Naruto was still kindhearted. After hearing Tazuna's words, he immediately forgave him and even stepped forward to speak on his behalf.
But just as Naruto finished his plea, Kakashi, who stood nearby, immediately rebuked him sternly:
"Naruto, Lord Hokage has her own way of handling this. Don't interrupt."
One reason Kakashi stepped forward was that Naruto was now his subordinate, so he bore half the responsibility for Naruto's actions. Naruto had stepped forward before Lord Hokage had even spoken, and that put him in the wrong.
The other reason was to plead for Naruto indirectly. With Kakashi stepping in to reprimand him, even if the Hokage wanted to punish Naruto harshly, she would find it difficult to bring it up.
Of course, Tsunade saw right through Kakashi's little trick. But she had never intended to punish Naruto anyway, so she paid him no mind.
As for Tazuna, however, she could not simply expel him from the village and leave it at that, as Naruto suggested. Others would follow his example. With Tazuna setting a precedent, where would Konoha's authority stand if they went unpunished?
Yet if she punished a pitiful nobody like Tazuna too harshly, she would feel guilty, and it would make her seem heartless.
Shin Uchiha also noticed Tsunade's dilemma. After a moment's thought, he took two steps forward and said:
"Lord Hokage, leave this matter to me. I'll handle it."
Tsunade looked up at Shin in mild surprise. As far as she remembered, he was not the sort to meddle in other people's business, especially something this trivial. Usually, he could not even be bothered.
Still, Tsunade was pleased that Shin Uchiha was taking over. After all, Shin was very reliable. Once he took charge, he would certainly handle it properly. As for his reasons, Tsunade could