Chapter 28: Tsunade Comes Knocking (Please Vote)

"Damn that old man!" Tsunade cursed angrily as she left the Hokage building. She had prepared for so long, only to have her proposal flatly rejected by Hiruzen Sarutobi at today’s jōnin council.

“Tsunade...”

Not long after leaving the building, Tsunade heard someone call her from behind. She turned to see the person who had supported her during the meeting—his name was Kato... Kato Dan, was it?

“Oh, it’s you. Is there something you need?” Despite her foul mood, Tsunade managed to suppress her temper and greeted him with a rare smile, grateful for his earlier support.

“My name is Kato Dan. I thought your proposal was excellent. If we could reform the medical system, it would greatly benefit the lives of our comrades in the Leaf,” Kato Dan smiled, then continued, “But the village is in a tough spot. The war only ended recently, peace is yet uncertain, and the Third Hokage may be considering these factors. He can’t guarantee your plan will be implemented.”

Hearing this, Tsunade’s mood soured further. She knew the village’s situation, but the fact that her painstakingly prepared reform plan had been dismissed out of hand by the old man without even an explanation made her furious.

“Even so, some things are more urgent than others. The old man just can’t see the bigger picture, so he rejected it without reason,” she complained.

Kato Dan smiled awkwardly. Tsunade was not only the Hokage’s apprentice but also the granddaughter of the First Hokage—she could speak her mind, but he could not. “I’m sure the Third has his reasons…”

“What reasons? He just lacks vision!” Tsunade grumbled, though her thoughts drifted to Karn. When would he return? She wanted to consult him about the medical system; though he was just a civilian, she felt he could inspire her.

As they walked and talked, they soon reached the area near Karn’s food shop.

“Tsunade, do you live nearby?” Kato Dan asked.

“No, are you offering to escort me home? That won’t be necessary. I need to buy something before heading back…” Tsunade replied, then noticed several carriages stopped in front of Karn’s shop. Instantly, she realized Karn had returned—how fortuitous! She had wanted to discuss her ideas with him, and now he was back.

“Let’s talk another time, Kato. My friend just returned.”

“Friend?” Kato Dan began, but Tsunade was already heading straight for Karn’s food shop. Driven by curiosity, he followed her.

...

“Karn!”

Karn was instructing Kawaki Miwa on unloading goods when he heard a familiar voice from outside. He turned to see Tsunade stride in with the air of someone seeking vengeance.

Karn took two steps back, wary. “Tsunade, what is it?”

“Nothing, just wanted to talk. That old man infuriated me today,” Tsunade explained, realizing her tone had been too forceful.

“Give me a box of chocolates, too. I’ll eat as we talk.”

“One box is twenty, that’s four thousand ryo. Tsunade, you’re a thousand short,” Karn replied bluntly.

Tsunade blushed; she’d only pulled out a wad of cash, not expecting Karn to be so strict. She quickly made up the difference—otherwise, people might think she refused to pay.

If she didn’t plan to consult him soon, she might have taught Karn a lesson.

Once the payment was settled, Karn handed her a box of chocolates and smiled. “Here you are. Anything else, Tsunade?”

“I wanted to finish our previous conversation,” she said, waving her report at him. Karn feigned ignorance.

“Previous conversation? I don’t recall, Tsunade.”

He doesn’t recall? Tsunade suspected he was pretending, and after scrutinizing him, she realized he was deliberately acting forgetful—he simply didn’t want to discuss the medical reforms.

It infuriated her. She had assured him, as a jōnin of the Leaf, that he wouldn’t be targeted for this, but she couldn’t understand his caution.

“Don’t pretend you don’t remember. As a shopkeeper, fulfilling customer needs is a basic duty,” Tsunade huffed, her temper barely contained. If he weren’t a civilian, she would have shown him the strength of her monstrous fists.

“That’s a drunken woman’s logic... Fine, let’s talk,” Karn said, seeing Tsunade’s fists clenching, and quickly relented. “But as before, if it involves Leaf politics, I won’t discuss it further. I’m a merchant. By the way, is that man your friend?”

Karn pointed outside to Kato Dan—the blue-haired ninja was lingering, clearly waiting for Tsunade.

“Kato Dan, he’s still here...” Tsunade said. Their earlier conversation had been pleasant, but she had more pressing matters now.

Just then, Kato Dan came in, smiling. “Tsunade, so the shop owner is your friend. The chocolates are delicious—I like them, too.”

“Kato, I need to discuss something with Karn now... Actually, why not include you? You supported my medical reform at the council,” Tsunade said, glancing at Karn—it was his shop, after all.

Kato Dan was mildly surprised. He didn’t expect Tsunade to consult a civilian about medical reforms, even if he was a dealer in medicines.

“Let’s talk in the back,” Karn said, not objecting. He led Tsunade and Kato Dan to the living area behind the shop, brewed tea for them, and placed the cups on the table.

Once the tea was served, Karn got straight to the point. “Tsunade, what’s that in your hand?”

“The medical reform plan. I summarized it based on your suggestions last time—do you want to read it?”

“No need. You mentioned the jōnin council, so it seems your proposal was rejected by the Third Hokage,” Karn said.

Tsunade’s face grew angry. “Exactly! That old man has no vision. If medical reform succeeded, the Leaf would no longer fear casualties in war...”

“That’s meaningless. If you trained three thousand jōnin right now, the Leaf wouldn’t fear any war either,” Karn retorted casually. “Tsunade, just tell me about the council’s discussion related to the medical reforms—nothing else, please.”