The Barber, Art

Gambler's holy land, Fengrao Town!

All the facilities and townsfolk in this town exist solely to serve the central casino.

The moment they reached the casino entrance, Tsunade Hime and Shizune were stunned.

Rather than say this was a casino, it was better to call it a small castle!

Gilded signboards, silver-inlaid bricks and tiles, jade treasures scattered like stars across the fortress walls.

Three security squads, eighteen guards—each possessed the aura and strength of a near-Chunin...

"Such deep pockets! From now on, this is my home!"

Tsunade's eyes sparkled like stars as she immediately announced her decision to the disciple beside her.

She grabbed Shizune's arm: "How much money do we have left? Hand it all over! This time, I'm going to win back everything I lost before! Then every day, we'll have big fish and big meat, mountain delicacies, fine wine and good food! Hmm... I'll even spend money to find you a handsome and considerate husband!"

Shizune's face flushed red at the female rogue's words. She said shyly, "I'd be satisfied with just plain rice every day... A husband... Don't want one!"

Even as she said this, she still unconsciously sank into the future blueprint the other had painted.

The dizzy little girl snapped back to reality and found that Tsunade had already taken all their living expenses and rushed into the casino on her own.

"Hiss... Tsunade-sama! Wait for me!" Shizune sucked in a cold breath, her heart turning cold.

All that talk of mountain delicacies, fine wine and good food—it was all fake! Genjutsu-laced! A future that could never exist!

Tsunade-sama was indeed one of the Three Ninja, peerless in strength—that was true—but her other nickname was the "Legendary Big Fat Sheep"!

The aura of doom that guaranteed a loss on every bet clung to Tsunade like a bone-gnawing maggot, impossible to shake off.

Shizune could already foresee the desperate life ahead: months of eating chaff and drinking water just to scrape by...

"Absolutely! Absolutely must stop Tsunade-sama!"

A look of resolve showed on the young girl's face. Clutching her little pig, she lowered her head and rushed into the casino.

Bang!

"Ah!"

A startled cry.

"Shizune, you've grown up. Try to be a little more composed in your actions."

A familiar yet unfamiliar voice sounded in her ear. A large hand covered in armored gauntlets reached out.

"Thank you..."

Shizune grabbed the other's hand and pulled herself up.

She focused her gaze, and the embarrassed but polite smile on her face instantly froze.

Rubbing her eyes in a daze, Shizune asked weakly, "Ji... Jiraiya-sama?"

This Sage of the Toads, who was as famous as Tsunade-sama, didn't seem to have a hobby for gambling, did he?

When had he shaved his head?

The barber's skill looked pretty good...

Konoha, Classroom 7-A.

"I know what to do!"

Sasuke Uchiha clapped his hands, excitement showing on his face, and immediately rushed out of the classroom with two silver notes.

"Oh? His idea is quite interesting—much stronger than I expected."

Teacher Wang Yan watched his retreating figure, a faint glint flickering in his pupils.

He had originally thought Sakura Haruno would be the first to come up with a solution, but it seemed he had underestimated others.

"Aaaaah! Stupid Sasuke! I won't lose to you!"

The little blonde shouted in provocation before also charging out of the classroom.

Naruto always acted before he thought. Even Wang Yan had no idea what he was going to buy.

The pink-haired girl blinked her watery eyes: "Teacher Wang Yan, can you give me a little hint?"

Wang Yan stared at her with a half-smile. The two locked eyes.

For a moment, the classroom was eerily quiet—so silent you could hear a pin drop.

"Hmph! Stingy!"

Sakura Haruno stuck out her tongue, made a funny face, and acted cute.

Wang Yan, who knew what her other personality was thinking, wasn't fooled at all. He remained the same businesslike, lazy mentor, refusing to budge an inch.

A long moment passed.

Sakura finally moved.

"Losing to Sasuke, I'd accept it willingly. But losing to an idiot like Naruto? I wouldn't be able to stand it!"

Although she had wasted a great deal of time pulling strings, the advantage of her dual personality was now showing itself.

When it came purely to the time spent thinking through problems, Sakura took the shortest and was the most efficient.

