Naruto: Wooing Tsunade from Day One!

"Ugh..."

Fugaku patted the Sarutobi Clan ninja on the shoulder. As the man turned to face him, his eyes locked onto a pair of scarlet Sharingan. The Three Tomoe had transformed into a boomerang-like shape.

The ninja's mind went blank, his will slipping from his grasp.

"What did you just do?" Fugaku asked, his eyes reverting to normal.

"Nothing. I just burned all the money," the Sarutobi Clan ninja said in a flat tone.

His words left the villagers stunned, their mouths agape in shock.

"What are you talking about?"

"Have you lost your mind?" Sensing something amiss, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately stepped forward to pull the clan member back.

"What money?" Fugaku raised his hand, blocking Hiruzen's path. In an instant, the Sarutobi Clan ninja spoke again, his expression still blank.

"It's the compensation money we moved back here," he said.

Hiruzen's face darkened as he realized what had happened.

"They burned the compensation money!"

"No wonder we couldn't find it."

"Lord Hokage really embezzled the compensation money," murmured the villagers.

...

The villagers had already begun whispering among themselves, but none dared to directly confront Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"Explain yourself," Hiruzen growled, his voice low and commanding. The sharp tone jolted the Sarutobi clan ninja back to reality.

"What's wrong? I suddenly lost consciousness," the ninja murmured, confused.

Hiruzen ignored him, focusing on the crowd.

"Everyone, don't listen to his nonsense. He was under the control of Genjutsu. None of that is true," Hiruzen declared. "You all saw it yourselves—there's no compensation money in the Sarutobi Clan."

His words, however, carried little weight. The villagers' expressions reflected their growing mistrust, and their faith in the Hokage visibly wavered.

"Lord Hokage, I admit I used Genjutsu to control him," Fugaku said calmly. "But everything he said was the truth. If you don't believe me, come here and smell for yourselves. Doesn't he smell burnt?"

Fugaku had already confirmed the scent of smoke on the man, which was why he had singled him out. It saved time and avoided the need to control multiple people to expose the truth.

"Get lost," Hiruzen barked, dismissing his clan members as the villagers began to press closer.

Fugaku, wearing a composed smile, made no move to stop them.

Justice is in the hearts of the people. Hiruzen's actions had already spoken louder than words.

"Lord Hokage, did you really take the condolence money?" one villager asked, his voice trembling.

"How could you do such a thing?"

"That was money meant to save lives!"

"Are you worthy of being Hokage after this?"

...

The truth of the matter was clear, leaving Hiruzen Sarutobi speechless. He opened his mouth to respond but found no words as the villagers' accusations bore down on him.

"Lord Hokage, please explain to the villagers," Fugaku said politely, a faint smile on his face. "I'll be going now."

Fugaku turned and walked away, feeling an indescribable sense of relief.

Hiruzen stood silently, his gaze fixed on Fugaku's retreating figure, a murderous glare flickering in his eyes. But after a moment, he forced himself to hold back.

Killing Fugaku would solve nothing.

He had lost this round.

As Fugaku disappeared, the villagers surrounded Hiruzen.

"I will give you an explanation for this matter," he said, trying to maintain his composure. "I will make sure you are all satisfied. Why don't you go home for now?"

His tone was strained, and though he tried to calm the crowd, he didn't yet know what to do next.

"What explanation?"

"How will you make us happy?"

Some of the angrier villagers began to push and shove him, disregarding his status as Hokage.

"Who kicked me? Don't blame me if you do it again!" Hiruzen shouted, but his voice was drowned out by the villagers' curses.

The Sarutobi Clan ninjas, unwilling to escalate the situation, struggled to make their way through the crowd to pull Hiruzen out. By the time they succeeded, his Hokage robe was covered in footprints, and his face bore bruises. He looked utterly humiliated.

"Get them all out," Hiruzen ordered sharply.

The ninjas swiftly drove the villagers out of the Sarutobi Clan's grounds. Ordinary citizens stood no chance against trained shinobi. Even so, the villagers continued cursing outside for a long time before finally dispersing.

This matter was far from over. The villagers awaited an explanation, and it was becoming increasingly unrealistic for Hiruzen to continue holding the title of Hokage.

The root of his authority had been cut.

"Well done, Hatake Kawakaze. Hahaha—" Hiruzen's laughter echoed bitterly through the courtyard.

The clan members, watching his hunched back as he walked away, dared not approach to console him.

...

Fugaku had left the Sarutobi Clan's territory and was accompanied by several Uchiha clan members. These individuals were the ones who had been impersonating villagers from different streets to stir the crowd.

"Clan Head, this is considered done, right?" one of the clan members asked cautiously, noting Fugaku's rare good mood. In the past, Fugaku's stern demeanor had made him intimidating, but today seemed different.

"Well, almost," Fugaku replied. "Our Uchiha Clan is going to turn over a new leaf."

He couldn't help but relish the memory of Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression earlier—a mix of anger and humiliation. The image filled him with a dark satisfaction.

You old fool targeted me. Now you're happy, aren't you?

"Clan Head, shall we go back?" another clan member asked, noticing that the path they were taking didn't seem to lead back to the village center.

"You guys go back. I'm heading to the Hatake Clan," Fugaku said, quickening his pace as he walked off alone.

When he arrived at the Hatake Clan, Fugaku didn't see Kawakaze immediately. Instead, the butler warmly received him. He soon learned from Sakumo that Kawakaze hadn't woken up yet.

Seated in a quiet room, Fugaku sipped tea, finding it unusually sweet today. The peace gave him time to reflect on the events earlier, savoring the victory over the Hokage.

After some time, Kawakaze appeared, walking in with Tsunade.

"Fugaku, I've kept you waiting," Kawakaze said. "I overslept."

He sat down opposite Fugaku with Tsunade at his side.

"It's fine, I haven't been here long either," Fugaku replied. "The business has been taken care of."

Though he appeared calm, his mind lingered on the events of the day, replaying the moments when he had overturned years of being targeted and bullied.

"Alas, he would stoop to this," Tsunade sighed, her disappointment in Hiruzen now fully cemented.

She couldn't deny the contributions her Sensei had made to the village, but it was impossible to weigh whether the good outweighed the bad.

"Leave the rest to me," Kawakaze said. "You wait to become Hokage," he told Tsunade, then turned to Fugaku. "You wait to change territories."

"I'll be waiting to hear good news from you," Fugaku said with a smile, his earlier urgency now gone.

Tsunade, however, remained downcast, her mood somber.

"It's his problem, not yours," Kawakaze said, taking her hand gently. "You'll definitely do better than him in the future."

"Lady Tsunade, he got what he deserved," Fugaku added, following Kawakaze's lead. Hiruzen might have been Tsunade's Sensei, but even that couldn't excuse his actions.

"I understand," Tsunade said softly, shaking Kawakaze's hand in return. Slowly, her spirits began to lift.

The three talked for a while longer before Fugaku left after having lunch.

Meanwhile, news of Hiruzen Sarutobi's embezzlement of the funeral benefits had spread across Konoha, leaving his reputation in shambles.

"The winds of change are blowing through Konoha," sighed the clan heads across the village.

For them, the embezzlement scandal didn't have much practical impact—it wasn't their livelihood at stake. Still, the act was undeniably disgraceful.

Now, the pressing question wasn't about Hiruzen's misdeeds but who would take his place as Hokage.