The Man with Six Qilin Arms

Not long ago, in the dead of night.

Land of Fang, Tea House Street, gambling den.

The dice spun within the cup before coming to a stop with a crisp, final click.

Tsunade's breath hitched for a fleeting moment, then grew increasingly rapid.

"Big—big—big—big—big—!"

She stared fixedly at the dice cup, her lips moving as she muttered incantations. The "peers" gathered around her also held their breath; some chanted "Big" in unison with her, while others clenched their fists and growled "Small, small, small," their burning gazes locked onto the cup that was about to reveal their fate.

The atmosphere at the entire gambling table was stretched taut like a bowstring.

As the dealer lifted the lid, the pips on the three dice beneath were revealed.

Three sixes.

The maximum!

"I won—!!!"

Tsunade nearly jumped out of her skin, her cheer hitting the rafters. She lunged excitedly toward the table, her hands frantically raking in the mountain of banknotes, moving with such speed and urgency as if she feared someone might snatch them away.

In contrast to her actions, the other gamblers who had lost their money slapped their hands in frustration, their faces etched with sorrow.

The joys and sorrows of men are not shared; this was the perfect portrait of that.

Fortunately, Tsunade's reputation as the "Legendary Sucker" had not yet spread throughout the ninja world. If she were to roam for a few more years and everyone in the ninja world knew that Konoha had produced such a gambling "expert" who lost every single bet, those people would likely find it even harder to accept their losses.

"Hmm-hmm-hmm~~"

Tsunade hummed a little tune, happily smoothing out her winnings before pulling out three bills and handing them to the dealer.

"A reward for you, a tip!"

She was in an exceptionally good mood tonight.

She hadn't lost a single hand all night!

One had to understand that given her usual luck, winning one out of a hundred hands was a rarity, yet today she hadn't lost once!

What kind of concept was that?

She had only brought twenty ryo with her when she arrived, and now the pile of money beside her was at least thirty-six million ryo!

This wasn't just a matter of luck.

Tsunade had already tested it; her gambling skills had simply improved.

It was as if she had experienced a sudden epiphany!

From this day forward, she was no longer some small-time nobody.

Now, please call her the God of Gamblers!

A God of Gamblers even greater than Ko Chun!

Tsunade could already imagine the days ahead, relying on her gambling prowess to slay gods and Buddhas alike at the card table.

The surrounding noise gradually faded, and the departure of the crowd helped her snap out of her ecstasy.

As a man wearing a gas mask sat down across from her at the table, her gaze sharpened significantly.

"As expected of Princess Tsunade."

The man's raspy voice rang out: "Did you have fun at the casino today?"

"You are..."

Tsunade straightened her posture, looking at the man before her.

Unlike an ordinary person, besides the mask on his face, this man had four extra arms growing from his back, which was truly bizarre.

"My name is Kidoyun, and I am an elite jonin of Amegakure."

The man with six arms stated his name.

"Oh?"

Upon hearing the words "Amegakure," Tsunade's expression turned much more serious.

"I remember you, Kidoyun... aren't you from the Tsuchigumo Clan?"

Tsunade stared at Kidoyun, her eyes grave.

The Tsuchigumo Clan was a rather unique group in the ninja world, also known as the Six-Armed Spider Clan, a ninja clan from the Land of Fields.

Yes, the Land of Fields!

The ninjas of the Tsuchigumo Clan had always served the daimyo of the Land of Fields directly, and as far as Tsunade knew, they had never openly joined any ninja village.

Yet, this fellow from the Tsuchigumo Clan was claiming to be an elite jonin of Amegakure. Could it be...

"Heh heh, Princess Tsunade is truly well-informed."

Kidoyun smiled: "However, it is exactly as you think. At the beginning of this year, the daimyo of our Land of Fields and the Demigod signed a pact."

"A contract?"

"That's right! An alliance contract!"

"...As I thought."

Although she had long since learned from the village's intelligence that Hanzo of the Salamander, the Demigod of Amegakure, had been very restless in recent years, Tsunade had not expected him to be restless to this extent.

"Besides your Land of Fields and the Land of Rain, what other nations have joined your alliance?"

Tsunade asked again.

"Many, many more, including the Land of Birds, the Land of Grass, the Land of River, the Land of Blades..."

Kidoyun reeled off the names of many countries in succession: "Except for those idiots in the Land of Iron, basically eighty percent of the small nations in the current ninja world have joined our alliance—the Anti-Five Great Nations Alliance!"

"Are you trying to start a war?"

Tsunade's eyes were filled with anger: "Are you going to destroy the peace that my grandfather traded his life for?"

"You'll have to tell that to Lord Hanzo."

Kidoyun laughed heartily: "I am merely obeying Lord Hanzo's orders."

Tsunade did not speak, but looked around her surroundings.

In the time it took for her to talk with Kidoyun, nearly thirty ninjas had already entered the casino.

"All of them are Jonin... are they here for me?"

Tsunade lowered her head.

"That's right, Princess Tsunade. Your clansman committed an offense in our Amegakure a few days ago."

Kidoyun handed over a photograph and placed it in front of Tsunade.

"This guy, he's from the Senju clan, right?"

In the photo, a man with a scar on his face was tied to a tree, his complexion pale and his body covered in wounds; it was clear at a glance that he had been subjected to torture.

"Shota... you bastards!"

Tsunade's breathing gradually became heavy.

"He snuck into our Amegakure and committed a grave crime within our village... he killed five Amegakure civilians."

Kidoyun told Tsunade what Shota had done: "The Demigod believes he was provoking us, using his identity as a Konoha ninja."

"What nonsense are you spouting!!"

Tsunade slammed her fist onto the table in anger.

"Shota was a ninja sent by Konoha to the Land of Fang, responsible for guarding the Sugar Refinery. If you hadn't destroyed the Sugar Refinery, why would he have snuck into your Amegakure!?"

"That's a strange way to put it... the Sugar Refinery was clearly ours in Amegakure; when did it ever belong to your Konoha?"

A mocking expression appeared on Kidoyun's face.

"You!"

Tsunade's expression changed instantly.

In an instant, she understood exactly what Kidoyun meant.

"Has even the Land of Fang joined your alliance?"

"As expected of Princess Tsunade."

Kidoyun nodded: "So very clever."

Tsunade felt a chill run through her entire body.

The Land of Fang was a vassal of Konoha, a subordinate state and ally of Konoha!

Yet, this very ally had been snatched away by Amegakure without Konoha's knowledge, becoming a subordinate under Amegakure's thumb.

"The Sugar Refinery... did the Land of Fang hand over their entire sugar industry to you?"

Tsunade was still unwilling to give up, and she asked again.

"That's right."

A cruel smile appeared on Kidoyun's face.

"Your most cherished sugar production partner is already the property of our Amegakure."