Wang Yan used Telekinesis to alter the molecular composition of his desk, crafting himself a simple rocking chair.

He lounged back like a sloth, utterly content.

Eyes closed, then open—half an hour had passed.

Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura had all returned.

"Alright, let's begin."

The first to step forward was Sasuke.

He opened the small pouch in his hand, his expression proud: "I used two Silver Notes to buy a bag of flour."

With that, Sasuke suddenly raised his hand, and flour scattered everywhere, filling the entire classroom.

"Well? Did I pass the test?"

Wang Yan gave a slight nod, his lips parting: "Barely a pass. Next."

"Just a pass?"

Sasuke frowned deeply, already pondering if there was a better method.

The Little Blonde jumped up, a mischievous grin plastered across his face: "Me! My turn!"

Seeing his expression, Sasuke's heart shuddered.

As fellow orphans, he had paid some attention to Naruto Uzumaki.

Every time the guy was about to pull a prank, he wore that same face.

Sure enough...

Naruto took a deep breath, held it, then rubbed his belly and stuck out his rear.

"Wait! What are you doing!"

Sasuke's eyes widened in horror as realization dawned, but before he could stop him, Naruto decisively unleashed his biological weapon.

Pffft~

A foul, rancid stench instantly flooded the entire classroom.

"Ugh! Dead last! What the hell are you doing!"

Sasuke's face turned green as he retched violently.

Sakura's face went black: "Idiot! Moron!"

In this environment, how was she supposed to maintain her lady-like image?

Naruto grinned smugly, looking immensely proud, his expression screaming 'I'm a genius': "I used two Silver Notes and a Coupon to buy a bowl of Tonkotsu Chashu Miso Ramen, loaded with Red Ginger! And just like that, I filled this whole classroom!"

"Teacher, did I pass?"

Wang Yan's mouth twitched, noncommittal: "Next."

If he hadn't read Naruto's memories and thoughts in time and used Telekinesis to create an air shield, he would have been caught in the blast too.

Sakura forced a smile and pulled out a box of matches.

She took one, pressing it against the sandpaper strip: "I will fill this entire classroom with light."

Confidently, she struck the match.

Boom!

A violent explosion and shockwave indeed filled the entire classroom.

Desks, chairs, glass windows, blackboards, pointers...

Flames soared, and the fierce blast turned everything to charcoal or dust in an instant.

At the critical moment, Wang Yan, who had been prepared, used Telekinesis to wrap the three of them up and flew them all to the back courtyard of the school building.

Shaken and pale, Sakura Haruno and Sasuke had ghostly white faces. Even the audacious Naruto was now drenched in cold sweat, his legs trembling uncontrollably, the whisker marks on his face twitching as if trying to soothe the terror within.

They had almost died!

Was the ninja life always this dangerous?

At this moment, the three of them were in unprecedented agreement.

"Well, I'll count you all as passing."

Wang Yan squinted at them: "I was originally going to give the first-place reward to Sakura, because I love The Art of Explosion and appreciate students who know how to leverage resources and think on their feet. But unfortunately, she didn't anticipate this outcome—it was just an accident on her part—so the reward is gone."

The flour Sasuke scattered across the room, the fart Naruto used to fill it—all of it was the setup for this explosion.

The match Sakura lit was merely the trigger for the Dust Explosion and Methane Explosion.

"So, Sakura's a fake top student after all..."

Wang Yan smacked his lips, feeling a lingering sense of dissatisfaction.

"That's it for today—everyone passed the assessment. Tomorrow morning at eight, same place, we'll chat, talk about life goals, and I'll help you all with your [Future Plan]."

He stressed those last two words heavily.

With that, Wang Yan shifted his attention to the Three Ninja stationed in Fengrao Town.

The setup Jiraiya and Orochimaru had arranged produced a faint ripple of influence and change in This world. It netted him a considerable gain—his Resource Points had now Accumulated to a staggering fifty thousand.

Barber Tony Orochimaru swirled the transparent reagent bottle in his hand, flashing a sinister grin: Hand over those Recommendation tickets, or I'll slap a BUFF on your head—Saitama's special, on the house~