Chapter 19

"Tsunade, you..." The Third Hokage trailed off, his frustration evident. After all that explaining, all he received in response was the word "dirty" leaving him thoroughly annoyed. He selectively ignored what she said after.

Had it not been for the fact that the individual in question was his own disciple and held special status as a sannin and the Senju princess, he might have been compelled to take more drastic action. However, considering the potential repercussions, he realized that the situation could escalate into a wife problem, leading to an uncomfortable atmosphere at home.

Recalling Biwako's fondness for Tsunade, he quickly dismissed the idea of reprimanding the insolent princess.

Indeed, Sarutobi's wife, originally named Senju Biwako, hailed from the prestigious Senju clan and married him in the presence of the Second Hokage.

Over the years, he had observed Biwako's favoritism toward Tsunade, even prompting complaints from their son, Shinnosuke. He always said that Tsunade was Biwako's biological daughter, whereas he had been merely adopted by Biwako.

In his previous life, Toshiro was perplexed by the height disparity between the Third Hokage and Sarutobi Asuma. But later, he learned about the situation through some gossip from the adults in the family.

"What's your plan now? Are you willing to let the village suffer increased casualties just because they don't have access to better medicine, which we could have provided them?"

The Third Hokage drew a deep inhale of smoke from the pipe in his hand, exhaling slowly as the smoke obscured his face.

"The new village medicine will undoubtedly be promoted, but the question is, by whom will it be sold?" He deliberately emphasized the word 'village' as it left his lips, his tone casual.

"I've heard that the Uchiha applied for clinical trials under the reason that, it is their family's secret medicine. Are you considering copying the formula?" Tsunade glanced at the Third Hokage with a mischievous grin, finding the situation rather intriguing. She was content to watch the drama unfold, seeing no harm in it. Because the Hokage has indirectly confirmed that the medicine will be available for the ninjas.

Letting out a sigh, the Third Hokage also recognized the troublesome nature of the situation. Reflecting on the different opinions expressed by Shimura Danzo, Koharu, and Homura in the recently concluded meeting, he felt a headache coming on.

Danzo's approach was direct and aggressive, advocating for the direct apprehension of Mei Uchiha to extract information about the medicine from her mind or even considering a black-ops operation to steal the formula.

On the other hand, Koharu suggested rallying all the major and minor families in the village to collectively pressure the Uchiha into relinquishing their recipe for the benefit of the village.

The approach proposed by Homura involves negotiation. The best case for them would be that the village supplies the raw materials for the new medicine, which would then be produced by the Uchiha clan and distributed to the ninjas by the village.

Danzo's proposal was too simplistic and heavy-handed.

Directly apprehending individuals could lead to unpredictable reactions from the Uchiha. Stealing their secret recipe presents its own set of challenges—since the Uchiha are not outsiders, such an act could strain relations within the village. Moreover, the Uchiha are not blind to their situation.

Koharu's suggestion is overly aggressive. It risks widening the divide between the village and the Uchiha, which is detrimental to the village's future.

Homura's idea is the most practical and feasible. It is also acceptable to the village, but its acceptance by the Uchiha side remains uncertain.

Three individuals, three perspectives, and three proposals. These essentially reflect the stance of the most powerful people in the village towards the Uchiha family. Which is completely negative.

"While the concept sounds promising, entrusting the procurement and promotion of raw materials for the new medication entirely to the village raises concerns. Will the Uchiha agree to this?"

By relinquishing control of raw material procurement to the village, the Uchiha essentially expose the various medicinal ingredients and proportions used in the medication. This compromises its confidentiality. In essence, the village could easily conduct its own study and potentially replicate a medicine very similar to it.

Once again, the Uchiha would be sidelined, making their efforts seem worthless.

Moreover, if the distribution were to be handed over to the village, the Uchiha would have little involvement. Any positive feelings from the village populous towards them would be insignificant. On the other hand, entrusting the Uchiha with both production and distribution was never a consideration for the third Hokage.

In such a scenario, the Uchiha could leverage the new medication to forge stronger ties with numerous small and medium-sized families in the village, thanks to their authority in raw material procurement. This could enhance their reputation among civilian ninjas.

However, such actions would contradict the village's approach towards the Uchiha, as it was a practice to keep the Uchiha from rising above.

With a slight pout, Tsunade ignored the village's intricate politics. Without a farewell, she turned on her heel, pushing open the door of the Hokage's office, leaving a parting remark.

