"Are you saying that there's no problem with the funding?"
Tsunade, who had finally managed to control her emotions, looked at Tatsuma with a puzzled expression and asked, "Then what are you worried about?"
"Other things."
Tatsuma couldn't give an honest answer, so he gave a perfunctory response. Tsunade scrutinized Tatsuma with suspicion.
As the village's well-known sunny and cheerful big boy, Tatsuma rarely showed such a troubled expression. His usual worries were more about thinking through problems.
But just now, Tatsuma's expression was more like that of a pessimist encountering a life-ruining problem.
If someone else had shown this expression, Minato and Tsunade wouldn't have paid much attention. But seeing it on Tatsuma was too much of a contrast.
"Alright, are you two trying to interrogate Tatsuma? Do you need me to step in and help you call back some members of the Yamanaka clan?"
At this moment, a voice came from inside the house. Tsunade and Minato both turned their attention away as Mito stepped out, saying, "You haven't had breakfast yet, right? Nawaki got up early today and went out without eating. There's still plenty left. Come and eat."
"Alright, Grandma Mito."
Tatsuma, as if granted amnesty, darted past Tsunade and ran into the house. Mito watched him kindly, but her eyes also held a trace of confusion and concern.
Mito had known Tatsuma for several years and had a knack for reading people. She could immediately sense that Tatsuma's behavior was unusual today.
His distress wasn't about hiding something; it was about revealing something.
Mito had a hunch. Tatsuma was perfectly capable of controlling his emotions and keeping everyone in the dark, but he chose to show his feelings openly.
There weren't many people living in this house. Besides Tatsuma, there were Mito and her two grandchildren, and Minato, who came here daily for training. Occasionally, Kushina would also drop by for a visit.
Among these people, Mito didn't need others to wear their emotions on their sleeves to understand them. Nawaki was the type who wouldn't know someone was angry unless they hit him with a fist.
Kushina and Minato only came by occasionally, especially Kushina, who only returned for gatherings. Someone as smart and observant as Tatsuma would definitely have noticed and understood this.
That left Tsunade, who wasn't very good at reading others' emotions. She would only notice someone's emotional state if there was an extreme contrast.
So, was Tatsuma's behavior meant to remind Tsunade of something?
Mito glanced at Tsunade, who looked blank, and then back at Tatsuma sitting at the dining table. She pondered what Tatsuma was trying to convey to Tsunade.
For Tatsuma to use such a method to remind someone, it had to be confidential or even top-secret information. Yet, such information still needed to be conveyed to Tsunade.
Mito retracted her increasingly serious expression and turned to look outside, her kindly smile returning. She said to Minato, "Minato, it's about time for you to go to the meet-and-greet, isn't it?"
There was still some time before the event, but Minato, being very clever, understood that Mito wanted him to leave. Smiling, he nodded and said, "Grandma Mito, I'll be going now."
"Alright, be careful on your way, and try to come back for dinner tonight."
Mito waved as she watched Minato leave. Then she turned to Tsunade and said, "Weren't you scheduled to conduct training for some talented Genin at the Konoha Hospital today? Have you prepared your lesson plan?"
"Uh, not quite yet, but it should be fine since the funding hasn't..."
"Are you this careless about your most cherished medical career?"
"Grandma, I'll get it ready right away!"
Seeing Mito's stern expression, Tsunade quickly turned and ran towards her room, and only then did Mito return inside.
Sitting beside Tatsuma, Mito picked up an egg and began peeling it for him. As if making casual conversation, she asked, "Is there something you want to tell me?"
Tatsuma nodded. He had expected Mito to quickly notice something was wrong. This elderly woman had seen and experienced so much in her life that she could spot discrepancies even without relying on the Nine-Tails' abilities.
Swallowing the food in his mouth, Tatsuma brought up a matter that had been bothering him for a while but he hadn't inquired about: "Grandma Mito, you should have talked to Kushina about the Nine-Tails, right?"
Mito's hand paused briefly while peeling the egg, but she quickly resumed and nodded. Seeing this, Tatsuma continued, "Kushina, like me, must have guessed the price you would have to pay after the Nine-Tails leaves you, right?"
"Yes."
"So she refused, and probably had a fight with you about it before moving out, didn't she?"
"Yes."
"She also wanted to do something for you in her own way, even if it was just to let you live a bit longer. But her selfishness and this childish approach have caused some people to distrust her."
From the beginning, Tatsuma sensed something was wrong. Mito and Kushina must have had a fight, but whether it was Mito or Kushina, at most, they would just avoid each other.
Whenever they met again, neither of them showed any signs of dissatisfaction. Every time, if Kushina was given even a small excuse or opportunity, she would come back for family dinners. However, she repeatedly refused the suggestions from Minato, Nawaki, and others to move back in.
Tatsuma was initially puzzled until Hiruzen mentioned that the Daimyo knew the specific timing of the jinchuriki transition, and then he suddenly understood.
