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After the name Otogakure was mentioned, the envoys' expressions became even more peculiar.
This was a new village, previously extremely secretive.
None of these factions had much intelligence on it.
However—
During the Konoha Village Destruction Plan, the true leader of Otogakure was revealed.
It was none other than one of the legendary Sannin, Orochimaru.
Now, Orochimaru's village had not joined the Senju Nation, which made everyone wonder: why hadn't the factions closest to Konoha joined the Senju Nation?
"Scratch that off the list. I forgot to inform Orochimaru. I'll visit him later and bring Otogakure into the fold."
Hashirama waved his hand casually.
He had simply forgotten.
Yes, he really had forgotten.
After all, Orochimaru was still locked up in his lab.
"Keep reading."
Before Jiraiya could respond, Hashirama urged him to continue and finish reading the list.
Expose everything!
Now was the time to cleanse.
"Yes!"
Jiraiya nodded and continued reading from the list. There was only one name left on the scroll.
"The Land of Iron."
After saying this, Jiraiya fell silent.
That was it.
These were all the factions that hadn't joined the Senju Nation.
Everyone else had joined.
As Jiraiya reviewed the list, he marveled at the First Hokage's effectiveness.
Unmatched!
If the Senju Nation could truly achieve the unification of the Shinobi World, it would be an unprecedented feat, comparable to the Sage of Six Paths founding ninjutsu.
"I know about the Land of Iron; they've already made their opposition clear. Are there any others?" Hashirama asked.
"No, that's all," Jiraiya replied with a shake of his head.
"Only four?"
A hint of surprise flickered in Hashirama's eyes. He hadn't kept track of how many factions were left out when listening to the various statements, so he hadn't realized how few there were.
"Only four," Jiraiya confirmed with a nod.
This realization also left the envoys a bit surprised, as though they had expected a greater resistance.
"Not bad!"
"You've done a great job!"
"Your responsiveness to the organization's call is impressive!"
"You deserve praise!"
Hashirama's gaze once again swept across the room, his eyes on the envoys whose pledges had enabled the light of the Senju Nation to quickly spread across the Shinobi World.
"Two Shinobi Nations, two Shinobi Villages. If we don't count Otogakure, it's only two nations and one village."
"Well then…"
"Let's start with the villages first!"
Hashirama's gaze locked onto Sunagakure.
In truth, the reason wasn't as simple as what he had just said. That was merely for the benefit of the envoys present. The real reason was related to his second mission: to unite the four great shinobi villages into a single shinobi nation.
This task had been given during the Four Kage Summit. Hashirama thought it would be an easy mission to complete, especially since the leaders of all four villages were present at the summit.
But who would have thought…
Konoha joined.
Iwagakure joined.
Kirigakure joined as well.
Only Sunagakure had yet to join.
Without Sunagakure, the mission remained incomplete.
Moreover, there was a third mission: to establish a unified shinobi nation across the world, named the Senju Nation. This mission required that all factions, except for the four great shinobi villages, join the Senju Nation.
Thus—
Sunagakure joining the Senju Nation was absolutely critical.
"Jiraiya,"
"Relay my next words,"
"Directly to Sunagakure."
Hashirama glanced at Jiraiya, then clasped his hands behind his back, looking upward at the ceiling with an air of otherworldly wisdom.
"I, Hashirama Senju, First Hokage,"
"Have returned by the will of fate."
"I have founded the Senju Nation, aiming to bring ultimate peace to the shinobi world."
"My name is known throughout the lands; all bow before it and return in reverence."
"If Sunagakure does not submit within three days, I will personally visit to complete this unification."
"I advise the current Kazekage to consider carefully, lest he make a grave mistake!"
Hashirama recited his words in a flowery, almost dramatic tone, somewhat over-the-top, yet he was pleased with himself.
Jiraiya quickly scribbled down Hashirama's exact words.
"Yes, this is good. Make two more copies and change the addressees. Send one to the Land of Fire and the other to the Land of Iron!"
Hashirama gave one more instruction and then flashed a wide smile. That warm smile gave him the appearance of an innocent young man, leaving everyone with the false impression that he was harmless.
"Everyone, no need to rush. Why not stay in Konoha for three more days? Wait to see their response. Once the situation is resolved, you can return with the final word. In the meantime, you can discuss the future of the Senju Nation with Tsunade."
With that, Hashirama turned and left, offering the group only his aloof, solitary back.
Jiraiya gazed deeply at Hashirama's retreating figure.
Even with his carefree disposition, he felt a surge of excitement.
A true man should be like this!
...
Three days quickly passed.
During this time, the envoys were busy, either searching for Tsunade or on their way to find her.
Everyone wanted to secure favorable treatment for their respective factions in the future Senju Nation.
However...
An odd phenomenon emerged.
Every envoy who sought out Tsunade ended up being pulled into playing cards with her.
"Today, we're just playing cards! No discussions about the nation, none at all!"
Tsunade's response was straightforward, and she dragged the envoys from various factions into a card game.
These envoys didn't dare to refuse.
They had no choice but to grit their teeth and play along, desperately trying to figure out how to lose in order to curry favor with Tsunade.
Yet, no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't manage to lose.
Fortunately, there was an elderly Onoki among them who took on the role of the one winning; otherwise, their already anxious hearts would have become even more bewildered.
Over the course of three days,
nothing progressed.
At least their card-playing skills improved.
These envoys could say they hadn't lost a single game.
Before they knew it,
their confidence in playing cards had grown.
However, the envoys weren't completely absorbed in the card games; they still kept an eye on the happenings in the shinobi world.
At the very least, the two great shinobi nations and one village hadn't responded to the First Hokage's message.
One morning,
Hashirama knocked on the door of the Rain Village's territory and came face to face with the expressionless Pain.
At this point, it was just Pain left alone.
Konan hadn't abandoned him; she had gone to accompany Nagato.
"Nagato, come with me to Sunagakure. Call Sasori and tell him to hurry; I have something important to discuss," Hashirama instructed.
"Understood."
Pain nodded and immediately began contacting Sasori, though a large question mark floated in his mind.
What did the First Hokage want?
Hashirama seemed to sense Nagato's confusion, and suddenly flashed a grin, his smile unsettling.
"Nagato, you once sold rice in Konoha, so I'm going to Sunagakure to plant trees!"
(End of Chapter)