Makoto had anticipated Tsunade's fiery temper would lead to this, so he had contacted her 'creditors' in advance and had them wait at the village entrance.
Instantly, the previously aggressive Tsunade deflated.
She turned back in disbelief and looked at Makoto.
"You brat... you're serious?"
Makoto didn't answer.
He looked once more at the palace, now riddled with damage from the fight, then turned his head and said to Chika, who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion.
"Chika, put the cost of repairing the palace on our Fifth Hokage's tab."
Chika nodded, took out a small notebook from her pocket, and carefully jotted it down.
Shizune, who had been standing behind Tsunade holding the piglet Tonton, stumbled at the news, almost losing her footing.
It was bad enough hearing that creditors were waiting at the village gate.
Now there was a new debt on top of that.
The debt was like a snowball, growing larger and larger. It felt like she would never be able to repay it in her entire lifetime.
Shizune suddenly felt that her future prospects were bleak, 'Would I have to accompany Tsunade-sama into 'that line of work' as a hostess to pay off the debt?'
Tsunade had no choice but to back down.
But even so, she still glared at Makoto indignantly.
"The kind of peace you're creating won't last."
"Do you know that what you're doing right now is the same thing that Uchiha Madara, who founded Konoha with my grandfather, wanted to do?"
Tsunade hadn't seen Madara herself as a child... her understanding of him came entirely from her grandfathers.
Hashirama had personally admitted it.
Back when Konoha was first established, he and Madara were still in their 'honeymoon period'.
After putting on Konoha's forehead protector, Madara immediately proposed: eliminate all forces other than Konoha immediately, making Konoha the sole dominant power.
However, Hashirama opposed it.
He believed that was just seeking hegemony, not true peace.
Tsunade had been deeply influenced by this.
Tsunade's voice echoed through the empty hall.
Makoto shrugged.
"So what?"
"As long as I can maintain peace while I'm alive, that's enough."
As he spoke, Makoto's mouth curled up slightly.
"And, I can live for a very long time."
As he spoke, Makoto subtly displayed the gold watch on his wrist.
Tsunade didn't understand why Makoto was so confident he could live a long time, nor did she know what the gold watch he flashed meant.
But her brow still furrowed.
"What if you 'change'? What then?"
Indeed, absolute power is prone to corruption. This could be seen from those politicians in Makoto's home world, who were 'wise in the early reign and decadent later'. There are too many examples of someone being brilliant in the first half of their life and mediocre in the second.
Not to mention there was a precedent in the Ninja World itself, like Madara.
Makoto said with a smile: "When that time comes, you can figure out how to kill me."
Makoto's tone was still completely nonchalant.
But at his words, Yu, Saeko, and the others immediately turned fierce.
Anyone who tries to touch their man/Senpai. They'd kill whoever did.
But Makoto truly meant what he said.
Although he didn't think he would "change," if he one day really became like that, someone should be there to deal with him.
Tsunade was silent for a long time, then suddenly spoke: "Brat, you'll regret this."
Makoto replied with a smile: "Tsunade, I am the King of the Ninja World."
Since the door had already been shattered, there was no door for Tsunade to slam on her way out.
Makoto felt that all the abstract villains in the Naruto World who went crazy for peace had one problem.
They all wanted to establish a permanent, eternal peace, once and for all.
That was why things like the [Infinite Tsukuyomi] were conceived.
Makoto found it amusing.
How could there be permanent peace?
So many great figures in his previous life couldn't figure it out, and you, a bunch of mentally ill 2D characters, could?
Maintaining peace for several decades or even a hundred years was already quite an achievement.
Just do what you're supposed to do in your own era.
As for the eras to come?
Future people will figure it out themselves. They don't need you to plan for them.
…
A few days later.
Konoha, an Izakaya.
The air in this shop was filled with the smoky aroma of grilled skewers and the mellow scent of sake, mixed with a faint smell of charcoal, making it very popular among Ninjas.
Many Konoha's Ninjas returning from missions would gather here in the evening to relax, chat, drink, and boast.
Among them was Kurenai, who was very fond of drinking.
That day, Kurenai had made plans to drink with Shizune, her former teammate from their Genin days.
The two had agreed on a time. Kurenai arrived early, chose a seat by the window, poured herself a cup of sake, drank slowly, and waited for Shizune.
Not long after, the door of the izakaya was slid open.
Shizune walked in, still holding Tonton in her arms.
"Kurenai, sorry to keep you waiting."
