Everyone stood up when they saw her enter, and many looked at her in shock at how young she still was. It was as if she had not aged a day since her twenty-second birthday, and the Old Man of Kurama Clan, who had been by her side during the Second Shinobi War, was the first to bow to her.
Tsunade did not care about any of them, only nodded her head once, and then walked over to her seat.
Enma and Shizune stood behind her, one as her assistant, and the other acting as her guard.
Mito had been left inside the Hokage Office and ordered to behave herself.
"Before we begin the meeting, I want to officially issue certain orders, unless someone here has an objection to my appointment as the Hokage."
"No one has any objection, Lady Tsunade. The Fire Daimyo has already approved of you as per wish of late Third," Nara Shikaku spoke on behalf of everyone, and there were nods all around.
"Very well. Yamanaka Inoichi, Morino Ibiki, Uzumaki Enma..."
At her call, the Tokubetsu Jonin stepped forward and the Yamanaka Clan Head stood up for his seat.
"The three of you will be working with Team Ro, and you will break into the minds of the Root Anbu if that is what you must do to learn where their loyalties lie. Every Shinobi who has ever been associated with Root will go through your examinations and interrogations. I want to know where Danzo is. You have a month to submit me your first report, and two months to submit me your final report."
"Yes!" Ibiki and Inoichi answered in unison, and Enma nodded his head.
Tsunade's eyes then scanned the Jonins and narrowed at Asuma, Kurenei, and finally settled on Kakashi, who had decided to get out of his hospital bed to attend this meeting.
"Seriously? I was told you were an exceptional Shinobi, Kakashi. How pathetic of you to fall into a coma just by looking into your old friend's eyes."
The Copy Ninja embarrassedly lowered his head.
"My apologies, Hokage-sama. I promise it will not happen again."
"I hope you will keep your promise." She coldly said and glared at the other two Jonins, who lowered their heads in shame.
She remained silent for a while and then sighed.
"I am sure you are well aware of what happened to Suna and their Kazekage."
She saw the people around the room nod their heads.
"Suna has offered an unconditional surrender and offered their apology. They wish to establish a new and lasting Peace Treaty with our Village."
The people around the room frowned, and they all had mixed feelings about the Hidden Sand.
"I understand you have your grievances, and I do too." She said. "I have an long history with Suna, after all." Her eyes landed on Pakura, who was standing behind Kushina as her guard, wearing a Konoha Forehead Protector. "Konoha, however, can not afford a War right now. We have already lost too many people. We are an open target for Iwa, and they have already acted. So, I have decided to accept the surrender of Suna, and a new Peace Treaty will be drawn between the two Villages."
The wise ones nodded their heads first, and then the rest sighed and also gave their acknowledgement.
"Nara Shikaku, Uchiha Hazuki, Aburame Shibi."
She took three names, and all three Clan Heads looked at her.
"You are hereby appointed as the new Advisors of the Hokage. And the three of you are in charge of drafting this new Treaty."
The Uchiha visibly hesitated at her words, but when Tsunade narrowed her eyes, she too stood up and bowed to her together with the other two.
"You honour us, Hokage-sama." Aburame Shibi respectfully said.
"I know. So, do not let me down." She nodded and then looked at the Jonins before calling out a name. "Mitarashi Anko."
At her words, the Hebi-sensei stepped forward and bowed to her.
"Uzumaki Enma is a Jonin now, so, he can not remain on your Team. To fill the last spot, I am going to assign my daughter, Senju Mito, as your third student."
At her words, everyone looked at her in shock, and though Shikaku had already guessed it after seeing the similarities between the two when he met them earlier, he was still surprised at her words.
"Yes, Hokage-sama." She accepted the command.
"Now, about the Chunin Promotions. Even though the Exams were interrupted, six Genins stood out the most according to the reports I have received. Not just in the Exams, but also during the Invasion. And I am hereby granting them the promotion."
Everyone curiously looked at her.
"Mitarashi Anko, your students, Uzumaki Karin and Nakagami Shizuka, have been promoted."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama."
"Yuhi Kurenei, your student, Aburame Shino, has been promoted."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama."
"Sarutobi Asuma, your students, Yamanaka Ino and Nara Shikamaru have been promoted."
These five were promotions that no one felt were undeserved.
The five Genins truly outshined the rest and they had helped beyond what was expected of them during the Invasion.
"Hatake Kakashi."
"Yes, Hokage-sama?"
"Your student, Uchiha Sasuke, has been promoted."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama."
Tsunade nodded to him and then leaned back in her seat again.
"Now then, about the Konoha Hospital. I am taking it under my direct control." She said and they all nodded their heads, happy to hear the news. "My Assistant and Student, Shizune, will act as the Director, and I have an announcement to make."
Everyone looked her way, waiting to hear what she had to say.
"There will be some changes to the Shinobi Academy's Curriculum. The students will be taught First-Aid and other key medical knowledge that could come in handy in dire situations in detail from now on. There Medical Knowledge will be tested in the Final Examinations."
They all felt that it was a good and beneficial addition.
