The next day, exactly one hour before the follow-up meeting with Kumo's delegation, a fresh piece of information surfaced in the nearest black market and made its way to the Hokage's office.
Tsunade wanted to throw her desk out the window—if she didn't have to pay for it afterward.
Damn it, when in her entire life had she ever truly had to worry about money?
"Not only did I fail to find out what the Uchiha wanted from Kumo's delegation last night, but now those jokers who kept taking loans out in my name have the nerve to publicly disclose every last detail of my debts!"
As for Kumo's delegation being responsible, the thought never even crossed her mind. Her ANBU could confirm that they had spent the evening at the Uchiha compound, and she didn't believe someone with that many ties and obligations would dare pull something like this on her.
It never occurred to her that Hibui could simply create a clone, alter its appearance, and send it to the black market to sell the information.
Tsunade glanced to the side, where Shizune was conspicuously absent.
"I probably shouldn't have lied to her about the total amount owed," Tsunade sighed.
The moment Shizune learned that the actual debt was eighty times greater than the amount she thought they had to repay—a figure that already gave her nightmares—she opened her mouth and fainted from the shock.
At least she hadn't coughed up blood.
Just what Tsunade expected from her finest disciple!
Tsunade was beginning to harbor a faint, very faint suspicion that perhaps she hadn't treated Shizune as fairly as she deserved.
"No, I think it's fine," she quickly dismissed. "She's become an excellent kunoichi and medical ninja trained by the best in the world. Besides, she'd complain if something was too much, right?"
If Shizune had heard that statement, she would have dunked the pig she was carrying over Tsunade's head, shoved the woman's face straight into its backside, and walked away without looking back, steam practically pouring from her ears.
What good are complaints when the person refuses to hear or acknowledge them?!
"Hokage-sama, the information has already spread to the clans and—"
"I'm not the damn Hokage!" Tsunade interrupted, throwing the hat onto the floor. "The moment the old man wakes up, I—"
Suddenly she remembered that her inheritance and every last coin in her wallet had vanished.
At this very moment, even Minato and Kushina's son was richer than she was!
Tsunade took a deep breath, stretching her blouse to dangerous limits, and collapsed into the office chair.
"How have the clans reacted?" she asked curiously, still forcing herself to calm down.
Although she had no desire to start solving Konoha's mountain of problems, that didn't mean she wanted them growing larger.
The ANBU took a moment to find the proper words.
"Be honest."
The ANBU took several very long moments to find the proper words.
"On the surface, they don't seem particularly affected," he reported. There was no delicate way to say this. "However, we know that several clans have begun cautiously reviewing their accounting records from the date of your return onward, specifically checking whether they have any outstanding debts to the Senju Clan. Those who did have debts already sent payment this morning to settle them in full. The funds are downstairs being counted."
Tsunade breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed things weren't quite as bad as she'd feared. The village had more unity than she had given it credit for, and that money would be a tremendous help. At the very least, if the clans had repaid those debts, she estimated she could return to her old lifestyle for another decade or two.
As long as she had money to gamble with, she could always win more later!
What the "temporary Hokage" didn't know was that the clans were far from joining hands in harmony, showing compassion and understanding toward her difficult situation.
In reality, they were terrified.
The money they had sent was both an attempt to prevent Tsunade from somehow dragging their clans into her debts through technicalities and a way to eliminate any possibility that the village itself might be forced to assume those costs.
In other words, they wanted to draw a very clear line between Konoha and its people—while Tsunade stood firmly on the other side.
The debt was hers and hers alone.
Konoha would not pay a single ryō from its military treasury!
What? You don't like it?
Do you think you're your grandfather or something?!
In a much better mood, Tsunade ordered someone to clean up the office before Kumo's delegation arrived.
"Any news on that Chad fellow?" She was still suspicious about his absence yesterday.
"Based on our observations yesterday, the statement taken from the owner of Ichiraku Ramen, and the testimony given by Yuzuriha Aburame during the brief period she regained consciousness, we can confirm that the man was not lying," the ANBU reported seriously. "His absence was indeed caused by severe stomach pain."
And what a stomachache it had been to knock out an Aburame.
"Any unusual or suspicious behavior aside from the Uchiha dinner?"
Because of course the Uchiha dinner had been suspicious.
The old man had sent a group of Uchiha to investigate the Kumo-Kiri war without the clan patriarch's knowledge, and not a single one of them had returned.
How could the Uchiha possibly allow them inside their compound?
"There was one moment when he crossed paths with the jinchūriki, but aside from a brief glance, he didn't even bother trying to start a conversation," the ANBU recalled carefully. "As for the rest, well..."
"What?" Tsunade frowned.
"He appeared to be sightseeing, but seemed to notice the surveillance team assigned to monitor him and immediately lost interest. After that, he simply wandered aimlessly without approaching any important locations," the ANBU continued. "He bought several souvenirs, assisted in six simultaneous births, rescued fifteen elderly people suffering from heart problems, treated the scrapes and injuries of sixty-eight small children, and also—"
"Wait, did he sneak into the hospital and pretend to be a doctor?!"
"No, Hoka—" The ANBU coughed. "Ahem, Miss Tsunade." He quickly corrected himself upon seeing the elderly woman with fake youthful skin raising a fist. "All of those events occurred while he was walking through the streets. Mere coincidences."
He coughed again under her murderous glare.
"Oh, and we had everyone examined after he left, searching for hidden seals, residual chakra, or malicious traps. They're all completely clean and healthy."
What he didn't mention were the civilians' reactions afterward.
Many had slowly shaken their heads and sighed.
The target's actions had caused public perception of Tsunade's medical abilities to drop slightly. Since returning to Konoha, she hadn't worked at the hospital despite many people expecting her to do so, whereas the medical prowess of Kumo's Dodomeki had become even more firmly established in the hearts of Konoha's citizens.
"We need to spread rumors or somehow convince the Hokage to spend more time helping people at the hospital—civilians and shinobi alike," the ANBU planned silently, driven by unwavering loyalty to the village and the Will of Fire burning in his heart. "Konoha has suffered for years because of Kumo's sudden rise in highly capable medical specialists, but if she's willing to step forward, we can recover in less than two years!"
Had Tsunade known what he was thinking, she would have laughed.
Why would she care about fame?
Besides, wouldn't she earn far more money by visiting nobles and treating minor ailments?
In the time it took her to attend to several nobles over a week, she could earn more money than she would completing missions for the village.
She could even hunt down a few missing-nin. Their heads fetched a respectable bounty.
Or she could simply do all of those things at once. Her gambler's pride pushed her to repay the debts, even if the borrowed money had ended up in someone else's hands.
Which reminded her.
She should probably send a few ANBU squads to investigate. Someone using a counterfeit Senju Clan seal was more than enough justification.