A proposal was put forward, but Hiruzen repeatedly refused. How could Tsunade not know what her teacher was thinking?
Once the medical ninja training system was implemented, whether it was the ninja clans or civilian ninjas, they would all owe her a favor.
By then, her reputation and status would soar to unimaginable heights, possibly even surpassing Sakumo when he was alive.
If someone else had proposed this idea and taken credit for it, that would be one thing. But the key person executing this plan was none other than her, the strongest medical-nin.
Hiruzen had worked hard to erase the Senju clan. How could he allow something like this to happen?
He would have to invest money and manpower, only to watch Tsunade stand at the pinnacle of Konoha. That would be more painful for him than seeing Konoha destroyed.
Crack!
As Tsunade unleashed her chakra in full force, the surrounding walls crumbled under the pressure, and the floor beneath her feet collapsed in layers.
However, despite her outburst, Hiruzen remained seated in the main seat, neither angered nor speaking out to stop her. He simply looked at her with a blank expression.
Is this Tsunade in her prime? This scene, besides showcasing Tsunade's peak strength to Tanaka, also felt strangely familiar to him.
Right, on the day he was branded with the Caged Bird, Hiashi had shown the same demeanor.
Aside from not branding Tsunade with a seal, the way Hiruzen looked down on others, his attitude of unquestionable authority, was exactly like what Hiashi had displayed back then.
"You can oppose me all you want, but I will still do it."
"Konoha belongs to all of us, not just you. And certainly not just the Sarutobi clan."
Tsunade swept her gaze across the room before locking eyes coldly with Hiruzen, speaking each word firmly.
Konoha? No, it was the Konoha Council.
She decided she would no longer count on these parasites. She would use her own methods to make Konoha, the village her grandfather, great-uncle, and the entire Senju clan had poured their hearts into, truly better.
No money? Then she would find money.
No people? Then she would gather people.
Rather than complaining, she preferred to change Konoha with her own hands.
"Lady Tsunade, pardon me. This is my first time attending this meeting, and neither I nor my teacher have any knowledge of the medical ninja training system you proposed. It's difficult for us to vote without understanding it."
"Would you be willing to spend a few minutes explaining the proposal to us?"
Just as Tsunade was about to storm out, a voice suddenly stopped her in her tracks.
Tsunade paused, looking at Tanaka with a hint of surprise on her face.
She hadn't expected that in all of Konoha, the one to stand up for her at a crucial moment would be a child.
"Would that be alright, Lady Tsunade?"
Tanaka ignored the cold gaze Hiruzen cast upon him for speaking up.
"Apologies, I wasn't aware that besides the Hokage, others in this room were actually allowed to speak."
"All this time, I thought only the Hokage's words mattered, and everyone else's didn't."
Tsunade shot a glance at Hiruzen and sarcastically delivered her words straight to his face.
"That was indeed my oversight. The last time Tsunade proposed this plan was when Hiashi was still the clan leader. So, it's true that you wouldn't have known about it."
"Tsunade, please explain it to Hizashi and Tanaka."
Hiruzen's face twitched slightly—clearly, her sharp words had some effect.
But soon, he returned to his usual calm and collected demeanor, acting as though he was being magnanimous.
After all, even if the Hyūga clan voted in favor, it wouldn't matter.
In Konoha, the person with veto power had always been him.
"Currently, Konoha has 13,502 registered ninjas, whether civilian-born or from ninja clans."
"Under my training system, one qualified medical-nin would be responsible for about ten ninjas. Those with outstanding abilities could even handle fifteen or twenty."
"As long as their injuries don't involve their chakra pathways or result in instant death, 80% of injured ninjas could be saved with medical ninjutsu, and 65% could recover quickly enough to continue fighting."
"With just 800—no, even just 500 trained medical-nin, even if Konoha faced another situation like the First Great Ninja War, where all five great villages attacked us simultaneously, our advanced medical system alone would be enough to withstand their assaults."
Tsunade had made this argument in this room before.
But this time, her tone and the emotions in her words were more passionate than ever before.
Why?
Because she noticed that Tanaka was listening to her with complete seriousness.
That level of focus, that sense of immersion—as if he was breaking down every word she said, dissecting them piece by piece, and then carefully digesting their meaning.
"To put it simply, you give me money and people, and I'll teach them."
"As long as we have 800 medical-nin, and as long as Konoha doesn't get wiped out in one go, then in the end, Konoha will be the one standing victorious."
Tsunade knew that using too many technical terms would only confuse non-medical-nin, so she kept it simple and got straight to the point before delivering her conclusion.
"I understand now." Tanaka nodded slightly.
No wonder Hiruzen kept rejecting this proposal that would benefit Konoha.
For the so-called council to spend money and resources to help Tsunade establish her foundation for becoming Hokage? That was more painful for them than death.
After all, the so-called "Will of Fire" was something they preached to others, not something they actually followed themselves.
As for why all the clan leaders present voted against it? That was simply because it was the politically correct move in Konoha.
It was easy to vote in favor, but afterward, the Konoha Council would make sure to crush them completely.
Who among the ninja clans could withstand that?
A well-orchestrated attack by the ANBU and Root would be enough to erase clans like the Ino-Shika-Chō trio from existence in an instant.
"Lady Tsunade, please forgive my offense. Publicly speaking, the Hokage is Konoha's leader. Privately, he is your teacher."
"If not for some unavoidable circumstances, he has no reason—either officially or personally—to reject your proposal."
"Even if he were willing to support you, the fact that everyone else here has voted against it proves that the village simply cannot afford the burden of training medical-nin."
"Even if it is a proposal that benefits the village and its people."
As soon as Tanaka spoke, Tsunade's eyebrows twitched, and she raised a finger as if she was about to unleash her chakra again.
Meanwhile, Hiruzen smirked, feeling rather pleased with the boy's words. He even started looking at Tanaka with a bit more appreciation.
But in the next second, their expressions flipped completely.
"However, as my teacher just said—Konoha's rise and fall is our responsibility."
"Back then, the First Hokage joined hands with various ninja clans to establish Konoha, all so that children in the village could grow up away from war. Thanks to the First Hokage's efforts and the village's protection, the Hyūga clan learned that ninja could even have a childhood."
"Though the Hyūga clan is small, we understand the importance of gratitude and repaying kindness."
"I also believe that only by making Konoha stronger can the Hyūga clan grow stronger alongside it."
"So, on behalf of the Hyūga clan, I am donating half of our family's wealth as the initial funding for your medical ninja training program."
The moment those words left his mouth, the entire meeting room fell into stunned silence.
Hiruzen, the Third Hokage.
Minato, the newly appointed ANBU commander.
All the clan leaders present.
At that moment, every single one of them was utterly dumbfounded by Tanaka's shocking statement.
"Y-You're giving me money? And you're donating half of the Hyūga clan's wealth... to me?"
"Is that what you're saying?"
Tsunade stared blankly at Tanaka, her arms—which had been crossed over the largest twin peaks in the ninja world—dropping down unconsciously in shock.
"Yes. That's exactly what I'm proposing." Tanaka met Tsunade's gaze without the slightest hesitation and nodded.
"..."
Tsunade was speechless.