They Weren't Here to Gloat, Were They?

Tsunade found Jiraiya annoying the moment she saw him, and hearing the name Uchiha annoyed her even more.

The Uchiha Clan was covering her expenses?

Uchiha Madara could be considered the culprit behind her grandfather's death. If the Valley of the End Battle had not exhausted the limit of her grandfather's cell division, he would not have aged prematurely and died at fifty.

Just as Tsunade was about to lose her temper, the dealer uncovered the dice cup.

Tsunade stared incredulously at the dice in the center of the table. How could she lose all night long?!

She had originally planned to leave after winning one round, but she had gambled all night. At this rate, she might not even accomplish her goal of winning once and leaving before dawn.

"Fat sheep! You lost two million ryo!"

Hearing that number, Tsunade had wanted to lash out, but in the end, she swallowed hard.

Jiraiya swallowed as well. Had he been talking too big when he said the Uchiha Clan would cover Tsunade's expenses?

What if he put Uchiha Ishijima on the spot and Uchiha Ishijima refused to pay?

Uchiha Ishijima simply reached a hand behind him without concern.

An Uchiha jonin behind him opened a scroll and released its seal, revealing several suitcases.

"There are one million ryo in each suitcase. Casino Boss, take two."

The Casino Boss had already squeezed over when he saw so many ninja gathering here unusually, with Konoha forehead protectors on them.

He was not afraid of Konoha. Behind this casino stood the Eagle Guard Clan, a great noble family from the southern Land of Fire.

In the one-village, one-country system, the nobles of the Land of Fire held very high status.

Seeing the ninja pay the gambling debt so readily, the Casino Boss smiled as he picked up two suitcases and handed them to his attendants behind him.

"I hope you Konoha ninja have a pleasant time. But please do not use ninjutsu. Our casino has hired Hyuga Clan ninja from your Konoha as security. He will see everything."

The Hyuga Ninja in the corner broke out in a cold sweat. He did not even dare activate his Byakugan.

This was too terrifying. Princess Tsunade was one thing. Though she had a fiery temper, she was still a princess of the Senju Clan and had her limits.

The Uchiha Clan was not to be trifled with. If the Uchiha went mad, they would dare to beat anyone and kill anyone. Even in the village, they were the most extreme ninja clan.

Now that the Senju Clan no longer restrained them, no one dared provoke the Uchiha Clan even more.

Tsunade slammed her palm onto the table and stood up.

"Hmph! Boring. I'm done playing."

Seeing Tsunade leave, Jiraiya hurriedly called out, "Hey, hey! Tsunade, the Uchiha Clan is finally paying. Let me play a few rounds before we go! It's still too early to visit the bathhouse. It isn't even the busiest time yet."

Tsunade turned and glared at Jiraiya. Her rage-filled gaze frightened him into silence, and he automatically followed after her.

Uchiha Clan ninja had already gone ahead to lead the group toward the luxurious inn they had reserved in advance.

The Uchiha Clan had rented out the inn's third floor, where there was also a meeting room.

As Tsunade came up from the first floor, she took a bottle of fine wine from the front desk—one she did not need to pay for. She swirled the half-empty bottle as she swept her gaze over everyone in the room.

"What do you want with me?"

Jiraiya was the first to speak. "Of course we came to find you because—"

"Shut up, Jiraiya! What does this have to do with you? You're the most irrelevant person here."

Jiraiya shifted his seat and moved closer to Tsunade. "We were classmates, and we were comrades who fought side by side through life and death in the First and Second Ninja World Wars. How can you always treat me like this?"

Tsunade shot Jiraiya a sidelong glance. "The Uchiha Clan is paying for today's compensation too. I wouldn't mind smashing this inn."

Fugaku Uchiha was eager to make a move, but seeing that his father, Uchiha Ishijima, remained silent, he shut his mouth on his own.

Uchiha Ishijima was in no hurry. Although he had taken the initiative to seek out Tsunade, the Uchiha Clan now held the initiative. The Senju Clan's predicament was what was truly urgent.

Just as Uchiha Ishijima had expected, Minato Namikaze spoke first.

"Lady Tsunade, I acted on my own initiative because I wanted to help Kushina. The matters involved are rather complicated."

Tsunade glanced at Minato Namikaze, then at the Uchiha Clan head. She guessed that this might involve some sort of cooperation between Minato Namikaze and the Uchiha Clan.

She said, "Those not involved should leave. I'm very curious, Minato Namikaze. What exactly are you trying to do?"

Jiraiya looked toward Akimichi Jirokuma and Haneina, forcing the two to stand up.

"Why are you only looking at those two juniors? You're not involved either. Get out too."

Hearing Tsunade speak so bluntly, Jiraiya turned and said:

"I'm worried you'll punch my precious disciple to death, so of course I have to stay and protect him.

Even if you don't attack Minato, what if the Uchiha Clan goes to extremes for some reason and attacks him?"

Uchiha Ishijima was somewhat speechless. He would never attack the Hokage's disciple's disciple, but he did not refute him.

In the end, only five people remained in the room: Tsunade, Jiraiya, Minato, Uchiha Ishijima, and Fugaku Uchiha.

Tsunade did not drive Jiraiya away. Though Jiraiya did not seem much like a good person in trivial matters, he had never let Tsunade down when it truly mattered.

Minato Namikaze spoke first:

"Lady Tsunade, a few days ago, I took Kushina back to the Senju Clan Land and found Sister Senju Takeoto asking the clan members for their opinions. The village wants the Senju Clan to sell some of its properties and courtyards."

Tsunade frowned. She had received Hiruzen Sarutobi's letter and knew that this was Hiruzen Sarutobi's intention.

To support the Uzumaki Clan, the Senju Clan had declined to such a state. To outsiders, it was already inappropriate for the Senju Clan to occupy such a large area in the village's core district.

With just over fifty people living in a place that had once housed more than a thousand, it would naturally draw the opinions of others in the village.

Tsunade understood all the reasoning. She also knew that the few remaining clan members should not occupy such a large place, but emotionally, she could not accept the village's demand.

The Senju Clan had done too much for the village, yet the village was unwilling to wait for the Senju Clan during its low point.

On one hand, she had Takeoto cooperate with the village. On the other, she grew increasingly disheartened.

Afterward, Hiruzen Sarutobi sent her four or five more letters. She did not even open them, burning them directly.

Minato continued:

"Selling the properties and courtyards to ninja clans that need them more cannot be helped. From the village's perspective, it is a better use of resources.

However, this is a bad sign. The village no longer regards the Senju Clan as its most important ninja clan.

Whether intentional or not, this shift in attitude will accelerate the Senju Clan's decline.

They could assign students to Senju Clan ninja to learn the Senju Clan's ninjutsu, then demand that the Senju Clan record its clan secret techniques and ninjutsu in the village's Book of Sealing under the pretext of protecting the village's secret arts, and so on.

I can come up with many such reasons. These possibilities are very likely to become reality, and the Senju Clan's decline will be extremely rapid.

Kushina and I are very close. I cannot bear to see her sad and heartbroken, so I sought out Young Master Fugaku.

As for what comes next, let's hear the Uchiha Clan's thoughts."

Tsunade looked toward Uchiha Ishijima and Fugaku Uchiha. She knew the Senju Clan's decline was unavoidable, but she did not know what it had to do with the Uchiha Clan.

Were they sure they weren't here to gloat?