At the street corner, Tsunade slowed her pace.
“The Land of Gold’s underground exchange.” She spoke, her tone as flat as if commenting on the weather.
“Heard of it?” Souji nodded.
“I’ve heard of it.
The underground exchange has branches in every nation.” “Officially, they trade in ore and precious metals.
Underneath, they buy anything and sell anything: intelligence, weapons, human organs, even bounties.” “Correct.” Tsunade pulled an empty sake flask from her robe, shook it, found it completely dry, and irritably shoved it back.
“The underground exchange is especially developed here in the Land of Gold.
Lots of mines, lots of cash flow, easy money laundering.
The exchange proprietors are far richer than the owners of this lousy gambling hall.” She paused, glancing sideways at Souji.
“I borrowed 150,000,000 ryo there.
No collateral, no guarantee, just on the strength of my name.” Souji’s eyebrows rose slightly.
Shizune added quietly, “Tsunade-sama is the granddaughter of the First Hokage, of the Senju bloodline.
And by status, she’s considered a princess of the Land of Fire.” “That kind of identity is better than any form of collateral at a place like the exchange.” “Princess?” Souji repeated the word, a hint of amusement in his tone.
“What?
Don’t I look like one?” Tsunade shot him a sidelong glance.
“You do!” Souji nodded seriously.
“I just didn’t expect a princess to borrow money from an underground exchange.” Tsunade snorted.
“Princesses can’t gamble?
Besides…” Her golden eyes flickered with a complex light.
“The title ‘Princess of the Land of Fire’ isn’t just worth money when you’re alive, it’s worth money when you’re dead too.” “That unlucky bastard Asuma Sarutobi’s head is worth about 35,000,000 on the underground exchange.” “As a princess, I’m worth more than him, right?” Souji’s step faltered slightly.
35,000,000.
Asuma Sarutobi.
He knew that number.
He knew what it meant.
The son of the Third Hokage.
An elite jonin of Konoha.
The man who would die at the hands of Hidan and Kakuzu, and whose price on the underground exchange was indeed 35,000,000 ryo.
And Tsunade had just lost 150,000,000 ryo.
That was enough to buy a lot of Asumas.
He felt a laugh bubbling up, but he didn’t dare let it out.
“Tsunade-sama, so you’re saying, in one afternoon, you lost four and a half Asumas?” Tsunade blinked, then caught on, the corner of her mouth twitching.
“Kid, you’re good at math.” “Thank you!” Souji nodded seriously.
“I just find this comparison very intuitive.” Beside them, Shizune was completely speechless.
Four and a half Asumas.
She couldn’t help doing the mental conversion, and then she felt completely defeated.
Tsunade waved dismissively.
“Anyway, I borrowed it, I lost it.
What’s the point of thinking too much about it?” “The exchange isn’t in a hurry to collect.
I’ll pay them back when I have the money.” “And if you never have the money?” “Then I never pay it back.” Tsunade replied without the slightest shame.
“What are they going to do?
Send shinobi after me?
I’ll take apart as many as they send.” Souji thought about it and concluded she was right.
With Tsunade’s strength, no one would dare come collecting easily.
And the exchange’s shady operations wouldn’t risk offending a Kage-level shinobi for a mere 150,000,000 ryo, especially one who might tear the whole street apart after a disastrous losing streak.
“But…” Tsunade suddenly stopped, turning to stare at him.
Her golden eyes blazed in the night.
“Kid, why are you asking so many questions?
Worried I won’t pay back your little loans?” “Not at all.” Souji shook his head.
“Just curious about Tsunade-sama’s financial situation.
After all, we still have several months of travel ahead.
If we run into another casino…” “Run into one, we run into one.” Tsunade cut him off impatiently, a dangerous smile curving at her lips.
“What, afraid I’ll lose your room and board money?” “Room and board is small change.” Souji replied calmly.
“What I’m worried about is you going back to the underground exchange to borrow an even bigger sum, then having me carry chests all over town again.
It’s really embarrassing.” Shizune finally couldn’t hold it in.
She burst out laughing, then quickly covered her mouth.
