"Right now, it's me. But one day, it could be Nawaki,"
Xin 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? Xin 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." Xin, 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 Usagi Xin? Tsunade always lost. Whether it was cards or bets, she was on the losing side every time.