Chapter 293: Lord Protector Akiyama Makoto, An Angry and Desperate Tsunade
Akiyama Makoto looked at Tsunade in astonishment.
Hearing Tsunade's tone, he thought she assumed he was doing something unspeakable in the living room.
In reality, he was just resting his head on Yūgao's lap, eating grapes fed to him by Anko, watching TV, and playing cards with Temari, Karin, and the others.
This was a very plain and simple entertainment activity before bedtime.
Since everyone wasn't in high spirits today, they didn't even take a mixed bath together, so everyone was still wearing their daytime clothes.
"Hokage-sama, why are you here?"
Seeing this, Anko and Yūgao immediately pushed Makoto away and stood up to salute.
Regardless of the relationship between Makoto and Tsunade, they were the Hokage's subordinates, and standard etiquette was essential.
Temari and Sakura also bowed, but when Karin wanted to bow, she was pulled by Makoto to sit beside him.
This scene made Tsunade feel a little better, but Makoto's lazy appearance made her even angrier.
"Akiyama Makoto, I know you're not a ninja, but even as a civilian, shouldn't you show some respect when you see me?"
Makoto sighed. "You broke in without even notifying us."
"I haven't asked you what responsibility you should take for this behavior. Can the Hokage trespass into private residences?"
Tsunade frowned in anger.
Seeing the bad atmosphere between the two, Anko and the others quickly acted as peacemakers.
Soon tea and snacks were placed on the table, and Tsunade sat in the main seat, making the atmosphere harmonious.
"So, does Hokage-sama have any business here?"
The girls saw that Makoto was going to discuss business with Tsunade and planned to leave first.
But Makoto waved his hand and asked everyone to sit back down.
They subconsciously sat on Makoto's side. Although this was just a common habit, Tsunade instantly felt the pressure.
Makoto's own strength was already strong enough, plus so many young and excellent kunoichi—was this really not a demonstration against her?
But Makoto drank his tea very calmly.
He had arranged everything long ago and knew that Tsunade would inevitably come to him for help.
Since it was asking for help, she should adopt a begging attitude instead of continuing to look proud.
In Tanzaku Town, when Makoto wanted to pursue Tsunade, she naturally enjoyed preferential treatment.
But now—it was time to let Tsunade feel the difference.
"Hokage-sama, you just emphasized that I am a civilian."
"So there is nothing we say that they can't hear, am I right?"
Tsunade took a deep breath. Makoto doing this meant that she could only talk business officially, and couldn't use private words to discuss official matters.
In other words, Makoto was acting as if he had completely forgotten the relationship between the two.
This made Tsunade's heart start to ache faintly.
But on the surface, she still said calmly, "Before, you kept Temari by your side. Konoha didn't pursue this matter because of your meritorious service."
"Now it's time to deal with this matter."
"I'll give you two choices."
"One is to help Konoha sign a peace agreement with the Sand Village. After that, Konoha won't have any objections to the matter between you and Temari."
"As for the second—let Temari go back now. Konoha will resolve the matter with the Sand Village itself, and you shouldn't think about seeing Temari again."
Hearing this, Temari's face turned pale, and she nervously clenched her fists and lowered her head.
The girls beside Makoto also looked at Temari in shock.
Then, to Tsunade's surprise, the panicked or even angry emotions she expected did not appear. Instead, Karin looked at Tsunade with confusion, as if she had done something stupid.
Just when Tsunade was confused, Makoto said, "If Hokage-sama insists on letting Temari go back, I naturally have no reason to object."
"Konoha signing a peace agreement with the Sand Village is a major event that I, a commoner, have no right to participate in."
"As for whether I want to meet Temari later, unless Hokage-sama kills Temari now, even if she returns to the Sand Village, I can still see her every day."
"This is not something you can manage. Or do you plan to restrict my behavior?"
Makoto's words made Temari suddenly look up.
She looked at Makoto in disbelief, seemingly unable to understand why Makoto would conflict with the Hokage for her.
Although this was not the case, the emotion in Temari's heart at this moment was real.