Kushina thought that if she moved out and refused to become the jinchuriki, Mito wouldn't lose the Nine-Tails and wouldn't have to end her life prematurely. But her good intentions appeared as uncertainty and a potential threat to those who were not involved in this relationship.
After Tatsuma finished speaking, he resumed eating breakfast. Mito finished peeling the egg and handed it to Tatsuma. He took it, smiled, and swallowed it in one bite.
Mito also smiled kindly and continued peeling eggs for Tatsuma until he had eaten all the remaining breakfast on the table. As he stood up to start cleaning, Mito said, "Saru wouldn't dare do this; it must be from the Daimyo's side."
Tatsuma didn't answer and quietly continued cleaning the dishes. Mito closed her eyes, took several deep breaths, and then said, "Sealing Jutsu, Wood Release, Sharingan... it's all caused by human actions."
Tatsuma, silently tidying up, seemed to nod. He enjoyed talking with Mito because it didn't require much effort or the mention of any secrets; they could both understand what the other meant.
Mito also understood why Tatsuma deliberately made Tsunade feel something was wrong. It was to give Tsunade a preliminary guess, so when the real issue arose, she would be mentally prepared.
Secondly, Tsunade is currently the only person who might be able to prevent the Daimyo's plan from being implemented. Anyone else opposing it wouldn't have the same impact as Tsunade.
As for Mito, she shouldn't even get involved, as this concerns the next Nine-Tails jinchuriki, which means it will be relevant after her death.
Looking at Tatsuma, Mito said, "Aren't you afraid that Saru will make things difficult for you for revealing so much?"
"The Third... doesn't he actually want me to spread the news?"
Tatsuma shrugged. The plan he devised for Hiruzen wasn't unexpected. In fact, this matter couldn't be handled covertly. Hiruzen wouldn't rely on a child to such an extent.
However, Hiruzen still mentioned this issue to Tatsuma and discussed it quite deeply. Afterwards, he even gave Tatsuma time off to come back. This was clearly to give Tatsuma the opportunity to leak the information.
But how to leak it required skill. If Tatsuma had come back and blatantly violated confidentiality principles by directly stating the matter, Hiruzen would have had no hesitation in dismissing Tatsuma from his duties as part of the Hokage Guard.
If Tsunade discovers it on her own, rather than through anyone's leak, Hiruzen wouldn't blame Tatsuma and would allow him to continue serving as a Hokage Guard.
Today's hints were just the first step in Tatsuma's "leak." To make Tsunade aware, he had to be somewhat exaggerated in his approach.
Making Mito understand the situation was the second step, or rather a prerequisite to the second step. They needed to gauge Mito's willingness first. If she could tolerate it, then they could proceed.
The content of the second step involved having someone unrelated to the original informant reveal more information to Tsunade. Mito was the perfect candidate for this role.
Subsequent actions depended on whether Mito was willing to take on this responsibility and on the extent to which Tsunade had been prompted, before further steps could be taken.
After cleaning and washing all the dishes, Tatsuma said goodbye to Mito, planning to go home and sleep. However, before he reached the nearby former residence of Senju Tobirama, Tsunade called out to him.
"Tatsuma, stop!"
Tsunade's low shout made Tatsuma perk up. Could it be that his sensei wasn't as dull as she seemed? Had she inferred something just from his troubled emotions?
Tatsuma quickly looked at Tsunade and asked, "Sensei, what's wrong?"
"Come with me."
Tsunade, with a serious and solemn expression, turned and walked towards her room. Tatsuma hurriedly followed, eager to see how much his sensei had deduced.
Entering Tsunade's room, Tatsuma looked at her with anticipation. He was itching to reveal the confidential information to her.
But then, Tsunade pointed to her desk, which was covered with several bundles of scrolls, and said, "These are the lesson plans I've prepared for the village's Genin. Help me polish and optimize them; I need them this afternoon."
"Is that all?"
Tatsuma was speechless, looking at his sensei. He had been eagerly hoping Tsunade would discover something significant, but not only did she not surprise him, she seemed even duller than he had imagined.
"What else are you thinking? Don't tell me..."
Tsunade's gaze turned dangerous. She raised her fist and said to Tatsuma, "Have you been learning bad things from Jiraiya?!"
Tatsuma rolled his eyes, then sat directly in front of the desk, looking at the poorly organized lesson plans on the scrolls. He smirked and grabbed a bundle of new scrolls to reorganize the plans.
Seeing her disciple obediently following instructions, Tsunade relaxed her fist and nodded in satisfaction. Then she asked, "Are you still on guard duty this afternoon?"
"I'm on security duty. But... no, I shouldn't be. I didn't sleep last night, so I should—"
"That's good. Come with me to the Konoha Hospital. If those people are too foolish, you'll help me with the class!"
Tatsuma, interrupted mid-sentence, smirked and said, "Don't worry, sensei. No one could be dumber than you."
"Sakamoto Tatsuma! You're in big trouble! I, Tsunade, said it! Even the Second Hokage won't be able to save you!"
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