Chapter 132: Do I Really Have to Handle the Negotiations Myself as Hokage?

"Forget it, I'll just check with the old man first," Tsunade said with a sigh of frustration.

With no other choice, Tsunade had the Intelligence Department send a message back to the village, informing the Third Hokage that neither Orochimaru nor Jiraiya wanted to be involved in the negotiations.

She wanted to see if he'd send someone else to negotiate with Hanzo. Maybe someone like Koharu Utatane or Homura Mitokado—those two loved to act like elders and seemed perfect for the job.

Whether or not they'd anger Hanzo and get themselves killed wasn't something Tsunade needed to worry about.

The camp was overflowing with injured, and Tsunade was already running herself ragged. She didn't have the time or energy to think about negotiations.

The Intelligence Department immediately used a messenger bird to send the news back to Konoha.

The Third Hokage wasted no time summoning Koharu and Homura to discuss the situation.

"Tsunade said the camp is overwhelmed with injured shinobi, and she's too busy to go to the Hidden Rain Village for negotiations with Hanzo," he explained.

"The medical division has suffered heavy losses. Tsunade's got a lot on her plate," Koharu nodded in agreement, not realizing the bigger issue.

"Well then, leave it to Jiraiya and Orochimaru. As long as Danzo hasn't recovered, we'll need to rely on them for negotiations. After all, they're your students, and their status and strength are more than enough to represent the village."

Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade—together, they had the power and authority to lead the negotiations.

Ideally, Danzo would have handled it since he was the commanding officer at the frontlines.

But with Danzo out of commission for at least a month, neither Hanzo nor Konoha could afford to wait that long.

So the negotiating team had to change.

Homura nodded in agreement. "Koharu's right, Hiruzen."

"If Tsunade is too busy, then send Jiraiya and Orochimaru. It's time they shouldered more of the pressure and responsibility—that's part of their duty."

The Third Hokage glanced at his two old friends, then put down his pipe and rubbed his face.

"But Jiraiya doesn't want to go. He said he's tired and wants to come back to the village to rest. He claims negotiations aren't his thing."

"What?" Koharu and Homura exchanged confused looks.

Jiraiya didn't want to go? What's gotten into him? Is his old reckless behavior acting up again?

Everyone knew Jiraiya had a habit of doing ridiculous things and not always acting responsibly. But for him to drop the ball now, at such a crucial moment?

Forget it. If Jiraiya didn't want to go, then fine.

"Then Orochimaru can handle it," they both agreed.

Tsunade was busy, Jiraiya was out, so that left only Orochimaru.

And to be fair, Orochimaru was still a solid choice.

"Orochimaru said he's exhausted and wants to return to the village too," the Third Hokage added, looking exasperated.

After saying that, even the Third Hokage was at a loss for words.

His three students—each one of them didn't want to deal with this mess.

Tsunade was genuinely too busy. Jiraiya didn't want to go, and Orochimaru was avoiding Hanzo altogether, thanks to the whole "Legendary Sannin" title situation. The last thing Orochimaru wanted was to face Hanzo and negotiate.

"This is ridiculous!" Koharu fumed after a few moments of silence. She slammed her hand on the table and stood up, her face turning red with anger. "Hiruzen, are you really going to let them walk all over you like this?"

Adjusting his hat, the Third Hokage calmly responded to her outburst, "That's why Tsunade suggested that one of you two should go and represent Konoha in the negotiations with Hanzo."

The Third Hokage's gaze shifted between Koharu and Homura.

Homura pointed to himself with a strained smile. "Hiruzen, I don't have the time. The logistics division is under immense pressure. The frontlines in the Land of Rivers are heating up, and the camp in the Land of Rain needs a steady supply of resources. And with the rising costs of goods, the logistics team is busier than ever. I can't leave right now."

Homura's argument wasn't unreasonable. He wasn't trying to get out of it; he was genuinely swamped. The weight of responsibilities on his shoulders was enough to drive anyone mad. Where would he find the time to leave for negotiations?

"How about Koharu goes then?" Homura suggested.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Koharu snapped back. "The logistics division is under pressure? What about the medical division? Do you think we're not facing the same struggles?"

"We've lost a lot of medical-nin, and both the village and the frontlines need medical support. We're also running low on medical supplies, and it's my responsibility to oversee their allocation. What am I supposed to do, send a clone to handle everything?"

Frustrated, Koharu stormed over to Homura, practically jabbing a finger in his face.

Homura chuckled awkwardly, raising his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. I give up. I can't argue with you."

Neither of them was available. So, what now? Was the Hokage himself supposed to handle this?

The Third Hokage chewed on his pipe, visibly irritated. He puffed a few more times, filling the Hokage's office with thick smoke.

Normally, Koharu would have told him to cut back on the smoking, but today she kept quiet. She knew the Third Hokage was in no mood to be lectured.

After a few more puffs, he seemed to calm down.

"Have the reinforcements of medical-nin arrived at the frontlines yet?" he asked after a long pause.

"They got there this morning," Koharu answered.

"Alright then."

The Third Hokage put down his pipe and turned to one of the Anbu. "Send a message to Tsunade. Tell her that she's in charge of the negotiations. She can choose whomever she needs. I'm counting on her to handle this."

With the reinforcements in place, Tsunade should have some breathing room.

That meant the negotiation responsibility could be passed on to her.

Jiraiya was stubborn. Once he decided not to do something, that was the end of it.

Orochimaru wasn't any better. If he didn't want to go, he wouldn't even entertain the conversation.

Tsunade, however, had a stronger sense of duty.

The Third Hokage had no choice but to push this onto her.

Meanwhile, in another part of the village...

"You two!!" Nawaki gritted his teeth, glaring at Takuya and Minato. "Do you have any idea how embarrassing this is for me? Why did you tie me up and hang me from a tree?"

The more Nawaki spoke, the more upset he became.

Though he didn't mention the part where he had lied to the Third Hokage, even the rest of the story was enough to make Takuya and Minato laugh until their stomachs hurt.

"Hahahaha…"

Takuya was rolling on the couch, while Minato had collapsed to the floor, clutching his sides.

"And you're still laughing!" Nawaki fumed.

"No, no…" Takuya said between fits of laughter, wiping the tears from his eyes. "You were the one who told us to drink with you! You got drunk and started acting crazy. What were we supposed to do? Tie you up and sit around while you went nuts?"

"But why did you have to hang me from a tree?" Nawaki shouted, his face turning red with embarrassment.

Just then, Mikoto Uchiha and Kushina Uzumaki walked in, having returned from shopping. The door wasn't closed, so they let themselves in.

"What's going on here?" Mikoto asked, noticing Takuya and Minato's loud laughter.

"These two idiots tied me to a tree last night, and I ended up getting caught by the Anbu! They dragged me to the Hokage's office, where I made a complete fool of myself," Nawaki complained.

He was mortified. The sheer humiliation of the whole situation made him want to disappear.

And that wasn't even the worst part. Nawaki had left out the fact that he'd called the Third Hokage a pervert and accused him of trying to spy on Tsunade while she bathed.

If Tsunade found out about that, Nawaki would be in serious trouble.

Just thinking about Tsunade's fists—the ones that could shatter bones with a single punch—filled Nawaki with dread.

"You were drinking?" Kushina asked, looking shocked.

"And acting crazy?" Mikoto added, equally stunned.

Takuya sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Alright, you three," Kushina scolded. "You're not even of age, and here you are drinking. Especially you, Nawaki! Not only were you drinking, but you dragged Takuya and Minato into it as well. When Tsunade gets back, I'm telling her everything!"

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