"Whatever you decide, the medical department will add the new medication to the procurement list. Its hemostatic properties can save countless lives of our comrades..."

One of her aspirations is to save more lives among her fellow villagers. With better options now available, she is determined not to relent. As for the repercussions, she isn't the Hokage, and she leaves such matters to the old man to worry about.

"Tsunade, don't be in such a hurry to leave. I have an important task for you. Develop a new medication with similar efficacy to the new one..."

Disregarding the 'important task' given by the third Hokage, Tsunade held her head high, striding out of the Hokage's office in an almost anarrogant manner.

As for developing a substitute medicine, she lacked knowledge of its components and the development process previously. But now that some of the mysteries were revealed, she could formulate new medications based on this knowledge. Moreover, considering the other party was the Uchiha, although the Senju clan had dwindled, her pride in her lineage remained unwavering.

"Not interested. Old man, are you going senile? Developing a new drug with similar effects requires a huge amount of money and time. I'm swamped right now and don't have the energy for that..."

Regardless of the world, developing a new drug is a costly and time-consuming endeavor. Uchiha Mei also capitalized on the family's secret medicine; otherwise, how could she have achieved such remarkable results in less than two years?

"It's precisely because it's difficult that we must do it. If it were easy, anyone could do it..."

Watching his disciple stride out of the Hokage's office without a backward glance, he felt a massive headache looming, and it wasn't just because of the new medicine.

One of the main headaches is regarding his three beloved disciples. Jiraya was always following his desires. Even after signing a contract with the toads of Mt. Myoboku, one of the three holy places in the ninja world, to learn sage arts, he still couldn't leave his lustful tendencies. A few years back, he took a sabatical in the Land of Rain, grooming children from other nations to become ninjas, all in the quest to find the 'child of destiny'. A complete waste of time, in his opinion.

There's his favorite disciple, Orochimaru—that one's grown more and more sinister in recent years. Initially, he held high hopes for him, but now he's pondering the suitability of choosing him as the next Hokage heir. Luckily, he still has plenty of vigor left; there's no rush to decide while he's at his peak!

As for Tsunade, she's never taken herself seriously, relying on her identity and Biwako's affections. In Konoha Village, she practically flaunts her authority and keeps piling up gambling debts, showing no regard for decorum. Fortunately, she's also inherited the 'Will of Fire' from the esteemed Hashirama-sama, and her efforts over the years have gradually steered her in the right direction.

Sighing once more, the Third Hokage reluctantly retrieved the lunch box the secretary had just delivered from Biwako. As he ate and reviewed the documents, he couldn't help but notice the sheer volume of paperwork piled in front of him. It was indeed a daunting sight.

Little did Toshiro know that his inadvertent proposal had nearly placed his sister in unforeseen danger. However, he had anticipated that there would be a myriad of issues that could come up. But he theorized that the positives outweigh the possible negatives.

To comprehend the village's stance toward the Uchiha, he had delved into exhaustive explanations on the matter with Mei. Likewise, he viewed the clan's stance toward the village as a crucial reference for future survival strategies—whether to flee with a select few clansmen or endeavor to salvage the fate of their clan.

Should the village outright reject the new medicine's inclusion in the ninja's regular medical supplies or apply relentless pressure, disregarding the Uchiha's sentiments, then there would be little recourse but to prepare to flee. If the village has indeed outright rejected them, then they would definitely have a backup plan to get the medicine. And the means they would use would not be good for Toshiro or Mei in any way.

As for the notion of orchestrating a coup d'état alongside the family to secure power within the village, he never entertained such thoughts. He does not have the strength of Hashirama or Madara Uchiha to make the village submit.

Being a founding member of Konoha Village, the Uchiha clan holds a significant position within the village hierarchy. However, relying on schemes and intrigues to reclaim a central role in power is wholly undesirable.

In his view, orchestrating a coup d'état using the might of a single clan, even if it meant seizing control of the entire Konoha Hidden Village, raised critical questions: How could they secure the villagers' approval? garner affirmation from the village's ninjas? Moreover, there were myriad external challenges to contend with, such as the Fire Country's Daimyo, nobility, influential lords, and other four great ninja villages.

Furthermore, he believed that history repeats itself. If the Uchiha could ascend to power through a coup, what would stop others like Hyuga or members of lesser-known families from attempting the same? Experience, both from his past life and historical knowledge, taught him that such actions inevitably led to dire consequences.

AN : You can read chapters published ahead on my p@treon account - p@treon.com/noviceauthor777