She bit her lip lightly, her eyes only on Makoto's profile. At this moment, her heartstrings trembled again.
Perhaps their contact wasn't normal, and Makoto had even killed her father, so the relationship between them had long been tangled.
But at least now, Temari believed that Makoto was someone worth entrusting herself to.
Tsunade slammed the table. "Akiyama Makoto, I am the Hokage!"
Makoto smiled slightly, squeezed Karin's hand, and said, "Bring the thing over."
Karin nodded immediately, then took out a gilded invitation and handed it respectfully to Makoto.
Makoto took it casually and threw it on the table.
Tsunade took it doubtfully, opened it, and her face changed drastically.
The content written on it was very simple. The Daimyō of the Land of Fire was grateful for Makoto's life-saving grace and wanted to ask if Makoto was willing to accept the position of a minister of the Land of Fire.
At the same time, he knew that Makoto was very busy with his writing career, so he wouldn't arrange any formal heavy work for Makoto. He only hoped that when he needed Makoto's help, Makoto could lend a hand.
For this, he was willing to pay a basic remuneration of at least twenty million ryō each time, with no upper limit.
As for the name of this minister, it was slowly read out by Tsunade.
"Lord Protector and Grand Minister—"
This was an official title never heard of before, obviously newly established.
However, the Grand Minister (Daijō-daijin) was the highest official position under the Daimyō of the Land of Fire. Even if the Hokage saw him, she would have to converse politely.
Because although his status was not as high as the Daimyō, he was responsible for handling the vast majority of affairs in the Land of Fire.
In other words, Konoha's military expenses, missions, defense, and other affairs, although ordered by the Daimyō, were actually operated by the Grand Minister.
Anyone who had done relevant administrative work would understand the weight of such a figure.
And now, the words "Lord Protector" were added in front of Makoto's official position. The meaning of the Daimyō doing this was self-evident.
He wanted to win Makoto over with the highest etiquette and greatest financial resources, pulling this Kage-level figure who didn't belong to any ninja village under his command.
This wasn't the first time the Daimyō had done such a thing.
The Twelve Guardian Ninja were once an attempt by the Daimyō to establish a practical organization that could rival Konoha.
Although it ultimately failed, leading to the dissolution of the Twelve Guardian Ninja and a plummet in the strength of the ninja under the Daimyō.
But obviously, the Daimyō wouldn't extinguish his desire to check and balance the ninja villages. This was something any ambitious Daimyō would never stop doing.
Originally, Konoha didn't need to pay attention to such behavior.
As long as Konoha was strong enough, whatever the Daimyō did was just minor trouble.
If it really got out of hand, sending a Konoha Jōnin to eliminate the opponent could destroy the Daimyō's efforts of more than ten or even decades.
But now, everything was different.
The Daimyō was winning over Makoto!
Was there anyone in the entire Konoha who could match Makoto?
Tsunade thought not.
Jiraiya—might have a chance to win, but now Jiraiya had already taken Naruto out of the village for training.
What's more, Jiraiya wouldn't easily fight Makoto. After all, Makoto was just becoming a minister of the Daimyō, and it was only an honorary title.
Makoto had neither betrayed the Land of Fire nor Konoha. So taking action against Makoto would be even more tyrannical than Danzō back then.
However, Tsunade knew very well that Makoto absolutely could not accept the Daimyō's solicitation.
Otherwise, she, the Hokage, would have Koharu and Homura over her head on the left, and Makoto and the Daimyō over her head on the right, and she wouldn't be able to achieve anything.
At that time, let alone correcting the mistakes of the Third Hokage and making Konoha great again, just preventing Konoha from withering and collapsing in her hands would be considered quite capable.
So Tsunade said without thinking, "No, you can't sign this document!"
As long as Makoto signed it, Konoha would no longer have any reason to restrict him, and he would become a powerful force capable of affecting the balance of power in the ninja world.
This impact was even enough to shake the foundation of the One Country, One Village system.
However, although these reasons for objection were very righteous for Konoha and Tsunade, they meant nothing to Makoto.
