"Jiraiya? Is that really you?!"
Looking at the bald man in front of her, Tsunade covered her mouth and snickered.
At this moment, Jiraiya was dressed in gold-threaded clothes, with diamond rings on all ten fingers and a thick, long nugget-gold necklace hanging around his neck—the typical style of a nouveau riche.
If Shizune had not called out to him, she probably would not have recognized him.
"Ah~ Long time no see."
Jiraiya rubbed his shiny forehead, the rings on his hand refracting a dazzling glow.
"Did your latest book become a bestseller?"
Seeing Jiraiya dressed like this, Tsunade could not help but guess.
"No! No! My recent research trip failed... Cough... In short, all the wealth I have now was earned through gambling."
Jiraiya gave two exaggerated laughs, putting on a deliberately mysterious air.
"Ugh..."
Tsunade Hime held her forehead and sighed. "You still look exactly like this when you lie. You haven't improved at all."
Jiraiya wore the Three Ninja's signature dumbfounded expression.
This was not how it had been planned!
Why was she not following the script?
In the original plan, Tsunade would ask him about gambling techniques, and Jiraiya would then tell her about the Main God, Reward Points, and the Exchange List.
But the very first step of the plan had failed! Naturally, all subsequent battle plans had died in the womb and been completely aborted!
A drop of cold sweat slid down his cheek, and Jiraiya felt his throat go dry.
Judging by how seriously Orochimaru took this mission, if it really failed, he would probably be made into toad soup and fed to snakes...
"Are you nervous?"
Tsunade raised a brow, her almond eyes widening. "This probably wasn't a chance encounter... What exactly do you want? Speak!"
With that single word, an imposing aura arose.
Jiraiya instinctively shook his head desperately.
By the time he came back to his senses, he realized his reaction had already revealed far too much.
"...Aren't you curious how I can make money through gambling? I have special gambling techniques, a secret art supposedly passed down by a God of Gamblers surnamed Gao..."
Jiraiya's voice was dry as he recited his lines, trying to force the routine onward.
However, Tsunade had walked more roads than he had tricks, and she was not falling for it.
With a wave of her graceful hand, her dark-green robe fluttered without wind. The character for "gamble" behind her swayed in the breeze. Tsunade gave a disdainful sneer, looking every bit the grand figure.
In the tone of a seasoned driver speaking from experience, she said earnestly, "Gambling depends first on luck and second on intelligence. I have no luck, while you have neither... You got rich through gambling? Orochimaru becoming Hokage would be more believable than that!"
"Besides, there has never been a God of Gamblers surnamed Gao in history."
It would have been fine if she had not mentioned Orochimaru, but the moment Jiraiya heard that name, cold sweat poured from him.
"I'm telling the truth! God of Gamblers Gao Jin never lost a bet in his life. His gambling skills were peerless, perfected beyond measure! If you don't like him, Sage of Gamblers Stephen Chow is also incredible, though he apparently had to cheat with a Kekkei Genkai to win every bet..."
A cold male voice came from the second floor, interrupting Jiraiya.
"So the Reward Points you borrowed from me were all spent on this?"
Jiraiya opened his mouth, and after a long while, managed to squeeze out a suicidal excuse. "I was studying these videos from other dimensions to gather writing material. Actually, I prefer cavalry and Jingdong fever..."
"Use them however you want. It has nothing to do with me." The cold male voice sounded again, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue.
Hearing that voice, Tsunade instantly broke out in goosebumps, cold sweat covering her body. Her almond eyes were full of gravity.
She could never mistake it!
Even if its owner turned to ashes, she would recognize him!
"Orochimaru!"
Tsunade clenched her pearly teeth. An unnatural flush appeared on her face as her emotions surged, as though she had recalled certain unpleasant memories.
She stared fixedly at Jiraiya, who was meek as a chicken beside her. Her tone was filled with indescribable disappointment. "You're hanging around with Orochimaru now? Are you planning to betray Konoha?"
