A few days later, Konoha.
Tsunade wore a brand-new Hokage ceremonial robe. Behind her stood Shizune, holding a little pig, and Jiraiya, wearing an expression that said, "I was forced into this."
Under the complicated gazes of villagers lining the streets to welcome them... ah, no, to watch the spectacle, she entered the Hokage Building she had not returned to in decades with an irritated expression.
The office was still the same office.
Only the desk had been replaced with a new one.
There was still a large hole in the wall that had not been repaired in time, offering a direct view of the restroom next door.
The air carried a lingering smell of smoke and grease, mixed with a faint scent of blood.
"This dump still looks exactly the same after all these decades."
Tsunade wrinkled her nose in disgust and walked over to the broad Hokage chair.
She ran a finger along the armrest and came away with a fingertip full of dust.
Before she could lament how things had changed—
Her attention was drawn to the mountain of documents on the desk, nearly enough to bury her alive.
The top ledger had two glaring words written on it in red ink.
—Deficit.
"This is... the village's financial report for this quarter?"
Tsunade raised an eyebrow and casually picked it up.
She was, after all, the First's granddaughter. Having grown up around such things, she was no stranger to them.
But when she opened the first page—
And saw that long string of scalp-numbing deficit figures—
Her beautiful brown eyes flew wide open.
"Shizune, did I gamble so much that my eyes are playing tricks on me?"
Tsunade rubbed her eyes hard and looked again.
That was right.
A deficit of thirty billion ryo!
"Thirty billion?!"
Tsunade's