"Also, from now on, after the First Year in service, at least, one of the three Gennins or Chunins in a Cell will be recommended by their Sensei and sent to Konoha Hospital to learn about Medicine and Medical Ninjutsu. Those who would show talent for it would then be given an option to go through the full Medical-Nin Training, which will last for 30 to 40 months. This Training will be given on the first fifteen days of the month, and will last for the entire day. The talented students will be allowed to take the final exam early if their Medical Instructor clears them..."
The changes she was making were already very significant, and those who wished to see their Village grow, finally saw some hope.
"Now then, let's start the meeting and discuss some key issues." She sighed as she glanced around the room. "The village is short on funds, and we have lost the confidence of our important clients. I am thinking about forming Special Units which will take on the difficult missions and help the village regain the confidence of the Daimyo and other important figures. What do you have to suggest?"
She asked everyone in the room, not just her Advisors, and soon suggestions poured in.
"We have lost too many Shinobi in the last thirteen years. Right now, as things stand, we are weaker than Kumo and Iwa, and if it was not for Lady Uzumaki, they would have already teamed up and declared War on us." Hyuga Hiashi bluntly spoke the truth. "So, whilst the Village needs its Shinobi to take on dangerous missions to prove itself and to regain the confidence of the clients, the most important thing for us is to make sure we don't suffer any more losses."
"What do you suggest?" Tsunade lightly asked.
"The Jonins should raise the standards of the Training of the Genins, and for the Teams who are being sent on dangerous Missions, the number of members should be increased. A High Chunin or a Tokubetsu Jonin should be added to the team as a fifth member on these missions, and if needed, add a few more junior but capable Shinobi to bolster their strength and their chances of survival."
Once he finished speaking, the people thought over his words.
"I agree with with what Hiashi-san has suggested. The most important thing for us is not the money or the confidence of the clients. We need to make sure that we don't suffer any further losses." The Akimichi Clan Head voiced his agreement.
The other people in the Hall stayed silent for a while, discussing things between them, but in the end, they agreed with Hiashi's words as well.
"Very well. I will discuss the details later with my Advisors." Tsunade straight her back and met the eyes of Uzumaki Kushina. "Now, what should we do about the Jinchuriki of Two Tails, Nii Yugito, whom Kushina-san captured? Kumo is demanding her return, and we can strike a deal that involves a lot of money. Or we keep her as a security against Kumo's future actions. Perhaps, for s few years? Or... we kill her and keep the Two Tails for ourselves, inside a new Host?"
Her last suggestion chilled the hearts of a lot of people in the Hall.
"It's unwise to kill her. Killing her means declaring war on Kumo, even if they already did declare it on us. The Raikage is injured, but he will not sit still. And let's not forget that they have the Jinchuriki of the Eight Tails as well, who has complete control over his Bijuu. A war against Kumo is the last thing that Konoha needs."
Kushina's calm voice entered all their ears.
"Exchanging her for money seems lucrative, but it also means returning Kumo a big chunk of their strength when we are still recovering. We don't want them with two Jinchurikis if they do band together with Iwa and come after us." She smiled. "Let's keep her. She's a fun character anyway. She will be our Hostage for the next few years. A security to keep Kumo in check."
"Agreed."
"Agreed..."
One by one, everyone expressed their agreement to her words, and Tsunade curiously stared at the Kunoichi who was far stronger than her.
"We will keep her." She nodded, and then threw an envelope to Shikaku, who opened and read it before passing it to Aburame Shibi, who read it and then passed it to Uchiha Hazuki.
The Uchiha slid the letter back to Tsunade after she read it.
"The Rebellion Forces of Kiri are asking for Konoha and Suna's support against their Mizukage and his forces," She informed everyone. "They are going to win anyway, especially now that they are being led by Terumi Mei. And the reason they are asking for our help is to make sure they don't lose their numbers too much, and that Kumo does not take advantage of their weakness. She is also giving us a chance to forge a three-way alliance between the Hokage, Mizukage, and the Kazekage."
Everyone pondered over her words.
"If we don't agree, it will strain our future relationships a little, but not significantly. After all, we are not obliged to help them. They are not even offering anything in exhage other than an alliance, but do we really need it? They clearly benefit the most out of this. However, if we do agree, we will have another ally who cannot betray us, at least, for the next decade. So, what do you suggest?" She again asked everyone in the Hall.
"Karatachi Yagura, the fourth Mizukage, is the Jinchuriki of Sanbi." Kushina voice again entered their ears and they all looked in her direction.
Tsunade raised her brow at the Uzumaki Matriarch, who had a slight smile on her lips.
"We can help them, and in exchange, we can claim Sanbi, either secretly or openly."
"Openly?" The Hokage furrowed her brows.
"As a security. If we are doing it openly, Sanbi can be sealed inside a gourd for the next ten years, ensuring Kiri stays true to their promises and honours the Treaty. We will then return the Three Tailed Beast to them." She lightly said. "If we are doing it discreetly, we can just keep the Sanbi to ourselves, inside a new Host, but that might lead to some tensions between the two Villages in the future when the Jinchuriki is revealed."
At the words, everyone was stunned, and silence descended in the Hall.