The door to the Hokage's office burst open, startling Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado as they were deep in discussion. The Third Hokage, however, didn't even bat an eye. He was well accustomed to Tsunade's dramatic entrances by now.
"You—!" Koharu began to scold the intruder for their lack of manners, but upon turning to see that it was Tsunade, she immediately bit her tongue.
There was no point lecturing Tsunade about rules or courtesy. She wouldn't care in the slightest.
"Old man, do me a favor—get a sheath made for the Raijin Blade. I need it fast. I'll pick it up in three days," Tsunade announced, already halfway out the door before they could respond.
The seventy thousand Ryo Takuya had given her was something she planned to pocket. As for getting the sword's sheath made? That was the Third Hokage's problem now.
After all, she'd been working herself to the bone for the village. Wasn't it only fair that the village put in a little effort for her?
"Wait a moment," the Third Hokage called after her. "Tsunade, why are you having a sheath made for the Raijin Blade?"
"I'm giving it to someone," she replied bluntly, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.
"..."
The Third Hokage felt the urge to shout.
Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he continued, "Tsunade, the Raijin Blade isn't just any weapon. It was your grandfather's sword and one of the sharpest blades in the ninja world. Making a sheath for it won't be easy, and it will be costly."
There was no need to guess who she was giving it to—it had to be Takuya Yagami. After all, when they'd gone to negotiate with Amegakure, the ANBU had clearly overheard Takuya and Tsunade making a deal.
While the Hokage wasn't thrilled about the Raijin Blade ending up in someone else's hands, it technically belonged to the Senju family. There was little he could do but let it slide.
Koharu and Homura, on the other hand, couldn't remain silent.
"Tsunade, the Raijin Blade was your grandfather's weapon! You can't just give it away like that! And making a custom sheath for it on top of that? You're being reckless!" Koharu exclaimed, her face flushed with indignation.
Tsunade laughed at that, clearly unbothered. "It's my family's sword. Who I give it to is none of your business."
The Raijin Blade had belonged to Tobirama Senju and had been kept in the Senju estate ever since. It was her family's heirloom. Why should she need permission to give it to someone else? Even the old man, the Hokage, hadn't objected, so who was Koharu to tell her what she could and couldn't do?
"You!" Koharu's face turned red with anger, but before she could argue further, Homura stepped in, trying to defuse the situation.
"Tsunade, I understand that you made a deal with Takuya, but the Raijin Blade holds great significance for the village. You can't give it away so easily. Perhaps you could offer him a different weapon instead?"
"You've got to be kidding me. We already agreed on this, and now you want to back out? I already took his money! Does Takuya owe you something? Why do you care so much? Are you the one giving him the sword?" Tsunade sneered.
She was done dealing with their nonsense. Turning to the Third Hokage, she asked, "What's it going to be, old man? Yes or no? Don't waste my time—I've got better things to do. Like checking in on a certain bedridden war advisor who's been lying around for two months and driving me crazy."
"..."
The Third Hokage sighed, rubbing his temples as he felt a headache coming on.
Great. Now Tsunade was practically blackmailing him. If she didn't get the sheath made, it was clear she'd leave Danzo's recovery in his hands—and that was a nightmare scenario he wanted to avoid. She was making it very clear: either agree to her request, or face the consequences.
After a moment of silence, the Hokage finally spoke. "I'll have it delivered to Takuya's house in three days."
"Great! I'll be off then. You guys carry on," Tsunade said cheerfully, before quickly making her exit. She had other plans—like hitting the casino before the sun went down. Danzo could stay bedridden for a little longer. It wasn't like he was going to die.
"Hiruzen…" Koharu started to protest, but the Hokage held up his hand, cutting her off.
"Tsunade has done a lot for the village. After everything she's contributed, making a sword sheath for her is a small price to pay. As for whether or not the Raijin Blade should be given away, that's her decision. It's part of the Senju family's inheritance, after all."
Even though he wasn't happy about the idea of Takuya getting the Raijin Blade, there was no point fighting it. Protesting wouldn't change anything, and Tsunade certainly wouldn't retract her decision.
The only result would be them having to make a custom sheath for the sword on top of everything else.
If it had been anyone else making this request, the Hokage would have thrown them out. But Tsunade was a different story. It wasn't that he feared her—it was more that upsetting her wasn't worth the hassle. If she decided to quit or throw a tantrum, things would quickly spiral out of control.
The sooner Danzo was back on his feet and Tsunade could be sent to help on the front lines, the better. The war with Sunagakure was the priority now, not an old sword.
"Let's continue the meeting," the Hokage said, cutting off any further complaints from Koharu. She still looked dissatisfied, but Homura quickly stepped in to calm her down.
Meanwhile, Tsunade made her way to the casino, happy with her deal. An hour later, however, she stormed out, her face dark with frustration.
It didn't take long for her to lose all seventy thousand ryo. Every last coin.
"Hiruzen is becoming more and more biased toward Tsunade," Koharu grumbled as she and Homura made their way to Konoha Hospital to visit Danzo. She hadn't stopped complaining since they left the Hokage's office.
Homura tried his best to placate her with a forced smile. "Koharu, Hiruzen's hands are tied. The village needs Tsunade. Both Danzo and the front lines depend on her. It's just a sword, after all."
"Still, that was our teacher's sword!" Koharu shot back, her voice rising in frustration. "Couldn't we just make Takuya a new chakra weapon? Why is Tsunade always favoring him? He's not even her student!"
"..."
Homura couldn't help but think back to when Koharu used to favor Kagami Uchiha. Her bias had caused plenty of issues for Danzo back then, too. Funny how she'd forgotten about that.
But this wasn't the time for that conversation.
**********
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