Land of Fire.
Carriages rolled along the road, escorted by shinobi wearing Konoha forehead protectors. Any bandits who had been lurking nearby quickly shrank back, not daring to make a move.
It wasn't long before, just as the Konoha shinobi were about to reach the first city, a group of people blocked their path.
These were burly, fierce-looking bodyguards, tall and intimidating, glaring sharply.
But to a shinobi's eyes, they just seemed clumsy.
For opponents like these, there was no need for even a chunin to step in. A coordinated genin squad would have been enough to deal with them.
"Move aside, or we'll take action!" a Konoha shinobi barked, adhering to protocol since they were in the Land of Fire.
If this had happened in another land, those people would've been cut down on the spot.
"Wait, don't attack! I am Daidō Fuji, a merchant of the Land of Fire. This is a promissory note written by your Hokage, Tsunade herself—for ten million ryō. I'll even waive the interest. I've come here to request an audience with the Hokage and hope to recover just the principal!"
A portly man in his forties stepped forward, addressing the Konoha shinobi.
Looking at his trembling legs, it was clear just how terrified he was inside.
And rightly so. Konoha was the military might of the Land of Fire. For a mere merchant to demand money face-to-face—it took a certain kind of courage.
The shinobi who had spoken earlier quickly shut his mouth.
Right, not enemies—debt collectors.
The Fifth Hokage, indebted like some shady gambler... how embarrassing was that?
Inside the central carriage, Tsunade sighed helplessly, lifting the curtain to glance at Daidō Fuji in the distance.
After confirming it was indeed one of her creditors, she waved her hand reluctantly.
"Shikaku, pay him."
...
"I am Ueda Bō, and this is a promissory note from your Hokage!"
...
"I am Tokugawa Pantsu, and this is the promissory note your Hokage gave me!"
...
"I am Ueyama Gozō, and this is the promissory note from your Hokage!"
Watching her funds drain away in huge chunks, Tsunade finally couldn't hold back anymore.
"Tell me, who told you I would be passing through here?"
What she really wanted to ask was—who leaked the news that she had money?
"I... I don't know!" Ueyama Gozō stammered, glancing nervously at Tsunade.
If it were just Tsunade alone, he might not be so afraid. But with so many shinobi surrounding her, he was terrified.
If she ordered them to kill him, he'd have nowhere to cry.
"You don't know?"
Tsunade gave him a disdainful look. Did they take her for a fool? If she still hadn't realized someone was scheming behind her, she'd have to be brain-dead.
"If you don't know, then the debt will have to wait. I don't have any money left."
"How can that be? They said Tsunade-sama, you had enough funds to repay all of us!" Ueyama Gozō blurted out instinctively, then shut his mouth again, looking at Tsunade pitifully.
"Tsunade-sama, please repay me. We're just small-time merchants—this money is our lifeblood!"
"Take him aside. If he won't talk, then he won't get a single ryo!" Tsunade was unyielding. This time, she was determined to uncover who was pulling strings behind the scenes.
As two shinobi moved to seize him, Ueyama Gozō panicked.
"Wait, wait, I'll talk! It was shinobi from Kumo. I heard they paid Tsunade-sama five hundred million ryo in reparations. The money we lent you doesn't even come close to that. We're reasonable people—all we want is our principal back. Surely that's fair, isn't it?"
After all, Tsunade wasn't just anyone. She was the Hokage, leader of Konoha, one of the Five Great Villages.
With so many shinobi under her command, these merchants knew better than to push too hard. As long as they could recover their principal, they'd let the interest slide—consider it building goodwill with Konoha.
"Fine. Pay him."
With that, Tsunade retreated gloomily into the carriage.
Shikaku began paying out the money. Looking at the rapidly dwindling funds, even he felt the urge to facepalm.
Just how much debt had their Hokage racked up?
Would the five hundred million ryō she had received even last until they reached Konoha?
The most critical issue was that one hundred million of it had been set aside to reward the participating shinobi. If Tsunade's debts swallowed that up, things would get complicated.
After paying the man, Shikaku couldn't hold back anymore. He approached the carriage, ready to consult Tsunade about the debt situation.
"Shikaku, do you think that man was telling the truth?"
Before he could even climb up, Tsunade's voice came from inside.
Shikaku thought for a moment and nodded. "He's just an ordinary merchant. He wouldn't have the guts to lie to us."
"Then do you think this was the doing of the Kumogakure?"
Shikaku: '...'
Hokage-sama, the real issue here isn't who's behind this... it's exactly how much debt you've piled up.
Could it be that even the reparations aren't enough to cover what you owe?
Perhaps his expression gave him away, because Tsunade caught on.
"Relax, the amount I owe won't exceed half of what we have!" she declared cheerfully, completely ignoring Shikaku's darkened face.
"How much exactly?" he pressed.
Tsunade counted on her fingers, did a rough calculation, and said, "About four hundred fifty million ryō, give or take ten million."
Shikaku's face grew even darker.
"Tsunade-sama, do you realize... if all the creditors show up, there won't be enough left to distribute rewards after paying them off? What then?"
Tsunade froze.
Up until now, she had only been fuming about Kumo's dirty tricks. She hadn't thought about what would happen if all her creditors came demanding repayment.
"Well... maybe not that many will come?"
Even she didn't believe her own words.
Some of these debts were over ten years old. If word got out that Tsunade finally had money, her creditors would race here at full speed.
Giving up? Impossible.
"It's fine. Worst case, we use everything to repay the debts. As for the rewards, I'll come up with something!"
Shikaku wanted to ask what "something" meant, but after thinking it over, he stayed silent.
At worst, he'd find a way to shuffle some funds from elsewhere to help her get through this.
"What angers me most is... who leaked the news? That man said it was Kumogakure, but I can't imagine that reckless Raikage coming up with such a sneaky trick!"
Shikaku didn't dare agree.
The Raikage might be rash, but for Kumogakure to thrive, there had to be sharp minds working behind the scenes.
"It's gotta be that old geezer, Ōnoki!" Tsunade growled. "When I get the chance, I'll go to Iwagakure and plant some greenery. Then Konoha can make another billion in profit!"
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