The Deceased Grandfather, the Severely Injured Younger Brother, the Gambling Elder Sister, the Broken...

Ten minutes later, in the central area of the sugar refinery.

Orochimaru and his companion had reunited with Sakuya and his.

Both teams had cleared out the rogue ninja in their respective sectors, leaving only the rogue leader, who had yet to appear, unaccounted for.

"That guy left the refinery this morning, seemingly to meet with someone. No wonder we couldn't find him after searching the whole perimeter."

Sakuya released the rogue ninja in his grip, the three tomoe in his pupils slowly fading away.

He had just used genjutsu to interrogate the captive and extract the leader's whereabouts.

"If this rogue's information is correct, we should see him by tomorrow morning. Nawaki, take this opportunity to rest. Sakuya-kun, you and I will make some preparations nearby and wait for our prey here tomorrow."

Orochimaru looked at the still-shaken Nawaki and spoke to Sakuya.

During the recent skirmish, perhaps due to carelessness or perhaps fate, Nawaki had let his guard down and stumbled into a trap set with explosive tags.

Fortunately, Sakuya had warned him earlier to resume his rehabilitation, which had helped his dulled reflexes recover somewhat. Combined with Orochimaru pulling him away just in time, he had barely managed to escape, though he still sustained significant injuries to his chest and thigh.

Tsunade was currently kneeling beside him, tending to his wounds.

"It's alright, Orochimaru-sensei."

Nawaki patted his bandaged chest, forcing a strained smile onto his pale face. "Big sister already treated me with medical ninjutsu; it's nothing serious anymore."

"That may be so, but..."

Tsunade looked at Nawaki, feeling a surge of anxiety in her heart.

She subconsciously recalled the words Sakuya had spoken during the previous jonin meeting.

[Do you know what it means for those genin to practice the medical ninjutsu you pioneered for months without making any progress, especially in these turbulent times?]

At first, she had dismissed it, thinking Sakuya was just spouting nonsense.

But now, looking at her younger brother in this state, she suddenly realized that what Sakuya had said at the meeting was no empty threat.

It was a cruel reality that could truly happen in the real world, to her own kin.

No wonder the old man had immediately rejected her ideas when he heard them; no wonder so many people opposed her; no wonder...

She had been too young, and her judgment of the situation and the future had been deeply flawed.

Thinking of this, her heart was filled with regret, and the look she directed toward Sakuya became increasingly complex.

When they attacked the refinery earlier, his handling of the situation had been incredibly sharp.

Before the assault even began, he had already calculated the movements of the rogue ninja, the traitors from the Land of Fang, and even the mastermind behind the scenes.

My grand-uncle has doomed me, always going on about how the Uchiha are inherently evil, how the Uchiha are temperamentally paranoid.

The moment Tsunade thought about Sakuya looking her way, she felt completely uneasy. She could already imagine the standard Uchiha gaze he would cast—one that seemed to drip with mockery, making her toes curl in embarrassment.

Fine, fine, it's my fault, I admit it!

However, Tsunade wasn't someone who couldn't handle a loss. She took a deep breath, lifted her head, and told herself that no matter how much Sakuya mocked her, she would take it. She wouldn't retort, and she wouldn't argue back, no matter how he ridiculed her.

Bring it on!

I'll just lie here and take it!

Tsunade gritted her teeth and stared at Sakuya, but what she saw when she looked up was only his calm, indifferent gaze.

No, he merely glanced at her before looking away, turning back to discuss the ambush of the rogue leader with Orochimaru.

Eh?

Tsunade froze in place.

He... he... he ignored her!?

How could he, how dare he...

Tsunade could accept Sakuya scolding her or mocking her, because it was indeed her error in judgment, and she would accept that readily.

But Tsunade could not accept being ignored by Sakuya.

It was as if, in Sakuya's eyes, she was nothing more than an ignorant child.

Yes, a child!

Would an adult get angry at a child for making a mistake?

His gaze carried exactly that feeling.

Grind, grind...

Tsunade's fists clenched subconsciously.

She was nine years older than this Uchiha!

And yet, in his eyes, she was just a little kid?

It was completely upside down!

Tsunade gritted her teeth, glaring at Sakuya with a flushed, annoyed expression. Sakuya noticed the look and turned back, puzzled.

"What's wrong?"

"N!!!"

Tsunade stomped her foot on the spot, let out a huff, and turned to leave.

?

Sakuya tilted his head.

What was that about?

He looked at Nawaki in confusion: "What's wrong with your sister?"

"No idea."

Nawaki was just as clueless about his sister's state of mind.

"It seems Tsunade is very angry?"

Orochimaru wondered: "Perhaps she is angry after seeing the atrocities committed by these rogue ninjas in the Land of Fang."

To put it bluntly, Orochimaru was still Xiao Chunan at the moment and had absolutely no interest in women. He was only interested in his teacher, the roots of ninjutsu, and the secrets of immortality, so naturally, he could not fathom Tsunade's current thoughts.

Sakuya had a guess in his heart, but he dared not be certain.

As for Nawaki?

He was at the table with the kids.

Bang!

Walking through the silent forest, Tsunade kicked a tree in annoyance.

The tree teetered from the impact, shedding a flurry of leaves.

"That hateful guy!"

She gritted her teeth, her heart filled with dissatisfaction over Sakuya's attitude just now.

If Sakuya had scolded her, mocked her, or humiliated her, she would have accepted it.

But he had chosen to ignore her.

For someone as naturally competitive as Tsunade, who prided herself on becoming the first female Hokage of Konoha, this was completely unacceptable.

"That hateful guy!"

After venting fiercely in the forest for a while, Tsunade's agitated mind gradually calmed down.

She looked around and discovered a city not far away.

"I... somehow ended up here without realizing it."

This was the central city of the Land of Fang, known as Tea House City, and it was one of the few cities in this small nation.

While it certainly couldn't compare to the cities of the Land of Fire, it was still quite large.

Tsunade was naturally uninterested in the cities of small nations.

The main thing was.

Tea House City had a famous street called Tea House Street, and on that street was a casino renowned throughout the ninja world!

"Since I'm already here, why not head into the city and play a few rounds?"

Tsunade, her interest piqued by the casino, suddenly thought.

In any case, the leader of the rogue ninjas wouldn't return until tomorrow noon, so she had nearly twelve hours of free time.

She might as well go play and soothe the frustration in her heart.

Thinking about it, her hands were indeed itching to play.

Plus, because she was quite unhappy with Sakuya's attitude earlier, Tsunade decided to channel her grief and anger into fighting spirit, treating her opponents at the card table as Uchiha Sakuya and teaching them a harsh lesson.

A little wine would be the perfect accompaniment.

The granddaughter who had perfectly inherited Hashirama Senju's hobbies thought to herself.