Bab 314: Chapter 314: Tsunade’s Frustration—"Is Danzo Trying to Build His Own Medical Department?"
The Third Hokage glanced at Tsunade, nodding slightly.
"All things considered, Orochimaru's plan was well-executed, and Takuya and Minato accomplished their tasks with remarkable skill. What lies ahead now is a full-scale war with the Hidden Mist. Everyone, prepare yourselves."
Konoha wasn't afraid of direct warfare; the challenge was in dealing with Mist's tactics and their command over naval operations. After a final discussion on preparing for open conflict, Tsunade was the first to leave the Hokage's office, needing to catch up on sleep.
Danzo, Koharu, and Homura, however, stayed behind. Once Tsunade was gone, they turned to the Third Hokage, their intent clear.
"Lord Hiruzen..." Danzo began.
"Enough," the Third Hokage interrupted, raising a hand to silence him.
Hiruzen knew what they wanted to discuss. Takuya's recent actions in the Hidden Mist and the powerful techniques he wielded had left Danzo and the council feeling deeply unsettled. They were obviously concerned, and the Third could guess what they were thinking—or planning.
"Danzo, Koharu, Homura, this is wartime. I expect you to put the village's welfare first. Takuya's actions can be evaluated later. I trust he would not act against the village."
Danzo scowled. "Hiruzen, don't you fear he might get out of control?"
With Sakumo causing enough trouble, now Takuya was on the rise, like a thorn wedged deep into Danzo's side. The stronger Takuya grew, the more uneasy Danzo and the council felt.
"I'll handle it," the Third Hokage replied firmly. "I trust Tsunade's guidance with him and trust Takuya himself."
The Third's resolve to avoid any schemes seemed absolute. Displeased but resigned, Danzo and the council left, albeit reluctantly.
This was all Orochimaru's fault, Danzo thought bitterly. If Orochimaru hadn't been so eager to push Takuya to the front lines when Yagura was delaying them, none of this would have happened. But for Orochimaru, it was simple: if he could achieve his goals on his own, he would; if not, he would call on backup. And Danzo knew well that Orochimaru wouldn't consider his concerns, as his personal gains came first.
As Danzo was heading out, he turned back and approached the Hokage again, prompting a confused glance from Hiruzen, who set down his paperwork.
"Is there something else, Danzo?"
Leaning on his cane, Danzo stepped forward and asked in a cold tone, "Hiruzen, why has Root's resource request been denied—again?"
If Hiruzen could truly sever Danzo's position, he wouldn't be Sarutobi Hiruzen. Inevitably, Root had resumed operations under Danzo. Yet every recent resource request from Root had been repeatedly denied.
"Denied?" the Third Hokage looked puzzled. "I personally approved the requests for Root's resources. How could they have been denied?"
"Wait a moment!" If Danzo had been requesting resources, and he had already approved them, but Danzo hadn't received anything, then there was only one explanation: Tsunade had intervened.
Tsunade's role as Head of Logistics meant that all resource requests and distributions went through her hands, and Danzo's supply needed both the Hokage's approval and Tsunade's. Clearly, Tsunade had rejected Danzo's requests. Since he knew Tsunade wouldn't bother to entertain him, he had no choice but to approach Hiruzen.
Thinking over the situation, the Third Hokage finally said, "I'll address it."
Danzo scoffed. "If you hadn't appointed Tsunade to the Logistics Department, this wouldn't be an issue."
Ignoring Danzo's grumbling, the Third Hokage headed directly to the Logistics Department to speak with Tsunade himself. Hiruzen knew that Tsunade's "gatekeeping" tendencies could create issues. While he respected her vigilance, outright blocking resources too frequently could be problematic.
When he entered, Tsunade was buried in paperwork, looking utterly exhausted as she processed the mountain of requests and supply records, rubber stamp in hand.
Glug, glug.
Fed up, Tsunade grabbed her sake bottle and took a swig. She would never have resorted to this before, but the intense workload brought by the war had driven her to rely on alcohol just to cope. Fortunately, she maintained her control, only sipping to relieve stress and never allowing herself to get drunk.
The Third Hokage, well aware of her situation, had long since chosen to turn a blind eye to Tsunade's little indulgence. He understood the intense pressure she was under.
Setting down her bottle with a satisfied sigh, Tsunade stretched, feeling more refreshed and ready to tackle her work. Just as she was about to stamp another request, she heard footsteps approaching.
"Lord Hokage," greeted a passing staff member, prompting Tsunade to look up.
"Hmm? What are you doing here, old man?"
The Third Hokage chuckled, looking around at her messy but productive workspace. "No reason. Just thought I'd stop by."
"Then feel free to look around. I don't have time for chit-chat." Tsunade resumed stamping documents, clearly eager to finish and get back to sleep.
"You denied Root's resource request?" the Third Hokage asked, almost casually.
Tsunade was caught off guard, her stamp frozen mid-air. "Did Danzo come here to complain?"
"Ah, well…" the Third Hokage hesitated, trying to avoid sounding like he was taking sides. "Danzo has his reasons. He…"
Hiruzen didn't even finish before Tsunade erupted, slamming her stamp down so hard it shattered. The Third Hokage winced as she pulled out a spare, fully prepared for moments like these.
"Reasons? Are you kidding me?" she shouted, waving the broken stamp in her hand. "Old man, what exactly do you consider 'necessary' here? Root's resource requests have outstripped those of the entire ANBU division! How many members does Root even have, and why does he need so much?"
"I've approved plenty of necessary supplies, but he's back with new requests every other week," she continued. "Medical supplies, equipment—what does he think this is? Is he trying to turn Root into a second Medical Department?"
Without missing a beat, Tsunade opened her desk drawer, pulling out a stack of previous requests she had denied and thrusting them at the Third Hokage. "Take a look! He's sent these kinds of requests multiple times, just changing the reason each time. Why should I approve that?"
"Does the entire village exist to serve Root? What exactly is Danzo trying to do?" Tsunade added, fuming. "He's complaining to you? I haven't even started my complaints!"
Before Takuya had left, he'd specifically warned Tsunade that Danzo might try to take advantage of the war to push his agenda. Keeping this in mind, Tsunade had monitored his requests closely.
Just as she suspected, Root had flooded her with repeated requests for supplies, each under a slightly different pretext. Clearly, Danzo had assumed she was too overwhelmed to notice.
"Uh…" The Third Hokage's eyes scanned the document, his expression growing tense as he noticed how similar it was to the previous request Danzo had complained about, only with a new rationale.
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Offer: 2000 Power stone one extra chapter yes or no
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(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 360+ at Patreon com/ Emik01.
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