Tsunade stared at Souji for a few seconds, then suddenly burst into laughter, bending over with it, drawing curious glances from the few pedestrians on the street.
“Kid!” Still laughing, she slapped Souji’s shoulder with enough force to make his bones creak.
“I’m training you!
Chakra Enhanced Strength isn’t just about explosive power, it’s about maintaining it constantly.” Souji bore the weight on his shoulder without flinching, giving a slight nod.
“Is that so?
Then I thank Tsunade-sama for her guidance.” The night wind blew, lanterns swayed, and the three figures cast long shadows on the cobblestones.
In the distance, Kinzawa City’s lights still blazed, the muffled clamor of the gambling hall drifted over.
Shizune held Tonton, looking at Tsunade, then at Souji.
Suddenly, she felt that this journey, though they always lost money, though they were always broke, though they always worried about sleeping on the streets…
It wasn’t so bad, after all.
Tonton let out a “Puyo” in her arms, whether in agreement or protest, it was hard to tell.
The night grew deeper.
And in Kinzawa City, the later the night, the livelier it became.
The clamor of the gambling hall gradually faded into the distance, while the lights of taverns lit up one after another.
The three walked along the main street for a short while before Tsunade stopped in front of a modest tavern.
The sign read Ishimiya, and the noren curtain was made of coarse dark blue cloth, swaying gently in the night breeze.
“Here!” Tsunade pushed aside the noren curtain and strode inside.
Souji and Shizune followed.
The tavern was small, with five or six wooden tables, an L-shaped counter, and several faded ukiyo-e prints hanging on the walls.
In the corner sat a few men dressed as miners, chatting quietly.
They glanced up briefly when the group entered, then lowered their heads and continued drinking.
The three chose a table by the window.
Tsunade slapped the table.
“Two bottles of sake.
One hot, one cold.
And bring out a few snacks.
Whatever you’ve got.” The owner was a middle-aged man in his fifties whose face carried the healthy flush of someone who had spent years working beside a stove.
He acknowledged them and went to prepare the order.
Shizune set Tonton on the empty chair beside her.
The little pig looked around curiously, its nose twitching as it sniffed the aroma of sake in the air.
Tsunade pulled the empty sake flask from her robe, tossed it aside in disgust, and waited for the fresh sake.
Souji sat quietly with the black cloth covering his eyes and his bamboo staff resting against the table.
His hands rested on his knees, his fingertips tapping lightly, a habit he had whenever he was thinking or observing.
The order arrived quickly.
Two bottles of sake, a dish of salt-boiled edamame, a plate of grilled dried fish, and a small bowl of pickled vegetables.
Tsunade grabbed the cold bottle, poured herself a cup, downed it in one gulp, and let out a long sigh.
“Ah!
Finally.
That took some of the sting out of losing.” Shizune poured herself a cup of the hot sake, sipping it little by little.
Before long, a faint blush spread across her cheeks.
She was never much of a drinker, but tonight she had loosened up a little, probably because someone was covering the expenses, and she no longer had to worry about sleeping on the streets.
“Souji-kun, aren’t you drinking?” she asked.
Souji shook his head.
“I’m training.” “Training?” Tsunade raised an eyebrow as she looked at him.
“Here?
In a tavern?” Souji nodded without explaining.
Beneath the table, his hands formed a simple hand seal as the chakra within his body began circulating along the pathways Tsunade had taught him over the past few days.
It wasn’t a ninjutsu.
It was simply circulating chakra repeatedly through his meridians, allowing the energy to flow through his body over and over while improving the harmony between his chakra and his body.
At the same time, the Six Eyes switched to their lowest-power monitoring mode, ensuring his training wouldn’t interfere with his awareness of the surroundings.
The conversations inside the tavern, the clinking of cups, and even the footsteps on the distant street were all clearly within his perception.
Tsunade watched him, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
Whether it was mockery or approval, even she probably didn’t know.
“You’re pretty diligent.
Fine, you train, I’ll drink.” With that, she poured herself another cup.
This time, she sipped it slowly, her gaze settling on the lantern-lit street outside the window, lost in thought.