Mountains and Rivers May Change

Leaving the Finance Office, Tsunade was beaming, cheerful all over.

"Guy, head back on your own first. Stay here for the night; tomorrow, we'll return to the Hidden Leaf Village!"

"Yes, Lady Tsunade!"

Without Kakashi by his side, Might Guy seemed dispirited. He did not even show off his trademark toothy grin.

This feeling was... actually pretty nice.

Hikari followed behind Tsunade as the two wandered through the streets, buying things now and then. They looked like an affectionate married couple.

"Hikari, go buy me a bottle of water over there. I'm a little thirsty!" Tsunade said, pointing at a drink shop in the distance.

Hikari looked up, then held out his right hand.

Tsunade was puzzled. "What is it?"

"Money," Hikari said matter-of-factly.

Tsunade's lips twitched. Looking at Hikari's righteous expression, she was full of complaints.

"I'm the Fifth Hokage. What's wrong with asking you to buy me a bottle of water?"

Hikari waved a hand. "I'm not talking about the water money. I mean the military funds we just collected from the Finance Office. Please hand them over to me for safekeeping, Lady Tsunade!"

What?

Tsunade's expression changed drastically. "You want to rob me? Hikari, let me tell you, this is the Hidden Leaf Village's hope. You can't do this."

"Heh."

Hikari sneered and pointed at the gambling house in a distant corner. "Since we left, you've looked over there no fewer than twenty times. The moment you sent Guy away, I knew you wanted to gamble!"

"You want me to buy water? Fine. Hand over the money first!"

Tsunade flew into a rage. "I'm the Fifth Hokage! How could I possibly take the Hidden Leaf Village's precious military funds to gamble? Do you think I'm that kind of person?"

"Yes."

Damn it!

Tsunade had not expected Hikari to admit it so bluntly. That made her feel even worse.

Honestly, since returning to the Hidden Leaf Village, she had not gambled for a long time in order to be a proper Hokage. Now that she had just received such a huge sum of money, Tsunade's hands were itching. She wanted to fight a hundred rounds in the gambling house and win every last coin they had.

But she had never imagined that Hikari would understand her so well.

Could it be that he really liked her?

How embarrassing.

"Let's go!"

"Until we return to the Hidden Leaf Village, I'll keep an eye on you. I won't let you enter a gambling house."

Tsunade smiled.

"Hikari, have you forgotten who I am?"

Hikari said, "What identity? The Hokage?"

Tsunade shook her head. "Of course not the Hokage. I'm Princess Tsunade, one of Konoha's Legendary Sannin. My strength ranks among the best in the Hidden Leaf Village. With the strength of a mere Chunin like you, you think you can stop me? Keep dreaming!"

Hikari said, "What if I can stop you?"

Tsunade said, "Impossible!"

Hikari said, "How about we make a bet? If I can stop you, then you hand the money over to me for safekeeping."

Tsunade said, "...Fine!"

The moment she finished speaking, Hikari grabbed Tsunade's arm.

"Hehe, I'm a woman with monstrous strength. Take this, Super Strength Punch!" Carefully controlling her power, Tsunade made sure that this punch would only injure Hikari, not kill him.

With her medical skills, healing Hikari afterward would be effortless. She could even earn a little in medical fees along the way. She really was such a clever girl.

Then... Tsunade froze.

Her fist landed on Hikari's chest like a girl flirting with her man, softly throwing a coquettish punch. It looked fierce, but its destructive power was pitifully weak.

Almost nonexistent.

"How is this possible?" Tsunade was stunned.

She had always heard Hikari thinking about how amazing and badass he was.

But when it came time to fight, Tsunade was still dumbfounded.

A method that could interfere with her Chakra flow and keep her from using her monstrous strength... how miraculous.

"What kind of technique is this? Sealing Jutsu?" Tsunade asked curiously.

As Mito Uzumaki's granddaughter, Tsunade understood Sealing Jutsu. Her own Yin Seal, for example, was a relatively advanced Sealing Jutsu. How could she perform an advanced technique without knowing the basics?

What puzzled her was that she could not find any black sealing markings on her body. She could not figure that out.

"Hand over the money, and I'll tell you what ability it is!"

To ensure that this money reached the Hidden Leaf Village safely, Hikari had truly gone to great lengths.

If he left such a huge sum with a gambler like Tsunade, then if she made it back to the Hidden Leaf Village without incident, the sun really would rise in the west.

"Um..."

Tsunade fidgeted awkwardly, looking nothing like her usual self.

At that moment, she looked more like a refined young lady.

"How about I just go in and play one round? You should at least give me some starting capital!"

"Don't worry, my gambling skills are excellent. I'll definitely win until the world turns upside down and the sun and moon lose their light."

Hikari did not believe a single word Tsunade said.

"How about this? Give me the military funds, and I'll give you some money so you can gamble to your heart's content. What do you say?"

"How much?" Tsunade's eyes lit up the moment she heard Hikari was willing to give her money.

She really was a proper money grubber. Who knew where she got such confidence? She was clearly a publicly acknowledged Big Fat Sheep, yet she still thought herself a gambling master. Ridiculous. Truly ridiculous!

Hearing Hikari mock her in his heart, Tsunade was annoyed. But to get some money from him, she decided to be the bigger person and not stoop to his level.

"Is this enough?"

Hikari took an envelope from his pocket. The thick stack of cash inside made Tsunade swallow hard.

Suppressing the urge to reach for it, Tsunade forced herself to turn and look elsewhere.

"This little money isn't even enough for me to drink with. I know you're loaded. You're a man, so don't be so stingy! I'm giving you several hundred million in funds, while you're only giving me one envelope. At the very least, add another one!"

"Forget it, then! Let's return to the Guest Villa and get some rest early!" Hikari said, about to put the envelope away.

"I want it! I want it! Is that enough for you?"

At that moment, Tsunade did not realize how suggestive her words sounded. The men passing by could not help looking over one after another.

"One thing for another."

"Fine!"

The military funds could not be touched in the first place, and Tsunade did not want to become the first person in Hidden Leaf Village history to be nailed to the pillar of shame by future generations for embezzling military funds to gamble.

She loved gambling, but her skin was not thick enough to disregard her reputation.

Once the exchange was complete, Hikari immediately put away the Sealing Scroll.

Haha, no matter how cunning you are, you still got fooled by me!

Ten thousand ryō is enough to send Tsunade away. What a bargain!

If I don't run now, then when will I?

What?

Ten thousand ryō!

Hearing his thoughts, Tsunade eagerly opened the envelope. Inside were crisp, brand-new hundred-ryō notes, leaving her speechless.

When she came back to her senses, the hand gripping her arm was already gone. She looked up, but Hikari had vanished as well.

Tsunade was furious.

"Hikari! Don't let me see you again! The next time we meet will be the day you die!"