Perhaps stung by her words, Jiraiya finally returned to normal.
His expression turned solemn as he looked directly into Tsunade's eyes and said seriously, "I would rather die than betray Konoha. The Will of Fire burns in my heart forever! In truth, Orochimaru never truly betrayed Konoha either! He never did anything harmful to the village. There were reasons why he left Konoha back then."
Hearing this, the tension in Tsunade's nerves eased slightly. It was not that she believed his description of Orochimaru, but merely that she had been moved by his sincerity.
In Tsunade's view, this lecherous fool might have been deceived by Orochimaru's words, but he ultimately bore her no ill will.
On the second floor, a thin young man in a white coat revealed half his body.
Golden Snake Eyes stared at Tsunade, a false smile hanging on his face. "Come upstairs and sit... Or do you not dare? Has the Princess of the Senju Clan fallen so low?"
It was a typical provocation, yet Tsunade fell for it.
Though she often acted young to dodge gambling debts and seemed careless and shameless, deep down, she still valued the honor represented by the name "Senju."
After her younger brother Nawaki died, she became the Senju Clan's last remaining descendant. Whether it was honor or responsibility, she would bear it all on her own shoulders.
"Scared of you?!"
Leaving behind the worried Shizune, Tsunade grabbed Jiraiya by his gold chain and rushed toward the second floor.
Looking at the easy-mark gambler who had arrived at the VIP Room and the Lecherous Bald Fool, Orochimaru covered half his face, his tone slightly weary. "Tea, milk, coffee, cigarettes—everything is available. Help yourselves."
The plan had been devised perfectly, but the executor had messed up. If Orochimaru had read xianxia novels, he would probably have sighed that divine abilities could not overcome fate.
Though the easy mark was in a casino, she displayed an entirely different presence at this moment. Merely raising a brow was enough to make people tremble. "If you have something to say, say it directly! Don't waste time!"
"Wasting time is murder. We think alike."
Orochimaru propped up his chin with one hand and gave Tsunade an approving look. "Jiraiya and I have joined a mysterious organization and currently serve the Main God. We now hope to bring you in as well, to recreate the Three Ninja's former glory."
How much truth there was in those words remained open to question, but at least they revealed his true purpose.
Tsunade Hime was, after all, the Princess of the Senju Clan. Perhaps she was not exceptionally learned, but her knowledge and experience still far surpassed those of ninjas born as commoners.
A trace of confusion showed on her face. "The Main God? I've never heard of it. But when I was little, I did hear stories about the Grim Reaper, Yama, and the Evil God."
Sensing the guarded look in her eyes, Orochimaru smiled faintly without concern. "Sign a contract with the Main God, become Its Reincarnator, and complete the missions It issues. In return, you can receive something called Reward Points, and Reward Points can fulfill every dream humanity possesses."
"Even..."
Orochimaru's voice became low and distant, carrying an inexplicable fervor. "Resurrecting the dead."
"Not the false resurrection of Impure World Reincarnation, which toys with corpses and souls, but resurrection in the truest sense! They have body heat, heartbeats, can eat and drink, can sleep, retain all their memories and emotions from before death, and can even create!"
At this, Tsunade's heart immediately began pounding.
If some random stranger had told her this, Tsunade would never have believed it. She would have simply punched him.
Orochimaru was different. They knew each other inside and out. At the very least, he had never lied when speaking in that tone.
"Resurrection of the Dead..." Tsunade murmured.
Her lover Dan Katō and her younger brother Nawaki had both died in the shinobi wars.
And if that "Main God" truly possessed the ability Orochimaru described, then even Grandpa Hashirama, the First Hokage, and Grandpa Tobirama, the Second Hokage, could be truly resurrected, bringing new hope and peace to the world!
A ball of flame ignited in Tsunade's almond eyes.
Before you continue