She Admitted Defeat

Still, Shizune wasn't the kind of person who went back on her word.

Since she had made the promise herself, no matter how reluctant she felt, she would honor it.

So Shizune handed the launcher to Tsunade.

"Lady Tsunade... even though I lost, I still hope you'll quit gambling from now on." Shizune carefully chose her words. "As your student, I shouldn't be making demands of you, my teacher, but this is truly what I feel."

"If you can, I earnestly beg you to quit gambling. Only then can you set a good example for the younger generation across the Shinobi World!"

That was...

Takizawa Dan couldn't help pressing a hand to his forehead.

Shizune and he both wanted the same thing: for Tsunade to quit gambling and get her life back on track. But their methods and approach couldn't have been more different!

Takizawa Dan had gently tried to persuade her, invoking his own future and explaining that he didn't have enough money to train, and that Tsunade was his only source of financial support. So he hoped she'd save her money for him...

It sounded completely sincere. More importantly, it subtly protected Tsunade's reputation, making her seem like some otherworldly master who was looking after her disciple's welfare.

All in all, he had appealed to Tsunade's feelings and reason alike. It would be hard for her not to give in!

But Shizune had come right out with moral blackmail, saying Tsunade had to quit gambling, that the younger generation needed hope and a role model, and so on and so forth...

Who wouldn't get angry hearing that? So she'd spent her whole life living for the younger generation, for the young people of the Shinobi World?

If this had been the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, who valued education and placed all his hopes in the younger generation, maybe that approach would have worked. But then again, Lord Hokage had always lived like a saint, beyond reproach.

If Tsunade were that kind of person, then of course she would have to quit gambling.

Takizawa Dan sighed again and again. His senior apprentice sister seemed like she wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed... She was a classic case of high intelligence but no emotional intelligence or people skills.

Sure enough, after hearing Shizune's words, the faint smile on Tsunade's face vanished, and her expression turned cold.

"I know what to do about this. You don't need to worry about it."

With that, Tsunade took the Ninjutsu Launcher from Shizune and handed it to Takizawa Dan.

Seeing that Tsunade was once again treating her coldly, Shizune lowered her head in self-consciousness, apparently with no idea what she had done wrong.

Takizawa Dan shook his head repeatedly. Senior Sister, please stop acting so aggrieved. After spending more than a decade with you, I bet Tsunade's been driven up the wall by you plenty of times...

Tsunade hadn't even said she felt wronged, and here you were, already getting upset.

Fortunately, he had the Ninjutsu Launcher in hand. That was the biggest gain of the day, and Takizawa Dan had no complaints.

"By the way, Shizune, what scrolls are in here? Which ninjutsu can I use right now?"

After weighing the launcher and testing how it felt, Takizawa Dan fiddled with it and asked Shizune.

"Hmm... right now there's one fire-style technique, two water-style techniques, one wind-style technique, and two earth-style techniques."

Shizune thought for a moment, then continued, "Here, I'll give you all the scrolls. You can study them when you have time."

"But be careful. Keep the safety on when you're not using it, so it doesn't accidentally go off."

As she spoke, Shizune pulled a handful of scrolls from her pocket and handed them to Takizawa Dan.

She hadn't been planning to keep them hidden from him just to mess with him. It was just that Takizawa Dan was using a Ninjutsu Launcher for the first time, and the slightest mistake could easily cause an accident.

It was like someone handling a gun for the first time: to ensure their safety, you'd first remove the bullets to prevent an accidental discharge.

Now that Takizawa Dan had asked, Shizune handed him all the scrolls.

Takizawa Dan took the scrolls and examined them.

Since they had to fit inside the launcher, they had been made as compact as possible, probably less than a third the size of a standard scroll.

But they were just the right size to fit into the groove in the Ninjutsu Launcher.

It could hold one ninjutsu scroll at a time. Once it was used, the scroll would automatically burn up, and he'd have to load a new one.

To put it simply, it was like a gun that needed to be reloaded after every shot!

As it happened, Takizawa Dan had loved playing airsoft in his previous life, and he was also a huge gun enthusiast.

So getting used to a Ninjutsu Launcher that was basically a simplified imitation of a gun couldn't have been easier!

In just a few moves, Takizawa Dan had mastered the controls.

Shizune looked astonished as she watched him handle the Ninjutsu Launcher with effortless ease.

After all, guns didn't exist in the ninja world, so it usually took a lot of effort to get used to one. Shizune herself had needed a full three days just to get the grip and handling right.

But Takizawa Dan had figured it out in an instant?

As Shizune marveled at the difference between people, an unprecedented thought came to mind.

Maybe this Ninjutsu Launcher had belonged to Takizawa Dan all along!

Otherwise, how could he handle it so familiarly, as if he'd played with it countless times before?

For a moment, the sadness Shizune felt at losing the Ninjutsu Launcher faded considerably. In its place came the relief of returning it to its rightful owner.

"This is a pretty good device. Takizawa Dan is top-notch in every way. The only pity is that he has no chakra in his body, so he can't use ninjutsu freely," Tsunade praised from the side. "This should make up for some of that shortcoming."

Takizawa Dan nodded too. His main reason for wanting it was to hide the fact that he could use ninjutsu. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to so much trouble to get the Ninjutsu Launcher.

With this, he could use it to disguise all the ninjutsu he used from now on.

"By the way, Shizune, what rank are these scrolls? If I run out, can I buy more?"

Takizawa Dan asked.

That was the key point. Without bullets, even the best gun was just a hunk of scrap metal!