Tsunade the Gambler

"Open! Open! Open!"

The gambling den was a cacophony of noise. Gamblers of all stripes crowded around the tables, shouting at the top of their lungs, their expressions frantic as they jostled for space.

The dice cup was lifted to reveal the dice beneath, drawing a thunderous roar from the crowd.

A blonde woman wearing a green coat with a large "Gambling" kanji printed on the back flushed crimson, her frustration boiling over: "How could it be small again!"

"How could this possibly be small!"

"Lady Tsunade, we can't keep gambling!" Shizuka stepped forward from the side, unable to help but remind her, "We've already spent all the money we just borrowed from the loan sharks!"

"That fast!"

Tsunade turned back in surprise. She scratched her head in distress, having no choice but to stand up helplessly.

"Big Fat Sheep! Are you not continuing?"

The dealer asked with a grin.

"Shut your trap!"

Tsunade glared back, issuing a blonde loser's declaration:

"Sooner or later, I'll win this entire gambling den from you!"

As the two walked out of the den, Shizune spoke up:

"Lady Tsunade, news has come from the village; they want you to return."

"Not going back!"

Tsunade refused without a second thought.

She didn't even need to think about it; it was definitely that old man wanting her to go back and take over the job. He'd already brought it up several times. Once she took that position, she wouldn't be able to gamble anymore, and Tsunade had zero interest in that.

"This time is different. The Hokage's intention isn't for you to return and take over administrative duties! It's because a child in the Akimichi Clan has awakened a Kekkei Genkai, but it seems to have caused an abnormality in his constitution, so they've posted a paid medical commission."

"A medical commission, huh..." Tsunade muttered, lost in thought.

She had spent all her money on this trip and was buried in a mountain of debt.

However, Tsunade wasn't worried about these debts. Relying on her status as the Princess of the Senju and her exquisite medical ninjutsu, there were plenty of ninja clans and noble families willing to pay off her debts for her.

Money spent can always be earned back; she would win it all back sooner or later.

It was just that having these people pay off her debts meant owing them favors, which was highly inconvenient.

That was why, most of the time, Tsunade would take on medical commissions to trade for money.

Although she suffered from hemophobia, Shizune could handle the majority of the procedures.

"This time, it shouldn't involve blood. The Akimichi Clan is paying quite well; it's enough for us to pay off our debts and still have some left over."

Shizune followed by her side, speaking softly.

"There'll be some left!" Tsunade's eyes lit up, as if she had already planned what to do with the remaining funds. "Heh heh! Isn't this the chance to stage a comeback? Once we finish this commission, we can break even!"

"In that case, let's go back and take a look."

Tsunade made her decision.

Akimichi Denji was unaware of the chain reaction his essay had caused. He had simply realized that the Will of Fire essay assignment was a great opportunity to butter up the leadership, so he had pandered to the status quo and eulogized the Third Hokage.

At this moment, he was standing at the training ground, practicing his ninja tool throwing. There were two reasons he hadn't used his Wish Points to boost his stats.

For one, ninja tool throwing wasn't like ninjutsu; it wasn't difficult to cultivate.

Generally, as long as one practiced diligently, one could master it.

He wanted to see just how far he could get by relying on his own talent.

On the other hand, having witnessed the impact of Wish Points on Master-level and Transcendent-level skills, it was clearly more cost-effective to save Wish Points for higher-level applications.

After all, the higher the level of ninjutsu or skill, the harder it was to cultivate and the more powerful the effects.

He stood with Naruto to practice, and now, by aiming carefully, he could land eight out of ten shots.

Beside him was Uchiha Sasuke, who would occasionally correct Denji's throwing technique.

Yamanaka Ino was practicing nearby, but her gaze couldn't help but drift toward the trio, and she thought with a sense of gloom.

"If only my shuriken throwing weren't so accurate. Then I'd have an excuse to practice with Denji-kun."

She casually threw two shuriken, which landed steadily in the bullseye.

"Too bad my skill won't allow it."

She sighed.

Coming from a ninja clan, although she had only just begun practicing the Yamanaka secret techniques after entering the Ninja Academy, basic skills like ninja tool throwing had already been drilled into her within the clan.

This was the advantage of ninja clans—a perfected educational system and the benefit of a head start.

"What's wrong? Aren't you throwing quite well?"

Her good friend Sakura walked over. Ever since Ino had shifted her target of affection, the competition between her and Ino had lessened, and the two got along quite harmoniously.

They still occasionally argued over things like whether Sasuke or Denji was more handsome.

"I want to be taught by Denji-kun too! But I've already practiced shuriken throwing countless times."

Ino said, feeling dejected.

Haruno Sakura's eyes lit up; Yamanaka Ino might have practiced many times, but she certainly hadn't.

Haruno Sakura had always been a civilian ninja, only beginning to come into contact with shuriken after entering the academy. Although she possessed talent among civilian ninjas and would later be ranked among the Konoha Twelve, she was currently less than half a semester into her first year, with less than two and a half years of practice under her belt, and her shuriken proficiency was far from sufficient.

"You can't do it, but I can. I'm a total newbie."

She looked at Sasuke, who was teaching with great focus.

Sasuke-kun seemed to have become a bit gentler lately, even taking the initiative to speak.

Unlike his usual self, he wouldn't pay any attention to anyone at all.

And today, he had even taken the initiative to teach Denji and Naruto.

If it were this version of Sasuke, perhaps he really could teach her.

The more Haruno Sakura thought about it, the more possible it seemed. She took a deep breath, walked forward, and asked nervously, "Sasuke-kun..."

"What is it?"

Sasuke had been teaching the two of them seriously, but upon hearing her voice, he turned his head and returned to his expressionless state.

Seeing that cold expression, Sakura's heart jumped into her throat, and she stammered, "I... I'm not very good at throwing shuriken either... could you..."

"No time!" Before Sakura could finish, Sasuke impatiently cut her off.

Sakura wore a mournful expression.

"Sasuke, Itachi-kun told you to make good friends, you know."

"Do you want to go against your brother's wishes?"

Denji said with a smile.

Sasuke puffed out his cheeks, looking slightly unconvinced.

"Brother didn't..."

"Since you agreed to make more friends, you can't be so cold to your classmates."

Sasuke muttered, "Fine, let her listen from the side... teaching two is the same as teaching three..."

Haruno Sakura's eyes lit up.

"Thank you! Denji-kun."

A notification appeared on the system panel.

"Ding! Completed Haruno Sakura's wish [Sasuke's personal tutoring], Wish Point +1."

"Can I join too?" Yamanaka Ino popped up just in time and asked cautiously.

"Sure! Sasuke can't teach that many people alone. Ino's shuriken throwing is actually quite good; you can teach me."

Akimichi Denji said with a beaming smile.

"One-on-one tutoring!"

Ino's eyes erupted with an astonishing brilliance; one might have thought her Martial Soul had awakened.

"Just what I wanted!"

"Ding! Completed Yamanaka Ino's wish [One-on-one private tutoring], Wish Point +1."

Akimichi Denji looked at the panel notifications and nodded with satisfaction.

He planned to save the Wish Points to learn the Multi-Size Technique. His Taotie Technique was currently stuck at the Grandmaster level, and he had a premonition that he would need to link it with the Multi-Size Technique to continue breaking through.

After all, the Taotie Technique itself was a secret art derived from the Multi-Size Technique.