The Inconspicuous Squad Leader Jonin

The innkeeper was a middle-aged man (or woman?) with a scruffy, rugged appearance, yet he was dressed in a woman's kimono, making his gender impossible to discern.

Seeing Master Minato lead his three students through the door, the innkeeper sat motionless behind the counter and asked listlessly, "Welcome. How long do you intend to stay, and what kind of room do you need?"

Master Minato glanced at the price list; fortunately, it was within his budget.

Fumbling through his wallet, he pulled out a few small bills, laid them on the counter, and said, "Boss, give us a standard room for two days to start."

"Standard rooms only have one bed."

"That's fine, I'll just sleep on the tatami mat," Master Minato replied. As a ninja, not having to sleep in the wilderness was already a luxury.

The innkeeper curled his lip, wondering why someone who looked so decent was so stingy. He took the money, pulled out a ring of keys, removed one, and slapped it onto the table.

"Second to last room on the left."

"Got it~"

Master Minato took the key, thought for a moment, then asked Might Guy for the poster, spread it out before the innkeeper, and asked, "Boss, have you seen this woman in the last few days?"

The scale of Tanzaku Town was, frankly, only a few streets; if one truly wanted to find someone, asking around would eventually yield results. Master Minato had officially entered work mode.

"Hmm?"

The innkeeper put on his glasses and leaned in close to the poster to examine it, making "Hmm? Hmm~" sounds from time to time, as if he had truly seen Tsunade.

However, he refused to give a clear answer, keeping them in suspense while his left thumb and index finger rubbed together in an extremely subtle gesture.

Understood.

Master Minato, feeling a pang of heartache, fished a 1000 yen note from his wallet and slapped it onto the table. When it came to gathering information, this was a necessary expense.

The innkeeper took the bill, tucked it into his clothes, and then said, "I've seen her."

And then?

Master Minato waited for a long time, but heard nothing more. Seeing the innkeeper rub his fingers again, he realized he wanted more money.

Ah, this...

Just as Minato was about to pull more cash from his wallet, Uchiha Mai pressed his hand down.

"How much did this counter cost?" Uchiha Mai asked.

The innkeeper was confused but answered, "About 1500 yen. It's a cheap piece I picked up at a second-hand market. Is there a problem?"

"No problem."

Uchiha Mai shook his head, then suddenly erupted into action. Channeling chakra into his leg, he delivered a whip kick to the side of the counter, shattering it into a pile of wooden splinters with a loud crack.

"!"

The innkeeper was terrified, falling onto his backside. Only then did he realize that the people before him were definitely ninjas, not the kind of "Big Fat Sheep" he could fleece at will.

To ordinary people, ninjas were existences that absolutely could not be provoked, unless you were the one hiring them.

During the Second Shinobi World War, the Sannin encountered the young Nagato trio in the Land of Rain. Orochimaru suspected they were spies and intended to slaughter them.

While this was partly due to Orochimaru's ruthless nature, in certain situations, ninjas were indeed a death warrant for ordinary people.

Uchiha Mai took Master Minato's wallet, pulled out 2000 yen to hand to the innkeeper, and pointed at the poster of Tsunade.

"Now," he said, "tell us everything you know about this woman."

Master Minato was still too kind.

The innkeeper tremblingly accepted the money, struggling to recall every detail for fear of missing something, and replied, "A... about ten days ago, this woman came to Tanzaku Town, and she was very lavish with her spending.

At first, she stayed in the best inns and drank the finest wine. Day or night, she went to the casino almost every day, staying for at least four or five hours.

Later, I heard people calling her some sort of Big Fat Sheep or Little Lamb.

Then, every two days, the quality of the inn she stayed in would drop a tier, and the wine she drank would be worse than before.

Until yesterday, when she came to my inn and took the cheapest room. I reckon in a little while, she'll be sleeping on the streets."

Ah, this—a cliff-like decline in consumption levels.

"Just how much did she lose? What a spendthrift," Uchiha Mai muttered.

"I heard she lost over ten million yen," the innkeeper added.

Good heavens, that's at least a third of an Asuma gone.

Having transmigrated for so many years, Uchiha Mai had some understanding of the currency in the ninja world; roughly 100 yen was equivalent to 1000 yen in his past life.

It didn't matter if one couldn't grasp the conversion between yen and RMB; one only needed to know the exchange rate between yen and USD was roughly 100:1.

Over ten million yen was about a million dollars—already a massive fortune.

"Where is she now?" Uchiha Mai continued to ask.

"She should be at the casino."

The innkeeper brought over a map of Tanzaku Town, gestured to a spot, and answered cautiously, "This woman changes inns often, but she goes to the same casino every day.

That casino is the largest in Tanzaku Town, fully equipped with all kinds of gambling games, both high-stakes and low-stakes tables, and they even provide free cigarettes, bottled water, and snacks."

Offering snacks?

Might Guy instantly perked up. He stroked his chin with a solemn expression, feigning deep thought as he said, "This is just a guess, it might not be right. Do you think it's possible that Lady Tsunade went there just to mooch a meal?"

Hmm... that's not entirely impossible.

I didn't expect to make progress the moment we arrived in Tanzaku Town.

Uchiha Mai pulled two 200-ryo banknotes from his wallet, handed them to the innkeeper, and instructed, "Get the room cleaned up. Boil a pot of hot water at 11 PM; I'll need it for a bath. Understood?"

"Understood." The innkeeper took the bills, smiling obsequiously.

"Let's go, to the casino."

Uchiha Mai shoved the wallet back into Minato's hands and led Kakashi and Might Guy straight toward the casino, leaving Master Minato and the innkeeper staring at each other in confusion.

Ah, this...

How come it feels like it makes no difference whether I, the team-leading jonin, am here or not?

My students' strength is improving rapidly, and they are not only capable in a fight but also decisive in handling problems, making me, their teacher, feel completely redundant. What should I do?

Waiting online, it's quite urgent.

Perhaps this is just what geniuses are like; Master Minato could only use such reasoning to comfort himself.

After settling his own internal conflict, Minato used the Body Flicker Technique, transforming into a golden streak of light and catching up to his students within seconds.

Tanzaku Town did not cover much ground, and a few minutes later, the four of them arrived at the casino the innkeeper had mentioned; the decor was indeed quite grand.

The guards at the entrance, who were clearly ninjas, turned a blind eye to the three youngsters. Customers were customers; as long as they could lose money, who cared how old they were?

After stepping into the casino and glancing around for a few moments, Uchiha Mai noticed one gambling table that was highly unusual.

Judging by the casino's signage, that table was meant for low-stakes betting. Such tables usually had a moderate crowd—not too empty, but not too busy—since there were no earth-shattering wagers to attract spectators.

Yet, at this moment, that table was surrounded by at least several dozen people, packed three layers deep.

Transition chapter, requesting monthly votes...