After seeing Kamizuki Hikari off, Shizune went to the next room to fetch a basin of water. Upon returning and closing the door, Tsunade, who had appeared to be passed out drunk, suddenly opened her eyes.
"Tsunade-sama, what are you doing?" Shizune was stunned. What kind of act was this?
Tsunade shook her head, sniffed the lingering scent of alcohol on her body, and couldn't help but frown.
This smell was unbearable.
She started undressing.
In a few quick motions, the alcohol-soaked clothes were tossed aside, revealing a divine radiance that left Shizune in awe.
Shizune gazed enviously at Tsunade's ample bosom, then glanced down at her own flat chest, feeling a pang of jealousy.
She didn't want to be this "blessed" either...
"Shizune, after all that drinking, how much money do we have left?"
Money?
Why was Tsunade-sama asking about that? Could she be planning to gamble?
Realizing this possibility, Shizune's expression changed instantly.
"Tsunade-sama, there's no money left. The money you took from Hikari's wallet earlier wasn't even enough to cover the bill. I even had to use half a month's food expenses. You really can't drink this much again."
"Tch, you really think I was drunk?" Tsunade picked up the basin and began wiping herself down.
"That money just now... It was at least a million ryō. I did the math. The alcohol we drank tonight couldn't have cost more than four hundred thousand ryō. So, where did the rest go? Did you skim off the top?"
Shizune's face stiffened. She awkwardly took some money out of her pocket.
"Well... I was planning to save it for food later!"
"Tsunade-sama, we haven't received our allowances yet. If you don't start being more frugal, we might actually starve to death."
Imagine if the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, starved to death while on duty... That would be a joke for the entire shinobi world.
"Oh, please, do you really think I'd take your money? How petty!"
Tsunade shot a disdainful glance at the money in Shizune's hand. Yes, outright disdain.
She clearly remembered that Hikari had a savings book in his pocket with a balance of ten million ryō.
That was an insane amount.
Even active-duty shinobi wouldn't carry around that kind of savings book.
Which meant that the amount in that book was just a tiny fraction of Kamizuki Hikari's wealth.
That was the money worth targeting. A mere few hundred thousand ryō? That was nothing to Tsunade.
Shizune happily pocketed the money and glanced at Tsunade's enormous assets. She suddenly didn't feel like talking anymore.
For men, Tsunade's figure was incredibly attractive. But for Shizune, it was something she didn't even want to look at.
She couldn't help it—she felt inferior.
The more she looked, the more it hurt.
"Shizune, what do you think of Hikari?"
Shizune looked up. "Tsunade-sama, what do you mean?"
Tsunade looked at her as if she were an idiot. "I mean as a man. He's handsome and rich. What do you think?"
Shizune's face turned pale instantly. "Tsunade-sama, you're not planning to marry him, are you?!"
Seeing Tsunade's expression change, Shizune thought she had guessed right and quickly tried to explain.
"I mean, I have no objections. But the status difference between you two is too vast. And given Hikari's strength, people might assume he's just living off of you."
"You're so dense!" Tsunade sighed in exasperation.
"I was asking about you. How do you feel about Hikari? Want to try getting closer? You're not getting any younger, you know."
That familiar matchmaking talk made Shizune emotional.
Shizune: 'Tsunade-sama, you've finally remembered that I'm still single. I'm so touched that you thought of me at a time like this.'
Tsunade, however, was lost in thought.
"Shizune, your chest is too flat. You look like a boy. Hikari obviously isn't into that type. If I try to push you two together, it'll only drive him further away."
Shizune: 'Tsunade-sama, please stop. If you keep talking, I'm really going to cry.'
Staring at Tsunade's overwhelming assets, Shizune felt betrayed.
Tsunade-sama must have some secret technique she never taught her. That had to be it.
"What if I gift you to Hikari as a maid? You think he'd give me a hundred million as a thank-you? That way, you'd get to enjoy a luxurious life in the Kamizuki household, and I'd have financial security in my old age. It's a win-win!"
Shizune: ???
Did she just hear that right?
Tsunade-sama, this isn't giving me away… You're straight-up selling me!
If I go there, I'll have no status at all. Please, stop!
And if you really think Hikari isn't interested in me, why try to sell me? Why not just sell yourself? You'd get to keep the money and live in comfort. It'd be much better!
Even with Shizune's usually good temper, she couldn't help but feel a bit resentful as she looked at Tsunade.
"Ugh, whatever, I'll think about it later. I still have to perform surgery on Lee tomorrow."
"Sigh..."
"Speaking of that surgery, Shizune... Normally, people pay for medical treatment, right? If I charge a fee for treating Lee, that wouldn't be unreasonable, would it?"
Shizune couldn't help but facepalm.
Embarrassing.
"Tsunade-sama, you really drank too much today."
"Lee is Gai's student. You're the Fifth Hokage now. This isn't like when you treated the Fourth Raikage and could scam him for money. He's your subordinate; you need to consider the impact."
"Really? No money, huh? What a shame." Tsunade finished wiping down and casually sprawled on the tatami, completely unbothered by how enticing she looked.
Well, there weren't any men here.
So it was fine.
"Tsunade-sama, it gets cold at night. At least cover yourself with a blanket." Shizune covered Tsunade's exposed figure, then started tidying up her clothes.
Tsunade lay there, staring at the ceiling.
"You know, Danzo's been dying to be Hokage. If he gives me five billion—no, ten billion—I could just hand the position over. What do you think?"
Shizune: 'Tsunade-sama has lost her mind.'
Forget ten billion, even five billion is something Danzo probably couldn't afford.
After spending these past few days following Tsunade, Shizune had gained a good understanding of the village's finances. On the surface, running a village have a lot of money involved, but only about 30% of the total funds actually reached Konoha.
A village's income came from three main sources: the daimyo's funding, a cut from shinobi missions, and taxes.
Of these, the daimyo's funding was the biggest portion, mission fees made up a smaller part, and taxes barely contributed anything.
Most businesses in Konoha were run by retired or disabled shinobi. It wasn't like the village could tax them heavily.
Then there were clan businesses, like the Nara clan's medicinal herbs. The Nara were loyal to the Hokage. If the village started taxing them too much, wouldn't they start having second thoughts?
So, Konoha's tax revenue was pitifully low.
Shinobi were indeed powerful, but training them was a money-draining endeavor.
Danzo, as an elder, had Root as his foundation, but he still needed financial support from the Third Hokage. Sometimes, he even had to send Root on shady missions to keep things running.
In this situation, Tsunade expecting Danzo to buy the Hokage title? Forget five billion—if Danzo could cough up even one billion, it'd be a miracle.
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