151.Go and Guard the Border

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Tsunade opened a drawer, took out a seal, tossed it onto the desk, and stood up seriously, leaning forward with both hands on the desk.

"I think it's a waste of talent for you to stay in the police force as a squad leader. You should just give in and stay in the Hokage's office as my assistant. I need someone like you."

Kazuki. "???"

What?!!!

She had been racking her brain with no solutions, but then Kazuki came along, skimmed through the files, and immediately suggested a slew of ideas that made more and more sense as she listened.

The support program could be halted but not outright canceled; instead, they could reallocate the funds to support in a different way, which would be more effective. Investing money to train the next generation for the village would be something no one could oppose.

As for the clan ninjas from other villages who wanted to dominate the mission and commission market?

Dream on—they could all go guard the border posts! They would stay stationed for an entire year, with low pay; it was a perfect solution.

Then they could pressure the Daimyo for more funding, solving the village's issues in one go.

Is that hard? No, it just needed the right approach, and no one had thought of it before.

"Stop joking. I'm heading back to prison soon."

Kazuki rolled his eyes, unwilling to entertain Tsunade.

"Hokage assitant? You must be kidding. I'm not in the mood for jokes. I'm serious. The village's obstacles are my problem to handle. All I need is someone who can help stabilize and lead the village to development."

All that crap about bias against the Uchiha, all those suspicions—Tsunade didn't care about any of that. To her, the village's development was the priority.

If Kazuki genuinely had the skill to help her, she would use him, even if it meant giving him a high position.

"Ahem, this happiness came so suddenly, I'm a bit flustered."

"And... may I leave now?"

Tsunade's move left Kazuki a bit stunned, even throwing Hokage assistant position at him—it didn't feel real. To avoid any missteps, Kazuki didn't impulsively agree.

But Tsunade understood Kazuki's hesitation; some matters couldn't be rushed.

If Kazuki's ideas and strategies were correct, Tsunade would do whatever it took to pull him in as an assistant. Such a good Hokage aide—having him stay as a squad leader in the police force? That would be foolish.

"Alright."

From here, Tsunade would have to decide what to do herself. Kazuki quickly made his exit.

"Go inform the Third Hokage and the two elder advisors to come to the office."

Directly seeking out the Third Hokage? Tsunade figured it was better to have them come to her and apply pressure.

"Lord Third Hokage, Lady Hokage requests your immediate presence in her office."

"Is there a reason Tsunade is looking for me?"

The Third Hokage casually asked, and the ANBU ninja paused before shaking his head, "I don't know, sir."

It seemed the reformed and stricter ANBU no longer shared information as freely as before.

Arriving at the Hokage building in casual clothes, the Third Hokage found the two elder advisors already there, sitting in tense silence. Tsunade didn't acknowledge them; both sensed something was off.

Tsunade, still irritated, stayed quiet, waiting for the Third Hokage to arrive.

"Tsunade, why did you call me?"

The Third Hokage opened the door and walked in, greeting the elder advisors.

With his arrival, the elder advisors seemed to relax; having him there made them feel they had some backup against Tsunade's temper.

"Please, sit down, old man."

Though clearly upset, Tsunade didn't overreact, simply making it clear she was in a bad mood.

Once he was seated, Tsunade rested her elbows on the desk, fingers interlaced under her chin.

"I called you all here to discuss the aftermath of the civilian ninja support program."

"Tsunade."

Expecting this confrontation, the Third Hokage was ready, but Tsunade cut him off before he could respond.

"Old man, I won't say anything harsh. I don't want to dredge up the past and endlessly go over it. You know who benefited from this program. The money spent can't be recovered, but that doesn't mean the matter can be brushed aside."

Not pursuing accountability?

The Third Hokage was stunned, and the elder advisors looked relieved.

Tsunade's expression remained stern.

"For the sake of village stability, I won't push for responsibility here, but mistakes require consequences. The funds that drained out through this support program significantly slowed the village's development. Do you have any objections to what I'm saying?"

The advisors didn't dare argue as long as Tsunade wasn't dredging up old grudges.

Koharu and Homura, who seemed ready to argue, held back, signaling to listen first.

"It's pointless to revisit old issues repeatedly. The village needs steady development. I don't want to make this worse than it is. I simply hope you all won't cause any more headaches in the future. Cleaning up this mess isn't easy."

"We can't recover the funds, but the village suffered huge losses that can't just be ignored. I've decided that all clans involved will send their ninjas to guard the borders for a year."

This isn't a negotiation; I'm notifying you. I've already made concessions, so don't test me.

A one-year border guard assignment? Honestly, this punishment wasn't that severe; even if every clan's ninja had to rotate, it wasn't unbearable.

The Third Hokage and the advisors' biggest worry was Tsunade escalating the situation or making them pay the money back.