The Third Hokage stood to one side, watching Lord First go from imposing authority to an overgrown child in the blink of an eye. His feelings were a tangled mess.
Was this the legendary God of Shinobi?
His moods changed faster than the pages of a book.
Tsunade walked over, picked up the files on the desk, and leafed through them.
"Grandpa, you looked into quite a lot this morning."
Hashirama nodded.
"I had nothing else to do, so I thought I'd see what Konoha had been through over the years."
He looked at the Third Hokage.
"Hiruzen, you haven't had it easy either. More than forty years, through all those ups and downs..."
The Third Hokage smiled bitterly.
"Lord First, I..."
Hashirama waved a hand.
"That's enough. No need to say anything. I've criticized what needed criticizing. You can fix what needs fixing from now on. I've seen what you've given to Konoha, too."
He stood and patted the Third Hokage on the shoulder.
"From now on, we'll talk things over together. Don't shoulder everything alone."
The Third Hokage's eyes reddened slightly.
"Lord First..."
Hashirama smiled, once again becoming that kindly, easygoing old man.
"All right, all right, don't cry. At your age, what are you crying for?"
The Third Hokage sniffed.
"I'm not crying..."
Tsunade rolled her eyes beside them.
These two old men were getting awfully sentimental.
She looked at Hashirama.
"Grandpa, are you coming back this afternoon?"
Hashirama thought for a moment.
"Of course. Why wouldn't I? I still want to see if there's anything else outrageous."
He paused.
"Oh, right. Guy challenged me to a contest this afternoon. I'll come over when we're done."
The corner of Tsunade's mouth twitched.
Another contest...
Forget it. Not her problem.
She went behind the desk, sat down, and