This time, Tsunade had only been in the Pharmaceuticals Department for five minutes when Koharu's furious voice rang out:
"This is extortion! This is extremely irresponsible of you!"
"How is this extortion? How is this irresponsible?" Tsunade countered aggressively, not backing down an inch. "I've worked hard on developing these medicines, what's wrong with asking for a little compensation?"
"A little compensation? You call 40% of the profits 'a little'?" Koharu was so angry that she was shaking. "This money belongs to the village! How can it go into your personal pocket?"
"When did I say it was for my personal pocket?" Tsunade snapped back, clearly irritated. "I want to use the money to set up a Medical Ninjutsu Research Division, to focus on developing medical techniques. This benefits the village, why is that not allowed?"
"Because I say it's not allowed!"
"Heh, Koharu, don't forget, without me, those medicines wouldn't even exist!"
"I never thought you'd be so arrogant, Tsunade." Koharu was furious. "Even without you, the Pharmaceuticals Department would still be what it is. The medicines would've been developed just the same."
Tsunade sneered, "Really? I don't believe that."
"We'll see!" Koharu barked at the nearby guards, "Show her out!"
"There'll come a day when you'll beg me, I'm waiting for it!" Tsunade stormed out of the Pharmaceuticals Department, feeling thoroughly liberated. She hadn't expected that Shin had indeed come up with a breakthrough strategy, and it wasn't even that complicated. She just had to put on a domineering act, and it forced Koharu to side with Shin.
And that was the truth. Compared to Shin, Koharu now disliked Tsunade more. Which was exactly why she couldn't let this greedy woman have her way. In contrast, Shin seemed far more reasonable. He had helped her for five years without asking for a single coin.
At worst, she could just be a little nicer to him in the future.
What was the big deal?
Better that than someone asking for money, which wasn't just money, it was like asking for her very life.
In fact, Hiruzen and Koharu both knew full well that Mito and Tsunade were deliberately protecting Shin.
But when profit was involved… Just like how they wanted to get rid of Shin for the sake of their interests, they were now choosing to let him live, again, for the sake of interests.
The two had compromised, but someone else wasn't willing to.
---
In the Hokage's office, the doors were suddenly opened. A figure stormed in, clearly angry.
"Hiruzen, I want an explanation, why did you change your mind again?" Danzō demanded furiously as soon as he entered.
"What are you referring to?" Hiruzen replied, pretending not to understand.
"Don't play dumb with me!" Danzō snapped coldly. "How many times have I told you, keeping that boy around is a disaster waiting to happen. You agreed to let me eliminate him. So why are you backing out now? You wouldn't let me form Root, fine, but why are you going back on decisions we already made? What do you take me for?"
He was truly upset.
Did he really want Shin dead?
Among the higher-ups, he was the one most adamant about eliminating him, even more so than Koharu. But in truth, he was the one who least wanted Shin to die.
What he truly wanted… was to possess him. That was why he kept trying to force Hiruzen to let him act. Because only then could he make Shin "disappear" quietly, without anyone knowing.
As an ambitious man, Danzō had always coveted the position of Hokage. Yet, as an advisor to the Hokage, his power was tightly restrained by Hiruzen, leaving him with very little room to act.
Helpless, he could only find another path—on one hand, attempting to establish Root; on the other, secretly building his own faction.
If he had to choose someone in all of Konoha to bring under his control, the Uchiha clan would be his first choice. Having personally witnessed the strength of Madara and Kagami, he had long yearned for such power.
He desperately wanted to recruit an Uchiha prodigy, someone he could train into his right-hand man. He even fantasized that, one day, with that prodigy and the techniques he'd developed for controlling people like the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal and brainwashing methods created for the yet-unapproved Root, he could secretly take control of the Uchiha clan.
But the Uchiha were too proud. They gave him no respect. The detestable Kagami had been like that, and the others were no better.
Shin, however, who had been exiled from the clan, was exactly the kind of talent he'd been looking for.
After extensive analysis, he became convinced that his teacher had ordered surveillance on Shin even on his deathbed, and forbade him from training, precisely because the boy's talent was too immense, perhaps even reminiscent of Madara himself. Otherwise, why such extreme measures?
And someone like that, if they went missing, no one would care.
This wasn't just his idea, it was also shared by Orochimaru, who had already revealed his own exceptional research abilities. The two of them were in perfect alignment.
As long as they could brainwash Shin, the boy would become his new Kagami.
No, according to Orochimaru, his value would far exceed that of Kagami.
Danzō had originally been full of confidence, after all, just a day ago, Hiruzen had agreed to let him act soon. But then an unexpected obstacle appeared.
Mito and Tsunade suddenly intervened, strongly protecting Shin, and both Hiruzen and Koharu actually changed their minds.
Especially Koharu, just a day ago, she had been loudly demanding Shin's death, but now she was saying he should live. Danzō could only think: What a useless ally.
"I asked you a question. Is it really that hard to answer?" Seeing Hiruzen remain silent, Danzō grew even angrier and demanded again.
"Danzō, you must understand, I do everything for the good of the village. The reason I changed my mind was after weighing the pros and cons. We originally wanted to eliminate him because keeping him alive was against the village's interests. But now, keeping him alive benefits the village, simple as that."
"Oh, you're doing it for the village? So I'm not?" Danzō scoffed coldly, he couldn't stand Hiruzen's self-righteous talk.
"I want you to understand, once a decision is made, it's made. After all, you are not the Hokage, I am." Hiruzen's expression had grown cold. His friend was getting out of hand, and it was starting to really irritate him.
Danzō froze for a moment, rage boiling inside.
That line again! That damn line again!
It's only because you're better at sucking up! Sensei clearly valued me more. What makes you think you're better than me?
But all he could do was rage helplessly.
"You'll regret this!" he spat, storming out in fury.
Fine. If you won't approve it, I'll act on my own.
He knew Hiruzen too well. If he acted first and reported later, if he turned the matter into a done deal, Hiruzen at most would scold him. The worst that could happen was house arrest for a while.
Compared to what he would gain, that kind of punishment was nothing. Wasn't that exactly how Kagami was taken out back then?
As long as he refused to admit anything and Hiruzen had no evidence, what could he really do?