Chapitre 235: Chapter 235: The End of the Second Ninja War
What used to be hers was now given to someone else. She and Homura had essentially become powerless elders, and how could she possibly accept that?
It doesn't matter if you're an elder or even the Hokage—without power, you're just a figurehead.
Look at Minato as an example: he became the Fourth Hokage, yet his situation was miserable.
Not only did he have no control over the other departments, but even the Anbu, a division directly under the Hokage, could be influenced by others.
"We've worked together for so many years, and we've always supported you. Now, you're just kicking us aside?"
As the complaints became more pointed, the Third Hokage couldn't hold back his anger any longer.
"I became Hokage because my teacher appointed me as the Third Hokage, and because I had Mito-sama's support, allowing me to rise to the position."
It was true that the Third Hokage had managed to secure his place thanks to the help of Koharu and the others. But their help was nothing more than icing on the cake.
The real support came from Tobirama Senju and Uzumaki Mito.
Without their appointments and backing, who would have become Hokage was still a question.
At the time, the village was in turmoil, and a war was being fought externally. Many from the Senju clan even came forward, stating that the Hokage position shouldn't be handed to outsiders.
It was Uzumaki Mito who stepped in and silenced them.
Without Mito, it's uncertain whether the Third Hokage could have succeeded.
And that was when the Senju clan had already scattered. Otherwise, there would have been no chance.
Koharu's words were essentially an attempt to steal the credit, implying that the Third Hokage only became Hokage because of their contributions.
"Koharu."
If she kept talking, she might lose the Medical Department as well. Homura quickly stopped Koharu:
"Hiruzen, since you've handed over the Logistics Department to Tsunade, you should've at least informed us, right?"
"You still have time to handle what needs to be handled. Tsunade won't be investigating the Logistics Department until after the war, but she will begin auditing tomorrow. Be mindful of that."
Koharu obediently fell silent as the Third Hokage gradually calmed down.
"And also, stop trying to target Yagami Takuya. I can promise you he won't be brought into the inner circle."
Not targeting Takuya was the Third Hokage's final bottom line.
As long as Takuya didn't try to reach for the center of power.
With the audit set for tomorrow but no full investigation until after the war, Homura let out a sigh of relief and tugged on the visibly upset Koharu.
"Koharu, we need to understand Hiruzen's position. Let's take care of what needs to be done."
"I understand."
Koharu grumbled, sitting back down with a huff, ending the argument.
With Homura and Koharu accepting their fate and calming down, the Third Hokage continued:
"You are my friends, my comrades. We've come this far together since childhood. I won't let you suffer any losses.
As long as you don't repeat what you did, I might consider giving you control of the Mission Department."
The Treasury was non-negotiable, but that left the Mission Department.
Since Tsunade had taken over the Logistics Department, the Third Hokage decided to appease Koharu and Homura by offering them control of the Mission Department.
Losing the Logistics Department in exchange for the Mission Department didn't seem like much of a loss.
The one losing out was Danzō, after all.
But that wasn't their concern, at least not right now.
If Danzō caused trouble, he would go after the Third Hokage, not them.
As the Third Hokage spoke, he stared pointedly at the two, who were beginning to look pleased, and said sternly:
"As for the missing funds from the Treasury in the past, I won't look into it. But I hope that, moving forward, you'll think more carefully about what's best for me."
"?!"
The two were shocked. They hadn't expected the Third Hokage to know about that.
The missing funds from the Treasury had been their doing, in collaboration with Danzō.
As for where the money went, it had all been funneled into Danzō's Root operations.
The money the Third Hokage allocated simply wasn't enough to satisfy Danzō's greed.
The two exchanged glances and immediately promised:
"In the future, we won't help Danzō with anything without your approval."
Friendship is one thing, but there's a limit to everything.
The Third Hokage seized this opportunity to drive a wedge between the Elder Council and Danzō, making it easier to control both the Council and Root.
Without the support of the Elder Council, Danzō's only remaining ally would be Hiruzen Sarutobi himself.
"Is it all over?"
When Tsunade returned to the villa, the barbecue was already over, leaving only Takuya sitting in the yard with a plate of grilled meat on the table.
Everyone else had already gone.
Takuya pushed the plate toward her, took a sip of his juice, and gave her a once-over.
"They went to visit Nawaki and brought him some grilled meat. He must be getting bored, lying in the hospital all day. Looks like you had some good news, judging by that glow in your eyes."
"Here."
Tsunade tossed the seal onto the table and grabbed some grilled meat to eat.
She was hungry, and even with her mouth full, she didn't forget to speak:
"Today was intense. For the first time in my life, I've experienced the joy of buying whatever I want."
"?"
Takuya picked up the seal that Tsunade had thrown over. Sure enough, it was the seal of the Logistics Department.
The Third Hokage couldn't withstand Tsunade's spending spree and, fearful that she'd go even further, was forced to give in and hand over the Logistics Department to her.
Looks like some people are about to have a bad day.
"Mmm, delicious."
"Oh, right."
With the last bit of grilled meat in her hand, Tsunade muttered through her chewing:
"The old man promised there won't be any more targeting of you. You can relax now."
Yeah, right.
Takuya just smirked and didn't take it to heart.
Sure, most of the time it was the Elder Council and Danzō causing problems, but the Third Hokage wasn't exactly innocent either.
You could listen to what these people said, but trusting them? Only a fool would do that.
Still, with Tsunade now in charge of the Logistics Department, as long as Takuya didn't touch any sensitive interests, the chances of being targeted again were slim.
As long as he didn't align himself with the Uchiha.
The next day, Tsunade went to audit the Logistics Department, and when she returned, her expression wasn't very pleasant.
It was clear that Konoha's current financial situation wasn't great.
It was lucky that Iwagakure and Kumogakure hadn't made any moves yet. If they had joined the war, Konoha would have been in deep trouble.
Tsunade stayed in the village while the fighting on the front lines raged on.
Even the arrival of the new year didn't put an end to the war.
The good news was that Sunagakure couldn't hold out any longer. They were retreating, pulling back deeper into the Land of Wind.
It seemed like surrender was only a matter of time.
And indeed, Sunagakure didn't last much longer. Despite the Third Kazekage's best efforts, Sunagakure ultimately became the losing side.
In the end, they had no choice but to wave the white flag and surrender to Konoha.
What followed was an intense round of negotiations.
The Elder Council was ruthless in demanding compensation, and Sunagakure, being the defeated side, had no choice but to accept Konoha's terms.
Thus, the Second Ninja War officially came to an end.
Sunagakure was left gravely weakened, while Konoha, though also heavily damaged, was quicker to recover.
As for Hanzō's attempts to take over the Land of Iron, his plans were thwarted when Ōnoki and the Third Raikage intervened, forcing him to retreat back to Amegakure.
There were even rumors of a minor skirmish between Hanzō and the Third Raikage, as the latter was not known for his patience.
No one knew the full details, but after the talks, Hanzō withdrew.
This left the Third Hokage and the Elder Council feeling somewhat bitter.
When Konoha had tried to reason with Hanzō, he'd responded by chasing them down. But when Ōnoki and the Third Raikage arrived, he simply left the Land of Iron without a fuss. Was Konoha beneath him?
With the war over, Tsunade began reshuffling the Logistics Department, replacing people she didn't like or couldn't trust.
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