Ten Bets, Ten Losses

His reaction speed was pretty good. As expected of someone who had noticed the enemy using Ninja Birds to track them before he did.

Still, he had not gotten the chance to gamble at Aicao Market in the Land of Grass. Now that the mission had reached a temporary stopping point and their safety was relatively assured, was Yamaki being too controlling by stopping him from having some fun?

"Captain Yamaki, a little gambling can be relaxing. The money we make from missions every month is barely enough to spend." Xing Ran spoke helplessly as he brushed Yamaki Atsushi's hand aside. The dealer had already set down the shaken cup, and Xing Ran was about to place his bet.

"Xing Ran-kun, listen to your big brother. Nine out of ten gamblers lose. Cherish your life and stay away from gambling. You just said you didn't have enough money to spend. If you gamble, you'll have even less." Junpei joined in the effort to guide a lost lamb back to the right path, grabbing one of Xing Ran's arms with the clear intent of dragging him away by force if he refused to leave.

"I'm only betting three hundred ryo. A little gambling is good for the mood. Once I lose these three hundred ryo, we'll go." Xing Ran was not a compulsive gambler, but he had seen the dice inside the cup: three, three, two. Going by the dealer's usual tricks, the bastard would definitely turn it into a triple and take everything.

Don't ask why the dealer dared to play like that. In his previous life, Xing Ran had seen tables where two out of three rounds were triples, the other was a straight, and seventeen big results came in a row.

Xing Ran had lived peacefully for over a year. He had no intention of passing up such a good chance to pick up free money.

With an excited expression, he split the three hundred ryo he had just won into three portions. He bet one hundred ryo on a triple three, one hundred on a two-three-four straight, and the last hundred on small.

If the triple or straight won, he would sweep the table. If small won, he would receive the full payout according to the odds. Either way, he would profit, and he would definitely earn more than in the previous round.

Xing Ran looked so excited that he resembled a hopeless gambling addict, turning Yamaki Atsushi and Junpei's faces black as pots. The intelligence report had clearly stated that the kid had no history of gambling addiction. Damn it, war trauma really had appeared.

His violent tendencies had not even been fully confirmed yet, and now they had confirmed that he had a gambling problem too. Lord Hokage would surely be disappointed. What a waste of Xing Ran's excellent sensory talent.

Xing Ran did not notice the two Konoha Anbu adding drama to the situation in their minds. The dealer did not keep everyone waiting long before opening the cup, casting Xing Ran an apparently casual glance at the same time.

"Three, three, two. Small." The dealer's voice was as grating as ever. Gamblers around the table wailed miserably, though the few who had bet on small beamed with delight. Joy for some, sorrow for others—the scene captured it perfectly.

"Damn it!" Xing Ran cursed inwardly. When two harms clashed, one chose the lesser. He was speechless. Was this the true meaning of nine out of ten gamblers losing? It was realistic enough. Even with cheating, he could only win this little. What difference was there between ordinary people gambling and throwing money away?

Cherish your life and stay away from gambling. A timeless truth.

"You lost, Xing Ran-kun. Let's go while the losses are still small." Yamaki Atsushi said nothing more, but Junpei tried to save him one last time with another warning.

"It's fine. It's not often that I get to travel abroad and have some fun. I'm not gambling big. Once I lose my three hundred ryo stake, I'll leave." Xing Ran smiled and declined Junpei's kindness. Today, he was determined to take on this gambling hall. He had indeed won by betting small that round, but he had only wagered one hundred ryo on it and lost the other two hundred. His three hundred ryo had become a little over two hundred again.

One more round.

This time, it was three, five, six. Big.

However, Xing Ran did not hurry to place his bet. His mind calculated rapidly. With the dealer's habits, these numbers would most likely be turned into a four-five-six straight. But if someone bet on a straight, the dealer might simply keep the result unchanged, earning less but avoiding a triple sweeping the table.

There was a limit to how much triples and straights could sweep. A triple paid ten to one, and a straight paid five to one at most—at least, those were the rules here. When betting on big or small, the money on the table was often not even enough for a triple bettor to take all of it.

Xing Ran now had two hundred and thirty ryo. He bet two hundred on big and thirty on a straight. That way, he would not sweep all the money like last round. Betting on big would also preserve his capital and let him make another small profit. This betting plan was like snatching meat from the dealer's mouth, switching the positions of those drinking soup and those eating meat.

Xing Ran was not worried that the dealer would reveal only big, because that would mean more people sharing the payout and less profit for the dealer.

Sure enough, Xing Ran guessed correctly this time. Four, five, six—a straight.

The gamblers at the table cried that it was cursed, but their enthusiasm did not diminish. More accurately, their frenzy remained unchanged. Those who had lost until their eyes turned red would not give up easily, and they all urged the dealer to start another round.

Xing Ran, meanwhile, wore the smug expression of someone who had successfully stolen a chicken, grinning wickedly again and again.

The straight paid five to one, earning him one hundred and fifty ryo. His two hundred ryo bet on big earned another hundred. Including his stake, Xing Ran now had four hundred and eighty ryo in gambling funds.

As his capital increased, Xing Ran's rate of making money became even faster.

He placed small bets on triples and straights, large bets on big and small. Each amount was calculated in an instant based on the total stakes on the table, leaving the dealer uncomfortable every time he opened the cup.

(P.S. The gambling plot is necessary. There's still an important figure coming up later, so I wouldn't dare pad the word count.)

After twice forcing the house not to profit while ensuring Xing Ran did not have it easy either, the dealer realized that because Xing Ran's bets on big and small were so large, he could still make quite a bit even without having to pay out for triples or straights.

This was an expert!

The dealer quickly reached that conclusion. When Xing Ran's chips at the table reached six thousand ryo, the dealer announced that he needed a break to use the restroom.

Watching the dealer hurry away, Xing Ran suddenly realized that he had been a little too unrestrained. Many people at the same table were now following his bets. The dealer was definitely going to find the boss, wasn't he?

"I had a lot of fun today. Let's head back." After the dealer left, Xing Ran made his declaration and pulled along the two Konoha Anbu, who had been dumbfounded since the third round, intending to leave.

After teaching the civilians of the Land of Earth that gambling was harmful to body and mind because they would lose money regardless of whether their luck was good or bad, the three were stopped at the entrance by Ryuzan of Iwagakure. With a bitter smile and a shake of his head, he explained, "Lord Yamanaka, if I didn't know you had come here today merely to sightsee and happened to play along the way, I would have suspected that you came specifically to wreck the place. Their boss will be here soon. Let's clear things up before we leave, so we don't create more trouble."

What happened afterward was exactly as Xing Ran expected. Although he had never encountered it before, this sort of plot was common enough in novels. Winning money and then wanting to leave peacefully was never that easy.

Who knew what Ryuzan said to the man with a massive scar across his forehead? Xing Ran could not be bothered to eavesdrop. Ryuzan just kept apologizing to Scarface and speaking good words for quite a while before the matter was finally settled.

On the way back to the inn, Ryuzan told them that they could not visit that gambling hall again. They were no longer welcome there.

Xing Ran truly felt a little sympathy for the Tsuchikage now. Ryuzan was the Tsuchikage's man, yet today's incident showed that the Tsuchikage's influence in Iwagakure was no longer all that useful. Even the owner of a gambling hall could make an official responsible for foreign affairs humble himself.