"That's impossible. Even if I agreed, there's no way my teacher would step down so quickly." Tsunade frowned.
Is the plan feasible?
It definitely was. As long as she became the Fourth Hokage and took control of the village's power, there'd be no room for people like Danzo to stir up trouble. At that point, the best they could do would be to cause minor annoyances.
"Of course, you can't achieve that in one step. But you can join their ranks," Takuya explained. "It's simple—once you enter the inner circle and hold power, you'll be able to limit their influence. That's the key."
To change the situation didn't mean she had to become the Fourth Hokage right away. With the way things were, the Third Hokage wasn't going to step down anytime soon. So instead, becoming part of the power structure would allow her to restrict their moves.
"You want me to take over the Medical Department?" Tsunade asked, thinking he was hinting at that.
"Medical Department? Hell no," Takuya almost snapped, holding back his frustration. Are you pretending to be clueless?
"No, what you should aim for are the Finance or Logistics Departments. As long as you control one of those, you'll have certain people eating out of your hand," he continued. "They wouldn't dare mess with you after that."
The Finance Department was unlikely to be handed over, as the Third Hokage would probably keep it under his control. But the Logistics Department? Tsunade had a real chance at that, especially if she was willing to push for it.
Why did Danzo run amok? Besides the Third Hokage's favoritism, it was because he had allies in charge of the Finance, Medical, and Logistics Departments. Whenever he needed funding or supplies, he had it.
But if Tsunade took control of either the Finance or Logistics Departments, she'd be able to put a stop to that. Danzo wouldn't be able to make a single move without hitting a wall.
And as for the Medical Department? Well, what use was that? It was great for the village in terms of training medics and making money, but if you wanted real leverage, Finance and Logistics were the way to go.
There's a saying: if you can't beat them, join them. You can mess with each other later. If Tsunade could gain control of just one of those departments, Danzo and the others would be in for a world of trouble.
"If you don't want to do that, then just forget it. Go to bed early and save yourself the headache of fighting over something you won't win."
Takuya had been thinking over this for days. Letting those old geezers have their way couldn't go on forever. You could kick up a fuss once or twice, but if you did it too often, people would stop caring. The best way forward was for someone to act as a counterbalance to them.
And Tsunade was the perfect candidate.
"Right now, it's me. But one day, it could be Nawaki," Takuya said, his tone serious. "Power can corrupt, and Nawaki's dream is to become Hokage, like your grandfather—the First Hokage—to protect the village. But what do you think will happen when he starts stepping on other people's toes?"
Would Danzo and the others hesitate to go after Nawaki? Takuya didn't think so. Tsunade was too high-profile to target directly, but there were still plenty of ways to make her life miserable with limitations and restrictions.
As for Nawaki… well, aside from being the First Hokage's direct descendant, what else was special about him?
Not much.
Once Nawaki started reaching for a bigger slice of the pie, someone was bound to get upset.
"So no matter what, I'm going to have to jump into this political whirlpool, huh?" Tsunade groaned inwardly. What a headache.
But did she really have any other choice? Kicking up a fuss wouldn't solve much, but staying quiet would only make her seem weak.
If she took on a position of power, that meant entering the very heart of the village's politics, something Tsunade had never wanted to do, even though it wasn't a particularly hard task for her.
"Oh, right." Takuya, who had already walked into the bedroom, stuck his head back out. "By the way, the guest room bed hasn't been made. If you want to sleep, you'll have to do it yourself. Otherwise, the couch is always an option. And one more thing: you've been wanting to reform the Medical Department and expand the training of medics, right? Well, if you don't get any real power, your proposals are going to be shot down. We could even bet on it if you'd like."
The Logistics Department was Koharu's domain. Trying to reform it would be like taking food out of someone else's mouth. There was no way they'd agree to it.
All the talk about war funding and resources was just an excuse.
Konoha wasn't so broke that it couldn't train a batch of medics, even in wartime.
The truth was, they just didn't want to give up control. Tsunade's reforms wouldn't happen until she was out of the picture and the pressure on the Medical Department became too much to handle.
But if Tsunade were in charge of the Logistics or Finance Departments, Koharu wouldn't dare oppose her. Otherwise, she'd get squeezed.
You want to oppose me? Fine. Then just wait until you need money or supplies. That's when you'll understand what real power feels like.
"...."
Great. Now she had yet another reason to jump into the political fray.
As for betting?
Forget it!
When had she ever won a bet against Takuya Yagami? Tsunade always lost. Whether it was cards or bets, she was on the losing side every time.
"Takuya, don't be so mean. I'm your guest, and you can't even make the bed for me?"
"Do it yourself. You're not my wife, so why should I? Dream on."
"..."
The Third Hokage had been bracing himself for Tsunade to barge into his office and raise hell. But to his surprise, she never showed up, not even late into the night.
Eventually, too exhausted to wait any longer, the Third Hokage dozed off at his desk. A few hours later, he woke up and resumed his work—just in time for Tsunade to arrive.
Instead of her usual storming in, she knocked on the door. Once given permission, she entered the office quietly. No yelling, no shouting. She simply stood there, silently watching him.
Had Tsunade come in guns blazing, yelling and kicking down doors, the Third Hokage would have known how to handle her. But this? This silence was unnerving. The Third Hokage couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Something was definitely off.
The two of them just stood there, staring at each other. Finally, unable to take it any longer, the Third Hokage cleared his throat and spoke.
"Tsunade, I understand why you hurried back to the village, and I didn't expect things to get this far. But rest assured, I won't approve Takuya Yagami's resignation."
"Konoha has never once approved a Jonin's retirement without a valid reason."
"Konoha has also never targeted one of its own prodigies from such a young age," Tsunade retorted. "Teacher, you've set a precedent. One that neither my grandfather nor my great-uncle would have ever dared to."
"Cough, cough!!"
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(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 290+ at patreon.com/ Emik01. Don't forget to give a power stone for many bonus chapters