🚨Insert Some Funny Memes or GIF🚨
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Unfortunately for Mitokado Homura, the slight expression on his face didn't escape Tsunade's sharp gaze.
Her hand lifted again, and she pointed directly at him, voice rising with fury.
"You dare to laugh?! You dare to laugh!?"
Utatane Koharu, standing nearby, turned sharply toward her long-time comrade. Her eyes were full of disbelief and rage.
You bastard, Mitokado Homura! We talked about presenting a united front before we came here! And now you're throwing me under the bus?! What a treacherous old fox!
Homura realized Tsunade's glare hadn't softened in the slightest. In fact, it seemed her fury had only deepened.
Shit, he thought. Is it my attitude? Did I smile too soon? I need to recover this somehow...
And so, in a desperate attempt to earn Tsunade's trust and distance himself from Koharu, he folded.
With great theatrics, he stepped forward and bowed a full ninety degrees at the waist.
"Lady Tsunade, I admit it—I did embezzle funds from the Ministry of Civil Affairs. The total is over 200 million ryo."
"But it was for the sake of my family. I was forced into it by my father's wishes before he passed. He's already in the Pure Land now. Please, let him rest peacefully."
"Our Mitokado clan will return the full amount to the village—within six months!"
Koharu's mouth fell open. Rage swelled in her chest as she pinched the bridge of her nose, trying not to faint from sheer fury.
You two-faced mutt! You don't want to be Hiruzen's lapdog anymore? So now you want to kiss up to your new master?! You shameless bastard!
Of course, that was all in her head. She wouldn't dare say it out loud.
Tsunade's knuckles cracked as her fists clenched. Her expression darkened, and her voice dropped low and dangerous.
"Well done, Mitokado Homura."
Homura straightened, smiling with cautious relief.
It worked! I'm in! I'll be part of the Fifth Hokage's new circle!
But then—he saw Tsunade's face.
That wasn't the expression of someone praising a loyal subordinate.
That was the look of a predator circling its prey.
Before he could react, she continued.
"If you hadn't said anything, I wouldn't have known just how much you stole from the village's funds. You've got a real talent for hiding your tracks."
"You really think I'm here just to talk about the Ministry of Civil Affairs' budget?"
Homura blinked. Wait, there's more? But I've been careful! I've only skimmed a little off the top here and there…
"You want to know why I cut funding to your precious Ministry of Civil Affairs?" Tsunade snarled. "Let me tell you."
Her chakra surged as the veins on her forehead pulsed.
"You had the gall to allocate ten million ryo for a project to convert squat toilets into sitting toilets all across Konoha."
"Then twelve million more for expanding the green belts in the village."
"And let's not even start with your clan's bloated hiring practices—Mitokado A, Mitokado Hashi, Mitokado Onna Hitomi, Mitokado Nannan... the list goes on."
"The first two projects? Sure, maybe I can understand a bit. But half the names on the payroll of the Civil Affairs Department are your relatives!"
"You think I wouldn't notice?! You really thought I was blind!?"
Sweat poured from Homura's brow.
The squat toilet project… oh. That was from years ago, when he'd sprained his back and found using public facilities difficult.
The green belt project… that had been inspired by a stroll through the village, where he thought the streets didn't match the beauty of his clan's private garden.
As for the hiring?
He couldn't even remember authorizing that many family members.
He just recalled being invited out frequently—bars, clubs, live music, beautiful companions. Family funds always seemed abundant.
So that's why, he realized, cold dread sinking into his gut. The entire clan's been feeding off the Ministry like ticks on a host.
And now Tsunade had laid it all bare.
Worse—his corruption might be even worse than Koharu's.
He had, after all, monopolized an entire department.
Tsunade saw the defeated, empty expressions on both of them and felt a wave of satisfaction.
Leeches, she thought. Rotting old fossils, sucking the village dry for decades.
If not for the potential damage to public morale, they'd already be rotting in Konoha's prison.
Now, at least, they'd live out their twilight years in quiet disgrace.
She shuffled the documents together, stacked them neatly on her desk, and declared coldly:
"The Utatane Clan will repay the village two billion ryo over the next five years."
"The entire Mitokado Clan is to be dismissed from the Civil Affairs Department. You will return one billion ryo to the village in the same time frame."
"Any objections? No? Good. Get out."
Without waiting, she scribbled IOUs for each of the clans and tossed them onto the table.
Both Koharu and Homura stared at the papers like they'd been slapped.
After all their years of luxury, power, and embezzlement… this was their end?
No. No, they wouldn't go down like this.
One last move. One last gamble!
The two of them grabbed the IOUs, tore them to shreds, and tossed the fragments into the air.
Their bodies, brittle with age, moved with uncharacteristic energy. For a moment, it was like they were in their youth again—back when they still had fire in their bellies.
"Tsunade!" Homura roared. "You dare to threaten the Mitokado Clan?!"
"Aren't you afraid of offending the Utatane Clan?!" Koharu echoed.
"If we don't back you—there's no way you'll become Hokage!" they shouted in unison.
Tsunade paused.
Her eyes widened.
They thought they had her. They thought their words had landed.
And then she started laughing.
A rich, sharp laugh that filled the office like thunder.
"Hahaha… oh, you really are idiots."
Her gaze turned cold. Lethal. Filled with disdain and pity.
"Do you still not understand why I returned to the village?"
Her voice dropped to a chill whisper.
"You think this is about politics? You think this is about power? You think Sarutobi-sensei and Danzo didn't already know everything about your crimes?"
"You were never in control. You were never part of the inner circle. You were just pawns."
The two elders shouted back, frothing with outrage.
"Tsunade! That's your master you're insulting!"
"We were Hiruzen's right hand for decades! You wouldn't have returned if not for his approval!"
"Do you remember what happened to White Fang?! You think you're untouchable?!"
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