Come Play Again Next Time

Eiji was an honest man.

He had no idea how to spin a story for Lord Tsunade that would sound even remotely reasonable.

"Well... what if I said I found this sword? Would you believe me?"

Lord Tsunade let out a cold laugh. There was no way she was buying Eiji's nonsense.

Why not just say it fell from the sky?

But she had just won a million, so her mood was good enough to let it slide.

She tossed the sword back to Eiji. "Whenever you feel like playing again, come find me. I'm always game."

Eiji turned and walked away, bitter tears streaming down his face.

Bastard!

Too humiliating!

I've actually sunk to being mocked by the Shinobi World's number one Fat Sheep!

If this gets out, how am I supposed to hold my head up?

And on top of that, all my money's gone. Where am I supposed to buy a house now?

He slipped back to his room. Both seniors were already asleep.

But Eiji couldn't sleep a wink.

No, I've got to find a way to get that money back.

This isn't about the mission anymore. This is about dignity.

In the next room, Lord Tsunade was happily counting her cash.

"See? I told you I'd win big today. In a few days, we'll hit a bigger casino and win back everything I've lost over the past few years."

But as she counted, she suddenly stopped.

Her gambling luck was terrible.

Every time she won big, something unexpected happened.

She'd made a lot today. Nothing weird was going to happen, right?

Lord Tsunade crawled under the covers, her mind flashing with images she didn't want to remember.

She didn't fall asleep until dawn.

The next morning, a few of them came downstairs for breakfast.

Shizune, holding Tonton, noticed Eiji was missing.

"Where's Eiji?"

Tenzo brought over two plates of steamed buns and a dish of pickled vegetables.

"Seems like he didn't sleep much last night. He's catching up on rest. Lord Tsunade isn't up either?"

Shizune nodded. "Probably stayed up late playing with Eiji. Besides, Lord Tsunade hasn't woken before noon in years. You get used to it."

All three of them found it strange how Eiji had managed to hit it off with Lord Tsunade.

And when Kakashi and Tenzo heard that Eiji had lost all night, their eyes nearly popped out.

Alright, alright.

So the Fat Sheep met a Fat Pig, huh?

Aside from hearing about Lord Hashirama losing to Lord Tsunade, this was the first time he'd heard of her winning so satisfyingly.

As they chatted, Eiji came bounding down the stairs.

Without a word, he grabbed a bun and started devouring it.

The three of them shuddered.

"Eiji, are you eating that bun or murdering it? What's the grudge?"

"Yeah, Eiji, it's not like the bun took your money, you..."

Honest Tenzo stopped mid-sentence, feeling a murderous aura so thick it was almost tangible.

"Uh, well, I'll go settle the bill. Breakfast's on me today."

With that, he bolted, terrified Eiji would draw his sword and challenge him to a duel.

Eiji gritted his teeth. "Senior Shizune."

"Hm?"

"Where's the nearest ninja tool shop?"

"Out the door, turn left. Third shop."

Eiji finished off the meat bun. "Ninja tools are important to a shinobi. Same goes for Orochimaru. I'll go see if there's any news."

Shizune and Kakashi exchanged a glance.

"I thought Eiji would be wallowing in the pain of losing money, but he adjusted this fast."

"Let's keep this between the five of us and Tonton—don't tell anyone else."

"Got it."

The ninja tool shop.

It was early morning with no business, so the owner was catching up on sleep in his recliner.

Eiji walked in slowly. "Wake up."

Startled by Eiji's sharp gaze, the owner said, "Yes, ninja-sama? Please, speak."

Eiji closed the door and stared straight at the owner for a long moment.

The owner's face went pale, and his voice trembled.

Think, damn brain! Have I done something to offend this ninja-sama lately?

Eiji slowly reached into his ninja tool pouch and pulled out a thick stack of Explosive Tags.

It's over.

The owner knew the power of Explosive Tags. This bastard's going to blow me into pieces scattered everywhere.

"Do you recognize this?"

