But in the very next second, Tsunade instantly came to her senses. It was indeed a once-and-for-all solution, if she became the Hokage, all the problems would naturally be resolved.
However, she had never considered this possibility before. Besides, the Third Hokage was still in his prime, renowned as a powerful ninja, and over the years, he hadn't shown any signs of incompetence.
To replace him now?
"You don't have to agree right away, you can even reject it outright, it's okay," Shin said with a comforting smile. "Even if you only make the decision after I've left, I'll still come back to help you. Besides, I have a feeling that even if it's not because of me, the harsh reality may eventually push you to consider becoming Hokage."
"The harsh reality may push me to consider becoming Hokage, even if it's not because of you?" Hearing Shin speak so confidently, Tsunade asked, "Do you know something?"
"I can't give you any solid intel or evidence right now, so, are you sure you want to hear it?" Shin asked seriously.
"I want to hear it!" Tsunade quickly responded, wanting to seize any chance to make Shin stay. If there really were a valid and proper reason, maybe she could truly make a decision.
"Alright." With his mind made up, Shin began, "In the five years I spent in the Pharmaceuticals Department, I didn't just work on medicine, I also uncovered some shady dealings."
"What kind of shady dealings?" Tsunade frowned and asked quickly.
"Hahaha!" Shin suddenly laughed at the thought. "Over the past five years, I developed a number of new drugs, provided accurate formulas, and improved the production methods of many medicines and compounds."
"But strangely enough, the Pharmaceuticals Department has reported increasing rates of medicinal ingredient losses due to 'failed production' every year. And at least 20% of the new drugs I developed in those five years have never shown up in Konoha. Although none of them were strategic medicines, when you put these two things together, you should be able to figure out what's going on, right?"
"Koharu is abusing her power for personal gain?" Tsunade clenched her fists and came to her own conclusion.
Shin nodded and added, "In recent years, she has been frequently visiting the Logistics Department more often than going home, even. And the result? Even though the borders have been stable and the number of frontline personnel has decreased, the number of supply shipments leaving the village has increased compared to the past."
"My god!" Tsunade felt a chill run down her spine.
Two of the Konoha Council members were secretly conspiring, using the village's resources for their own personal gain. What kind of madness was this?
"How did you find out?" she asked curiously. It wasn't that she doubted him, she just wanted to understand more details.
"As for Koharu, it's hard not to know. No one understands the success rate of the formulas and compounds I've refined better than I do. That's also the main reason she wants me dead, it's not just because she dislikes me."
"As for Homura," Shin smiled, "Back when I was planning my escape, I often 'coincidentally' watched the village gates. And the result? I observed every person, every cart, every batch of supplies going in and out of the village, for two whole years. That's how I got precise data. I bet Homura himself doesn't even realize this matter has already been noticed."
"After all, who would be bored enough to watch the village gate every day, keeping track of every cart going in and out, for two whole years, and actually enjoy doing it? You have to understand, even the guards at Konoha's gate rotate shifts regularly, so even they didn't notice anything unusual."
"Then... doesn't Hiruzen-sensei know?" Tsunade asked her question.
"Of course he knows," Shin couldn't help but laugh. "Koharu's appetite is just too big. I kept improving the formulas on my side, and she kept increasing the losses on hers. He isn't stupid."
"He didn't do anything?" Tsunade asked in disbelief.
"He probably did do something," Shin continued. "There were several times when Koharu blew up at me, and once, she let something slip. Her exact words were: It's bad enough that Hiruzen gives me attitude, but you, you want to make trouble for me too?"
"I was puzzled at the time. Can you imagine Hiruzen giving her attitude? So I boldly speculated that he did find out about her embezzlement and was very displeased, he must have scolded her. But the biggest flaw in his character is that he's overly protective of his own people. He does everything cleanly and carefully, unwilling to let even a speck of dirt tarnish the name of the Hokage."
"The reason I call it a flaw and not a virtue is because fame and reputation blind people. Whether it's for fame, profit, or power, it all boils down to desire. And once you get immersed in it, a person's desire can swell out of control. Hiruzen's obsession with keeping his reputation spotless slowly became a fixation. If you work under that pressure long enough, only two outcomes are possible."
"First, he might abandon all personal ties for the sake of his name, put duty above everything. If that were the case, I'd actually admire him. At least then, he'd be truly devoted to the village. But clearly, he is not that kind of person."
"The second outcome is that he starts caring too much about what everyone around him thinks, walking on eggshells, constantly anxious. You know what that leads to? It leads to him becoming increasingly indecisive, to the point where everyone around him can influence his decisions."
"Especially those old comrades who know him well, they'll find ways to manipulate him. Because the moment someone shows disappointment in him, he feels like the sky is falling. So he unconsciously tries to please everyone, trying to make them all happy, especially when those three team up."
"Can you imagine it? A Hokage, trying to please everyone around him when making decisions, not out of balance or political strategy, but simply out of fear. Fear that they'll think he's not fit to be Hokage. Ridiculous, isn't it? And because of that, he actually turned a blind eye to corruption in the upper ranks."
"That was two years ago. But Koharu hasn't changed a bit since then, in fact, she's gotten worse. And there's still been no punishment. For a crime this serious, any other Kage in any other village would never let it slide. But Hiruzen just let it go, closed one eye and pretended he didn't see it."
"So I suspect he not only tolerated it, he eventually got dragged in too. The evidence? The Sarutobi clan suddenly came into wealth, sparing no cost to train their ninjas. You wouldn't know this, but although I can't stand Koharu, sometimes I find her kind of amusing. One of her quirks is that she can't keep her mouth shut."
"Sometimes I just have to prod her a little, don't even need to ask, and she'll spill all kinds of secrets. Haha, it's really quite entertaining. And that's one of the main reasons she has to see me dead. She knows she's said a lot of things she shouldn't have. As long as I'm alive, those things might come to light one day."