Jiraiya, Tsunade

A small town in the Land of Fire.

"What? How could this be?"

Upon hearing the report from the Anbu, Jiraiya found it hard to believe.

"Do the four great ninja villages not need to recuperate? If they keep fighting like this, are they trying to wipe each other out?"

After pondering for a moment, Jiraiya made a decision.

"No, I must convince Tsunade to return to the village as soon as possible."

"Even the Old Man has decided to head to the front lines; Konoha is too dangerous without any powerful ninja to guard it."

With that thought, Jiraiya headed back toward the town's casino.

As for Naruto, he had been left in the care of Shizune, who had just finished eating.

Shizune was quite happy to play with Uzumaki Naruto; after all, she had spent these past few years wandering around with Tsunade.

They lived hand-to-mouth, and every time they managed to earn a little money, Tsunade would immediately lose it all at the tables.

Inside the casino.

Tsunade stared at the dice on the table with bloodshot eyes.

Big, big, big, she screamed frantically in her heart.

I've bet all my savings on this one.

As the dice cup was lifted, two ones and a three lay quietly beneath it.

Small.

Tsunade instantly lost all her strength; she had lost again, while the others began to divide the money with great joy.

Although it was a small amount, they knew this was a guaranteed profit.

Over the past few days, they had discovered that as long as they bet against this Great Omen of a woman, they were bound to win.

Tsunade had once again earned the title of "Big Fat Sheep."

She had finally managed to lose every cent she had just taken from Jiraiya.

Just then, a short, sleazy-looking man rubbed his hands together and crept up beside Tsunade.

"Fat sheep, when are you going to pay back the money you owe me?"

Having lost everything, Tsunade had no money to pay him back. She could only say, "I'll pay you next time," with a lack of confidence before trying to slip away.

But halfway to the door, Tsunade was blocked by the sleazy man's companions.

The short, sleazy man then drew a short blade from his waist and said, "Let me tell you, now that I've caught you, don't even think about running."

"Today, you either pay up, or..."

As he spoke, the short man gestured toward Tsunade's chest and let out a lecherous laugh.

Tsunade naturally understood his intentions, but she didn't take them seriously at all. After all, she was Tsunade of the Sannin! How could she be afraid of a bunch of thugs who weren't even ninja?

Seeing that Tsunade remained indifferent, the man realized instantly that she didn't hold him in any regard.

The short, sleazy man signaled his subordinates to attack. In his eyes, she was just a woman; surely a large group of men like them could take down one woman?

His subordinates felt the same, speaking without any restraint.

"Boss, this chick is a real looker. After you're done, can we brothers..."

Hearing this, the sleazy man called the boss said angrily, "All you think about is playing! Catch her first. If she gets away again, forget about playing."

"See how I deal with you when we get back."

Hearing this, the man who had spoken said dismissively, "That was last time, out in the open with alleys everywhere—hard to catch. She definitely won't get away this time."

"If she can run away, I'll eat..."

Before he could finish, a loud "bang" echoed as Tsunade sent him flying with a single punch.

After all, Tsunade was a woman, and being discussed in such a manner had set her heart ablaze with fury.

Seeing this, the short man's body went limp.

"A... ninja?"

A wave of regret flooded the short, sleazy man's body.

Don't ninja usually avoid casinos? How could I be so unlucky as to run into one today?

The short, sleazy man began to wave the short blade he had used to threaten Tsunade around wildly, terrified that she might come close and give him a punch as well.

After all, one of his companions was already lying there, his fate unknown.

Tsunade glanced at the terrified, cowering little man and let out a cold snort.

"If a tiger doesn't show its claws, you really think this lady is a Hello Kitty?"

But the next second, a wave of dizziness and weakness washed over Tsunade.

Blood!

Oh no, her hemophobia was acting up.

It turned out that the little man had been flailing his short blade around wildly and had accidentally slashed his own arm; the blood that spilled out happened to fall right into Tsunade's line of sight.

Struggling against the onset of her phobia, Tsunade forced herself to stay conscious and began walking toward the exit, desperate to flee the scene.

Under normal circumstances, Tsunade wouldn't be afraid, as she would usually have Shizune with her; Shizune could take on a hundred of these thugs by herself.

But with Shizune not by her side, if she were to collapse here due to her hemophobia, the consequences were all too easy to imagine.

Just then, the little man noticed that something was wrong with Tsunade.

She seemed to be afraid of something?

Could it be that there was something about him that terrified her? Thinking of this, the little man grew bold again; in their line of work, one had to be daring, otherwise, how could they collect debts if they were easily bluffed by others?

The man quickly ran forward and blocked Tsunade's path once more. Unable to use any of her strength due to her hemophobia, Tsunade could only watch helplessly as she was cut off.

What to do? Tsunade's brain raced frantically, and she cursed Jiraiya in her heart; if it weren't for him, she would have had Shizune with her, and none of this would have happened.

Facing the little man in front of her, Tsunade could only turn her head away again to avoid fainting from the sight of the blood.

The little man keenly realized that Tsunade suffered from hemophobia, and he spoke to his other henchman.

"This broad is afraid of blood. Let's draw some."

"Take her down. Today, we get to see what a female ninja tastes like."

Hearing his boss's words, the other henchman, who hadn't been hit yet, immediately grew excited.

This was a ninja! A high and mighty ninja!

As an ordinary person, if he could taste a female ninja today—and such a beautiful one at that—he would be willing to die for it.

With that thought, the man hardened his heart, sliced a gash into his own palm, and smeared the blood across his face.

The two men then closed in to surround Tsunade.

Watching the pair draw closer, Tsunade could only dodge with weak, forced movements until she was finally backed into a corner and slumped down, powerless.

At this moment, Tsunade felt a sense of annoyance and regret; why did she have to take that look?

If only she had just walked away, how much better would that have been?