The Trees of the Ninja World Can Use Ninjutsu

A 3-7 split: Uchiha Mai takes 5 million, and Princess Tsunade takes the remaining 2.16 million.

Although two million was a mere pittance compared to the ten-plus million lost previously, Princess Tsunade was already satisfied; after all, this was the first time she had seen a return on her investment.

"Little brother, my dear Mai, is this card skill of yours hard to learn?" Princess Tsunade tucked the money into her wallet, wrapped her arms around Uchiha Mai, and asked with a pleasant expression.

Ugh~

Standing to the side, Kakashi felt his entire being go sour; he felt like retching from disgust.

Ten days ago, she was calling him a brat, but now that she knows he can win money, it's "little brother" this and "dear little brother" that. How sickening!

"It depends on talent," Uchiha Mai replied without giving a direct answer.

"Then how do you rate your big sister's talent?" Princess Tsunade puffed out her chest.

"It's huge—oh, no, I mean, your natural talent is exceptional, big sister. Texas Hold'em was practically born for you.

Since you could become the best medical ninja in the shinobi world, your mathematical aptitude certainly isn't bad. And being a ninja who has surpassed the rank of jonin, your learning ability won't be lacking either.

As long as you systematically practice 5,000 hands, you should be able to get the hang of it and become a decent player."

5,000 hands. Playing 100-200 hands a day, she could get the basics down in a little over a month. This was doable.

Once Princess Tsunade finished her calculations, the way she looked at Uchiha Mai became instantly fervent. She had to get her hands on this kid's card skills.

For the longest time, whenever Princess Tsunade gambled, she played everything and lost at everything. Not to mention losing money based on pure luck, she never bothered to study the techniques for games that actually required skill.

Of course, it was also possible she had never met a master to teach her the proper techniques.

Before transmigrating, Uchiha Mai loved playing cards, primarily Yu-Gi-Oh! and Texas Hold'em. Because he was bored, he had also delved deep into some Texas Hold'em GTO Theory.

The professional matched the amateur!

"Little Namikaze Minato..."

Princess Tsunade looked toward Master Minato with a beaming smile, speaking in a persuasive, earnest tone: "Has anyone ever told you that your team composition is highly irrational?

During the Second Shinobi World War, I pushed for the medical ninja policy and established the Medical Corps, which drastically reduced the casualty count for Konoha ninjas.

After the war ended, medical ninjas gained the attention of Sarutobi Hiruzen and officially stepped onto the mainstream stage.

In Konoha teams, aside from specialized units like Ino-Shika-Cho, the Taijutsu Squad, or the Genjutsu Squad, every standard team tries to equip at least one medical ninja, or at the very least, has one member learn medical ninjutsu.

Actually, from the moment I saw your team ten days ago, I had already been considering this issue.

After observing him for these past ten days, I can conclude that Mai has a great talent for learning medical ninjutsu. As long as he studies under me for a few years, he could inherit my mantle and become a top-tier medical ninja.

Little Namikaze Minato, what do you think?"

Ugh~

Kakashi curled his lip in disdain again. Was Princess Tsunade, one of the Sannin, really this shameless?

Are you drooling over his potential? You're clearly just drooling over his card skills. You're despicable!

"Princess Tsunade, I forgot to tell you, I tested my chakra nature a long time ago.

My chakra natures are Fire and Yin, and I also have a bit of Lightning, though it's not very prominent," Uchiha Mai raised his hand to object.

Without Yang release, he'd have to be a fool to study medical ninjutsu.

"What would a little brat like you know?"

Princess Tsunade put her hands on her hips and scolded him, saying: "Chakra natures can be developed later on.

I guarantee with my reputation as the world's number one medical ninja that you absolutely possess the Yang nature; it's just hidden quite deep and requires a master to teach you how to unearth it."

If you ask, it's just a late bloomer.

Uchiha Mai: "..."

This... I'm in a high-speed growth period. Why would I ignore Fire Style, genjutsu, and taijutsu—things I can learn easily—to study medical ninjutsu? Wouldn't that make me a total idiot?

