Land of Fire.
The fifth morning.
The caravan rolled slowly into the streets of Kikyo Town.
“Brother Chiba,” Yamada said.
“Are you sure you won’t think about a long-term arrangement?”
He fished two more large-denomination bills from his money pouch.
He wanted to bind this dependable Chunin to his caravan for good.
“Sorry.” Chiba took the extra pay, his tone flat as he turned the offer down.
“I still have missions back in the Village.”
After parting from the caravan, Chiba didn’t head back to Konoha.
Instead, he slipped into a dark, damp alley.
Once he’d made sure no ANBU were on his tail, he swiftly formed hand seals, and his chakra stirred.
Poof!
A cloud of white smoke burst in the alley.
As it thinned, a wandering samurai in a grey cloth tunic stood there.
To make the disguise convincing, Chiba even gave himself a shallow fake scar on his left cheek.
Then he set off straight for Tanzaku Town.
A few hours later, the bustling, noisy sprawl of Tanzaku Town came into view.
Shops lined both sides of the wide streets.
Signs for taverns, izakayas, and underground casinos flickered without pause.
The air was thick with cheap makeup, harsh liquor, and the sweat of gamblers.
This was a place where all kinds of people washed together.
Chiba drifted along the edge of the street, seeming to glance idly at the touts hustling for customers.
He didn’t go to the information brokers in the back alleys.
Paying for information would certainly be faster, but Chiba had no wish to leave behind a fatal thread like “someone’s been asking about Tsunade.”
The safest method was the dumbest one: comb through every casino, one by one.
There were dozens of them across Tanzaku Town, large and small.
Chiba was in no hurry at all.
He simply wandered from one to the next in the guise of a wandering samurai.
By afternoon, he stepped into a lavish underground casino called the Golden Toad.
The moment he lifted the heavy door curtain, a thick wall of smoke hit his face.
Through the deafening roar of voices, the wild laughter and cursing of gamblers ran together.
Just then, a sharp, clear woman’s voice cut through the din.
“Lady Tsunade!
We really can’t bet any more!
We don’t even have money for tonight’s lodging!”
He turned toward the sound, looking to the center of the casino.
The oversized gambling table was ringed by gamblers with bloodshot eyes.
A blonde woman held the best seat.
She wore a green robe with the character for “Gamble” printed across the back.
She slapped her hand on the table and shoved the great pile of chips in front of her onto the space marked “Big.”
Beside the blonde woman stood a dark-haired young girl cradling a pink piglet.
The two of them were none other than Tsunade and Shizune.
Found her at last.
Chiba stopped, a glint of brilliance crossing his eyes.
But he didn’t step over to strike up a conversation right away.
The casino was a mixed crowd, spies everywhere—there was no guarantee a Konoha agent wasn’t among them.
Instead, Chiba went to the exchange counter and traded every last bit of money he had for chips.
Then, playing the part of an ordinary gambler, he shouldered his way through the crowd and took the empty seat beside Tsunade.
The dealer was shaking the dice cup furiously.
The three dice rattled and knocked together.
Clack!
The cup came down hard on the solid wooden table.
“Place your bets!” the dealer bellowed.
“Big!
It’s Big for sure!
My whole day’s luck is riding on this one hand!” Tsunade bit down on her red lips, eyes locked on the dice cup that held her fate.
She braced both hands on the table, her chest heaving.
Chiba studied her from the corner of his eye.
The First Hokage’s granddaughter was famous across the ninja world for one uncanny knack—always losing at the gambling table.
The next moment, Chiba didn’t hesitate for an instant.
He pushed every chip he’d just exchanged onto “Small.”
At that, Tsunade frowned at once.
She shot a sidelong glare at the man who’d appeared out of nowhere.
Where did this bastard crawl out of?
How dare he bet against me!
“Open!” The dealer lifted the cup.
“One, two, three—six points, Small!”
The whole room erupted.
The gamblers who’d bet Small cheered themselves hoarse.
Tsunade, though, clutched her head and let out an anguished wail.
Even Tonton, the pet pig in Shizune’s arms, gave a despairing little “oink.”
The chips in front of Chiba doubled on the spot.
The game went on.
The dealer took up the cup again and shook it with a flourish.
Tsunade refused to believe her luck was this bad.
She whipped her head around to Shizune.
“Bring out the emergency funds!”
“Lady Tsunade, that’s tomorrow’s food money!” Shizune shook her head desperately, tears nearly spilling over.
“Enough nonsense!
We’ll turn it all around this round!” Tsunade snatched the money bag from Shizune’s arms and quickly traded it for chips.
“This time—Small!” She slammed every chip onto “Small.”
Chiba did the opposite.
He pushed all his chips onto “Big.”
Tsunade’s head snapped around, her glare venomous.
This kid was doing it on purpose—how dare he provoke her so openly!
“Open!” The dealer’s voice rang out again.
“Four, five, six—fifteen points, Big!”
His words landed like a heavy hammer, straight onto Tsunade’s heart.
Whoosh—the whole room burst into an uproar.
Tsunade stood petrified, her mind gone blank.
The chips before Chiba doubled again, already stacked into a small mountain.
“Again!” Tsunade’s gambler’s blood was thoroughly inflamed.
She slammed the table and roared, asking the casino owner outright for a loan at ruinous interest.
The owner was only too glad to lend to this fat sheep, and at once brought over a tray of black chips edged in gold.
Third round.
Tsunade stared Chiba down.
“I’m on Big!” Chiba’s face didn’t change as he pushed all his chips onto “Small.” “Open!
Two, three, four—nine points, Small!”
Fourth round.
Tsunade gritted her teeth and bet Small.
Chiba slapped his chips straight onto “Big.” “Open!
Three, five, six—fourteen points, Big!”
Fifth round…
sixth round…
For a whole afternoon, a bizarre tug-of-war played out in the Golden Toad.
Whenever Tsunade bet Big, Chiba bet Small.
Whenever Tsunade bet Small, Chiba went all-in on Big.
And the outcome, without a single exception: Chiba raked in a fortune, Tsunade lost everything.
“Ten million ryo…” Staring at the empty table before her, then at the money boxes stuffed full beside Chiba, Tsunade was shaking uncontrollably.
The high-interest loans she’d taken had piled up into a terrifying, astronomical sum.
Shizune had long since crumpled to the floor.
In her arms, Tonton was crying hard enough to faint.
“Lady Tsunade…” “We’re completely finished…”
Tsunade shot to her feet.
She kicked the solid wooden chair out from under her and fixed Chiba with a glare fierce enough to swallow him whole.
Just as Chiba was quietly bracing himself—
“The heat’s on—let’s scram!” Tsunade grabbed Shizune off the floor and bolted for the casino’s back door.
The way she ran made it plain she was an old hand at this!
“Stop them!” “Don’t let the fat sheep get away!” the owner roared at the top of his lungs.
A dozen vicious-looking thugs snatched up their clubs and gave chase.