Quit Gambling, Big Sis

"So?" Jiang Feng stood with his arms folded over his sword, expressionless and showing no respect whatsoever for the legendary Tsunade.

Tsunade did not mind. She casually slung an arm around Jiang Feng's neck as though they were old buddies.

"I heard you're rich and generous."

"I have so many good qualities, and the only one you care about is whether I'm generous?"

"After all, generosity is the only one that has anything to do with me."

Smiling, Tsunade held out her other hand before Jiang Feng and rubbed her thumb and forefinger together. "You're so rich. Just lend me a hundred or two hundred million to spend."

Asuma and Kurenai Yuhi were both dumbfounded. Who had the nerve to ask to borrow money from someone they had just met, and ask for a hundred or two hundred million right off the bat...?

No, when it came to Uchiha Jiang Feng, perhaps it was not all that strange.

"Not lending." Jiang Feng slapped Tsunade's hand away and politely declined.

"I heard someone asked to borrow two hundred million from you the first time they met you, and you really did lend it to them."

"Two hundred million was an exaggeration. It was only twenty million."

"But you did lend it to him."

"I did."

Tsunade raised a brow. "Then why won't you lend to me? Don't tell me you were in a good mood that day but are in a bad mood today. Give me a reason to make me give up."

Without hesitation, Jiang Feng gave Tsunade a reason that would have made most people give up. "Because I was certain he was the kind of person who would repay the money. You aren't."

"What makes you think I'm not?"

"Because the person in charge of the casino just now refused to lend you money."

Kurenai Yuhi and the others, who knew neither casinos nor Tsunade, were utterly confused. Why did the casino manager refusing to lend Tsunade money mean that Tsunade definitely would not repay it?

As someone involved, however, Tsunade could follow Jiang Feng's reasoning. She privately marveled at how observant and difficult to fool this brat was.

"Why are you so certain Lady Tsunade won't repay the money because of that?" Kurenai Yuhi asked the question on everyone's behalf.

Expressionless, Jiang Feng explained, "If I were the casino manager, I would agree to lend Tsunade money, but I would stipulate that it could only be used at the tables operated by the casino and not to gamble against other individual players.

"That way, given Tsunade's luck, no matter how much money the casino lent her, it would recover every last cent."

Kurenai Yuhi looked puzzled. "Could it be that the casino manager didn't think of that?"

"A friend of mine who runs a casino told me about this lending method."

The implication was that this was a lending method all casinos used.

Jiang Feng turned to Tsunade. "So the problem must lie with Tsunade. I'd guess either she failed to honor her agreement with the casino, or she already owes the casino enough money and still hasn't repaid it."

Since Tsunade would not repay the money regardless, there was no point in letting her owe even more. Letting the money pass through Tsunade's hands would only create unnecessary risks.

Everyone turned to look at Tsunade.

Tsunade puffed out her chest, raised her head, and spoke with complete conviction. "I never said I wouldn't pay it back. I just haven't saved up enough yet. Once I save enough, I'll pay off all my debts at this casino in one go."

"How much do you owe this casino?"

Kurenai Yuhi was curious. Just how much did she owe for Tsunade to use the word "save"?

"Less than three hundred million. If I get lucky, I can win it back in one night!"

Less than three hundred million?

No one could understand why Tsunade could state such an enormous figure so casually. Three hundred million—no matter how powerful one of the Sannin was, earning that much through missions alone might take nearly half a lifetime.

What was even more terrifying was that Tsunade had emphasized "this casino"...

That meant she surely had gambling debts at other casinos as well. Perhaps even selling all of Konoha would not be enough to clear the debts she owed to the major casinos.

So Jiang Feng had a perfectly good reason not to lend Tsunade money: she most likely would not repay it.

"Lady Tsunade, let's return to Konoha. Lord Hokage promised that as long as you return to Konoha, he'll lend you money."

In his desperation, even the honest Kurenai Yuhi had no choice but to invoke the Hokage's name to coax her.

The village had handed out money. Hurry back!

"Stop trying to fool me. That old man's little nest egg was gambled away by me long ago!"

Tsunade smiled contemptuously, looking exactly like a quit-gambling big sis ready to beat up her no-good old man with military boxing.

After exposing Kurenai Yuhi's clumsy lie, Tsunade looked to Jiang Feng again. "If lending me money is out of the question, then treating me to a meal is fine, right? You have so many friends—don't tell me none of them are drinking buddies."

"The vast majority of my friends are drinking buddies."

"Thanks!"

Tsunade patted Jiang Feng, rubbed her flat stomach, and eagerly led the way out. "Come on, come on, let's go eat.

"There's a famous food stall on this street. The boss is an incredible cook. You really lucked out running into me—if you're not a regular food lover, you'd never find that place."

Kurenai Yuhi sighed. "I knew this mission wouldn't be so simple. I really don't know what it will take to convince Lady Tsunade to return to Konoha with us."

Jiang Feng remained expressionless. "Someone will think of a way for us. We're not the ones who should be worried."

"What do you mean?" Kurenai Yuhi froze.

"Nothing."

Kurenai Yuhi did not press further, because Jiang Feng was once again giving off that pretentious aura utterly unlike everyone else's. At times like this, if he did not want to talk, no matter how much you asked, all you would get were riddling answers.

Asuma, whose idol had been shattered, sighed. "I never thought the legendary Lady Tsunade would be this kind of person."

"That's how legends are. When people spread someone's deeds, they always habitually exaggerate the side they want to promote.

"Take me, for example. In people's tales, I'm a generous good man willing to spend a fortune and risk my life for any stranger. But you know I'm not that kind of person.

"Or take the Third Generation. Asuma, you should understand very well just how different the real Third Generation Hokage is from the one in the legends."

Asuma fell silent. He understood perfectly just how different the real Uchiha Jiang Feng and the Third Generation were from the rumors surrounding them.

The young girl Kurenai Yuhi, whose idol had likewise been shattered, sighed with tears in her eyes. "But she's still Lady Tsunade."

"The Tsunade in your heart died many years ago. What you see now is merely the process of a corpse rotting away."

The young Kurenai Yuhi raised her little head, unable to understand why Jiang Feng would say such a thing.

Kurenai Yuhi sighed... Having never suffered another's pain, as an outsider, who had the right to demand that Tsunade stay strong?

Outside the casino, Tsunade had turned back when she saw that the four of them had not followed, afraid that her meal tickets might run away. She lowered her head without a word, her beautiful brows and eyes touched with sorrow.

The process of a corpse rotting away...

Was there really any difference between her now and a walking corpse?