The Legendary Sucker

It had been three days since Akiyama Shun last helped Might Guy.

Over the past few days, Shun had clearly noticed that whenever Guy had nothing to do in class, he liked to watch him.

In the past, Shun would definitely have felt uncomfortable, but now he didn't care anymore.

That was because Kakashi had been doing the same thing for a month already.

Every day in class, those two watched him more often than they watched the teacher.

"Shizune and Akiyama Shun are on duty today. You're dismissed."

After Kazama Shinya finished speaking, he left the classroom, and the room immediately erupted in cheers.

"Yeah! School's over!"

Of all the moments in the day, Obito looked forward to going home the most. But unlike the other students, he didn't rush out of school.

Nohara Rin hadn't left yet.

Seeing her still tidying her desk, Obito hurried over to help.

"Rin, let me help you pack up your books."

"Thanks, Obito."

"Hehe~"

Obito hadn't been hit by a boulder yet. He was still a sunny, cheerful boy who was happy every day just from watching Rin and hearing her voice.

"Shun, I'll head off first. Remember to come play with me tomorrow! I found a great hiding spot for this game of hide-and-seek. I definitely won't be the first one caught!"

"Don't worry. If I find you, I'll pretend I didn't see you."

"What do you mean~? You'll never find me!"

After Yuhi Kurenai finished packing up, she left too. Soon, only Akiyama Shun and Shizune were left in the classroom.

Well, there were also two people peeking through a window outside the classroom, but after Hatake Sakumo and Might Duy came to pick them up, they went home with their fathers.

"Um... Akiyama Shun, could I ask you a favor?"

When Shun was about to start cleaning, he noticed Shizune hesitating, as if she wanted to say something.

"Could you take care of the duty by yourself today? Something really bad just occurred to me. Don't worry, I'll handle it myself next time!"

"Huh?"

Shun stared at Shizune in confusion. She hesitated for a moment before explaining.

"To stop Lady Tsunade from gambling, I hid all our money. But this morning, Lady Tsunade seemed really sneaky."

"I didn't think much of it at first, but I've been wondering all through class whether Lady Tsunade figured out where I hid the money."

"If she finds it, she'll go on another drinking and gambling binge and lose every last coin! I have to hurry back and check!"

Shun's mouth twitched as he listened. Tsunade really was the legendary sucker.

Shizune trusted her far too much. She should've known Tsunade was bound to get up to no good!

But...

This was a great opportunity!

His openly displaying his talent so recklessly had plenty of benefits, such as getting the attention of the higher-ups and graduating early.

But there were downsides too!

One of them was Shimura Danzō, the man with the most eyes, the man who revered Susanoo above all else, the man who used Izanagi as a Substitution Technique!

That old bastard was one of the higher-ups too!

It was true that the old schemer only became completely twisted after the Third Shinobi World War, but that didn't mean there was nothing wrong with him now!

With the way Shun was performing, that old schemer was sure to set his sights on him sooner or later. At first, the Third Hokage could still step in and stop him.

But if Shun showed signs of having a Kekkei Genkai, then to a mad dog like Shimura Danzō, he'd be a giant slab of meat. The old schemer would dare to abduct him by force!

With Tsunade in the picture, things would be different.

Tsunade had a very special background. Her grandfather was Senju Hashirama, the First, and her great-uncle was Senju Tobirama, the Second. She was also one of the Sannin, renowned throughout the Ninja World.

With those two backing him, even if Shimura Danzō was a mad old dog, he'd have to behave himself a little.

Besides, getting to know Tsunade early would also help him graduate early.

"It's fine. I'll go with you to find Lady Tsunade."

"Huh?"

Shizune was about to ask what they would do about their duty when she saw Shun form Hand Seals.

With a puff, two identical copies of Akiyama Shun appeared beside him.

Shun handed the mops to the two Shadow Clones.

"Let's go!"

"How can you use the Shadow Clone Technique?"

Shizune was bewildered. A ninja academy student who'd only been enrolled for three months, and a B-rank jutsu on par with what a jōnin could use.

The two just didn't belong together!

"I learned it by watching someone else use it. That's not important! Let's go!"

At Shun's urging, Shizune blankly murmured, "Oh," a couple of times. She gave up thinking about the matter and started worrying about what might be happening to Tsunade.

She led Shun at a run all the way home.

"Lady Tsunade! Are you home?"

Shizune called out, but no one answered.

They opened the door. There wasn't a soul inside.

Shun saw only the Disaster Thunder Pig.

It was actually Tsunade's pet, but in this household, it belonged to Shizune's "faction."

Whenever the household ran out of money, Shizune would find somewhere to sell Tonton. After she got the money, Tonton would escape, pulling a classic piggy-back scam.

"Looks like she's not home," Shun said after looking around.

"The money's gone! She must've gone to the casino!"

Shizune's shriek came from the bedroom.

She shoved the door open, scooped up Tonton, and dashed outside. Shun followed her.

The two soon reached the entrance of a casino.

Before going in, Shun took a careful look around. It was an ordinary casino, with no ninja guards.

As soon as they entered, the din of the crowd poured in from all directions.

But neither of them paid it any attention. They searched the room for Tsunade.

More people were gathered around one gambling table than any of the others.

As soon as they drew near, they spotted Tsunade gambling through a gap in the crowd.

She was holding a huge cup of alcohol and gulping it down.

"Lady Tsunade!"

Shizune shrieked and rushed into the crowd, grabbing Tsunade and trying to pull her out.

"Shizune! Weren't you supposed to be on duty today? What are you doing here?"

Tsunade was startled to see Shizune, then immediately began struggling.

With her Strength of a Hundred, Tsunade could easily have broken free from Shizune's grip. But they weren't enemies, and Shizune was still a child. Tsunade was afraid of hurting her, so she didn't dare use any force.

"Stop gambling! Otherwise, we'll be broke again!"

"Damn it, we're already broke! I've borrowed so much money already!"

"Huh? A million ryō! How did you lose it so fast?"

Shizune stared at Tsunade in shock. The two of them looked like they were acting out a comedy skit.

Even Shun was struggling to keep a straight face.

He looked around. Every gambler at the table had a large pile of money in front of them. There was no need to guess where it had come from: it was all Tsunade's.

They were all watching the scene with amused grins.

Shun sighed.

While Tsunade and Shizune tugged back and forth, Shun took the seat Tsunade had vacated.

"I'll play with you."