As a free civilian, Makoto had the right to pursue wealth and status. What's more, this matter itself was neither illegal nor against regulations, and was even quite consistent with the Will of Fire of the First Hokage back then.
Tsunade couldn't say any of the reasons for objection in her heart in front of so many people.
"Why?"
Makoto's rhetorical question made Tsunade's face flush red.
Her fists clenched tightly. The old her would have already punched him.
But facing Makoto, she couldn't beat him, nor could she hit him. At this moment, as a Hokage, she was as helpless as a baby.
At this time, Tsunade finally understood what Karin's strange look meant.
In the eyes of this child Karin, her bossy appearance might be more childish than a child's bragging.
Tsunade couldn't answer, and the room fell into silence.
Seeing that her purpose for coming here today was about to fail completely, Tsunade finally bit her lip and decided to appeal to her friendship with Makoto.
"You—come with me!"
Tsunade said this helplessly, then left Makoto's living room involuntarily and came under the cherry blossom tree in the small courtyard.
Unfortunately, it wasn't the season for cherry blossoms to bloom, and Tsunade's gloomy face with crossed arms didn't look like a girl in spring. What awaited Makoto was certainly not a romantic paradise.
The girls looked at each other and pushed Makoto out.
Although Makoto didn't feel he owed Tsunade anything, and didn't necessarily have to cooperate with her.
But Anko and Yūgao were, after all, true-blue Konoha children, and still hoped Makoto would have a good relationship with Konoha.
Makoto didn't want to break with Konoha either; he just wanted to dampen Tsunade's arrogance.
Finally, Makoto came to Tsunade, also crossing his arms and looking at her.
Just like this, you look at me, I look at you.
Makoto kept his composure, and Tsunade finally broke down first.
She suddenly opened her arms, not to hug Makoto, but put her hands on his shoulders, pulled him closer, and bumped her forehead against his.
The sound was crisp, even making the girls' teeth ache.
But Tsunade didn't blink. Instead, after pulling closer, she looked at Makoto at close range and whispered, "Can you bear to see me walk into a dead end and be forced to run around in circles?"
"We—we were lovers for at least a week, weren't we?"
Seeing Tsunade's awkward appearance, Makoto laughed.
Then he unceremoniously hugged Tsunade's waist, his hand even placed on her butt.
Yūgao almost exclaimed. As a former Anbu member of the Third Hokage, she never imagined that one day her man would catch the new Hokage.
Anko quickly covered Yūgao's mouth and dragged the others to hide, not wanting to disturb the matter between Makoto and Tsunade.
Just after hiding, Anko was beaming with joy.
If Makoto took Tsunade down too, would her becoming a Jōnin be a matter of course?
One must know that whether a Special Jōnin could become a Jōnin was ultimately judged by the Hokage.
Without special circumstances, Anko thought she had no hope of becoming a Jōnin in this life.
"You... let go of me!"
Tsunade blushed and tried to push Makoto away.
But Makoto said, "Trying to push me away before cooperating... I can't imagine what you'll do to me after cooperating."
The strength in Tsunade's hands disappeared.
Flames rose in her heart, despising herself for having to rely on her appearance to win Makoto over.
But what else could she do?
She just wanted to do something for Konoha. What was wrong with that!
"You're right. We were lovers for a week, but you also said that everything between us is over."
"You haven't even fulfilled your promise, leaving the necklace with me as collateral."
Tsunade blushed, truly shy this time.
She naturally couldn't forget what she had done. Coming to ask Makoto for help now was indeed a bit unkind.
But she had no choice—
"Then—then I'll fulfill the agreement now, okay?"
Tsunade felt that since she had made such a sacrifice, Makoto would definitely agree, right?
But Makoto said with a cold face, "Too late. I think this necklace is more valuable. Hokage-sama, take care, I won't see you out."
Makoto turned to leave, and Tsunade stood there dumbfounded.
Seeing Makoto about to leave her arm's reach, Tsunade exploded with monstrous strength and pulled him back.
Looking at Tsunade's face, which was almost flustered and exasperated, Makoto said with a smile, "Sister Tsunade, how about you propose a new condition?"
"If the condition is good, maybe I'll agree?"
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