But Then Again...

Bang!

With a loud crash, the wooden door was kicked open, and Sarutobi Hiruzen in the Hokage's Office nearly jumped out of his chair.

He stared blankly at the foot hanging in the doorway, still unable to comprehend what had happened.

Over the years, he and Danzo had had their share of arguments in this Hokage's Office.

The two of them got into a fight every few days, and it often ended with Danzo slamming the door and storming out—also with a loud bang.

But Danzo at least used his hands...

Had Kumogakure attacked?

"Old man!"

Only after that lazy call did Sarutobi Hiruzen finally realize who had kicked open the door.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's pipe hung in midair as he watched Tsunade swagger in, the corners of his mouth twitching uncontrollably.

He was an idiot.

He should have known. Other than Tsunade, who else would dare open the Hokage's Office door with their foot...?

"I don't have any money left."

The moment Tsunade properly sat down, Sarutobi Hiruzen stated decisively.

The year was only halfway through, yet Tsunade had already taken nearly a million ryo from the Hokage's Office.

That might not sound like much, but the problem was that Tsunade already owed Konoha twenty million ryo.

First, she had borrowed ten million in the First Hokage's name.

Then she had borrowed seven million in the Second Hokage's name.

After that, she had borrowed another three million in the Senju Clan's name...

To fill that enormous hole, the Anbu had been working themselves to the bone these past few years.

If they learned that the funds they had worked so hard to earn were all being spent here, they would probably lose their minds on the spot.

Yet upon hearing Sarutobi Hiruzen's words, Tsunade unexpectedly said nothing this time. Her beautiful eyes shifted as she rolled them elegantly. "Relax, old man. I didn't come to borrow money this time."

However, rather than relaxing at those words, Sarutobi Hiruzen became even more serious.

Because that was precisely the line Tsunade had used the first time she borrowed money.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had already paid a steep price for that lesson.

He brought his pipe to his lips and took a deep draw, spreading his hands helplessly. "Tsunade, there really isn't any money left."

"Tch."

Tsunade clicked her tongue irritably, rose from the sofa, and strode over to the Third Hokage's dark square desk. She slammed both hands onto its surface.

Smack!

"How many times do I have to say it? I didn't come to borrow money!" Tsunade said through clenched teeth.

How dare you slander my good name?

"All right, all right..." Sarutobi Hiruzen placated her perfunctorily.

But just as he was about to try bargaining with her, he stopped halfway through.

Because he noticed that Tsunade was staring at the documents on his desk.

Was it because of Shizune?

Before he knew it, the little girl who had endured hardship on the road with Tsunade had become a genin as well.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart stirred. Silently, he reached out and adjusted the documents so they faced Tsunade directly.

Tsunade said nothing. She simply grabbed the Ninja Squad assignment list with one hand, returned to the light brown sofa, and began reading it in silence.

As he watched Tsunade's pensive profile,

a trace of nostalgia crossed Sarutobi Hiruzen's face.

Honestly, it had been many years since he had seen Tsunade wear such a serious expression.

After suffering the successive losses of her family and lover, his student had fallen into utter despair. She had even developed Hemophobia, losing her mind whenever she saw blood.

For the most outstanding Medical Ninja to be unable to hold a scalpel again—there could be no greater punishment.

From then on, Tsunade had left the village with the girl named Shizune and lived as a wanderer.

Even when she occasionally returned to evade debt collectors outside the village, she would either drink herself half to death in an izakaya or give money away at the casino, then turn around and come to the Hokage's Office to borrow money from him. There was usually no other possibility.

This time, however, Tsunade had returned for a special reason. She was not fleeing creditors, but had come because Shizune was returning to take the graduation assessment.

Now that Shizune had successfully graduated, they would soon leave again and continue wandering from place to place.

Unless...

Thoughts turning in his mind, Sarutobi Hiruzen quietly watched Tsunade leaf through the list.

Only after Tsunade put down the documents and silently closed her eyes did the Third Hokage speak.

"Tsunade, are you interested in this year's students?"

"Don't act familiar with me, you damn old man." Tsunade opened one eye and lazily glanced at Sarutobi Hiruzen. "Give it up. I won't stay in the village."

"..."

Before he had even said anything, she had seen through his intentions. Sarutobi Hiruzen fell silent at once.

Naturally, he wanted Tsunade to stay.

Konoha still appeared strong, but in truth, it had quite a few problems. It was strong on the outside but weak within.

The younger generation did not lack talented Ninja, but they still needed time to grow.

The older generation indeed had himself and Danzo as pillars, but they were both gradually growing old.

As for Konoha's middle generation, the Konoha Sannin, who were also his students...

Jiraiya had been utterly bamboozled by a talking toad and went on every day about finding his Child of Prophecy.

Tsunade was even worse, indulging in both gambling and drinking while wandering everywhere with Shizune, a young girl.

Looking at it that way, only Orochimaru was still somewhat driven... but Sarutobi Hiruzen always felt that Orochimaru was hiding something from him.

Two of his three students had gone astray, and he could not rest easy about the remaining one. Whenever Sarutobi Hiruzen thought of it, his head began to ache, and he wondered whether there was something wrong with his teaching methods.

And in recent months, the other major ninja villages had occasionally sent people to prowl around Konoha's borders.

Although whenever Konoha issued a condemnation, they quickly withdrew their people,

Sarutobi Hiruzen could still clearly sense that their attitudes had changed from before.

Or rather, after Konoha's White Fang, renowned throughout the Ninja World, had committed suicide in the village, the other ninja villages had become far less wary of Konoha.

That was why he desperately hoped that his two students, Tsunade and Jiraiya, could return.

Setting Jiraiya aside for now, even if Tsunade could no longer fight, as long as she stayed in Konoha, they would at least have one more Kage-level combatant on paper.

Should they need to negotiate with other villages in the future, they would have more confidence as well.

"Tsunade..." Thinking of this, Sarutobi Hiruzen could not help wanting to persuade her once more.

But Tsunade looked away.

She raised her head and looked at the familiar ceiling of the Hokage's Office, suddenly recalling how she would often stand atop her grandfather Senju Hashirama's desk and make a fuss as a child.

One smiling face after another flashed through her mind. Everything back then had been so vivid, yet now, all that remained were changed people and a changed world.

"I can't fight, and I can't perform surgery either... old man, there's no need for you to care about me anymore." Tsunade lowered her eyes, looking at her hands. "I'm useless now."

After that, Sarutobi Hiruzen could no longer say anything. He merely sighed softly and puffed away at his pipe.

A long time passed.

"But then again..."

Tsunade looked at her slender fingers and said leisurely,

"If you're willing to lend me a little more money, I might consider being an instructor in the village for a few days."

As she spoke, the corners of her lips lifted slightly, and her languid almond eyes lingered on one portrait in the documents.

It was a handsome youth with messy hair.