Stop While You're Ahead, Tsunade

"Because this is my first time taking out a loan."

Kiyohara spoke.

He looked at Tsunade.

Tsunade wore a sleeveless top with a green coat over it, concealing her curvaceous figure beneath it.

She wore light blue capri pants on her lower body, tightly outlining her long, rounded legs.

"First time?"

Tsunade frowned slightly.

This was bad.

It seemed she had already borrowed money many times.

The moment Kiyohara saw Tsunade's subtle expression, he knew her "personal credit" must have been ruined.

"Ahem. I'm Tsunade. Lend me some money now, and I'll definitely pay you back after I turn things around."

Tsunade looked at Kiyohara.

"Lady Tsunade is going gambling?"

Kiyohara asked.

Tsunade's gambling addiction was hardly a secret. It had even earned her the nickname The Legendary Sucker.

Stop while you're ahead, Tsunade. Everyone outside is winning except you.

Kiyohara felt that even if he lent Tsunade money, she would have no chance of winning.

But after a thought, he still took out fifty thousand ryo and lent it to Tsunade.

"Lady Tsunade, I'm very interested in the knowledge of medical ninja. Could you teach me a little?"

Kiyohara asked.

At this point in time, Konoha's medical ninja system was not yet as developed as it would be in the future.

When Sakura and Naruto carried out their first mission, Naruto could only use a kunai to cut open the back of his hand and detoxify himself that way.

The reason was that Sakura at the time did not know basic Medical Ninjutsu such as Detoxification Jutsu or Hemostasis Jutsu.

It was only in Boruto that every genin began receiving training in the fundamentals of medical ninja arts, in order to identify those with talent.

"Hmm..."

Tsunade frowned.

"Lady Tsunade, the others are urging you."

Shizune hurried over from afar, carrying Tonton in her arms.

She really wanted Tsunade to quit gambling, but Tsunade had assigned her a task: to keep an eye on what was happening inside.

Shizune naturally did not dare disobey Tsunade's orders.

"Kid, you're lucky."

Tsunade nodded and agreed to Kiyohara's request.

"I'll give you two jutsu. Give me one hundred thousand ryo."

Tsunade held out her hand.

Though they were only the most basic Medical Ninjutsu, they were not so easy to purchase.

She was only "selling them cheap" because she urgently needed money, and because Kiyohara was a ninja from the village.

"No problem, Lady Tsunade."

Kiyohara smiled faintly.

He was surprised that Tsunade had actually accepted the deal.

He promptly took out one hundred thousand ryo, as well as blank paper and a pen for Tsunade.

He had intended to use them to continue recording Renegade Kiyohara's jutsu after buying them, but they were perfect for Tsunade to record the Medical Ninjutsu now.

A single C-rank mission generally paid between thirty thousand and one hundred thousand ryo.

But according to Sha no Sho, the official databook, if the same mission was completed by multiple people, the reward was split equally among them.

In other words, earning one hundred thousand ryo required completing several C-rank missions.

"You even carry this stuff around..."

Tsunade assumed Kiyohara was a ninja who enjoyed researching jutsu, so she did not think much of it. She quickly picked up the pen and hastily wrote the training methods on the blank pages.

The two Medical Ninjutsu she gave him happened to be Hemostasis Jutsu and Detoxification Jutsu.

"Money and goods exchanged at the same time."

Tsunade returned the scroll and pen to Kiyohara, then hurried toward the casino with a thick stack of banknotes in hand.

"Shizune, let's go."

Tsunade could no longer wait to turn things around.

Shizune had witnessed Tsunade selling two basic Medical Ninjutsu the entire time.

Although every medical ninja knew those jutsu, Shizune still sighed.

Lady Tsunade truly gambled as though her life depended on it.

"Lady Tsunade, nine times out of ten, gambling ends in loss."

Shizune tried to persuade her again.

She felt that Kiyohara lending Lady Tsunade money was practically harming her!

"Shizune, you don't understand. Losing is only temporarily depositing the money. Quitting means it's truly gone."

Tsunade imparted a profound truth to Shizune.

After that, she said no more and entered the casino, ready to sweep through the place and reclaim everything that belonged to her.

Kiyohara stood where he was, watching Tsunade and Shizune leave, and could not help shaking his head.

If the Sannin represented the three great sins, then Orochimaru was undoubtedly poison, Jiraiya was lust, and Tsunade was gambling.

Tsunade ought to have the character for gambling embroidered on the back of her coat.

"Not bad. You got those two jutsu as well."

Renegade Kiyohara spoke.

Every ninja could only master a limited number of jutsu.

One of the requirements for becoming a Jonin was mastering two chakra nature transformations.

Most ninja only had a few jutsu they could use.

He had spent his life traveling outside as Orochimaru's black glove, and everything he had learned was combat-oriented ninjutsu. He truly had no knowledge of Medical Ninjutsu.

"I wonder if I can learn them in the next few days."

Kiyohara looked at the messy handwriting. Fortunately, he could still make it out if he examined it carefully.

"That's enough. I can guide your chakra."

Renegade Kiyohara said that he could help Kiyohara practice these two most basic Medical Ninjutsu.

Neither jutsu required a Yang nature, so Kiyohara, who only possessed Wind and Lightning natures, could learn them as well.

"Alright."

Kiyohara nodded and continued down the street.

Communication between him and Renegade Kiyohara could take place in his mind, just as Naruto spoke with the Nine-Tails.

No one outside could hear their conversation.

I hope the remaining money is enough to buy some good armor.

Kiyohara thought to himself.

A ninja's chakra was limited, so every bit of it had to be carefully budgeted.

That was why ninja tools such as shuriken and kunai were essential equipment in the ninja world.

Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu might not necessarily burn someone to death, but if someone was stabbed by a kunai, they would basically die.

So Kiyohara was not going to buy shuriken, nor was he going to buy kunai.

He was going to buy armor!

Although only chunin were qualified to wear the green ninja flak jacket, Kiyohara could buy a better set of chainmail and wear it beneath his clothes.

At critical moments, it only needed to block some damage.

After purchasing everything, Kiyohara also bought some tools commonly used by ninja, and even an extra bag of lime powder.

Because of that, however, Kiyohara had almost no money left.

"How do we make the medicine?"

Kiyohara returned home carrying bags of supplies and asked.

As for making the forbidden drug, he could only leave it to Renegade Kiyohara. He did not understand any of it.

Kiyohara was not worried that Renegade Kiyohara would harm him.

If he followed the original course of events and went to reinforce Team Minato, he likely would not survive.

Nohara Rin would be captured, Kakashi would lose an eye, and half of Obito's body would be crushed.

Even if Kiyohara survived, he might end up missing an arm or a leg.

He might as well trust his future self.

"I'll possess you to complete this step. This level of heat is difficult to control."

Renegade Kiyohara said.

"But each time I possess you, my dissipation will accelerate, so there isn't much I can do."

After saying that, Renegade Kiyohara's spirit body entered Kiyohara's body.

Kiyohara's current feeling was very strange.

He watched his own hands and feet move on their own.

Yet he could also feel that if he wanted to, he could immediately take back control of his body.