Saving Uchiha, Starts by Flipping The Table

 Unfortunately for them, Oonoki had no intention of helping. 

Forget standing up for them or offering protection—he didn't even want to see them anymore. 

Protection? 

Sure, as long as they didn't leave Iwagakure Village, their safety was guaranteed. 

But you can only stay in your assigned living areas. You're not allowed to wander around, or it could cause misunderstandings, which wouldn't be good for anyone. 

If you can't accept that, you're free to leave. 

As for any extra protection—sorry, but the village has limited resources. We can't help you. 

That was when the people from Kusagakure Village finally realized they had walked straight into a trap. 

And not just any trap—one so deep they couldn't climb out. 

Is it too late to regret coming here? 

Putting aside the unfortunate situation of Kusagakure's representatives, the events in Iwagakure Village had been recorded and sent to Konohagakure by messenger hawks. The scroll safely reached Tsunade's hands. 

*Knock, knock, knock!* 

Before Tsunade could even open the scroll, the sound of knocking interrupted her. 

She put the scroll down and called out: 

"Come in." 

The door opened, and the moment she saw who walked into the office, Tsunade frowned. 

Because every time this person came to the Hokage's office, it meant bad news. 

It was none other than the Third Hokage. 

Ever since retiring, the Third Hokage had been living a quiet life at home. He was the type who wouldn't visit unless something important was happening. 

And whenever he *did* show up, it was never for anything good. 

"Old man, what do you want this time?" Tsunade asked cautiously. 

He coughed a little, took the pipe from his mouth, and shut the office door before sitting down in a chair near her desk. 

"Go ahead, I'm listening." 

Hopefully, it's not something that'll give me a headache. 

If she had a choice, Tsunade would prefer if the Third Hokage only came by to chat when he was bored, just catching up on old times. 

Instead, he was always showing up when something serious was happening. 

Once or twice was fine, but it had happened so many times that Tsunade had developed a reflex. 

The moment she saw the Third Hokage step into her office, she knew it wasn't going to be good. 

Knowing that Tsunade didn't like beating around the bush, the Third Hokage got straight to the point. 

"I'm here to talk about some arrangements for the clan's ninja." 

The Sarutobi clan had already finished their punishment, and Tsunade had been fair enough not to push them further. But if they were hoping to get back their previous benefits and privileges, that was never going to happen. 

The days of getting endless subsidies and guaranteed high-ranking jobs were over. 

Tsunade wouldn't be handing out special treatment to the Sarutobi clan anymore. But the problem was, their numbers had grown too fast. They had more ninja than their clan could support. 

Without those high benefits and extra allowances, a lot of them were starting to struggle. 

The Third Hokage had been racking his brain trying to figure out a solution.

Even though the clans that sided with Sarutobi aren't doing too well right now either, they don't have that many ninjas. Unlike the Sarutobi clan, which has enough people to form an entire ninja army. 

That's kind of scary. 

So, is he here to ask for benefits for his clan's ninjas? 

After figuring out what the Third Hokage wanted, Tsunade didn't make any promises or give any response. 

"Old man, just say what you need. If it's something I can handle, I'll do my best to take care of it. But if it's beyond my ability, then all I can do is say sorry." 

There are too many ninjas in Konoha. It's impossible to give all the benefits to the Sarutobi clan. 

Even though they've been obedient. 

But there are just too many of them, and the village can't afford it. 

For a supposedly retired Hokage enjoying his old age, this wasn't the first time the Third had come to Tsunade to talk about his clan's survival. 

After coming so many times, even he was starting to feel embarrassed. 

But he had no choice. 

With such a huge clan, he was the one keeping everything together. He had to make sure it remained stable and kept growing. 

In the past, the Third Hokage's plan for the Sarutobi clan was simple—keep increasing their numbers. More people meant more ninjas. 

If someone had the potential, they would be trained hard to strengthen the clan. 

The result? 

The clan had almost no foundation. They had focused only on expanding their ninja force. 

All military, no economy. 

As long as nothing went wrong, it was fine. But once problems started, there was nothing to fall back on. 

"If I'm not mistaken, I heard there are some vacancies for teachers at the tutoring program..." 

Some of the previous teachers got greedy and started reaching for things they shouldn't have. 

So after a selection process, Yan fired a bunch of them. 

But before he could hire replacements, he left for Iwagakure. 

That's why the Third Hokage had his eyes on these well-paying positions. 

"...." 

Anytime you show up, it's never for anything good! 

Right in front of the Third Hokage, Tsunade rolled her eyes without hesitation, making it crystal clear how she felt. 

She wanted to let him know—your request is making things really difficult for me. 

"Old man, I remember you were against expanding the tutoring program. You said it would interfere with the ninja school's teaching and make things unfair for the kids." 

Back then, you were against it. Now that you see an opening, and a well-paying one at that, you come running to me, trying to squeeze your people in. 

"*Ahem,* I may have been a bit short-sighted before. I was worried that the tutoring program would affect the ninja school's education." 

Once words are spoken, they can't be taken back. Thinking about it now, it was pretty embarrassing. 

Even with the Third Hokage's thick skin, he couldn't help but feel his face heat up. 

Heh~~ 

Who would've thought the old man would lower his proud head for the sake of his clan's future? 

Tsunade really didn't know what to say.

"Old man, I'll be honest with you. The tutoring program has always been handled by Yan. While I do have the authority to recommend teachers, I can't make that decision myself." 

"Tsunade, I…" 

The Third Hokage grew anxious the moment he heard that. His clan was still waiting for an answer. 

If he put his face on the line for this and ended up with nothing, it would be humiliating. 

And more than just embarrassing, he'd have no way to explain it to the clan. 

Tsunade had no patience for the Third Hokage's rambling. She cut him off and got straight to the point: 

"I can't appoint someone directly. That would be disrespectful and show a lack of trust in Yan. This has to wait until Yan returns, but I can at least put forward a nomination. 

As long as the Sarutobi clan has a qualified candidate, I can guarantee they won't be treated unfairly. They'll have the same chance as everyone else in the selection process." 

"This is my final offer." 

Forcing someone into the position? 

Not happening. And it shouldn't. 

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