Utatane Koharu

Kawafune and Sakumo stood in the shadows, watching Danzo leave with a face full of resentment.

"Wouldn't it be enough to just kill him?"

Sakumo's gaze darkened, his words brimming with killing intent.

He felt that, with his strength, killing Danzo would not require a second strike.

"He's the Third Hokage's fellow disciple, and one of Konoha's higher-ups."

"If we just kill him, it'll be hard to explain."

"After all, our roots are in Konoha."

"As for the trash under his command, they don't matter."

Kawafune gave his older brother a reasonable explanation, and it was indeed the truth.

Danzo was not particularly strong now, nowhere near as troublesome as he would be when he clashed with Sasuke later on. Other than being needed by the Third Hokage, he posed no other threat.

If the Third Hokage took his anger over Danzo out on the Hatake Clan, the loss would outweigh the gain.

"I wonder what other tricks he has."

"A schemer lurking in the dark wants to crawl into the spotlight?"

Sakumo spoke disdainfully and spat on the ground.

"There are always people who value power too highly. He just doesn't have the fate for it."

Kawafune smiled calmly, not taking Danzo seriously at all.

In the original story, Danzo had only served as acting Hokage for a short while before dying at Sasuke's hands, bringing his sinful life to an end.

Whether he would even live until then in this life was hard to say.

"That old bastard will get what's coming to him sooner or later."

Anyone hearing Sakumo say that would have thought he had suffered some great loss. He had killed Danzo's men, yet still felt wronged.

"Haha, it's late, Brother. Get some sleep."

"Sister-in-law is waiting in bed for you to make a baby."

Kawafune made an indecent feint toward his brother's vital area.

Sakumo dodged aside and hurried toward his room.

"You're already this old, and you're still playing dirty tricks on your own brother."

Sakumo was left standing there speechless. This younger brother of his was truly a handful.

Shaking his head, he strolled toward bed as well. Nayuki had been waiting for a long time.

Kawafune kept thinking nonsense. If his brother's child were born early, would Kakashi still be Kakashi?

That was a question worth considering.

With Kakashi filling his mind, Kawafune somehow saw Tsunade in his dreams instead. It seemed his nephew was only an accident; Tsunade was his true love.

The next morning, at dawn.

Tsunade came again with Nawaki, who had also skipped breakfast.

Kushina followed behind them as well. Even freeloading breakfast had started becoming a group activity.

After Nawaki returned yesterday, he had boasted endlessly about how delicious and abundant the breakfast at his brother's house was.

Kushina had promised to study Sealing Jutsu for three days straight in exchange for the chance to come freeloading today.

At the table, Kushina turned into a little whirlwind, devouring food furiously.

Otherwise, she would not have gotten her money's worth for the price she had paid.

After breakfast, it was time for the same old training again.

Nawaki obediently went to the weapon rack and began holding a horse stance. Kushina copied him and squatted down as well.

Tsunade and the Kawafune brothers sat before the stone table, drinking the finest tea from the Land of Tea.

"Danzo came last night."

Kawafune opened the conversation as he sipped his tea, his gaze still drifting over Tsunade.

"What did he come for?"

Tsunade gave herself away in a single sentence. She had absolutely no idea that Danzo was the person Kawafune had been referring to.

"Because of the hospital."

Even Sakumo was a little dumbfounded. Hadn't she said she already knew?

"Haha, all she knows is how to eat."

Kawafune laughed at his brother's expression. Only then did Tsunade realize what had happened.

She put on a calm front, picked up her tea, and took a slow sip.

"I see. I guessed wrong."

Kawafune might have believed her if not for the embarrassed blush rising on her face.

"So the one who came yesterday afternoon was someone from Root?"

Nawaki had told her about what happened after returning home. Upon hearing Danzo's name, there was no doubt about the ninja's identity.

"That's right. He wanted to be the hospital's nominal director and was willing to have Root safeguard the hospital."

"He wouldn't participate in its operations or profit-sharing."

Kawafune spared Tsunade's dignity and did not expose her. He would just treat it as if she had truly guessed wrong.

"Isn't that a good thing?"

Tsunade did not care about her position as hospital director. Clearly, this would not bring any obvious harm to opening the hospital.

"He wants to use the hospital to gain public prestige. Do you think that if he truly becomes the director, he can keep the promises he made?"

Kawafune laid it all out plainly, afraid this silly girl would not understand otherwise.

Sakumo felt a little sour on the side. He had only figured that part out while resting in bed last night, yet Tsunade did not even need to use her brain?

"How did your talk go last night?"

Tsunade knew it had definitely fallen through. She simply did not know what the situation had become.

"We killed two of his men and spared his life."

Sakumo finally got a word in as he drank his tea.

"Then he definitely won't let this go."

Tsunade understood Danzo fairly well. He was the darkest figure in Konoha.

"So there's something I need you to do."

Kawafune already had a plan. Even if Tsunade had not come, he would have gone looking for her.

"What is it?"

"If I remember correctly, Koharu Advisor is a Medical Ninja, right?"

Kawafune's gaze upon Tsunade remained gentle, his smile bright.

"Yes. Is there a problem?"

Tsunade could not imagine what role Utatane Koharu could play in this matter, her eyes full of curiosity.

"I want you to invite her to be the hospital's vice director. She only needs to hold the title."

"I'll give her an annual salary of five million."

Kawafune believed that an aging Medical Ninja approaching old age would be unable to refuse that amount.

She would not need to do any work, only hold the title. Even as a Hokage Advisor, she was no exception.

After all, no one ever thought they had too much money.

"What's the point of doing that?"

Tsunade turned into a walking encyclopedia of questions, chattering endlessly.

"You don't need to worry about that. Just do as I say."

Kawafune did not reveal his plan. Before things were settled, he was unwilling to disclose too much.

"Then how much salary are you giving me as the director?"

Tsunade's eyes turned into little stars. A nominal vice director got five million a year, so it was not too much for her, the actual director, to get six million, right?

"You'll get year-end dividends. You're working for yourself."

Rubbing his forehead, Kawafune gave an answer that did not meet Tsunade's expectations.

He had almost failed to keep up with Tsunade's train of thought. Did her love of gambling make her this interested in money?

"Fine, I'll go find Koharu Advisor."

After finishing her final cup of tea, Tsunade rose and left.

"Kawafune, snap out of it."

Sakumo could not stand the sight of his hopeless younger brother any longer and spoke to pull his soul back.

"Huh? What?"

"What use is Koharu Advisor?"

Only then did Sakumo ask the question in his heart. Why did he have to use his brain? Wasn't it nice to just be useless?

"The Third Hokage has more than one fellow disciple."

Kawafune said only that much. With his brother's intelligence, he should be able to guess most of it.

Using Flying Thunder God, he appeared directly beside Nawaki. The entire house was now covered by Flying Thunder God Technique Formula.

His sudden appearance did not disturb Nawaki's horse stance, but it gave Kushina quite a fright.

With a whoosh, a living person appeared right in front of her. It nearly scared the little chili pepper to death.

Still, that move was really cool. It would be great if Minato could learn it.

Her little head was filled with a little Minato.

Sakumo sat on the stone bench, tugging at his hair.

Damn it, I even know the Third Hokage has five fellow disciples in total.

Can't you just say everything in one breath?