"Y-Yes?"

"Is it worth anything?"

"Huh?"

"Huh my ass. Is it worth anything?"

"It's valuable, valuable. Buying them would cost five hundred ryo each. But this little shop doesn't carry them. If you want something, ninja-sama, take anything from the store—just spare my life."

Eiji felt something was off.

"When did I say I wanted your stuff? Are Konoha's ninja that lawless?"

The owner thudded to his knees and kowtowed to Eiji.

It's completely over. He really wants my life.

The owner knew that in the eyes of these ninja, their lives weren't worth a thing.

Especially in this lawless border zone, people died every day.

He just never thought today would be his turn.

"Ayaka, Yui, Yua, Ayu—see you in the next life."

The owner slowly closed his eyes. "I beg one thing of you, ninja-sama—make it quick. I'm afraid of pain."

"Are you insane?" Eiji tossed the Explosive Tags onto the counter. "Exchange these for cash."

The owner: ?

Who's insane here, really!

Half an hour later.

Eiji walked out with two hundred thousand ryo in his pocket.

The owner had changed into a fresh pair of pants and waved enthusiastically.

"Welcome back anytime."

But Eiji suddenly turned his head, and the owner scrambled back inside in a flash.

Oh no, did I say something wrong again?

At noon.

Tsunade finally got up, and the five of them gathered for lunch.

They also exchanged information about Orochimaru.

But Tsunade clearly wasn't interested in that.

She only wanted to make an even bigger score that night.

"Since there's no news on Orochimaru, let's head to the next place."

Tsunade pulled out a warm banknote and stuffed it into Eiji's hand.

"This is a lesson for you—don't gamble anymore, okay~"

Tsunade's voice was soft and sweet, but it stabbed into Eiji's heart like a knife.

"You!"

Tsunade rested her chin on one hand. "An IOU works too. I still trust the Uchiha clan's reputation."

Ahhhhhhh!

Eiji felt like his Sharingan was about to evolve into a Mangekyo.

"Two seniors, wait for me a moment."

Eiji pulled banknotes from his backpack and slammed them onto the table with force. "Another round!"

Kakashi and Tenzo covered their faces in pain. Done for—Eiji had turned into a gambling addict.

Half an hour later.

Eiji was hugging Xiao Er, hiding in the farthest corner of the room. He looked utterly pitiful.

Eiji hadn't expected that, as the only cheater in this world, he'd be worse at gambling than even Lord Tsunade.

He steeled himself. Fine, no more playing. He could just double that money back from Danzo later.

Just as he was about to get up and leave, he suddenly sensed a fluctuation in Chakra.

Eiji frowned. Not the Masked Man, not Zetsu. So who was it?

Ah, got it.

Eiji suddenly came up with a brilliant idea.

The mission only required him to beat Lord Tsunade—it never said it had to be at gambling.

He walked over to Tsunade's side. "Lord Tsunade, care to make another bet with me?"

Tsunade laughed so hard her whole body shook, and Eiji couldn't take his eyes off her.

"Don't say one bet—I'll bet as many as you want!"

Eiji leaned in close to her ear, speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear. "Let's bet on who finds Orochimaru first—me or Lord Jiraiya."

Tsunade paused thoughtfully. "Kid, I've actually been meaning to say this for a while. Orochimaru isn't someone the three of you can handle."

She tapped his forehead protector. "Chunin. Just obediently take on low-difficulty missions."

But Eiji only repeated himself. "Bet or not."

"Sigh. I'll play along with you, then."

"If you win, I'll give you a gift. If you lose, give me fifty thousand ryo in banknotes."

Tsunade naturally believed Jiraiya would find Orochimaru first.

No matter how unreliable he was, he was still the famous Toad Sage.

As for the three of them—they were ultimately lacking.

And besides, for some reason, she always had an uneasy feeling.

"Tired. Going back to rest."

Tsunade got up and left, completely missing the corner of Eiji's mouth curling up.

Finally, she'd taken the bait!