Falling for One Trick After Another, Every Time Different

Orochimaru grew thoughtful when he heard Hoshiryu Uchiha speak so solemnly.

There was no such thing as a free lunch, so he understood what Hoshiryu Uchiha meant.

But this also concerned Orochimaru's future, and he had to weigh the pros and cons.

Hoshiryu Uchiha had given him two choices. If he wanted something better, he had to give something in return.

But Hoshiryu Uchiha had not said what that price would be.

With that in mind, Orochimaru raised his question.

"Hoshiryu-kun, what exactly is the price you spoke of?"

Hoshiryu Uchiha looked at the slightly nervous Orochimaru and chuckled.

"There's no need to be so tense. It's not like I'm going to do anything to you."

"As for what I mean by giving something in return, it's very simple. I offer knowledge, and I hope to receive knowledge as well."

"So, if you choose this path, what you'll need to provide will be your insights from researching ninjutsu in the future."

Orochimaru breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that.

He had thought Hoshiryu Uchiha wanted him to obey every command in the future, like a samurai from some story.

"I choose the Senju Clan's collection. From now on, I'll make copies of every ninjutsu I research and give them to you. How about it?"

Knowledge in exchange for knowledge was fair, so Orochimaru accepted the condition.

Hoshiryu Uchiha was also very satisfied. Though Orochimaru's insights into ninjutsu would not be of much use to him.

Still, if he wanted to raise Konoha's military strength in the future.

These things would undoubtedly be highly valuable.

As for the results he gained while AFK, that high-end stuff would naturally only be taught to his own family.

Hoshiryu Uchiha was no saint. Though he wanted Konoha to grow stronger, he would not go so far as to harm his own interests.

"Since that's settled, I still need to tell Grandma about this. Let's head back too. There's no rush."

Orochimaru nodded, agreeing with him.

Thus, they returned inside and found Mito Uzumaki, who was explaining Sealing Techniques to Tsunade.

After Hoshiryu Uchiha told her his thoughts, she waved a hand dismissively.

"Since I gave you that scroll, what you do with it is your business."

Mito Uzumaki still trusted Hoshiryu Uchiha unconditionally in this matter.

Sometimes, he even wondered, Could I really have been possessed by a succubus when I transmigrated?

What he had forgotten was that Mito Uzumaki possessed an ability unique to the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki: Malice Sensing.

This ability could distinguish people's malice. No matter how well it was hidden, as long as someone harbored hostility, she would sense it.

Though the people in the village never said it aloud, every one of them unconsciously gave off traces of malice whenever they faced her.

Otherwise, she would not have said something like, 'First, let the vessel be filled with love,' to Kushina Uzumaki.

Yet she did not feel even the slightest trace of that from Hoshiryu Uchiha.

Without any wariness or fear, Hoshiryu Uchiha simply stood before her.

People with unusual bodies cared most about how others saw them.

Mito Uzumaki was no exception.

Combined with the look in his eyes that came from an era of peace, Mito Uzumaki actually trusted him even more than he realized.

As long as Hoshiryu Uchiha did not betray the village, Mito Uzumaki would continue supporting him unconditionally.

Just then, Tsunade mischievously made a face at them.

Not only did Mito Uzumaki not stop her, she actually thought for a moment.

"Hoshiryu, take Tsunade and Orochimaru out to play together."

"You can't ask too much of children."

Hearing this wonderful news so suddenly, Tsunade first stared at Mito Uzumaki in disbelief.

After receiving her confirmation, Tsunade shouted happily.

"Yay! Grandma is the best!"

Then she eagerly jumped down from her seat, ran over to Hoshiryu Uchiha, and looked up at him expectantly with sparkling eyes.

Tsunade was already adorable to begin with, and now she was deliberately acting cute.

Hoshiryu Uchiha could not withstand it at all.

Besides, he also felt that he had been too strict with Tsunade these past few days. Taking her out for some fun would be nice.

So he asked.

"What do you want to play?"

The moment Tsunade heard that, the words that came out of her mouth without passing through her brain were:

"Gambling! I want to gamble a couple rounds!"

That left both him and Mito Uzumaki speechless.

Neither of them liked Tsunade's fondness for gambling.

Fortunately, Hoshiryu Uchiha had long prepared for the long term. Even if he could not make her quit, he would at least turn her from a compulsive gambler into someone who played in moderation.

Tsunade actually knew they disliked her gambling, so she regretted it a little as soon as the words left her mouth.

Just as she was about to change her mind and suggest another game, Hoshiryu Uchiha actually agreed.

"Sure. Orochimaru is here today too, so I'll teach you a new gambling game for three people."

Tsunade was overjoyed. She truly had not expected Hoshiryu Uchiha to agree.

As for Mito Uzumaki, she had seen every kind of situation.

With one sweep of her eyes, she knew Hoshiryu Uchiha was preparing to trick Tsunade again.

"Good, then it's settled. Let's go."

With that, Tsunade took the lead, while Hoshiryu Uchiha and Orochimaru fell behind.

Hoshiryu Uchiha quietly leaned close to Orochimaru and said:

"Don't ask yet. When we start, bid to be the landlord first. Then, once there are stakes involved, don't bid for it anymore."

Though Orochimaru did not quite understand, he still agreed to the request.

At that moment, Tsunade stopped and glanced at them suspiciously.

"Are you two discussing something?"

Hoshiryu Uchiha laughed and said:

"What a joke. With your luck, what is there to discuss?"

"I was just thinking that maybe we shouldn't gamble anything this time. Otherwise, we'd be bullying you too much."

How could Tsunade stand such provocation? She was just about to retort when she remembered the times she had lost to Hoshiryu Uchiha.

For a moment, she fell into hesitation.

Hoshiryu Uchiha knew that the last experience would definitely make Tsunade hesitate, so this time he was prepared to change tactics.

With Fight the Landlord, even if Tsunade's luck was unbelievably terrible, he could still lead her to victory.

Once she saw hope of winning, she would start suggesting that they play Fight the Landlord with stakes.

At that point, it would be time to harvest Tsunade like a ripe leek.

So Hoshiryu Uchiha said:

"This is a new game, so how about we don't gamble anything at first?"

"Once you're familiar with it, you can decide whether to gamble or not. What do you think?"

This time, Tsunade no longer hesitated and agreed.

They arrived at Hoshiryu Uchiha's room, where he took out the playing cards he had prepared long ago.

After explaining the gameplay and rules, they began.

Things went just as Hoshiryu Uchiha had expected. Orochimaru started by bidding to be the landlord, as he had been told.

Although Hoshiryu Uchiha was affected by Tsunade's terrible luck and lost more often than he won, he still managed to win a few times.

This made Tsunade, who rarely won while gambling, incredibly excited.

Right now, she was like a little lamb walking into a spiderweb, unaware of the danger closing in.

She did not know she had already reached the edge of a cliff, and one wrong step would leave her battered and bruised.

Completely clueless, she began proposing stakes and boldly declared that she would win back everything she had lost.

Then, just as planned, Orochimaru stopped bidding to be the landlord.

Tsunade, swollen with confidence, took the role of landlord instead, then grew more silent with every round.

And so, half an hour later, the thoroughly drained Tsunade collapsed onto the floor.