Tsunade Can Hear My Inner Voice novel Chapter 25

Chapter 25 - 25: Arrangements

Hokage's Office.

"Hokage-sama!"

Maito Gai, Yuhi Kurenai, and Hatake Kakashi greeted Tsunade.

Unless it was during wartime or in the ANBU, shinobi didn't need to kneel when facing the Hokage. As for Ebisu, he knelt because he knew he had made a mistake and was afraid.

Now that Kakashi had mostly recovered, and the strain on his body from the Sharingan had lessened, he felt incredibly light, as if he had regained his vitality after overexerting himself.

He was full of energy.

"Tomorrow, I'm heading to the Daimyo's residence. Gai and Kurenai, you two will lead the escort team. Kakashi, you'll stay behind to oversee the Hokage Building. Shizune will handle administrative affairs. If anyone stirs up trouble, you have full authority to deal with it first and report later."

"Understood!"

Although Kakashi didn't understand why Tsunade had chosen to leave him behind, he still obeyed the order.

According to Kakashi's expectations, with him and Gai escorting Tsunade to the Daimyo's palace, everything would go smoothly. The three of them together could be considered Konoha's current top combat force.

"Kurenai, you'll lead Yamashiro Aoba and Shiranui Genma. Gather at Konoha's main gate early tomorrow. As for your current squad, have them take on some D-rank missions or train at home."

Kurenai had no objections.

Being assigned to escort Hokage to the Daimyo was an honor in itself.

To be honest, part of the reason Kurenai had reached the rank of jounin was due to her father's legacy, and another was Asuma's favor towards her. The Third Hokage had deliberately promoted her to support Asuma.

In terms of raw strength, Kurenai was decent, but she was nowhere near the level of elite jounin like Kakashi or Maito Gai.

"Understood!"

"Maito Gai, you'll lead Kamizuki Izumo and Hagane Kotetsu. Gather at the main gate tomorrow morning. As for your students, Rock Lee should remain in the hospital to recover, while Neji and Tenten will be assigned to gate duty. Any objections?"

"No problem!" Gai responded instantly.

Tsunade had healed both his best friend and his disciple—escorting her to the Daimyo's residence was nothing. He'd follow her even into a lion's den without hesitation.

"Kakashi, since your body has just recovered, you're not suited for long journeys. Shizune and Nara Shikaku will handle administrative duties, while you'll take temporary command of the ANBU. If anything unusual happens, you're authorized to take action immediately."

There weren't many in Konoha that Tsunade both trusted and who had sufficient strength.

After much thought, she decided to entrust this responsibility to Kakashi.

"Hokage-sama, isn't Jiraiya-sama teaching Naruto? Couldn't this task be given to him?" Kakashi asked curiously.

At the mention of Jiraiya, Tsunade's expression darkened slightly.

"Don't bring him up. Recently, the owners of Konoha's bathhouses have been filing complaints every day. You may enjoy reading his books, but at least you're reliable. I don't want Konoha's reputation affected by... that kind of behavior."

Fair enough.

Recalling Jiraiya's habits, Kakashi had no further arguments.

Jiraiya's peeping was legendary. With his current level of skill, regular bathhouse owners would have no way of catching him. However, ever since he started hanging around, the number of female patrons at Konoha's bathhouses had plummeted. Even if they couldn't prove he was peeping, the owners had started filing complaints regardless.

Tsunade knew this but couldn't say much about it.

The root of the problem lay with Jiraiya.

If he didn't have this dark history, no one would be able to slander him.

He had no one to blame but himself.

"Alright, you all should go make your preparations."

Time was short, and Tsunade didn't want to waste any more of it.

For Kakashi, a single man left to guard Konoha, there wasn't much to arrange. But for Gai and Kurenai, it was different. They needed to make arrangements for their squads—especially Kurenai, whose students were all from prominent clans. She needed to visit each of their families personally to explain the situation.

The Hyuga, Aburame, and Inuzuka clans were all staunch supporters of Konoha, so Tsunade wasn't worried about any objections from them.

Once the three of them left, Tsunade let out a sigh of relief.