This is possible?
After leaving the Daimyo's office, Tsunade's mind was still a bit foggy.
She just felt like this money came too easily!
It was only because Tsunade became Hokage and had this blood connection with the Daimyo's family.
If it were any other Hokage, getting money wouldn't have been this easy.
Even someone as powerful as Senju Hashirama or Senju Tobirama would have had to negotiate carefully with the Daimyo.
Although they were strong, the Daimyo's money didn't just come from nowhere. If things got ugly, they'd be made a joke of.
Tsunade thought she was impressive, but it turns out there was something even more impressive coming up.
She even started to feel something strange.
That as long as Yan wanted, he could come up with all sorts of ways to take money from the Daimyo's pocket, and the Daimyo would willingly give it.
Honestly, Tsunade wasn't wrong.
Yan really had countless ways to take money from the Daimyo, but he didn't need to go to extremes.
Taking advantage once or twice is fine, but if it keeps happening, the Daimyo would definitely become suspicious, and it wouldn't be fun anymore.
After all, this wasn't a one-time thing; it needed long-term development.
It's better to approach it gently.
Now that they had the money, Tsunade wasn't being stingy. At least she had sold out the Third Hokage and the Sarutobi clan's misfortune and gave them some subsidies to calm people's hearts.
As for the rest… well, that went straight to the Ministry of Finance, no question.
The Ministry of Finance's slim wallet now had a little extra money.
Tsunade was a bit confused, and the Third Hokage was even more bewildered. How did they manage to get money like this?
Just by crying poor and playing the sympathy card?
What had the old man been doing all this time?
Every time he went to the Daimyo asking for money, his mouth would be worn out, and the Daimyo would give it reluctantly, unwillingly.
The old man was targeting me.
I used to respect him so much.
The Third Hokage suddenly felt like he might vomit blood.
With the finances back on track, Tsunade's burden was also much lighter.
With the Akatsuki issue over, except for Jiraiya being out there, Konohagakure entered a period of stable development.
Other villages had it much worse than Konohagakure, since their losses were much greater.
Especially Kumogakure.
They spent so much money and lost so many people; Raikage couldn't get over his frustration.
After Konohagakure sent Jiraiya, Ai also sent someone to meet up with him, and together they tried to track down the Akatsuki's whereabouts.
What frustrated Raikage was that, no matter how much they searched, the Akatsuki seemed to have disappeared from the shinobi world, and they couldn't find a trace of them.
If it weren't for the occasional bits of news that popped up, Ai would almost suspect that the Akatsuki had completely disappeared.
As before, the Akatsuki were still doing various assassination jobs and taking on covert missions, but now they were operating much more quietly than before.
After the battle in Amegakure, the five major ninja villages suffered heavy losses, and the Akatsuki organization wasn't in much better shape either—it was almost destroyed.
Most of the members were either dead, injured, or had exhausted their resources. The fact that the reserves were drained wasn't such a big deal, but the real problem was that Nagato's health had worsened.
Using the Six Paths of Pain technique took a heavy toll on his body. After all, it wasn't his own eyes, and the cost of using them was steep.
The worst part was that Konan and Nagato didn't trust anyone else and couldn't let anyone know. With Nagato's condition, he had no choice but to hide and recover in secret.
The so-called Akatsuki had essentially returned to square one, only slightly better off than when it was first formed.
After Obito's identity was exposed, he admitted the truth, but unfortunately, Konan and Nagato became even more wary of him, even pushing Black Zetsu far away.
Whether you're Uchiha Madara or Uchiha Obito, you're still not someone to be trusted.
"Yan, here's the village's recent equipment purchase bill."
"Why's this here with me? Shouldn't it be sent to the Hokage's office?"
Yan looked at the bill Izumi handed over and couldn't help but notice a vein pop on his forehead.
Tsunade had become lazier, and so had Shizune. With no secretary around, he had to handle things himself.
That's why Yan transferred his former secretary, Uchiha Izumi, back.
Fugaku had supported this decision fully.
"It's Hokage-sama's request. She said the bill seemed to have some issues and wanted you to check it."
Izumi had an apologetic expression. If she could, she wouldn't have had to bring these papers over.
But when Tsunade gave an order, a small secretary like her had no choice but to follow.
"Something's wrong with the bill?"
Equipment procurement is a serious matter; if things aren't handled carefully, especially in times of war, it could lead to a series of consequences.
Even buying defective goods could cause a big problem.
"Give it to me."
Yan took the bill and glanced through it. The equipment purchases were the same as usual, but there was an issue with the Explosive Tags.
Is this even reasonable?
Explosive Tags are one of the most commonly used ninja tools in the world of ninjas, with massive annual consumption.
Among all ninja tools, only Kunai kills more people than Explosive Tags.
Don't underestimate these things—they can kill even a Jonin if they're not careful.
Yan skimmed the bill and felt something was off.
The quantity of Explosive Tags was the same as usual, but the price had dropped significantly, which meant the village saved a lot of money.
The problem was, the price of Explosive Tags had never gone down before.
They've always been expensive because the production volume is limited. Even if you have money, you can't buy that much.
"Izumi, send someone to notify Elder Mito to come to the office."
Since Utatane Koharu's death, Mitokado Homura had become much more low-key.
Although Tsunade had stripped him of his advisor position, his original elder position was still intact.
It may seem like just two words had changed, but the difference was significant.
The former position belonged to the core of the village's higher-ups, while the latter was an edge position.
There are many elders in the village, but there are limited advisor positions.
To avoid any interference in the Hokage's duties, Tsunade had refrained from selecting her own advisor.
She feared someone like Utatane Koharu or Mitokado Homura would use their power to secretly cause trouble.
Thankfully, despite his position being lowered, Mitokado Homura still had significant influence and continued to serve in the logistics department. Tsunade had made sure to leave him some room due to their past relationship.
"Understood."
Izumi quickly ran out of the office and instructed the Anbu ninja outside to send word to Elder Mitokado Homura that Yan needed to see him.
In the past, Mitokado Homura would have sent someone to notify Yan, but now their roles had been reversed.
"Looking for me?"
Mitokado Homura, who was busy in the logistics department, felt a bit puzzled.
Since Utatane Koharu's death, he had become much more cautious and low-key, avoiding causing any trouble.
He focused on doing his job quietly, afraid that Yan might start keeping an eye on him and set him up. He had even met with the Third Hokage much less frequently.
"Yes, Assistant, please head to the office. They said it's something important."
The Anbu ninja wasn't sure about the details and could only relay Izumi's message truthfully.
"Alright, I'll go right away."
Suppressing his doubts and unease, Mitokado Homura adjusted his clothes, composed himself, and headed to the Hokage office building.
At that moment, he feared that Yan might find something to use against him and immediately bring him down.
Or perhaps, he would just look for an opportunity to have him join Utatane Koharu.
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