Tsunade put his hands on the table and looked down at Utatane Koharu, his eyes as sharp as an eagle.
"In the fifty-fourth year of Konoha, Anbu purchased the equipment for the ninja tool workshop under the name of your nephew. The unit price was 30% higher than the market price of Land of Grass. In three years, the village finance spent an extra 80 million taels. Is this account signed by you personally?"
Utatane Koharu's face changed suddenly.
"Konoha In the fifty-seventh year of Uchiha Clan Massacre, six of the thirteen shops along the street that were inspected later were rented to Elder Homura your son-in-law's chamber of commerce at extremely low prices. After so many years, the rent has not been paid yet, right?"
Mitokado Homura's fingers trembled, and his eyes behind the lenses were panicked.
"And Shimura Danzō!"
Tsunade suddenly turned his head to look at Hiruzen Sarutobi, his eyes like knives. "Root used to eat up 20% of the village's financial budget every year. The three of you sat in Hokage's Office and watched helplessly as Danzo used the money to conduct human experiments and arrest orphans of all races. Why didn't you step out and enforce the rules at that time? Why didn't you mention joint supervision?!"
"Why, Danzo is doing something shady, and you are pretending to be deaf and dumb; my brother raised his own funds with his own skills and led Medical Department to develop a strengthening potion that benefits the whole village of ninjas, and he sells it openly, but your eyes are as red as rabbits, and you have to pounce on him and take a bite of the meat?!"
This series of questions was like a series of slaps on the faces of the three old men.
Utatane Koharu was so angry that he was shaking all over and pointed at Tsunade: "You... you are rehashing old scores! You are destroying the unity of Konoha High Command!"
"Unity?"
Tsunade curled his lips in disdain. "You talk about unity when sharing money, but why don't you stand up when it comes to taking responsibility? The three of us are over 200 years old in total, how can we look uglier than the ninja pigs raised by the Akimichi Clan?"
"That's enough, Tsunade."
Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been silent all this time, finally put down his pipe.
The old man's face became frighteningly dark behind the smoke. He picked up the ashtray on the table and gently knocked the pot of the pipe, making a clicking sound.
This voice had a strange rhythm, which instantly interrupted Tsunade's suppressed momentum.
After all, he has been a Hokage person for decades. Even though he is very old, his power is still there.
"The accounts of the past have a special background in the past, which cannot be explained in a few words." Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his cloudy eyes, and his voice was so calm that no waves could be heard, "Sitting here today, we are talking about the present and Konoha's future."
Hiruzen Sarutobi leaned forward slightly, with his thin fingers crossed on his chin.
"Tsunade, you protect Little Chen, I understand. Little Chen is the only remaining bloodline of the Senju Clan, and it is also your heart and soul. But as Fifth Hokage, you cannot just rely on clan feelings when considering things."
"I want to ask you three questions."
Hiruzen Sarutobi held out a finger. "First, since the effect of the strengthening potion is so obvious, why was it only tried on the Akimichi Clan? Why can Hyuga and Inuzuka Clan get quotas, but Anbu, which defends the core area of the village, has not seen even a sample so far?"
"Second." Hiruzen held out a second finger, "The R&D fund of 200 million yuan has exceeded Konoha's regular taxes for half a year. If all this money is left in the Medical Department's secret account, there is no audit by the finance class, no supervision by the daimyo, once this money is misappropriated, or even... flows outside the village, who will bear this responsibility?"
"Third." Old Hokage's gaze suddenly became extremely deep, piercing Tsunade's heart, "Little Chen, where is that child now?"
The air in the whole room was stagnant.
Tsunade's pupils shrank slightly.
"As Konoha Public Security Department minister and Medical Department core manager, during such a critical potion release period, he has not appeared in public in the village for half a month."
Hiruzen's voice was very soft, but it carried the unique viciousness of an old politician.
"Anbu has been to his mansion, and only a few Shadow Clone are doing daily chores. Where is he? What is he doing? Is the set of technologies he has in his hands that can change the Shinobi World pattern still under Konoha's control?"
