Hashirama's heart sank when he heard that the other world had suffered so many wars.
But then he considered that without Torifu, he and Tobirama would have died long ago, and Kumogakure would not have been destroyed. Konoha Village would have lost two great high-level combat forces, yet it possessed a great deal of wealth, which would surely be coveted. Sarutobi Hiruzen managing to keep Konoha Village steadily developing was already very commendable. Sometimes, only when one is in that position can one truly appreciate the hardship of the Hokage.
Sarutobi Hiruzen finally managed a smile after hearing this: "In my world, both Masters passed away one after the other. When I became Hokage, I was only in my twenties, a complete novice who knew nothing, and I had no one to guide me."
"Many of the great clans in the village did not recognize me. It was thanks to Mito-sama's support that I was able to secure the Hokage position."
Mito hadn't expected to be a part of the story. With her current happy family and prosperous life, she couldn't fully appreciate what the alternate Mito must have felt. Her husband and brother-in-law had both passed away, and she, a woman, had held up the entire Senju Clan compound—what strong willpower that required. She also had to provide support to a newly appointed Hokage. That hardship was no less than being the Hokage herself. Fortunately, from Sarutobi Hiruzen's words, Konoha Village was now stabilizing. So, everything was alright.
"I never imagined that our alternate selves would have such experiences, completely different from ours," Mito sighed.
The Hashirama brothers also strongly agreed. War always brought suffering. Regardless of the conflict, it would ultimately result in a mutual loss.
"Do you have any thoughts or needs now that you've come to Konoha Village? Among other things, the Senju Clan can support you and provide you with some funds."
Sarutobi Hiruzen repeatedly waved his hands upon hearing this: "No, no, no, Hashirama-sama. I didn't come here to ask for anything. I just wanted to see this world's Konoha Village."
"I have to go back when the time comes."
Hashirama shook his head at this: "That's a pity, but there will be chances to meet again in the future. Perhaps I'll go over and have a look myself."
Sarutobi Hiruzen was naturally welcoming, but he couldn't help but think that if the villagers saw a Hokage who had died a long time ago walking down the street, they would probably be terrified, not overjoyed.
"You're certainly welcome, certainly welcome."
Mito watched the conversation among the men. She had already decided in her heart that she definitely had to visit the alternate world Konoha Village one day to see what it was truly like there. In fact, Hashirama and Tobirama had already planned to go as well after hearing the story of the alternate world; they simply hadn't felt comfortable saying so while Sarutobi Hiruzen was there.
"Hokage Hiruzen, now that I've brought you here, let's take this time to discuss the issues we negotiated."
The so-called negotiation was about agreeing to allow this Konoha Village's ninja to take missions in the alternate world Konoha Village. Missions in a world of war were generally dangerous, and some ninja might be reluctant to go. But there was no alternative. The ninja's skill level was declining faster and faster. If the village lost its ability to fight before the Ōtsutsuki Clan even descended, that would be disastrous.
Therefore, Torifu decided that in the annual ninja ranking, every ninja must have a record of five dangerous missions in the alternate world. This was to prevent anyone from trying to slack off. It didn't have to be much—an average of one training trip every two months would suffice, with each trip lasting two months. Torifu's main goal was to cultivate the fighting spirit of the new ninja so they wouldn't panic when facing various crises.
After Torifu explained the matter, Sarutobi Hiruzen pondered for a moment: "I personally agree to this request. Konoha Village has quite a backlog of missions that require enough manpower to help with."
Torifu inwardly snapped his fingers. Since Sarutobi Hiruzen agreed, that was two-thirds of the way there. The remaining one-third was Minato. However, Minato was a simple young man. Torifu could just talk to him normally. Minato was quite easy to talk to. In both the alternate world and this world, Minato was one of the kinder men.
Taking this opportunity to discuss the main issues, the group then gathered in the room to chat. Sarutobi Hiruzen talked about the hardships of his past years, venting a bit to Hashirama and Tobirama. But he had survived it all, and most of the previous troubles were waved away.
"How about this, Hiruzen? Didn't you say the Nine-Tails' rampage caused major losses to Konoha Village?"
"I'll give you one million in funds for now. That should be enough to repair the houses."
Sarutobi Hiruzen repeatedly waved his hands upon hearing this: "Hashirama-sama, I didn't come here to ask for gifts. I cannot accept this money." Sarutobi Hiruzen had already received such great kindness from Torifu, preventing any casualties in Konoha Village. Now, Hashirama-sama was offering him funds. Sarutobi Hiruzen flat-out refused. One reason was that he felt it was improper to use his benefactors' resources. The other was that taking money from others meant having to follow their every whim. Sarutobi Hiruzen did not want Konoha Village to become like that, so he immediately refused, even though that one million could really solve the current problem.
But Hashirama was not pleased: "Are you treating us as outsiders? I'm half your Master, and your real Master is sitting right here. Are you going to be so disrespectful?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen heard this and thought, Well, he just slapped a huge title on me.
"Two Masters, this makes things a bit difficult for me."
Torifu could understand Hiruzen's concerns: "Don't worry. Our two villages should help each other."
Tobirama also chimed in: "That's right. Our two villages should help each other. Currently, our Konoha Village is extremely wealthy, with an average of over a hundred thousand in savings per person. That's considered top tier in the ninja world."
"So, one million in funds truly isn't much to us. If you need it, take it back immediately, or we can convert it into other supplies to avoid damaging your economy."
Sarutobi Hiruzen hadn't expected everyone to be so enthusiastic.
"Two Masters, then I will no longer refuse."