"It's fine, I just got here too."
Kurenai stopped mid-sentence.
Because behind Shizune followed another person.
The Fifth Hokage… Tsunade.
Kurenai froze.
Tsunade unceremoniously sat down opposite Kurenai, crossed her legs, folded her arms, and asked, "What? You don't welcome me?"
"N... no, how could that be..."
Kurenai forced a smile, laughing dryly.
Shizune quickly leaned close to Kurenai's ear and whispered, "Tsunade-sama's entire salary as Hokage is going to pay off her gambling debts... if she wants to drink, she has to bum it."
Kurenai's smile froze for a moment.
"Her entire salary?"
"Her entire salary."
Shizune's expression was very serious, but her voice carried an indescribable weariness.
That's right, under Makoto's 'coercion', Tsunade had officially taken the position of Fifth Hokage. But she didn't have a single cent.
It can't be helped. She owed too much money. Her entire salary went to pay gambling debts.
And Tsunade was also an old drunkard. Now, if she wanted to drink, she had to bum drinks off others.
In the few days since she had taken over as Hokage, she had basically bummed drinks off every Kunoichi in Konoha.
Kurenai's mouth twitched.
She instinctively felt for her bulging wallet. Hmm, she was still confident.
After all, that little brat was really generous with money.
Other Ninjas were also in the izakaya.
Seeing that the Fifth Hokage didn't even have a salary, everyone drinking in the bar looked at her and laughed.
Someone raised a cup and called out loudly: "Hokage-sama, the news that you don't even have a one-ryo salary has spread throughout the Land of Fire!"
Tsunade didn't respond. She said to the bartender, "Warm two bottles of sake, and a plate of boiled edamame."
After speaking, she fumbled in her pocket and carefully counted out nine copper coins.
The Ninjas deliberately shouted again: "You must have borrowed money from someone again!"
Tsunade's eyes widened, the veins on her forehead twitching slightly: "How can you people slander someone's good name out of thin air?"
"Good name? The day before yesterday I saw with my own eyes Shizune chasing after you, yelling, saying you snuck into the casino again while she was resting and ran up a new debt."
Tsunade's face flushed, the veins on her skin bulging one by one as she argued: "A Ninja's... a Ninja's business... can that be considered debt?"
Immediately, the air inside and outside the shop was filled with joyful laughter.
Just then, the door of the izakaya was slid open again.
Asuma walked in.
He had a cigarette in his mouth as usual, his gaze sweeping around the room before landing precisely on Kurenai, who was sitting in the corner.
His goddess.
But he immediately saw the woman sitting opposite her.
The Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, was slamming the table and arguing with someone about 'whether she actually owed money or not'.
Asuma's steps stopped.
After thinking it over, Asuma chickened out.
What if Tsunade got drunk and asked him to lend her money?
His wallet was cleaner than his face, you know.
Ever since his old man died, the Sarutobi Clan's treatment had significantly worsened.
Asuma silently turned around and moved to the farthest corner away from them.
As Tsunade drank, she started talking more and more.
The alcohol was hitting her, her voice grew louder, and she started gesticulating.
"That damn kid... he's such a bastard..."
She slammed the table.
"I'm the Fifth Hokage, damn it! And I don't even have money for a drink! I have to bum it!"
"Who is responsible for that?"
Shizune asked expressionlessly.
Tsunade's movement froze for a moment, and then she fell completely silent.
Suddenly, someone poked her shoulder from the side.
Tsunade, already flustered from drinking, turned her head with a boozy expression, ready to curse at someone.
She saw a group of young girls looking at her curiously.
The one at the front, a girl with pink dumpling-shaped hair ties, looked at her curiously.
"Hokage-sama—"
Yui's voice was soft and sweet.
"Makoto wants you to help us with our training."
Tsunade's eyelid twitched.
She recognized her. The girl who spoke was Yui, Makoto's woman.
Following behind her were Itsuki, Shinomiya Kaguya, Ran...
Yeah.
Every single one of them was Makoto's woman.
During her days back in the village, Tsunade had learned some things about her 'nominal superior'. And she found that this damn kid was simply "'a person shaped by kidneys', with so many women they could form their own separate class at the Ninja Academy.
Tsunade had returned, so of course Makoto wouldn't let this big cash cow go. Actually, during his second time traveling to the Naruto World, Makoto had thought about having Tsunade train his women.
To see if she could train up a few 'enhanced Sakura' for him.