"Princess Tsunade, let's stop with the empty talk."

Uchiha Mai laid his cards on the table: "You come back to Konoha with us.

Afterward, you guide me in some taijutsu techniques, and I'll teach you top-tier Texas Hold'em skills. It's a fair trade."

"You want to learn my taijutsu?"

Princess Tsunade was slightly surprised. Didn't the Uchiha always love playing with fire and genjutsu? Still, this wasn't a bad deal.

"It's a deal!" Princess Tsunade extended a hand.

"Slap!"

Uchiha Mai and Princess Tsunade high-fived to seal the pact. "It's a deal."

With this, the mission to "bring back Princess Tsunade" assigned by Sarutobi Hiruzen was more than halfway complete; all that remained was to bring her back and collect the bounty.

Namikaze Minato, Kakashi, and Might Guy were filled with complex emotions. This mission was truly bizarre—it was already over before they had even done anything.

Princess Tsunade was eager to return, unable to wait to get back to Konoha and learn those top-tier Texas Hold'em skills.

She kept urging Namikaze Minato along. Once Master Minato had finished buying all the goods on Kushina's list and stuffed them into a Storage Scroll, the group began their journey home, snacking and humming tunes.

Not long after leaving Tanzaku Town, Namikaze Minato, who was walking at the front of the group, suddenly frowned, sensing that something was wrong.

He did not make a scene, continuing to walk forward as if nothing were amiss.

Soon, Uchiha Mai also sensed that something was wrong with the surroundings. He gave Kakashi a subtle reminder, signaling with his eyes that there was an ambush.

Some ninjas had used the Transformation Technique to disguise themselves as trees along the road. Their motives were unclear, but it was highly likely they were targeting Minato's group.

As for who exactly they intended to assassinate, that remained unknown, though Uchiha Mai estimated the true target was Tsunade; aside from her, no one else in the group was worth the effort of an ambush.

Kakashi nodded slightly, having also sensed the anomaly. Just as he was about to alert Might Guy, Uchiha Mai stopped him with a look.

If you tell Might Guy, wouldn't that reveal that we already know the enemy has been exposed?

With just a single glance, Kakashi understood Uchiha Mai's meaning. He abandoned the idea of informing Might Guy and silently slowed his pace, moving to the back of the formation.

Within a few breaths, the squad's formation had shifted into a defensive posture with Uchiha Mai in the lead, Might Guy and Tsunade in the center, and Kakashi bringing up the rear.

On the surface, the group continued to chat and laugh, as if they had noticed nothing at all.

Just as they were about to exit the enemy's encirclement, a green tree by the roadside suddenly transformed into a human figure. The assailant quickly formed hand seals and slammed his palms onto the ground, sending a bolt of lightning surging toward Tsunade in the center of the group with lightning speed.

Lightning Style: Earth Flash!

The moment this person revealed himself, three or four other trees followed suit, exposing their figures and simultaneously unleashing ninjutsu, focusing their fire on Tsunade at the heart of the group.

Just as the trees in Vietnam could talk, the trees in the ninja world could use ninjutsu—perfectly reasonable, right?

The enemy's target was Tsunade!

"Protect Lady Tsunade!" Master Minato commanded, using the Body Flicker Technique to flash behind one of the enemies, wielding a Kunai to slash across the latter's throat.

Protect our tank.jpg

"A few measly small fry trying to ambush me, Tsunade? You're dreaming!

Heavenly Foot of Pain... hm..."

In truth, Tsunade had also discovered the ambush on both sides of the road long ago.

With one hand on her hip, she let out a haughty snort and was just about to leap up and clear the field with a Heavenly Foot of Pain when she saw one of the enemies have his throat slit by Minato.

The Kunai pierced the ambusher's throat, and as the wind blew across the resulting wound, it bloomed with a fleeting, magnificent spray of blood.

Tsunade's bold words came to an abrupt halt. Her mind was seized by the terror of blood, and she stood frozen in place, trembling uncontrollably.

While Master Minato took a life with a single strike, he had also effectively neutralized their strongest combatant.