The Kowtowing Hokage Assistants

Hokage's Office.

Two Anbu stood at the door. When they saw Tsunade enter, neither said anything, but when Hikari tried to go in, they stopped him outright.

"By the elders' order, unauthorized personnel are not permitted to enter!"

Hikari took a step back, indicating that he meant no harm.

Elders? Aren't they just those two old dogs, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu?

Damn, I forgot about that old schemer Shimura Danzō. I'll let them off this time. If they dare provoke me, I'll kill them all later.

Hearing Hikari's inner thoughts about killing several elders, Tsunade's first instinct was not to stop him, but to consider how to minimize the fallout from their deaths.

The moment she entered the Hokage's Office, she saw Nara Shikahisa handling official documents. The two old geezers, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, sat nearby drinking tea, looking entirely too comfortable.

Those two probably aren't even as strong as Jonin anymore, are they?

After assessing how dangerous the two were, Tsunade felt nothing but disdain.

These old fossils had relied on being Second Grandfather's disciples, reaping the rewards of war while claiming all the credit. They had utterly disgraced the Senju Clan.

Suppressing promising newcomers and eliminating dissenters—old bastards like them would be better off dead.

"You two don't seem very happy to see me back. Now you even dare meddle with the Anbu directly under the Hokage. Since that's the case, why don't the two of you become Hokage instead?"

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu exchanged a glance before asking Tsunade, "Where is Jiraiya?"

"Guarding the gates for Hidden Leaf Village. That way, he won't rush straight into the bathhouse the moment he enters the village. The Sannin's reputation has already been dragged through the mud enough."

Nara Shikahisa raised an eyebrow, then continued pretending to be deaf and mute, as though he had heard nothing.

"Someone, go call Jiraiya over. Isn't someone already guarding the gates? Tsunade, how can you be so reckless? You don't understand how to allocate resources properly at all. How can we rest assured and let you shoulder everything alone?"

"Yes. The two of us had originally planned to retire, but it seems we'll have to step in and help you for a while longer."

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu shamelessly played off each other, paying no heed to Tsunade's increasingly ugly expression.

This is killing me.

You two old fossils, what can you do besides excel at internal strife?

All you do is sway between Hiruzen and Danzo to ensure you never lose your power, yet you think you've made some huge contribution to Hidden Leaf Village.

To be a good Hokage, all you need is control over the hospital, the Intelligence Department, the Jonin Squad, and the Anbu. As for the Ninja Academy, that can wait until you've secured your authority.

Once Tsunade understood their goal, she was no longer in a hurry.

Glancing at the silent Nara Shikahisa, Tsunade knew this was a test for her.

Aside from being the head of the three Ino-Shika-Cho families, Nara Shikahisa was also the captain of the Jonin Squad. Jonin were the village's truly valuable assets; they were the ones who genuinely possessed the right to elect the Hokage.

"Since you two elders are so familiar with this position, then choose one of yourselves to be Hokage. After serving as Hokage Assistants for so many years, I'm sure you are both deeply beloved by Hidden Leaf Village's ninja. Shikaku, gather the Jonin and begin an internal nomination."

The moment those words left her mouth, Nara Shikahisa nearly laughed.

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu's faces immediately turned green.

To become Hokage, one needed not only prestige, but also formidable strength.

Those two possessed neither.

Perhaps in their youth, they had been able to hold their own among Elite Jonin. But after idling around for so many years, these two old geezers might not even be able to defeat Elite Chunin, let alone become Hokage.

If a Hokage nomination were held, the Jonin would have to be blind to choose either of them.

"Tsunade, we had Jiraiya call you back because we wanted you to become Hokage. As for the position of Hokage Assistant, we only accepted it because we were worried that you were too young and might not be able to handle the Hokage's duties."

Tsunade sneered. "Since I'm the Hokage, does the Anbu answer to me or to you? Why do I need your permission just to bring people into the Hokage's Office? It seems your positions as Hokage Assistants carry more authority than the Hokage himself."

"That's not the case. It's just that this involves internal information, and many things are not suitable for outsiders to hear," Mitokado Homura continued to argue.

Tsunade ignored him and turned to open the door. "Hikari, Shizune, come in!"

One Anbu reached out to stop them.

What's the point of keeping someone like this around if you're not going to beat them?

Super Strength!

Instinctively, Tsunade chose to trust Hikari's inner voice. She threw a Super Strength Punch, sending the Anbu flying into the wall.

"Xiao Gang, are you all right?" Seeing the young man sent flying by Tsunade, Mitokado Homura immediately rushed over.

Seeing this, Tsunade looked directly at the other Anbu ninja. "Which family are you from?"

Utatane Koharu emerged with a dark expression, looking at the Anbu who had been half-beaten to death by Tsunade's punch. "Tsunade, he is a ninja of this village. Are you trying to betray the village by doing this?"

Oh my, sending your clan's ninja into the Anbu so you can seize control over its authority. Old woman, are you trying to steal Hokage secrets, or are you trying to become Hokage yourself?

Tsunade had never been particularly skilled at such scheming. When Utatane Koharu accused her from the moral high ground, she could only endure it helplessly. Fortunately, Hikari's inner voice came to her aid.

"I see that what you two do is quite different from what you say. The Anbu answers directly to the Hokage. You two old geezers inserted your own people into it—are you trying to hollow out the Hokage's authority and take charge yourselves?"

Oh, Tsunade knows how to play this game too! This is exactly how you should tear into those two shameless old bastards.

With that thought, Hikari stepped forward. "The Hokage is the one who holds authority over Hidden Leaf Village. Aren't you two elders afraid of provoking public outrage by doing this?"

"What are you supposed to be, daring to—Teacher!"

Before Mitokado Homura could finish, he turned, intending to pin some grave accusation on Hikari. Then he saw Hikari staring at him coldly.

In that instant, he seemed to see Senju Tobirama.

Mind Shock!

If Senju Tobirama learned of what they had done over the years, death would be the least of their worries. With Senju Tobirama's ruthless methods, making the two of them beg for death while being unable to die—that would be true cruelty.

Thud!

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

The two old geezers dropped to their knees and frantically kowtowed.

"Teacher, the destruction of the Senju Clan had nothing to do with us! It was all that old bastard Hiruzen's doing!"

"Yes, yes, it was all Hiruzen's fault! The two of us tried to persuade him back then, but we couldn't stop him. After all, he was the Hokage. We were only Hokage Assistants in name, without any real authority!"

"Please forgive us, Teacher!"

"Teacher, please don't kill us!"