The Legendary Big Fat Sheep

"Boss, there's a Desolate Village at the foot of the nearby mountain. It's quite large."

Hearing Inumaru's report, Dongfang Mao nodded.

After entering the Land of Rice Fields, they had been traveling for half a day. The nearest town, Tsukimiura, was now less than ten miles away.

However, night had already fallen, and after their long journey, everyone was exhausted. They decided to find somewhere to rest for the night.

The Desolate Village was a little larger than Dongfang Mao had expected. Inside its collapsed walls, weeds grew thickly along stone-paved streets that led to dozens of mostly intact houses. There was more than enough room for their hundred-odd people.

After getting everyone settled, Dongfang Mao noticed the dark mountain behind the village. He considered it for a moment, then turned to Tsunade beside him.

"Big Sis Tsunade, do you think this mountain could serve as my base later? The location looks pretty good."

Tsunade's face immediately went dark. Was this guy planning to head up a mountain again?

"Mao, you..."

Unable to hold back any longer, Tsunade was about to persuade Dongfang Mao to stop obsessing over becoming a bandit and focus on learning ninjutsu from her instead.

But before she could finish, a voice behind them interrupted.

"Lord Mao!"

Dongfang Mao turned and saw Luzhen hurrying toward him. Curious, he asked, "What's wrong?"

Though Luzhen was young, Dongfang Mao had tested him and found that he truly possessed the Nara Clan's gift: he was exceptionally clever and quick to learn.

So Dongfang Mao had temporarily appointed him as the group's bookkeeper, responsible for keeping track of their supplies.

Luzhen had done an excellent job over the past few days. He had organized the supplies neatly and kept clear records of their quantities. Dongfang Mao wondered what could have happened to make him rush over like this.

"Lady Tsunade!"

Luzhen first greeted Tsunade respectfully, then turned to Dongfang Mao.

"Lord Mao, we're running out of food. We have enough for two more days at most!"

Dongfang Mao's expression grew serious. He had actually noticed the problem earlier.

They had been in a hurry when they left the stronghold, so they hadn't brought much food. Later, after fleeing to the border of the Land of Fire, they had found few people and nowhere to resupply. They had been forced to press on, and now their food was running low.

"How much money do we have left?"

"730,000 ryo."

Dongfang Mao thought for a moment, then said, "All right. Get 300,000 ryo in cash for me. I'll take Yasuke to Tsukimiura to buy food. We'll try to be back tomorrow."

"Yes, Lord Mao!"

Luzhen tucked away his account book and hurried off. Dongfang Mao turned to Tsunade.

"Big Sis Tsunade, you've spent these past few days traveling around with us. Thanks for all your effort. Since we're going to Tsukimiura, let me treat you to a good meal."

Tsunade gave him a knowing smile. "730,000 ryo? You're quite well-off, little guy!"

Hearing the odd tone in Tsunade's voice, Dongfang Mao suddenly remembered her other nickname, besides the Sannin.

"The Legendary Big Fat Sheep!"

His expression shifted, and his eyes darted away. A suspicion crept into his mind. Was this gambler about to ask him for a loan?

"Hmm?"

When Dongfang Mao fell silent, Tsunade was briefly taken aback. Then she seemed to realize something, and her expression turned ominous.

"You little brat, don't tell me you've heard other stories about me too?"

"Ahem, Big Sis Tsunade, when you traveled around the Land of Fire, your other nickname was actually more famous among us ordinary people than 'Sannin.'"

Dongfang Mao chuckled awkwardly.

Tsunade's lips twitched, and a rare blush spread across her porcelain-white face. She coughed awkwardly a couple of times, then ruffled Dongfang Mao's hair with an embarrassed, annoyed look.

"Mao, I'm your elder. How dare you make fun of me? And what was that look just now? Were you afraid I'd ask you for money?"

Dongfang Mao silently endured Tsunade's assault without saying a word. The answer was obvious. He had so many people to feed—he couldn't hand his money over to Tsunade so she could gamble it away.

"You're such an unlikable little brat. Do you really think I'm the kind of woman who'd borrow money from a junior she cares about?"

Tsunade was displeased by Dongfang Mao's reaction. She gave up on his hair, which was almost a complete mess, and turned her claws on his delicate cheeks.

Hard to say!

Dongfang Mao thought to himself. If he remembered correctly, back when Senju Nawaki was still alive, Tsunade had borrowed the money he earned from missions by all sorts of means.

But with Tsunade's claws already twisting his face into a grimace, he didn't dare say anything so honest.

"Of course not! I just thought that a gentle, beautiful woman like you could never be a gambling addict. The stories going around might be a little unfair!"

The first half of his words made Tsunade secretly delighted. So this was how Mao saw her—what a lovely image he had of her.

But as she listened to the rest, her expression grew more and more uneasy.

Then she reconsidered. "Gambling addict" usually described someone who had gambled away everything they owned.

And her?

She hadn't gone bankrupt. She usually just sent her bills straight back to Konoha.

As for the money she earned practicing medicine while traveling, she hardly ever spent any of it herself!

The more Tsunade thought about it, the more confident she became. She straightened her back and nodded in agreement.

"You're right. Gambling is just a hobby of mine. A little gambling is harmless. People have been repeating rumors until they sound like facts. You can't trust them!"

Dongfang Mao's face twitched. He had no idea where Tsunade got the confidence to say something like that.

Still, he had no desire to argue about it. As long as Tsunade didn't set her sights on his brothers' food money, everything was fine.

Just then, Luzhen came running back with the money, allowing the matter to pass.

Dongfang Mao took the thick stack of cash from Luzhen, went to fetch Yasuke, and brought along more than a dozen others to help carry the food. Tsunade went to get Shizune as well.

Once the group met at the village entrance, they set out along the path to Tsukimiura by moonlight.

This time, traveling light and free of supplies like food, they soon reached this border city in the Land of Rice Fields.

As dusk fell, a towering city wall rose abruptly at the edge of the wilderness.

Torches formed a bright line along the battlements, standing out against the deepening night.

The city gate was teeming with people. Merchants and travelers were hurrying inside before the curfew.

More striking still were the lights spilling out from within the city. They lit up half the night sky in orange, starkly contrasting with the desolate scene outside.