"With Lady Tsunade's ability, getting funding shouldn't be difficult."
Kitazawa looked at the angry Tsunade and said with a smile.
"What methods are there to get funding?"
Tsunade took a deep breath, but still spoke through gritted teeth.
She had returned to Konoha because of Sarutobi Hiruzen's promise of "unlimited funding."
But now, seeing so many restrictions and rules, she was very dissatisfied.
"You can create a new jutsu."
Kitazawa gave an example: "As long as it's related to the psychological medical-ninja project, even a low-level jutsu can be exchanged for one million ryō."
Normally, only S-rank missions paid that much.
And S-rank missions carried extremely high risk and took a long time to complete.
Even for someone like Tsunade, completing an S-rank mission wasn't easy.
"That's fairly generous."
Tsunade frowned slightly. "But creating a new jutsu takes time. Is there a faster way?"
"There is," Kitazawa said, "but the amount of money you'd get is much smaller."
"Then what's the point?"
Tsunade curled her lip. "I'll just go find the old man. If he won't give me money, I'm leaving!"
"Lady Tsunade!"
Shizune's heart skipped a beat. She quickly called out to stop her.
She definitely didn't want to go back to the days of wandering, starving, and being chased by debt collectors.
"I do have an idea," Kitazawa said with a sly blink.
"What idea?"
Tsunade lifted her head and looked at him.
"In the project's expense plan, there's a section for Yakumo's medical treatment costs."
Kitazawa hinted, "You could draft a list of medicinal herbs and pick the most expensive ones."
"Oh?"
Tsunade froze for a moment, then immediately understood. "Why are you suddenly willing to help me cheat?"
"I didn't have a choice before. But now, I'm on Lady Tsunade's side."
Kitazawa said seriously.
The best way to motivate someone was through the stick and the carrot.
Blindly following Sarutobi Hiruzen's rules would only drive Tsunade away, which would hurt the entire project.
And between Sarutobi and Tsunade, it was obvious which side he should take, for the sake of the mission.
"Good."
A smile spread across Tsunade's face. She threw an arm around his shoulders and said, "You're not bad, kid!"
Kitazawa, caught off guard, nearly stumbled straight into her chest.
Tsunade noticed his awkwardness and realized her action was a bit inappropriate.
She quickly withdrew her arm and gave him a light pat on the shoulder.
"Come on, follow me home."
Tsunade said cheerfully.
As the best medical ninja in the world, she knew just how volatile medicinal prices could be.
It would be easy for her to "treat Kurama Yakumo" while quietly pocketing the markup.
Shizune stared wide-eyed at Kitazawa.
I thought you were a man of principle, and you betray your ethics this fast?
Your bottom line is a little too flexible, don't you think?
"Where's Lady Tsunade living now?"
Kitazawa asked as he followed her.
"You'll find out soon."
Tsunade replied absently while thinking about which herbs to write down.
Kitazawa didn't press further.
After a short walk, he realized the surroundings looked familiar and soon they stopped in front of Kurenai Yūhi's house.
"Shizune and I live next door," Tsunade said, pointing to the house on the left. "It's mostly for convenience, helps with the project."
Kitazawa nodded and stepped forward to knock on the door.
"Kitazawa? And Lady Tsunade?"
Kurenai blinked in surprise when she opened it, then quickly said, "Come in, please."
Tsunade stepped in first, bending slightly to remove her shoes.
Shizune followed right behind her.
Kitazawa entered last, closed the door, and walked into the living room, only to be momentarily dazzled.
Everywhere he looked, four pairs of long, fair legs and bare feet.
Tsunade was wearing long pants, revealing only her toes, painted bright red.
Kurenai, Shizune, and Yakumo, on the other hand, all had bare calves and feet as pale as jade.
"Get me paper and a pen," Tsunade said, sitting down on the couch.
"I'll get it."
Kitazawa turned and went upstairs.
"Seems you two are pretty close," Tsunade said teasingly, raising an eyebrow.
"Kitazawa and I were classmates," Kurenai replied, her heart skipping for a moment, though she managed to keep a calm face.
She did have a bit of a soft spot for Kitazawa, but it hadn't developed into anything serious yet.
"Lady Tsunade."
Kitazawa returned and handed her the paper and pen.
Tsunade crossed her legs, placing the paper on her smooth, toned thighs.
As she leaned down to write, her… well, assets shifted heavily forward.
Kurenai glanced down instinctively and instantly felt a wave of unspeakable inferiority.
"How's your self-created jutsu project coming along?"
Tsunade asked while writing.
"We've created two so far, Art of Talk Therapy and Art of Truth Extraction," Kurenai explained, briefly describing their effects.
"Not bad," Tsunade said after a moment's thought. "Quite well-targeted."
"Those were Kitazawa's ideas," Kurenai admitted modestly.
"You sure know how to surprise people," Tsunade said, giving Kitazawa a look.
"Thank you for the compliment, Lady Tsunade."
Kitazawa nodded, then began explaining the third jutsu they were developing.
"The concept isn't bad," Tsunade said after thinking it over, "but there are some issues. Mental illness isn't caused solely by negative emotions, there are also genetic, physical, and personality factors."
Kitazawa couldn't help but think, Now that's professionalism.
"Modifying the Illusion: Naraku Vision Technique is a great idea, it just needs more refinement," Tsunade continued with a small smile. "We'll discuss that tomorrow. For today, let's focus on buying Yakumo's medicine."
"Alright."
Kurenai agreed without hesitation.
With Tsunade joining them, she and Kitazawa could finally relax a bit.
Shizune sighed softly to herself.
Buying medicine, huh? More like embezzling funds.
"Kitazawa, let's go."
Tsunade said cheerfully, holding up the completed medicine list.
"Alright."
Kitazawa didn't mind skimming a bit of Konoha's money.
Besides, with Tsunade's loyalty to the village, she wouldn't go overboard, at worst, she'd pocket a small amount.
Once he saw the list, Kitazawa confirmed his suspicion.
He estimated Tsunade could probably make about 500,000 ryō in profit from this. Not a huge deal.
Soon, they arrived at the Hokage's office.
Sarutobi Hiruzen took the list and looked it over.
He noticed something was off, but after a moment's thought, chose to ignore it.
After all, if he didn't let Tsunade have her perks, she'd probably leave just like Orochimaru.
"Kitazawa," Hiruzen said, setting the list down, "go to the ANBU office and collect the funds."
"Yes, sir."
Kitazawa went to the ANBU office and soon returned with a bankbook, holding two million ryō.
"Give it to me," Tsunade said immediately, reaching out eagerly.
"Sorry, Lady Tsunade. I'll be the one keeping the funds," Kitazawa said as he gently held her wrist.
Tsunade's eyes narrowed dangerously.
But Kitazawa simply smiled, unbothered.
"You're such a pain!"
Tsunade pulled her hand back and glared at him. "Fine, let's go buy the medicine!"
She realized she had no way of intimidating him.
The guy just wasn't afraid of her at all.
After purchasing the herbs, Tsunade pocketed the leftover money herself.
"See you tomorrow."
She said with a sweet smile, slipping the bankbook into her cleavage and then cheerfully walking off toward the casino.
Kitazawa watched her go and thought to himself.
Truly… a woman with a vast and generous chest, and an equally vast appetite.