The best disciple

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Hiruzen's brows furrowed slightly as he listened. "Then what are your terms?"

This was already the best offer he could make.

"Yeah! If you have conditions, just say them. Why are you playing hard to get?"

"We want this medical tag technology for the sake of Konoha, don't you have any sense of the bigger picture?"

Danzo, clearly displeased, also chimed in.

As he spoke, he had somehow already positioned himself a step behind Hiruzen, subtly keeping his guard up in case Tsunade suddenly lashed out at him.

With Hiruzen as his shield, he felt much safer.

"So this is what it feels like to have someone else take the hit for you? Not bad!"

Danzo couldn't help but find some twisted satisfaction in this thought.

After all, hadn't he been taking the fall for Hiruzen all these years?

Meanwhile, Hiruzen had been enjoying the benefits. It was outrageous!

"This just proves that I must become Hokage."

Danzo reaffirmed his conviction. His obsession with becoming Hokage only grew stronger.

"Tch! Coward!"

Tsunade had naturally noticed Danzo's little maneuver and scoffed in disdain.

Then, a sudden idea flashed in her mind, and she smirked mischievously as she turned to Hiruzen. "Kira's conditions remain the same: he gets to choose any forbidden jutsu from the Scroll of Seals. But as for me, I don't want a jutsu—I want something else instead."

"Oh?"

Hiruzen visibly relaxed upon hearing this and chuckled. "Then what do you want? Don't make things too difficult for this old man."

He wasn't afraid of her demands—he was more afraid of her refusing to cooperate altogether.

"Relax! It won't be a problem for you."

Tsunade waved her hand dismissively before turning her gaze to Danzo. "Elder Danzo, if I remember correctly, all the casinos in Konoha are run by the Shimura clan, right?"

Danzo, noticing her devious expression, suddenly had a bad feeling.

But with Hiruzen also looking at him expectantly, he had no choice but to steel himself, his face cold as he nodded. "That's right. Is there a problem?"

"No problem!"

Tsunade grinned, rubbing her hands together like a shrewd merchant. "Since that's the case, this makes things easy!"

"You all know I love gambling, and I've racked up quite a bit of debt at the casinos."

"So, my terms are simple: clear all my gambling debts, and from now on, every time I visit a Shimura-owned casino, I get 1 million ryo in free chips."

"On top of that, the village should give me an additional 10 million ryo. That's all I ask for."

She didn't care about jutsu. Compared to that, she preferred money.

"Absolutely not!"

The moment she finished speaking, Danzo exploded as if someone had stomped on his tail.

Was she kidding? The casinos were one of his biggest sources of income!

How had he been able to expand Root, build secret bases, and fund so many experiments over the years?

Because he knew how to make money!

Apart from embezzling village funds, the casinos were his most lucrative business.

And Tsunade contributed a huge chunk of revenue every month!

Over the past decade, most of the Senju clan's remaining wealth had ended up in his hands through her gambling losses.

If he remembered correctly, Tsunade owed at least a billion ryo in gambling debts.

And now, she wanted him to forgive all that debt? On top of that, she wanted free chips every time she visited?

That was basically letting her gamble for free!

How much money would that cost him?

"Ohhh?"

Tsunade gave him a sly look. "So, when it's about money, you refuse, but when it's about taking the medical tag technology from me, suddenly it's all for the good of Konoha? Seems to me you're being generous with other people's sacrifices."

"Where's all that talk about the bigger picture now?"

This was exactly what Kira had called a double standard.

"Anyway, those are my conditions, and I'm not changing them."

"Agree, and we're all happy."

"Disagree, and we walk away. Kira and I will simply stop developing the medical tags."

Honestly, just making Danzo suffer and feel frustrated was enough to make her day.

A rare chance to put Danzo in a tough spot? No way she was passing that up!

"Tsunade, don't push it!"

Danzo's face was dark with rage.

He hadn't expected her to play him like this.

At that moment, Hiruzen stood up, placing a hand on Danzo's shoulder and giving it a reassuring pat—which only made Danzo feel worse.

And sure enough, in the next moment, Hiruzen spoke righteously, "Danzo, it's just some gambling debts and free chips! The casinos make money out of thin air anyway."

After all, with Tsunade's luck, it was impossible for her to ever win, right?

"Losing a little profit in exchange for medical tag technology to benefit the village and Root—isn't that a great deal?"

"Danzo, it's your turn to make a small sacrifice for Konoha. You wouldn't refuse, would you? Hmm?"

Hiruzen was secretly thrilled.

Poetic justice! Danzo was finally getting a taste of his own medicine.

Even as Hokage, Hiruzen had always been envious of the Shimura clan's casino profits.

Now that he had the chance to squeeze some money out of Danzo, why not?

As long as it didn't cost him anything, making Danzo suffer a little was perfectly fine.

Didn't Danzo always claim he was willing to sacrifice for Konoha?

Well, today was his chance.

"Hiruzen, you—"

Danzo stared at Hiruzen, furious.

Easy for you to say when it's not your money!

But seeing the situation, with both Hiruzen and Tsunade aligned against him, he knew that if he wanted the medical tag technology, he had no choice.

Finally, his face twisted in frustration as he gritted his teeth. "Fine! I agree! But I want the medical tag technology immediately!"

"No problem!"

Hiruzen nodded in satisfaction.

Danzo was reasonable after all.

He then turned to Tsunade. "Danzo agreed, and the village can provide the 10 million ryo. Anything else?"

"Nope! That's all! Once the technology is fully developed, I'll deliver it to you. Just make sure you don't disturb Kira, or it might disrupt his thought process. Later!"

With that, Tsunade turned to leave.

"Wait! Give us a deadline! What if you take years, or even a lifetime, to finish it?"

Danzo called after her.

Without a deadline, how could he be at ease?

"Relax!"

Tsunade waved without looking back. "Give it six months at most. Just wait."

Then, without returning home, she headed straight for the casino.

"It's been so long since I had a good time gambling! Finally, I can play to my heart's content!"

She rubbed her hands in anticipation, grinning from ear to ear.

"Kira really is the best disciple ever!"

"....."