The Reason Utatane Koharu Wants to Kill the Utterly Decayed Konoha Higher-Ups

But the very next second, Tsunade instantly reacted.

This was indeed a way to solve everything once and for all. As long as she became Hokage, all problems would naturally be resolved.

However, she had never considered this issue before.

What's more, Sarutobi Hiruzen was in his prime, known as the "God of Shinobi," and hadn't shown any signs of senility over the years.

To replace him at this time?

"You don't have to agree immediately; you can even refuse outright, it's fine," Uchiha Dan said with a smile, trying to comfort her. "Even if you make your decision after I leave, I will still come back to help you."

"And I have a feeling that even if it's not because of me, cruel reality might force you to consider becoming Hokage."

"And even if it's not because of you, cruel reality might force me to consider becoming Hokage?" Hearing Uchiha Dan's certainty, Tsunade asked, "Dan, do you know something?"

"I can't provide you with any accurate information or evidence at the moment, so are you sure you want to hear it?" Uchiha Dan asked seriously.

"I want to hear it!" Tsunade wanted to grasp any method to keep Uchiha Dan there, and quickly asked.

If there was a proper, suitable reason, Tsunade might truly be able to make a decision.

"Alright!" Having made up his mind, Uchiha Dan began, "Tsunade, during my five years in the Pharmaceutical Department, I wasn't just developing medicine; I also discovered some shady dealings."

"The Pharmaceutical Department? What shady dealings in the Pharmaceutical Department?" Tsunade frowned and quickly asked.

"Hahaha!" Uchiha Dan thought of something and suddenly laughed. "In these past five years, I've developed quite a few new medicines and provided accurate formulas, and improved many drugs and potion-making processes."

"Yet, in these five years, the loss rate of medicinal materials reported by the Pharmaceutical Department to the village due to failed production has increased year after year."

"Also, at least twenty percent of the new medicines I developed over these five years have never appeared in Konoha."

"While none of them are strategic drugs, when you combine these two facts, someone as smart as you should know what's going on, right?"

"Utatane Koharu is abusing her power for personal gain?" Tsunade clenched her fists and reached her own conclusion.

Uchiha Dan nodded and added, "In recent years, Utatane Koharu has also been frequenting the Logistics Department, more so than going home."

"The result is that in these past few years, even though the logistics department at the border has stabilized and the number of front-line personnel has decreased, the number of times supplies have been transported out of the village has increased significantly compared to before."

"My goodness!" Tsunade felt a cold sweat break out on her back.

The two great elders of the village were secretly plotting, using the village's resources for their own selfish gain.

What was all this?

"Dan, how did you find out?" Tsunade asked curiously.

It wasn't that she doubted Uchiha Dan's words, she just wanted to know more details.

"I won't mention Utatane Koharu; I couldn't not know, because no one knows better than I do how high the success rate is for potion and drug formulas after my adjustments."

"This is also the main reason Utatane Koharu desperately wanted me dead, not just because she disliked me."

"As for Mitokado Homura," Uchiha Dan chuckled, "when I was trying to escape, I often 'casually' observed the village entrance."

"The result is that I observed everyone entering and leaving the village, every vehicle, and every batch of supplies for a full two years, before I compiled precise statistical data."

"I suspect Mitokado Homura himself doesn't know that this has been noticed."

"After all, who would be so bored as to stare at the village entrance every day, counting every vehicle entering and leaving, and doing so tirelessly for two years?"

"You know, even the guards at the entrance to Konoha have to change shifts from time to time, so even they didn't notice anything unusual."

"Then Teacher Hiruzen... doesn't he know?" Tsunade asked her question.

"Of course he knows," Uchiha Dan couldn't help but laugh. "After all, Utatane Koharu's greed was too great. I was improving formulas every day, and she was increasing the losses every day. Sarutobi Hiruzen isn't stupid."

"He didn't do anything?" Tsunade asked incredulously.

"He probably did!" Uchiha Dan continued to explain. "Utatane Koharu lost her temper with me several times. Once, she let slip a remark: 'It's one thing for Sarutobi Hiruzen to give me a cold shoulder, but you wicked brat dares to make trouble for me too?'"

"At the time, I was confused. How could Sarutobi Hiruzen give Utatane Koharu a cold shoulder? Can you imagine?"

"So I boldly inferred that it was because her embezzlement was exposed, and Sarutobi Hiruzen was very displeased and reprimanded her."

"But Sarutobi Hiruzen has one major flaw: he's overly protective of his reputation and does things meticulously, unwilling to let even a speck of dirt tarnish his name as Hokage."

"The reason I call this a flaw, not a virtue, is because fame and fortune blind people."

"Whether it's for fame, profit, or power, in the end, it's all driven by desire. Once immersed in it, a person's desires will expand infinitely."

"Sarutobi Hiruzen's unwillingness to have even a speck of dirt tarnish his reputation will gradually become his obsession. Conducting high-pressure work with such a mindset for a long time will eventually lead to two possibilities."

"The first is that he becomes ruthless for the sake of his reputation, disregarding all personal feelings. If he were truly like that, I would be happy; at least he would be wholeheartedly serving the village."

"But obviously, Sarutobi Hiruzen is not that kind of person."

"The second is that he begins to care about what everyone around him thinks of him, becoming timid and walking on thin ice."

"Do you know the result of doing this?"

"The result is that he will become increasingly susceptible to influence, so much so that everyone around him can seemingly affect his decisions."

"Especially his old comrades who have known him for a long time will find ways to manipulate him."

"Because if even one person is disappointed in him, he'll feel like the sky is falling, so he'll unconsciously try to please everyone, doing his best to satisfy them, especially when those three people gang up on him."

"Can you imagine? A Hokage, when making decisions, has to try to please the people around him, and he does this not to weigh options or stabilize the situation."

"Just because he was afraid of disappointing the other person, afraid they would think he wasn't fit to be Hokage."

"Is that laughable? For that reason alone, Hiruzen Sarutobi actually allowed other high-ranking officials to become corrupt."

"That was two years ago, but Utatane Koharu has continued to do as she pleased for the past two years, even escalating her actions. To this day, there has been no news of her being punished."

"Such a grave offense, if it happened in another village, the Kage of that village would never let it slide."

"But Hiruzen Sarutobi just let it go, turning a blind eye, pretending not to see."

"So I suspect, he not only indulged it but was eventually dragged down too. The reason is, the Sarutobi clan suddenly became wealthy, cultivating clan ninjas at any cost."

"You don't know, even though I really dislike Utatane Koharu, I sometimes find her quite interesting. Her inability to keep her mouth shut is one of her characteristics."

"I only need to provoke her a little occasionally, and without me even asking, she'll tell me a lot of secrets herself. Hahaha, it's really fun."

"This is also one of the reasons Utatane Koharu wants me dead. She knows she's said many things she shouldn't have, and only if I die can those words remain unknown forever."