Hiruzen stared at Tsunade and asked word for word, "Tsunade, can you give me, the elders here, and the ninjas in the whole village a reasonable explanation for these questions?"
Three bombshells were dropped.
Don't talk about money, don't talk about old accounts, let's get straight to the point: the credibility of power, the legitimacy of funds, and the elusive whereabouts of Senju Chen!
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura secretly breathed a sigh of relief, with scheming smiles reappearing on their faces.
Ginger is still spicier.
As soon as Hiruzen Sarutobi took action, he directly pinched Tsunade's weakness.
If Tsunade cannot explain the whereabouts of Senju Chen, it is a cover-up; if he can explain it, he must hand over the secret of Senju Chen. No matter which one it is, Hokage's Office and Council of Advisors must have a hand in the supervision of this set of medicines!
However.
To the three people's surprise, Tsunade didn't show a trace of panic on his face.
She didn't even blink, she just opened the drawer, slowly took out a box of slender women's cigarettes, and lit it with a lighter.
There was a stabbing sound.
Kakkō illuminated Tsunade's chiseled and heroic face.
She blew out a long thin stream of white smoke and looked at her mentor through the smoke, with a trace of pity in her eyes.
"Old man, are you checking the whereabouts of Little Chen?"
Tsunade held a cigarette with a playful smile on his lips, "You sent Anbu to follow a minister Public Security Department and a young patriarch of the Senju Clan?"
Hiruzen said without changing his expression, "In extraordinary times, I am just doing this for the safety of the village."
"Fuck your mother!"
Tsunade swore directly and the cigarette ashes flicked onto the expensive coffee table.
"Old man, do you think that after you abdicate, Anbu will still be your private soldier?"
Tsunade took out a black scroll with Anbu's special seal from his arms, and threw it in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi with a snap.
"The three Anbus you sent to keep an eye on the Senju mansion were captured by me yesterday afternoon."
Tsunade looked at him coldly. "The crime is: suspected of snooping into medical secrets and endangering the strategic security of the village. The interrogation confession is here. The leader of the team, Jonin, is a distant relative of your Sarutobi Clan, codenamed 'Titmouse'. In the interrogation room of the Public Security Department, the guy even mentioned that he peed on the bed several times as a child."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's skinny palm trembled slightly.
"You ask me the first question, why can't Anbu get the potion?"
Tsunade leaned forward and blew out a puff of smoke, directly onto Hiruzen's wrinkled face.
"Because Anbu is full of informants from you three old guys! You can't even comply with the confidentiality regulations of the core department of the village. Why should I give the first batch of strategic potions to Anbu? If I give them to you, will the exact same formula imitations appear on the black market of Land of Grass and Land of Earth the next day?!"
"You ask me your second question, where does the 200 million taels of silver go?"
Tsunade took out another golden document covered with Land of Fire's famous jade seal, and slapped it heavily on the table.
"Look clearly! The commendation order just sent by the Daming Mansion the day before yesterday! Little Chen has sent five sets of special health potions to the daimyo through the Senju Clan's private channels last month. After the daimyo took them, Longyan was delighted, and not only personally approved Medical Department to set up an independent charter fund, but even added an additional 30 million taels of royal appropriation!"
"The independent accounts that the great names all nodded and approved, who do you three think you are, how dare you come here to check the accounts?!"
The conference room was so quiet that you could hear your heartbeat.
The golden jade seal of Daming Mansion shone brightly under the light, like three loud slaps, which made Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura dizzy.
Daming... Senju Chen actually established a relationship with Daming Mansion long ago?!
These old guys who have been in Konoha's nest for decades never dreamed that Senju Chen, the young man who seemed to be following Tsunade all day long, could actually extend his wrist so far and so deep behind his back!
"As for the third question..."
Tsunade's eyes turned completely cold, with real murderous intent in his eyes.
She put out the cigarette butt in her hand, and the sparks turned into a wisp of smoke on her fingertips.
"Where is Little Chen? That is Konoha's top secret."
Tsunade's voice was low and depressing, like the muffled thunder before the storm. "But I can tell you clearly - the things he did are much greater than all the crap you have worried about Konoha together!"