Land of Fire.
Early morning on the fifth day.
The caravan slowly rolled into the streets of Kikyo Town.
“Brother Chiba.”
“Are you really not considering a long-term cooperation?”
Boss Yamada pulled two extra large-denomination banknotes from his money bag.
He wanted to tie this reliable Chunin completely to his caravan.
“Sorry.”
“I still have missions in the village.”
Chiba took the extra commission and flatly rejected the offer in a calm tone.
After parting ways with the caravan, Chiba did not choose to return to Konoha.
Instead, he ducked into a dark, damp alleyway.
After confirming there were no Anbu tails around, he rapidly formed hand seals, the chakra within his body surging slightly.
Poof!
A cloud of white smoke burst open inside the alley.
As the smoke cleared, a stray samurai wearing a gray cloth shirt appeared.
To make the act realistic, Chiba even placed a faint fake scar on his left cheek.
Afterward, Chiba headed straight for Tanzaku Street!
A few hours later, the prosperous and bustling scene of Tanzaku Street came into view.
Shops lined both sides of the wide street.
Signs of taverns, izakayas, and underground casinos flashed endlessly.
The air was mixed with cheap rouge, pungent alcohol, and the sweat of gamblers.
This was a place where all sorts of people gathered.
Chiba strolled along the edge of the street, seemingly casually scanning the hawkers soliciting customers.
He didn’t visit information brokers in dark alleys.
Spending money to buy information was indeed fast, but Chiba didn’t want to leave behind a fatal vulnerability like “someone is asking around about Tsunade.”
The safest method was the simplest method: searching through casinos one by one.
Across all of Tanzaku Street, there were dozens of casinos, big and small.
Chiba was in no rush at all.
Wearing his disguise as a stray samurai, he casually browsed from one casino to another.
It wasn’t until the afternoon that Chiba stepped into a luxurious underground casino named “Golden Toad.”
Just as he lifted the heavy door curtain, a thick cloud of smoke blew right into his face.
Amidst the clamor of voices, the wild laughter and curses of gamblers were intertwined.
Right at this moment, a shrill, crisp female voice pierced through the immense din.
“Tsunade-sama!”
“We really can’t bet anymore!”
“We don’t even have money left for tonight’s lodging!”
Looking toward the sound, the oversized gambling table at the very center of the casino was surrounded by bloodshot-eyed gamblers.
A blonde woman occupied the best spot.
She wore a green haori coat with a large character for “Gamble” (賭) printed on the back.
She slammed her hand hard on the table, pushing the large pile of chips in front of her entirely into the area marked “Big.”
Beside the blonde woman stood a black-haired young girl holding a small pink pig in her arms.
These two were precisely Tsunade and Shizune.
Finally found them.
Chiba stopped in his tracks, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
However, he didn’t immediately go forward to strike up a conversation.
The casino was filled with mixed company and rife with spies.
No one could guarantee that there were no Konoha spies among the crowd.
Afterward, Chiba walked toward the exchange counter.
He converted all the money on his person into casino chips.
Immediately after, like an ordinary gambler, he forcefully squeezed past the surrounding crowd and sat down in the empty seat next to Tsunade.
The dealer shook the dice cup frantically.
The three dice produced clattering crash sounds inside.
Clack!
The dice cup was heavily slammed down on the solid wood tabletop.
“Place your bets!” shouted the dealer loudly.
“Big!”
“Definitely Big!”
“All of my luck today is riding on this single hand!”
Tsunade bit her red lips tightly, staring fixedly at the dice cup holding her destiny.
Her hands pressed onto the table, her chest heaving violently.
Chiba swept a glance at her with his peripheral vision.
This blood granddaughter of the First Hokage—her constitution of losing every time she gambled was a world-renowned metaphysical phenomenon in the shinobi world.
In the next moment, without any hesitation, Chiba pushed all the chips he had just exchanged into the area marked “Small.”
Seeing this, Tsunade’s brows instantly knit into a tight knot.
Using the corner of her eye, she glanced at this guy who had suddenly popped out of nowhere.
Where did this bastard come from?
How dare he bet against me!
“Open!”
“One, two, three—six points, Small!”
The dealer abruptly lifted the dice cup.
The entire venue instantly erupted into deafening gasps and shouts.
The gamblers who bet on Small cheered frantically.
Tsunade, however, held her head with both hands and let out an extremely painful wail.
Even the pet pig Tonton in Shizune’s arms squeaked a “Puji!” alongside them, her face full of despair.
Meanwhile, the chips in front of Chiba doubled in an instant.
The gambling match continued.
The dealer picked up the dice cup once again, shaking it in a fancy pattern.
Tsunade refused to accept this curse.
She whipped her head around to look at Shizune.
“Bring out the emergency funds!”
“Tsunade-sama, that’s our food money for tomorrow!” Shizune shook her head frantically, tears nearly spurting out.
“Cut the crap! We’re definitely turning it around this hand!”
Tsunade snatched the money pouch from Shizune’s arms and quickly converted it into chips.
“This time, bet Small!”
Tsunade slammed all her chips into the “Small” area.
Chiba did the exact opposite.
He pushed all the chips in his hands toward “Big.”
Tsunade whipped her head around, glaring viciously at Chiba.
This kid was definitely doing it on purpose—daring to blatantly provoke her!
“Open!”
“Four, five, six—fifteen points, Big!”
The dealer’s voice sounded once more.
Yet the words he spoke were like a heavy sledgehammer, violently smashing against Tsunade’s heart.
Whoosh—
The entire room boiled over again.
Tsunade turned completely to stone on the spot, her mind going blank.
The chips in front of Chiba doubled yet again, already piled up into a small mountain.
“Again!”
Tsunade’s gambler mindset was thoroughly infuriated.
Slapping the table, she roared and directly took out high-interest loans from the casino boss.
The boss was naturally more than happy to lend money to this big fat sheep, immediately bringing over a tray of gold-bordered black chips.
Round three.
Tsunade stared fixedly at Chiba.
“I bet Big!”
Chiba’s expression remained unchanged as he pushed all his chips toward “Small.”
“Open! Two, three, four—nine points, Small!”
Round four.
Tsunade bet Small through gritted teeth.
Chiba casually slammed his chips onto “Big.”
“Open! Three, five, six—fourteen points, Big!”
Round five…
Round six…
For an entire afternoon, an extremely bizarre tug-of-war played out inside the Golden Toad Casino.
Whenever Tsunade bought Big, Chiba was guaranteed to buy Small.
Whenever Tsunade bought Small, Chiba immediately went all-in on Big.
And the outcome, without exception:
Chiba won until he was numb!
Tsunade lost miserably in a complete disaster.
“Ten million ryo…”
Looking at the empty tabletop in front of her, and then looking at the several sacks filled with money boxes beside Chiba, Tsunade’s entire body trembled uncontrollably.
The high-interest loans she had borrowed had already accumulated to a terrifying, astronomical figure.
Shizune had long collapsed on the ground.
Tonton in her arms was crying so hard she was about to faint.
“Tsunade-sama… we’re completely finished…”
Tsunade abruptly stood up.
She kicked over the solid wood chair in front of her with one foot, glaring fiercely at Chiba.
That glare looked as though she wanted to devour him alive.
Just as Chiba was secretly on guard:
“The wind’s rough, bolt!”
Tsunade grabbed Shizune off the ground in one swift motion and bolted wildly toward the back door of the casino.
That runaway posture was clearly that of a seasoned veteran!
“Catch them!”
“Don’t let the fat sheep get away!”
The casino boss bellowed at the top of his lungs.
Over a dozen ferocious thugs immediately grabbed clubs and chased after them.