Tsunade looked at the window. It was a twenty-foot drop to the bushes below. She looked at Shizune, whose face was turning a shade of purple usually reserved for poisonous gases.

Tsunade knew Madara was unbeatable. So she conserved her strength, let the other Kage take the fall, and positioned herself as the last surviving senior leader post-war. She became the interim ruler of the Allied Shinobi Forces’ medical division — a promotion from failure.

Tsunade’s eyes widened in panic. She made a slicing motion across her throat. "Naruto! Not now! We are in a council meeting regarding... fiscal responsibility!"

Where did the money go? Tsunade never produced a public ledger. Some leaked (fan) theories suggest she funneled ryo into underground betting pools on Jiraiya’s spying missions or used village funds to chase her own addiction. A Hokage who can’t control her own wallet shouldn’t control a village’s defense budget.