Malphegor
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HGBW: Ch. 63
🕑 Added 2025-03-07 03:05:21 +0000 UTC"I know that this little money used to train medical-nin is just a drop in the bucket—it can't even solve the urgent crisis—but every grand building starts from the ground up."
"Our village was also built brick by brick by the First Hokage with his life's effort, which is why we have the strongest ninja village today."
"800 ninjas—The Hyūga clan doesn't have that many, but 100 is possible."
"If you don't mind the Hyūga ninjas being crude and ignorant, the Hyūga clan is willing to entrust 100 clansmen to you. Let them learn medical ninjutsu from you and contribute to the village's foundation."
As if he felt his words weren't shocking enough for Tsunade, Tanaka continued after handing over the money.
"..."
This overwhelming generosity left her completely stunned.
What did half of the Hyūga clan's wealth mean? As the granddaughter of the First Hokage, she knew all too well.
Looking at the entire Konoha, the wealthiest individual was undoubtedly the Sarutobi clan, who had been draining the village for over a decade.
As for the second wealthiest, there was some debate, but it was either the Uchiha or the Hyūga clan.
But could this boy in front of her truly represent the entire Hyūga clan?
"Lady Tsunade, please rest assured."
"Tanaka's will is the Hyūga clan's will. His stance is the Hyūga clan's stance. His decision is the Hyūga clan's decision."
Hizashi, possessing the Byakugan, had impeccable vision. Just by looking at Tsunade's expression, he could tell what she was thinking.
He still couldn't fully comprehend Tanaka's grand gesture. But he could see what was at stake. If Tsunade nodded, she would from that moment essentially associate herself with the Hyūga clan.
This is bad!
Hiruzen snapped out of his shock. He realized that behind what seemed to be a reckless act of spending the Hyūga clan's fortune, an utterly terrifying scheme was unfolding.
The Senju princess proposed a medical system to benefit Konoha.
The Hokage led the opposition.
All the ninja clans voted against it.
The Hyūga heir emptied his clan's wealth and handed money over to her.
Once this news spread throughout the village, it would undoubtedly cause an uproar.
Tsunade and the Hyūga clan would gain the gratitude of every ninja in the village, essentially earning a golden reputation. Meanwhile, the Konoha Council and the major ninja clans—while not necessarily becoming infamous—would definitely suffer a hit to their reputation.
And that wasn't even the worst part.
Tanaka might appear to be throwing away his money and resources, but wasn't he actually using this opportunity to spend all that wealth on his own clan's ninjas while also securing Tsunade's expertise for free?
By having her train Hyūga clan members in medical ninjutsu, he was essentially cultivating batch after batch of medical-nin.
And in the end, these trained ninjas—would they be loyal to the Hokage or to the Hyūga clan?
Would the medical corps be called Konoha Hospital or Hyūga Hospital?
The more Hiruzen thought about it, the more terrifying the implications became.
"So, Tanaka has also inherited the Will of Fire as a true Konoha ninja."
At that moment, Minato sighed sincerely, sending chills down Hiruzen's spine.
Minato was one of his most trusted subordinates.
And now, even he was beginning to acknowledge Tanaka.
This was an incredibly dangerous sign.
"Brat, the so-called 'Legendary Sucker.' You must've heard that title before, right?"
Tsunade glanced at Hizashi before locking her gaze onto Tanaka.
This was like she had casually drafted a PowerPoint presentation and spoken a few words—only for the village's second-richest clan to suddenly throw half their fortune at her.
If the First—no, if the Second Hokage were still around,
Forget Tanaka offering half the Hyūga clan's fortune to her—even if he handed over the entire Hyūga clan, along with the Uchiha for good measure, she wouldn't have batted an eye.
After all, the amount of money she had lost in gambling over the years could probably buy out the entire Ino-Shika-Chō trio's clans.
But times had changed.
The First Hokage was dead.
The Second Hokage was dead.
Uzumaki Mito was dead.
Even the Senju surname had completely vanished from Konoha.
Having witnessed the rise and fall of the ninja world and seen the fickleness of human nature, Tsunade looked back—only to realize that there was no one left by her side.
As for her former comrades-in-arms... Jiraiya would only try to smooth things over, and Orochimaru chose to stay neutral.
Even the man she once respected as a mentor, Hiruzen, had become someone she despised—the true culprit behind the fall of the Senju clan.
Even the medical ninja training system she had painstakingly devised, a proposal that could have greatly benefited Konoha, was repeatedly vetoed by him under the excuse of "insufficient funding."
And then, at that moment, she wouldn't call it the darkest time of her life, but it was definitely when she felt the most empty, weak, and helpless.
At that time, Tanaka descended like a divine angel, bringing with him half of the Hyūga clan's fortune—fully supporting her cause.
It was like a warm light piercing through the abyss of eternal darkness.
"I've heard of it. That's your nickname in the gambling world, Lady Tsunade."
Tanaka nodded slightly.
"If you know, then you still dare to throw half the Hyūga clan's wealth at me?"
"Aren't you afraid that once my gambling addiction kicks in, you'll end up handing over the entire Hyūga fortune to the casinos?"
Tsunade stepped forward.
Standing in front of Tanaka, she gazed at him with piercing eyes.
"I'm not afraid."
Tanaka shook his head.
"Why?"
"Because you are Lady Tsunade. In this entire shinobi world, there is no one who loves Konoha more than you do."
Meeting her gaze, Tanaka spoke each word with firm conviction.
That kid really has a way with words that can conquer any woman. Even I feel like I've been 'talked into submission.'
"If I weren't more than twelve years older than you... If you had been born a few years earlier, or if I had been born a few years later... Maybe I really would have waited for you to grow up."
Tsunade's eyes trembled slightly, and a faint mist seemed to pass through them.
"Anyway, I'm already someone without even a surname now. Even if I were to marry into another family, there's nothing holding me back."
"Hyūga Tsunade… Hmm, that name doesn't sound too bad."
"What do you think… Hiruzen-sensei?"
A playful smile curved at her lips as she gently lifted Tanaka's chin. The sorrow in her expression from earlier was swept away, and in its place was the intoxicating charm of the strongest kunoichi in the ninja world.
"Tsunade, you—!"
Hearing her actually utter the words "Hyūga Tsunade," even Hiruzen—known for his deep cunning and always keeping his emotions in check—found his eyelid twitching wildly. For the first time in a formal meeting, in front of so many people, he lost his composure.
Tsunade and Tanaka—combined with the entire Hyūga clan…
What an absolutely terrifying combination.
"Hahaha! Tsunade, you're joking again! Even if you wanted to be a cougar, you still have to see if he is willing."
"He is, after all, the Hyūga clan's heir!"
Jiraiya immediately jumped in upon hearing the name "Hyūga Tsunade." Seeing how close she was to Tanaka, he quickly let out a forced laugh, desperately trying to change the subject.
"Who are you calling a cougar?!"
A vein popped on Tsunade's forehead. She was just about to explode, but the next words that came from Tanaka made her pause for a moment—then smile with genuine delight.
