Chapter 46
Tsunade said calmly:
"An exiled ninja who assassinated the Third Hokage, and you still think you're in a position to lecture others? Is this how you show respect for the Hokage?"
"What would a little girl like you understand? Everything I've done is for the sake of Konoha!"
Danzo stood up, staring straight into Tsunade's eyes, but she still didn't look his way.
She calmly picked up the teapot from the desk, poured herself a cup, and took a sip.
At this point, the Third Hokage couldn't just sit by and watch his old friend argue with his disciple. He hurriedly tried to mediate:
"Danzo, Tsunade is my disciple. Beyond being Hokage and subordinates, there's also a relationship between a teacher and a student."
"You are too soft, Hiruzen! The way Tsunade is now is entirely your doing!"
"Tsunade's like this, and so is Jiraiya. One's obsessed with gambling, and the other shares your bad habit of peeping."
"That would be tolerable, but now neither of them even cares about the village, wandering aimlessly outside for years!"
"Enough, Danzo! What Tsunade and Jiraiya have become is on me, not for you to lecture!"
Hearing this, Danzo stared directly at Hiruzen, yelling:
"You'll regret this, Hiruzen!"
"I should be the Hokage!"
Bang!
The door slammed shut with a heavy sound.
At that moment, Homura Mitokado said, "Hiruzen, you are the Hokage, so it's up to you to decide."
With that, Homura also left the office.
Seeing both his old friends leave, Koharu Utatane glanced at the Third Hokage, then at Tsunade, and helplessly shook her head.
The unresolved tension between Tsunade and Koharu had been there for a long time.
Their real conflict stemmed from when Tsunade proposed assigning medical ninjas to teams. At the time, Koharu had vetoed it because medical ninjutsu was underdeveloped and medical ninjas were difficult to train.
Since then, their relationship had plummeted, and Tsunade never showed a pleasant face whenever they met.
Furthermore, after the Second Shinobi World War, the importance of medical ninjas became more and more evident.
All these facts showed that Tsunade had been right.
Their relationship only grew more awkward.
After the three left, the office fell into silence, leaving only one man quietly smoking a pipe, and another calmly drinking tea.
After a few minutes, the Third Hokage's face returned to his usual smile. He looked up at Tsunade and said:
"Sorry for showing you that spectacle again, Tsunade."
Seeing the familiar yet burdened smile on the Third Hokage's face, Tsunade sighed and said:
"Old man, you've really gone too far in indulging Danzo. He keeps saying everything he does is for Konoha, but is it really?"
"I know the kind of person he is," the Third Hokage replied, smoking his pipe.
"Heh... whatever you say, old man. I don't care what happens to Konoha anymore."
Tsunade casually said this as she drained the rest of her tea and stood up to head for the door.
"Are you leaving the village again, Tsunade?" the Third Hokage asked.
"I'm going to check on that Uchiha kid," Tsunade replied dismissively.
This time, she wasn't lying.
She had come to the Hokage's office to speak on behalf of that kid, and also to annoy Danzo and the two old folks.
Thinking of Uchiha Haneda, Tsunade suddenly stopped in her tracks and turned to ask:
"Old man, what did that kid Haneda ask of you?"
"Not Haneda—Uchiha and Sakumo," the Third corrected.
"Same difference. There's not much of a distinction. Go on, old man, tell me."
Based on her recent observations of Haneda, Tsunade knew the kid was full of schemes.
After just meeting with the old man, Sakumo, and the Uchiha clan head, he soon had a private conversation with Uchiha.
After the talks, the Uchiha clan head immediately contacted Sakumo, rushed to the Hokage building, and began applying pressure, making demands.
There was no way Haneda wasn't involved or scheming in all this, Tsunade thought.
"The Scroll of Seals and a position in the ANBU. Haneda and Kakashi each requested a forbidden jutsu, while the ANBU deal was part of the Uchiha's demands," the Third Hokage explained.
"But recently, Haneda invented an A-rank Lightning Release jutsu, Chidori. I plan to exchange it for a jutsu of equivalent rank."
"That's fair enough. There's no need for hesitation. What are you even wavering about, old man?"
"The ANBU... it involves a lot of Hokage responsibilities..."
Before the Third Hokage could finish, Tsunade cut him off:
"The Uchiha aren't outsiders."
Hearing this, the Third Hokage took a puff from his pipe and slowly spoke:
"You see things clearly, Tsunade."
After Tsunade left, the Third Hokage stood up and glanced around the office.
Apart from the hidden ninja in the shadows, only he remained.
He looked toward the Hokage Rock, took a puff from his pipe, and blew a smoke ring.
As the smoke ring dissipated, the Third Hokage had made his decision.
...
After leaving the Hokage building, Tsunade looked back at the Third Hokage gazing into the distance.
She paused for a moment, then continued walking towards the hospital.
"This time, I'll consider it repayment for that kid not forgetting to cover me with a blanket..."
In truth, Tsunade knew why she had come here.
Even though she always acted indifferent towards Konoha, she could never forget that this was the village her grandfather founded, and the home where she had grown up.
She couldn't stand to see Konoha being ruined by a bunch of decaying old folks.
...
Konoha Hospital.
Tsunade entered Haneda's hospital room.
At this moment, Haneda had long since woken up and was sitting at a desk by the window, reading.
"Lady Tsunade."
Hearing the door open, Haneda turned to see his attending doctor and greeted her with a smile.
"Your Sharingan just awakened. You should focus more on resting. Studying can wait," Tsunade said as she glanced at the scroll Haneda was reading. Judging by the small print, it seemed related to genjutsu.
"Did you come to check on me and clear me for discharge, Lady Tsunade?" Haneda asked with a smile.
Looking at his familiar smiling face, Tsunade couldn't help but be reminded of her younger brother, who had been killed by an exploding tag.
This kid really resembled him, but unlike her brother, someone had been willing to shield this boy from danger, while her brother had been all alone.
Tsunade silently pulled her thoughts back and said:
"Kid, you're just suffering from chakra exhaustion, and as long as your eyes are fine, the discharge papers will be ready soon."
"Then, Lady Tsunade, do you think I should be discharged?" Haneda asked again.
This time, he was met with Tsunade's large fist.
"Don't think I don't know you're testing me, you sneaky brat!" Tsunade huffed.
Holding his head, Haneda pouted with a look of grievance:
"What sneaky? I'm just an ordinary six-year-old."
"Keep pretending."
Tsunade raised her large fist again, ready to strike, but suddenly paused.
"I'll tell you this clearly: that matter has already been decided."
"You don't need to hide in the hospital, avoiding others."
***
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