"Does he really not worry at all that I might just take all his money and hand it over to the casino?"
Tsunade glanced at the Hyūga ninjas in front of her, before shifting her gaze to the mountain of cash-filled boxes stacked nearby.
She hadn't expected Tanaka to be this efficient.
She had only just agreed to receive funding and personnel for her medical project, gone to sleep for a bit, and by the time she woke up, both the money and the people had already arrived.
And it wasn't installment payments—everything was paid in full.
Both the money and the personnel were delivered all at once.
"As per Tanaka's instructions,"
"He is only responsible for providing you with funds and people. As for how you choose to use them, he has no intention of interfering."
"Oh, and due to the time constraints, I was only able to bring one-tenth of the clan's cash reserves. If you feel it's still not enough, just let me know, and I will have the clan send word."
"Before coming here, I already discussed it with Fugaku and Setsuna. As long as we use the Hyūga clan's properties in Konoha as collateral, they are willing to provide us with loans."
For the sake of the Hyūga clan's dream of attaining the Hokage seat, Hizashi wasn't just gambling with himself—he was betting the entire Hyūga clan as well.
After all, the branch house's ability to take control of the clan and reach their current status was entirely thanks to Tanaka guiding them step by step.
If they won this gamble, the Hokage dream would come true, and Tsunade would bear the Hyūga surname.
If they lost? Well, no real harm done—it was only the main house's assets at stake. They still had a backup.
Besides, as long as Tanaka was still around, the Hyūga clan would never face decline.
A single Hanzō had nearly elevated Ame to the level of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
That was the weight of a ninja standing at the Kage-level.
Similarly, if Sakumo hadn't chosen to take his own life, regardless of whether he became the Fourth Hokage or not, he could have single-handedly elevated the Hatake clan into a legitimate ninja family.
"Hiss—!"
Tsunade took a small breath, the corners of her lips slightly curling.
She had to admit, she was a little touched.
Just like how Howard Hughes wasn't obsessed with money but needed it to feel moved, it took a considerable amount of wealth to even begin stirring Tsunade's emotions.
Compared to Hughes, moving Tsunade was undoubtedly several times harder.
Because Tsunade was a princess of the Senju clan, a princess of the Land of Fire.
She loved gambling, which meant she liked money, but at the same time, if she wanted it, she would never be short of gambling funds.
So even if Hizashi had emptied half of the Hyūga clan's wealth and handed it to her, her heart would merely ripple like a pebble thrown into a lake—waves would form, but they would quickly settle.
Still, before those waves could calm completely, she would inevitably make some unusual decisions.
Like at this moment—her interest in the name "Tanaka" had increased once again.
"Where is that brat?"
Tsunade scanned the surroundings, searching through the numerous pairs of Byakugan before her. No, wait—counting Hizashi's, that would be 101 pairs of Byakugan.
Yet, she couldn't find Tanaka's.
She was a little surprised.
Half of the Hyūga clan's wealth was now in her hands, yet he wasn't even here?
"Tanaka?"
"He had other matters to attend to, so he didn't come."
"What matters?"
Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Wait—That brat isn't… training the Eight Gates, is he?"
Her expression suddenly became serious.
"Before leaving, I did see him holding a scroll," Hizashi recalled before replying.
"That fool! He's throwing his life away!"
"I already told him—if he wants to train in the Eight Gates, I must be there to supervise!"
Tsunade suddenly jumped up from her cushion, visibly agitated.
"Perhaps he thought it would be troublesome to ask for your help, Lady Tsunade," Hizashi said with a smile, clearly pleased by her reaction.
There was no way he could win a fight against Tsunade, but when it came to matters of emotions and relationships, he definitely understood them better than she did.
After all, he was a married man.
"I don't mind the trouble."
"And how could you not keep him in check?"
"He is young and reckless—that's one thing. But as his teacher, are you also going to act irresponsibly?"
Tsunade, both anxious and annoyed, scolded Hizashi without holding back.
"Lady Tsunade, you should know by now."
"In the Hyūga clan, the one who calls the shots has never been me, but Tanaka."
"So, how could I possibly control him?"
Hizashi spread his hands, looking helpless.
"That… actually makes sense."
Tsunade thought about it and realized he was right.
In other ninja clans, the clan leader had full authority, and there was no such thing as a clan heir.
But the Hyūga clan was different.
Not only did they have an heir, but the real decision-maker was that heir as well.
"Besides…"
Hizashi hesitated, his tone faltering.
"If you have something to say, hurry up. I still have to go and deal with that brat!"
Tsunade saw Hizashi hesitating like someone struggling with constipation and immediately lost patience.
"Apologies, Lady Tsunade."
"This is just my personal speculation."
"From what I know about him, he doesn't like troubling others. At the same time, he wouldn't want you to feel like he's using your kindness as leverage."
Konoha's number one wingman, no—Hyūga's number one wingman, Hizashi, was giving it his all.
"I don't care what he thinks." Tsunade snorted coldly but didn't forget the important matter at hand.
She created a shadow clone to stay at the Senju compound as an instructor, teaching 100 Hyūga ninjas the art of medical ninjutsu. Meanwhile, her real body vanished in an instant using the Body Flicker Technique.
As your teacher, I've done all I can.
Whether the Hyūga clan will have its own Hokage or not—it all depends on you now.
Watching Tsunade rush off at full speed, Hizashi silently thought to himself.
---
Whoosh!
With Tsunade's speed, even if she were to travel at a normal pace, she could reach the Hyūga compound in under ten minutes. But now that she was using the Body Flicker, it took her less than five minutes to go from the Senju estate's entrance to the Hyūga clan's main gates.
"Identify your—"
The Hyūga guards at the entrance barely caught sight of a shadow rushing toward them. They instinctively took a defensive stance and were just about to challenge the approaching figure when they suddenly remembered Hizashi's earlier instructions.
If you encounter Lady Tsunade—no, if you see someone moving so fast that you can't even make out their figure, just let them through.
Recalling Hizashi's repeated warnings, the Hyūga guards were just about to bow in greeting. But before they could even utter something, the figure had already flashed past them, moving at an astonishing speed toward Tanaka's residence.
"You really have the guts to train in the Eight Gates!"
As soon as Tsunade burst into the room, she saw Tanaka sitting cross-legged in the training hall, holding a scroll in his left hand while forming hand seals with his right.
She recognized it at a glance—it was the very same scroll Hiruzen had given Tanaka.
Which meant, he had been secretly training in the Eight Gates behind her back.