Time drifted slowly by.
Two years later.
The New Konoha had long been completed; every member of the Uchiha faction had moved into the new Village.
The whole settlement thrived with life.
After Uchiha Jin issued his new regulations, every Ninja burned with enthusiasm; in barely two years every department was up and running.
During that period,
Lady Tsunade personally visited the Daimyo's Mansion and secured a lump sum of five billion ryō, plus an annual promise of another two billion.
Cheers erupted everywhere.
After all, the old Konoha had received only 1.2 billion a year from the daimyo.
Because the founding of New Konoha carried the daimyo's backing, countless civilians flocked to join within just two years.
That same endorsement, plus the presence of the Uchiha and other great clans, won the trust of innumerable nobles and merchants, who sent mission after mission pouring in.
Imperial grants and mission fees became New Konoha's fiscal lifeline.
Of course,
Uchiha Jin's support policies for shinobi were so generous that, even after funding the Hospital, Administration, Ninja Academy and every other branch, the Village still saved several hundred million ryō each year.
The delight this brought only deepened everyone's loathing for the old Konoha.
Exactly!
New Konoha handed out huge benefits to Ninja and still ended each year with money to spare, yet the old Konoha had received similarly large grants—so where had the money gone?
Meanwhile,
the situation in old Konoha was the exact opposite.
These two years had been lean ones for the old Village.
At the very start,
Uchiha Jin had Lady Tsunade audit each clan, tallying how much unpaid Pension and wartime mission money the old Konoha owed, then sent the bill straight to the Fifth Hokage, Jiraiya.
Jiraiya, who still cared about face, quarrelled with Hiruzen Sarutobi until the Sarutobi, Utatane and Mitokado families scraped together the sum.
However,
the ordinary Ninja of old Konoha were far less lucky—their wages were simply deferred.
No choice!
Although Hiruzen and the other elders had embezzled plenty, every year they had converted it into resources to train their own Ninja.
Under such circumstances, even squeezing Hiruzen dry couldn't produce that much cash.
Paying off the clans had already drained the trio's Liquid Funds, and only Jiraiya's insistence had forced the payout; Hiruzen had wanted to pay nothing.
So, alas!
Because of this, morale in old Konoha sank daily; though Jiraiya staked his Hokage honour on asking the people to endure,
damn it,
they still had to eat!
Once news of New Konoha's Ninja benefits spread, more and more Civilian Ninja slipped away to join the new Village.
As for that,
Uchiha Jin welcomed all comers!
Naturally,
Jiraiya could no longer stand idle; in the end Hiruzen unilaterally decreed that no Ninja could leave the Village except on missions.
Even on missions, family members had to remain behind as hostages.
Ninja without families?
Heh-heh.
Though Hiruzen said nothing openly, the 'returned king' Danzō had already covertly spirited every one of them into Root.
Officially, of course,
these Ninja were simply listed as MIA while on duty.
Jiraiya may have sensed something amiss, but with no proof the matter died away.
Yet the common folk were no fools; though fear kept them silent, anger smouldered in every heart.
Given the chance, they would explode.
For a time,
the very air of old Konoha felt taut; people lived like walking corpses…
New Konoha.
Here the atmosphere was the polar opposite; every face in the street glowed with happiness.
Kakashi sat on a teahouse balcony, watching the lively crowd and their bright, youthful smiles, and a faint curve rose at the corner of his own mouth.
He suddenly felt that throwing his lot in with the Uchiha back then hadn't been such a bad decision after all.
While he basked in the sun and chatted with Might Guy, an Anbu knelt beside him.
He dropped to one knee and produced a scroll: "Director, urgent news from old Konoha."
"Got it," Kakashi nodded.
Thanks to his Anbu background, once New Konoha was founded he had been drafted straight into heading its Anbu department.
At that moment,
he dismissed the Anbu with a wave after taking the scroll.
Immediately,
instead of opening the scroll he turned to Might Guy: "Guy, give me a minute, will you?"
"Sure—talk after work!" Might Guy didn't press.
He knew that once Kakashi had business, the leisurely chat was over.
With that,
he went off to train!
Wearing New Konoha's Forehead Protector, Kakashi skimmed the scroll, then strode with a grave expression to the newly built Hokage Building.
He felt light of heart now;
clearly,
with Sakumo Hatake's name cleared, he was no longer the walking corpse he once had been.
Entering the Hokage Office, Kakashi knelt on one knee.
"Lord Hokage, Lady Tsunade!"
"Word from old Konoha: Kumogakure's envoys have arrived to sign a Peace Treaty."
At these words,
Uchiha Jin took the scroll and motioned Kakashi to rise.
Nearby,
Lady Tsunade's own desk stood not far from the Hokage's.
These days she wielded little real power; her job was to handle paperwork for Uchiha Jin.
In short—secretary.
A former Hokage in the original tale, she was simply too useful a workhorse for Jin to let idle.
Therefore,
aside from training med-nin for New Konoha's Hospital, she worked for Jin.
Idle?
Impossible!
Jin paid well, but every ox had to keep pulling.
"Kumo's come to sign a Peace Treaty?"
"I really don't get why you even care."
"And…"
"You could've wiped out Hiruzen and those old fossils two years ago, yet you chose to build New Konoha instead—what on earth are you thinking?"
"Care to explain?"