokado Homura sighed.
After the war, the national economy was already poor, and the funds supplied to Konoha were reduced. They were sufficient for the village's daily operations, but now, with this incident, Konoha's finances were extremely tight.
Sarutobi Hiruzen and Namikaze Minato both felt a headache coming on. Funding issues had always been a major problem for the great ninja villages. The ninja villages were restricted by the Daimyo, and most of their funding was supplied by the nation. If the nation cut off funding, the village's development would be severely hampered, as was the case with Sunagakure.
Shimura Danzō, however, was completely indifferent to these matters. The more chaos in the village, the better it was for him. One could say he had been looking forward to this day for a long time. If the Hokage was questioned, he could propose an impeachment, and without any legitimate successor, he could implement his plan. Therefore, Shimura Danzō completely ignored the anxiety of Sarutobi Hiruzen and Namikaze Minato.
Seeing the meeting reach an impasse, Sarutobi Hiruzen also sighed: "Alright. Since no one has any solutions, let's postpone the discussion until another day. Everyone can leave."
Shimura Danzō was the first to stand up and leave, a smile playing on his lips. Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu were neutralizers. They occasionally looked to Sarutobi Hiruzen and occasionally helped Shimura Danzō say a few words. They were two-sided. It was precisely because of them that Sarutobi Hiruzen and his old rival rarely had a truly explosive fight.
"Third Hokage-sama, what should we do next?"
To be honest, Namikaze Minato had no plan right now. Konoha Village lacked money, the high command was divided, and he had absolutely no idea where the village should head next.
Sarutobi Hiruzen thought for a moment and said, "We'll worry about the funding issue when it becomes critical. For now, the priority is to repair the village. We can't let the other villages laugh at us."
Namikaze Minato nodded at this: "I'll see to it immediately." He had only been in office for a year, and naturally, he wasn't as skilled as the Third Hokage in handling many village matters. Thus, Namikaze Minato could accept that the Third Hokage's power was slightly greater than his own. However, this was only temporary. As he gradually matured and grew stronger, all the power would return to his hands. Only then would he become the true Fourth Hokage.
This was different from the other Minato. Ever since he became the Fourth Hokage, Torifu only kept track of the village's affairs but did not interfere at all. Minato could handle things however he wanted, which boosted his confidence immensely. When dealing with outsiders, his every move exuded the bearing of a Hokage. It was only in front of Torifu that he could afford to be a bit lazy.
The four of them were currently having lunch at the inn. The food was brought from their own world. Fortunately, Torifu had the foresight to take care of everything. Otherwise, since there was no delivery service in this world, and going out to eat would risk being recognized, a constant stream of troubles would surely follow, which would truly be frustrating.
"Big Brother, are we going to the conference room after we eat?"
Torifu shook his head: "No need to go so early. It will make us look too eager. We can go at two o'clock." This time was neither too early nor too late, striking the right balance. It would prevent the high command of Konoha Village from thinking their intentions were too strong, and instead make them feel that they were calm and collected.
Time passed quietly. When it was nearly time to leave, Torifu and his group tidied up their appearance. Once they confirmed they were all suitably dressed, Torifu's group instantly arrived inside the Hokage Office.
"Wow, that was fast. This travel technique is truly divine!"
Yahiko and Minato both desperately wanted to learn this technique, but alas, it was a skill that only those at the Six Paths level could use.
They bypassed the guards directly and arrived in front of the conference room door. They knocked, and a joyful voice called out from inside: "Please, come in quickly!"
Torifu recognized the voice instantly as Namikaze Minato. A seasoned schemer like Sarutobi Hiruzen would never speak in such a tone.
Indeed, as soon as they entered, Sarutobi Hiruzen gave a slightly forced smile: "Haha, you all came quite early. Minato and I just arrived ourselves."
Torifu smiled faintly: "Thank you for waiting. However, we can skip the pleasantries and get straight to the point. After all, everyone is quite busy, aren't they?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen had the same idea: "Very good. It seems Torifu-sama is a straightforward person." Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke first: "We would like to know, what was your reason for saving Konoha Village?"
Torifu answered without hesitation: "I am also a Hokage, and my feelings for Konoha Village run very deep, so naturally, I couldn't bear to see such a thing happen."
Sarutobi Hiruzen narrowed his eyes slightly upon hearing this. The answer was too meticulous, leaving him no room for rebuttal.
"Since the two worlds are fundamentally the same, then your Konoha Village will also face the Nine-Tails' attack within the next month. Why doesn't Torifu-sama hurry back to prepare your defenses?"
When Sarutobi Hiruzen finished that sentence, Yahiko couldn't hold back his laughter.
This made Sarutobi Hiruzen wonder: "What is the meaning of this?"
Yahiko immediately silenced himself and sat up straight. Torifu then explained: "The basic similarity of the worlds is the premise; it was basically identical in the beginning. But as Konoha Village continued to develop, the gap between us and you has become very large."
At this, Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression immediately changed. Was this a deliberate attempt to humiliate him?
Torifu continued: "The Jinchūriki system in our world is different from yours."
"My ancestor developed a Sealing Jutsu that sealed all nine Tailed Beasts into a Cloud Stone."
"By absorbing the power of the Cloud Stone, one can gain the Tailed Beasts' chakra, eliminating any worry about the Tailed Beasts' malevolent intent."
Sarutobi Hiruzen and Namikaze Minato were stunned as they listened. They could do that?
"Wait! You mean that all nine Tailed Beasts are in Konoha Village?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked in astonishment. He truly could not believe it. If the Tailed Beasts had not been distributed, how had the great ninja villages maintained peace?
Torifu nodded: "That's right. All nine Tailed Beasts are in Konoha Village. They have been in Konoha Village since they were first captured."