The Man with Six Kirin Arms

Late one night, not long ago.

Land of Fang, Tea House Street, a gambling den.

The dice spun to a stop inside the cup with a crisp clatter.

Tsunade's breathing paused for a moment, then grew increasingly rapid.

"B-big—big—big—big—big—!"

She stared fixedly at the dice cup, lips moving as she muttered to herself. The "fellow gamblers" crowded around her held their breath, too. Some chanted "Big" along with her, while others clenched their fists and growled, "Small, small, small," their eyes blazing as they watched the cup that would soon reveal their fate.

The atmosphere around the entire table had tightened like a drawn string.

As the croupier lifted the lid, the numbers on the three dice beneath were revealed.

Three sixes.

The highest!

"I won—!!!"

Tsunade nearly jumped out of her skin, her cheer shooting up to the ceiling. She lunged for the table and swept the piles of banknotes into her arms with both hands, moving so quickly and frantically that you'd think someone might snatch them from her.

Unlike her, the other gamblers who had lost their money slapped their hands in frustration, their faces full of misery.

People's joys and sorrows were not the same. This was a perfect illustration of that.

Still, it was fortunate that Tsunade's reputation as a big-time loser hadn't spread throughout the Shinobi World yet. If she kept roaming around for a few more years, everyone would know that Konoha had a "master" gambler who lost every time. If she lost then, they would probably find it even harder to accept.

"Heh heh heh~~"

Tsunade hummed a little tune as she happily straightened out the money, then pulled out three bills and handed them to the croupier.

"Here, a tip!"

She was in a very good mood tonight.

She hadn't lost a single round all night!

With her usual luck, winning even once in a hundred rounds was rare. And yet tonight, she hadn't lost a single round!

What did that mean?

She'd come in with only twenty taels, and now she had at least thirty-six million taels piled up beside her!

This wasn't just a matter of luck.

Tsunade had already tested it. Her gambling skills really had improved.

It was as if she'd suddenly achieved enlightenment!

Starting today, she was no longer a nobody who polished other people's shoes.

Now, call her the God of Gamblers!

A God of Gamblers even greater than Ko Chun!

Tsunade could already picture the days ahead, when she'd use her gambling skills to slay gods and Buddhas alike at the card table.

The sounds around her gradually faded, and as people began to leave, she finally came to her senses.

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

"As expected of Princess Tsunade."

The man's hoarse voice sounded. "Did you enjoy yourself at the casino tonight?"

"You are..."

Tsunade sat up straight and looked at the man before her.

Unlike ordinary people, this man wore a mask over his face and had an extra four arms growing from his back. The sight was downright bizarre.

"My name is Kidoyun, and I'm an elite jonin from Amegakure."

The man with six Kirin Arms announced his name.

"Oh?"

At the mention of Rain, Tsunade's expression grew serious.

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

Tsunade stared at Kidoyun, her gaze grave.

The Tsuchigumo Clan was an unusual group in the Shinobi World. They were also known as the Six-Armed Spider Clan and were a ninja clan from the Land of Fields.

That's right, the Land of Fields!

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

Yet this member of the Tsuchigumo Clan claimed to be an elite jonin from Amegakure. Could it be...

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

Kidoyun smiled. "But it's just as you suspect. At the beginning of this year, the daimyo of our Land of Fields signed a contract with the Demigod."

"A contract?"

"That's right! An alliance treaty!"

"...I knew it."

Tsunade had learned from the village's intelligence reports that Amegakure's Demigod, Hanzo of the Salamander, had been very restless in recent years. But she hadn't expected him to go this far.

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

Tsunade pressed him.

"Lots and lots, including the Land of Birds, the Land of Grass, the Land of River, the Land of Blades..."

Kidoyun listed many countries. "Except for those idiots in the Land of Iron, basically eighty percent of the small countries in the Shinobi World have joined our alliance—the Anti-Five Great Nations Alliance!"

"You're trying to start a war?"

Tsunade glared at him furiously. "Do you want to destroy the peace my grandfather gave his life to secure?"

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

Kidoyun laughed heartily. "I'm just following Lord Hanzo's orders."

Tsunade said nothing. She only glanced around.

While she and Kidoyun had been talking, nearly thirty ninjas had entered the casino.

"All of them are elite jonin... Did they come for me?"

Tsunade lowered her head.

"That's right, Princess Tsunade. Your clansman caused trouble in our Amegakure a few days ago."

Kidoyun placed a photograph in front of Tsunade.

"This man is from the Senju Clan, isn't he?"

In the photograph, a scar-faced man was tied to a tree. His face was deathly pale, his body covered in wounds. He had clearly been tortured.

"Shota... You!"

Tsunade's breathing grew heavier.

"He secretly infiltrated our Amegakure and committed a serious crime there... He killed five civilians from Amegakure."

Kidoyun told Tsunade what Shota had done. "The Demigod believes he was provoking us under the identity of a Konoha Ninja."

"What the hell are you talking about?!"

Tsunade slammed her fist down on the table in fury.

"Shota was sent by Konoha to the Land of Fang. He was in charge of protecting the Sugar Refinery. If you hadn't destroyed it, why would he have infiltrated Amegakure?!"

"That's an interesting way to put it... The Sugar Refinery clearly belongs to Amegakure. Since when did it belong to Konoha?"

Kidoyun's face twisted into a mocking expression.

"You!"

Tsunade's expression changed instantly.

She understood what Kidoyun meant almost at once.

"Has the Land of Fang joined your alliance, too?"

"That's why you're Princess Tsunade."

Kidoyun nodded. "You're so clever."

Tsunade felt ice run through her entire body.

The Land of Fang was Konoha's vassal. It was Konoha's subordinate country and ally!

And now, that very ally had been snatched away by Amegakure while Konoha remained unaware, becoming a... becoming a subordinate of Amegakure.

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

Tsunade still wasn't ready to give up. She pressed him again.

"That's right."

Kidoyun's face twisted into a cruel smile.

"Your most treasured sugar-producing partner belongs to Amegakure now."