Tsunade formed hand seals rapidly, using a secret Senju technique to undo the curse seal engraved on the scroll.
The seal dissolved.
She opened it.
Inside was a formal contract personally written by Hashirama Senju, back when he had been head of the Senju clan. The handwriting, seals, cipher phrases—every authentication mark matched perfectly.
It was real.
Her brows knitted together.
But only briefly.
A moment later, she relaxed and tossed the scroll back toward the guards.
"The contract is genuine," she said casually. "But you're a little late. The Senju clan is gone. That contract is void."
"If you want to enforce it, go find whoever handed it to you. Don't bother me."
Tsunade would not be bound by a relic of the past.
Hashirama had been dead for decades. The Senju clan was a fading shadow.
Even if Hashirama were alive today, even if the Senju still stood at their peak—
She would still throw that contract in his face.
The two envoys exchanged glances.
They quietly rolled the scroll back up and prepared to leave.
That reaction made Tsunade frown.
"…That's it? You're not going to try harder?" she asked suspiciously. "You're just going back like that? You can report failure so easily?"
They looked at one another again.
Finally, one of them hesitated before speaking.
"Your Highness… truthfully, the other side doesn't wish to proceed either."
"The Daimyō offered thirty billion ryō before they reluctantly agreed. But they seemed confident you would refuse. They said if you agreed, they would agree. If you refused, they would withdraw."
"The Daimyō anticipated the matter might dissolve anyway. We were only sent to ask."
Tsunade's eyebrow twitched.
"…What did you just say?"
"I might not want him—but he doesn't want me either?"
"And he took thirty billion ryō before agreeing?!"
She froze.
"…Wait."
Her eyes widened.
"Thirty… billion?"
Thirty billion ryō.
Even if she lost one million a day, it would take nearly ten years to lose that much.
She had never seen that kind of money.
The second envoy added quietly:
"It's more than that. We've heard that all future funding allocated from the Daimyō's treasury to Konoha will be routed through them."
Tsunade: "…What?"
Shizune: "?!"
The mood shifted instantly.
This was no simple marriage proposal.
Something much bigger was happening.
Tsunade's voice hardened.
"Who is it?"
"The one they want me to marry."
The envoy answered:
"The current head of the Uchiha clan—Uchiha Jin."
Uchiha Jin
Tsunade rolled the name around in her head.
Relief flickered briefly.
If it was an Uchiha, them looking down on her made sense.
But confusion followed quickly.
Since when had the Uchiha gotten so close to the Daimyō?
And who the hell was this Uchiha Jin?
She had spent years drifting through the world—drinking, gambling, surviving day to day. She hadn't kept up with political shifts.
She didn't even know about the massive battle at Kikyo Mountain that had shaken the ninja world recently.
But her instincts were sharp.
If the Uchiha were now receiving direct Daimyō funding—
Konoha must be in chaos.
She leaned forward.
"If the Uchiha just seized one of Konoha's funding channels, my former teacher can't be having a good time."
The envoy nodded.
"He isn't. He is no longer Hokage. He now serves only as a task unit leader and Minister of Finance."
Tsunade raised a brow.
"…He lost the seat?"
Interesting.
"Tell me everything," she said sharply. "All major events in Konoha recently."
The envoys complied.
They described the political fracture.
The internal struggle.
The Fourth Hokage election.
Danzo Shimura versus Minato Namikaze.
The Uchiha and Hyūga backing Danzo.
Her former teacher backing Minato.
And from the current momentum—
Minato was at a disadvantage.
Tsunade's expression darkened.
"So Konoha is split down the middle. Danzo versus Minato. The Uchiha and major clans back Danzo. My teacher's faction is losing."
The envoys nodded.
"That's the current situation."
Tsunade slammed her fist into her palm.
"And the Daimyō? What is he trying to do? Support Danzo? Has he lost his mind?"
One envoy clarified:
"The Daimyō does not support Danzo. He supports the Uchiha. Whoever the Uchiha back—he backs."
Tsunade's jaw clenched.
"Damn it…"
For all her frustration with Konoha's leadership—
There was one thing she knew clearly.
She did not want Danzo as Hokage.
Not under any circumstance.
If Danzo took power—
Konoha would rot from the inside.
That was something she could never accept.
She paused.
Then suddenly I frowned.
"…Wait."
"Since when did Danzo and the Uchiha start working together?"
"Danzo despises them."
"And they've wanted him dead for years."
"How the hell did those two end up on the same side?"
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