"Tsunade, what are you saying? Are you unhappy with my arrangements?" Third Hokage asked, clearly concerned.
"No, no, I'm very satisfied, sensei. That's why I'd like to wrap things up quickly. I'm tired and want to rest. The battlefield is no place for people-fighting tooth and nail only to gain nothing in the end. It's pointless. Staying in the village is so much more comfortable. Or even better, living in the Daimyō's court-now that's the life."
"Enough!!" Third Hokage was finally at his breaking point.
"Tsunade, even if you're dissatisfied with my arrangements, you don't need to act like this. Are you planning to abandon the village?"
"You're the one abandoning me!!" Tsunade's anger flared up.
"Granduncle was worried that the Senju Clan's influence would undermine the Hokage's power, so he dissolved the clan and made us commoners. But just because the clan is gone, does that mean I no longer have the right to move forward?"
"And what about you? Shall I say how the Sarutobi Clan was 'dissolved'? Shall I spell it out?"
"Sensei, you've made many promises-so many. But never once have you followed through. You let those three old geezers run wild every time."
"If your promises are useless and I'm not allowed to move forward, then I'll choose to leave."
"No, Tsunade, that's not what I meant. It's just that the Logistics Department is..." Third Hokage stammered.
"Because the Logistics Department is managed by the Koharu and Mito families, right? I understand."
"..."
The Third Hokage felt like he'd been stabbed in the heart again. Tsunade's words felt like a slap to the face-hard and humiliating.
"Tsunade, you know that the village has been at war for years now. The finances are..."
The Third Hokage didn't want to settle any accounts. Even if they crunched the numbers, it wasn't like they could come up with a large sum of money for Tsunade.
The wars had been costly. Konoha wasn't broke yet, but they certainly weren't swimming in riches either. The Third Hokage was already hoping to request funds from the Daimyō once the war was over.
Now Tsunade was demanding to settle accounts? How could that be possible?
"Are you messing with me?" Tsunade didn't have the patience to listen to the Third Hokage's excuses.
"Sensei, you're still the same. Whenever I bring something up, it's always, 'this can't be done, and that can't be done.' Sensei, you've really disappointed me."
Some people and things just have a way of making you lose faith. At that moment, Tsunade thought to herself that Xin's decision to lay all his cards on the table was the right one. If they didn't call out this behavior now, who knows how long they'd continue to be strung along and taken advantage of?
"If this isn't going to work, then I'll pretend I never returned."
"Oh, and one more thing..." Tsunade said, pausing at the door. She turned back, her gaze cold and distant as she looked at the Third Hokage.
"I don't think Koharu and Mito should be in charge of any important village departments either. If they get reinstated, then we'll see each other at the Daimyō's court."