“Three teams to start.
Twelve people total, including the medical ninja,” Tsunade replied as soon as she saw an opening.
“I’ll take the money from Konoha Hospital’s existing budget.
No additional funding.”
“I’ll personally train the medical ninja, so the village won’t need to assign extra instructors either.”
A standard shinobi team usually consisted of three ninja plus a jonin instructor or squad leader.
Tsunade’s plan was to select suitable candidates herself and turn each four-person unit into a team that included one trained field medic.
Hiruzen considered it.
Compared to her original proposal of assigning medical ninja to every team immediately, this was much more realistic.
Three trial squads.
Self-funded.
Personally trained.
If the results were good, the program could be expanded.
If the results were poor, the losses would remain manageable.
“All right.” Hiruzen nodded.
“But the trial results must be reported openly and accurately.
If the program fails to meet expectations after one year, you must accept its termination.”
“Deal.”
Tsunade stood, finally smiling.
She turned toward the door, then paused and looked back at Konoha’s F4.
“Old man.
The decision you made today is going to save a lot of people someday.”
With that, she left.
Hiruzen remained behind the desk with his pipe in his mouth and a complicated expression on his aged face.
After a long silence, he muttered, “Since when did that girl become so good at negotiating…?”
“Hiruzen!
How could you agree to such an unreasonable demand?!” Koharu immediately erupted once Tsunade was gone.
“Don’t you understand that if you give in this time, she’ll only push further next time and demand the full Medical Division again?”
Hiruzen frowned.
“If the program works, why shouldn’t we establish one?”
Koharu choked on her words.
She tried to continue arguing, but Hiruzen cut her off.
“Koharu.
I am the Hokage.”
“Hiruzen, you’ll regret this!”
The reply came out of Koharu’s mouth so naturally that she froze immediately afterward.
Danzo and Homura both turned to stare at her strangely.
Danzo’s expression almost seemed to say, ‘Those are my lines.’
Hiruzen’s face darkened.
Why did everyone keep telling him he’d regret things?
Did they all think they were Danzo now?
“Hmph!”
Embarrassed, Koharu forced herself to recover her dignity and left with Homura.
Hiruzen glanced at Danzo, who was still standing there.
“Danzo.
Why are you still here?”
“I’m here to ask for someone.
Mirai Uzumaki must join Root.”
Hiruzen laughed in disbelief.
“Get out.”
Of course, as Hokage, he couldn’t actually swear at Danzo.
But spiritually, that was exactly what he meant.
“Hiruzen, you’ll regret this!”
“Danzo, I am the Hokage!”
Bang!
Now that sounded right.
Hiruzen took a satisfied puff from his pipe, sat down, and returned to his paperwork.
…
Tsunade left the Hokage building in an excellent mood.
She looked up at the sky, unable to suppress the smile at the corners of her mouth.
That brat Mirai really did know a few useful tricks.
She would give him another massage tonight as a reward.
“Lady Tsunade!”
At the next corner, a refined-looking man with long blue hair appeared, wearing a mild smile.
Tsunade’s eyes lit up.
“Dan?
What are you doing here?”
The man was Dan Kato.
He had originally planned to visit the hospital and continue building a relationship with Tsunade, only to be told that she had gone to the Hokage building.
Slightly envious of how casually she could request an audience with the Hokage, he had hurried over to wait for her.
He scratched his head and smiled more warmly.
“Nothing important.
I just wanted to continue discussing how we might get the Medical Division proposal approved.”
Truthfully, Dan wasn’t deeply invested in whether the Medical Division existed or not.
But an opportunity to get closer to Tsunade was another matter entirely.
She was Konoha’s number-one rich, beautiful heiress.
Who wouldn’t be tempted?
Supporting her when everyone else opposed her should have earned him a mountain of goodwill.
Unfortunately for Dan, things hadn’t gone according to plan.
Tsunade gave him a rare smile.
“Thanks, Dan, but there’s no need anymore.
I already got the old man to approve the proposal.”
It was only a trial program for now, but Tsunade had absolute confidence that once the results came in, she could make the full proposal pass.
Dan felt as though lightning had struck him.
What?
How had it already been approved?
He hadn’t even begun his offensive yet!
Was it already over?
“I-Is that so?” Dan struggled to maintain his smile.
“Then…
congratulations, Tsunade.”
“Thanks, Dan.” Tsunade nodded politely.
“And thank you for speaking up for me at the last meeting.”
“If Konoha had more jonin like you, things would be a lot easier.”
“Haha…
right…”
Dan was so distracted afterward that he barely noticed when Tsunade left.
He simply stood there alone beneath the September sky, somehow feeling as though snow were falling around him.
“Nooooo…”
…
The next day at the Ninja Academy, Mirai entered the classroom as usual.
The moment he sat down, he noticed several letters stuffed inside his desk.
He pulled one out.
Pink envelope.
A heart drawn on the front.
Some even carried a faint floral perfume.
Were these…
legendary love letters?
Mirai immediately became interested.
Of course he had to read them.
He opened the first one.
Inside was crooked pencil handwriting.
“Mirai-kun, you’re really amazing.
Could you be my friend?”
It was signed by a girl whose name he didn’t recognize.
The second was much more direct.
“Mirai-kun, I watch you train beside the field every day.
You look so cool!
I even dream about you at night, and in my dreams you’re really naughty!”
Mirai’s mouth twitched.
He was seven years old.
How naughty could he possibly be?
This was clearly slander.
Third letter.
Fourth letter…
Mirai raised an eyebrow.
Girls in the shinobi world matured frighteningly early.
They were only in the second year of the Academy and love letters were already flying everywhere.
Before he could finish reading, a hand suddenly shot over from beside him and snatched all the letters away.
“Confiscated!”
Kushina puffed out her cheeks and stuffed every envelope into her own schoolbag.
Her red hair practically bristled behind her as she guarded them like an angry little cat protecting its food.
“Huh?” Mirai turned toward her.
“Kushina, those were my letters.”
“I’m supervising you on Grandma Mito’s behalf!” Kushina declared righteously.
“You’re only seven.
No dating!”
“…I wasn’t planning to date anyone.”
“Still not allowed!” Kushina huffed.
“What if there’s some kind of…
inappropriate content inside?
I’ll filter them for you first.
If there’s nothing wrong, then I’ll give them back.”
Mirai looked at her expression – the perfect picture of ‘I’m doing this entirely for your own good’ – and couldn’t help laughing.
He didn’t expose her.
“Fine, fine.
You win.”
Only then did Kushina sit down in satisfaction.
Her hand, however, remained firmly pressed against her bag, as though the letters inside were dangerous forbidden objects.