Ryun returned home. Tonight, he was alone. Tsunade had taken the medical team and over twenty Anbu to the Land of Lightning, to Kumogakure, to purchase medical equipment, so she had not come back.
Ryun opened a bottle of mineral water stored at home, unscrewed the cap, and gulped it down. "Ha. Revived. I didn't expect taking care of a child to be so tiring."
Just then, there was a knock at the door. Ryun was startled. Who would come to find him at this hour? He put down the empty bottle, stood up straight, and walked towards the door. He opened it.
A familiar figure appeared before him. He looked up. What a coincidence. Wasn't this Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado?
"What business brings the two advisors here tonight?" Ryun smiled and welcomed them inside. Then, Ryun boiled a pot of hot water, took a canister of tea from the dining table, measured out about three liang of tea leaves, and put them into the teapot.
"Sit, sit. Don't be nervous, just like in your own home." Ryun laughed, then sat down squarely in the host's seat. Ryun's home used a Western architectural style, not a traditional Japanese layout.
Sitting on chairs was much more comfortable than kneeling on the floor. That always made his knees ache. The two visitors only relaxed slightly after seeing Ryun sit down, and then slowly sat down themselves.
They seemed to hesitate, their eyes towards Ryun filled with respect and fear. They understood Ryun's strength, and they clearly understood what kind of person Ryun was. He dealt with external enemies with heavy fists, and when dealing with internal corrupt elements, he also removed them with thunderous methods.
The two had come precisely to declare their stance to Ryun. Click. The water finished boiling. Ryun smiled. "Please wait a moment, I'll go make a pot of tea for you two."
"Hokage-sama, please wait. Something like making tea, leave it to me. I am quite proficient in the art of tea!" Homura Mitokado quickly stood up and walked towards the kettle, his face serious, his steps steady.
Ryun did not speak. He had already guessed their purpose, so naturally he would not stop Homura's actions. "Thank you, Homura." He no longer called him 'advisor', but used his given name.
This made Homura Mitokado breathe a sigh of relief. Good, good. Judging by Ryun's words, the situation might still have room for reversal. This also caused a slight smile to appear on his face.
Koharu Utatane also received the signal. After Homura finished brewing the tea and they waited two or three minutes, she stood up, took the teapot, first poured a cup for Ryun, then poured a cup for Homura Mitokado, and finally one for herself.
Ryun nodded, then picked up his teacup and took a small sip. Only then did the two others follow suit and take a sip.
"Can you two state your business now?" Ryun's expression changed, becoming serious as he looked at the two. His deep gaze seemed unyielding. This shift made the two nervous again.
Homura Mitokado, being the man, was a bit braver. He stood up and said, "Hokage-sama, during the previous meeting, we were quite offensive. We came today specifically to apologize." As he spoke, he took out two scrolls, engraved with the Utatane and Mitokado family names.
Ryun pretended to be puzzled. "What do you mean by this? And what is inside these? Could it be you are trying to bribe me?"
Koharu Utatane shook her head. "This is all the money that was embezzled over the past two years by subordinates in the Konoha Hospital and the Finance Department, without our consent. We bring it today to hand over to Hokage-sama for disposal."
Homura Mitokado nodded. "That's right, Hokage-sama. Those two officials were members of our clans. They have now been dismissed by us and are under investigation, awaiting Hokage-sama's judgment at any time."
Ryun sneered inwardly. 'Without our consent'? 'Clan members under investigation'? It was nothing more than a tactic of sacrificing pawns to save the kings. However, since the two had taken the initiative to hand over the illicit gains, and he had no other evidence, even investigating further would likely be useless.
"That won't be necessary. I believe in the loyalty and ability of the two advisors. Your passionate loyalty, striving so diligently for the sake of our Konoha." The serious expression on Ryun's face returned to a smile.
A ruler must not only have sufficient ability to meet the needs of their position, but must also know how to speak, how to persuade. Since they had shown sincerity, he didn't need to press the matter further. So, Ryun refilled the teacups of Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane.
"After this cup of tea, let all that happened before be in the past." Ryun stated formally.
The two felt somewhat excited. Disregarding the scalding heat of the tea, they quickly said, "Yes! Yes, thank you for your mercy, Hokage-sama."
"My Utatane family is willing to follow your lead!"
"My Mitokado family will henceforth serve you as our master!"
The two drank the tea in one gulp. Seeing this, Ryun slowly drank his. "What kind of talk is that? It's not about following me, it's about serving the villagers! Our authority is granted by the villagers! Of course we must serve the people! There is no need to mention such things again in the future."
The two hurriedly nodded, and then they started making small talk. However, the main phrases were things like, 'How could we compare to the Hokage-sama,' and 'Hokage-sama is wise and mighty.'
Flattery never fails. Ryun also found it hard to keep the corners of his mouth from turning up, though in his heart he understood how much of it was true or false.
Why was it that, even though he clearly knew that Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane were greedy, that they acted selfishly for their own families' benefit, Ryun did not remove them?
First, the two indeed had ability. In the original story, they managed to maintain Konoha Hospital without any incidents, supported all of Hiruzen Sarutobi's experiments, projects, and missions. Even while being corrupt, they could still maintain Konoha's normal operations. Do you think just anyone could do that?
Second, Ryun was waiting. He was waiting to see if the two were politically astute. Clearly, they were not fools. Not only did they return the money they had previously taken, but they also declared their stance, stating they would follow him from now on, act as his vanguard, support him, be his dogs.
Politics is not like combat. It's not about fighting and killing, but about human relationships and worldly affairs. Third, if Ryun immediately upon taking office removed all the old guards and installed his own people, it would be perceived as callous on one hand, and on the other, his own talented people might not necessarily perform better than the old guards.
In the original story, the Fifth Hokage Tsunade also only removed Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane after handling Konoha's affairs for some time, because her own aides had become familiar with parts of the operations. Removing the old advisors at that point would not affect Konoha's development or daily functions.
By that time, the political sensitivity of Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado had been eroded by their long period of abusing their power. Therefore, they never imagined they would be removed from their posts. So, they continued to amass wealth as before.
However, Tsunade was no ordinary person. She had long had people secretly gather evidence, precisely so that when the day came to dismiss them, she could make them understand why they were being ousted, and prevent them from causing trouble. Otherwise, forget retirement, she could have them arrested and imprisoned for life, and the villagers of Konoha would have no complaints.
They might even gnash their teeth in hatred at the mention of Mitokado and Utatane, wishing they could 'eat their flesh and sleep on their hides'.
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