Short-sighted

Tsunade wanted to help Takizawa Dan buy those scrolls, but she was helpless as she simply didn't have that much money in her pocket.

With no other choice, she could only plan to return to the higher-ups and request an advance on her salary.

"Tsunade-nee, let's not do that. Setting aside whether the higher-ups would even agree to it, it just feels strange to spend tomorrow's money today."

Takizawa Dan spoke up to stop her.

In his previous life, his parents had carried a mortgage their entire lives just to leave him a house, living every day in anxiety. Takizawa Dan had seen this, and it pained his heart.

Therefore, after being reborn into this life, Takizawa Dan swore he would never borrow money again. He would rather be dirt poor than ever take out a loan!

This included Tsunade's plan to request a salary advance.

"But if I don't get an advance, where will I get the money to buy these scrolls?"

Tsunade asked, looking troubled.

Takizawa Dan was also feeling quite distressed for a moment. Although he was determined not to borrow money, what was he supposed to do if life forced his hand?

Should he just give up on the scrolls for now and wait until he had enough money to continue using them?

Just as Takizawa Dan was about to make a painful decision and tell Tsunade to wait another month, a colorless fragment suddenly dropped from a person standing beside him.

Takizawa Dan was startled and quickly stepped forward to pick up the fragment.

[Ding! Detected that the host has acquired the life skill: Gambling Mastery!]

[Skill Analysis: Gambling Mastery allows the host to gain the ability to be invincible at the gambling table, winning every bet!]

[PS: This skill only guarantees the host's victory at the table. If the opponent resorts to desperate measures, this skill cannot guarantee the host's safety!]

After reading the skill description, Takizawa Dan couldn't help but roll his eyes.

The implication was very clear: while the system could guarantee he would win at the table, if he won a massive amount of money and left his opponent penniless, it was entirely possible for them to fly into a rage and do something irrational.

In other words, the system was reminding him that if he didn't have enough strength, it was better to keep a low profile and focus on growth...

However, Takizawa Dan had Tsunade by his side to protect him. Even if he did win everything from someone, with a top-tier expert like her around, he doubted anyone would dare to do anything to him.

This was truly great; a skill like this was practically tailor-made for his current situation!

Thinking of this, Takizawa Dan looked at the person who had dropped the ability with excitement.

He saw that the man was not some imposing figure like a legendary gambler from a movie, but rather a short, inconspicuous little old man with a hunched back, wearing very ordinary clothes and sporting a plain expression.

If he hadn't just seen him drop this ability, Takizawa Dan would never have guessed that such a person possessed such incredible gambling skills!

It seemed the old saying was true: true masters are hidden among the common folk!

As he marveled at the hidden talents within Konoha, Tsunade suddenly spoke to him: "Dan? What are you thinking about? You haven't responded for a long time!"

Pulled back by Tsunade's gentle voice, Takizawa Dan snapped out of his daze and grinned at her. "Haha, Tsunade-nee, I've got an idea. If we go to that place over there and take a turn, won't we have money?"

Tsunade frowned and looked in the direction Takizawa Dan was pointing.

It was the very casino that Tsunade always frequented!

Seeing this, Tsunade's brow furrowed deeply.

"Dan, you aren't joking, are you? You mean you want us to go in there and gamble?"

"Yeah, if we need the fastest way to get money, isn't the casino the only option?"

Takizawa Dan nodded, answering as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"You..."

Tsunade was speechless, her expression showing she didn't know what to say.

Just yesterday, this kid had been the one advising her to stop gambling, yet today he was standing right in front of her, suggesting they enter a casino?

Talk about a double standard!

Takizawa Dan sensed Tsunade's strange thoughts and quickly said, "Tsunade-nee, don't worry. I'll only use my own pocket money to gamble this time, and I definitely won't use yours. Plus, I'll handle the whole process myself and won't involve you, so this won't count as you breaking our agreement."

"You... sigh, Takizawa Dan, let me be honest with you. The people in there are not to be trifled with, especially when it comes to dragging newcomers like you into the deep end." Tsunade shook her head. "If you go in there, it's like a lamb walking into a wolf's den; you'll definitely be slaughtered!"

"Tsunade-nee, I know you're worried, but you have to let me try, don't you? Who knows, maybe I'm a peerless gambling god!"

Takizawa Dan couldn't exactly tell her he had acquired an ability, so he could only put on an innocent, curious face.

Tsunade looked at him with pity and shook her head.

There were always many people in this world who held similar thoughts, believing they were the lucky ones, which was why they fell into the vice of gambling. Little did they know that once they started losing, they would never be able to stop, eventually losing everything they owned.

If she had a choice, Tsunade truly didn't want Takizawa Dan to pick up this bad habit, especially since she herself had suffered so much from it.

"Forget it. How much money do you have on you right now?"

Tsunade couldn't help but ask.

"Here, this is all of it. It's what I've saved up over the years, three hundred ryo in total."

Takizawa Dan took the money out of his pocket and answered earnestly.

In reality, he had far more money than this. Over the years, aside from physical training, he had been working odd jobs at various shops to help others.

So, he had saved up quite a bit, though of course, it wasn't enough to buy the 3,200 ryo scrolls.

"Hmm... fine. I suppose there's no harm in letting you see the harsh realities of the world. But you are only allowed to gamble this one time. If the money runs out, you must stop immediately, and we are leaving right away. Do you understand?"

Tsunade let out a sigh of relief, then spoke in a tone filled with earnest, well-meaning advice.

When it came down to it, the amount of money Takizawa Dan had on him wasn't substantial; even if he lost it all, she could simply cover it with her own salary.

Her only fear was that the boy might lose a large sum in a frenzy, become unwilling to accept the loss, and then insist on winning it back—or worse, start borrowing money to gamble. That would be a total disaster.

As things stood, the situation remained well within her control.

As the saying goes, hearing a hundred times is not as good as seeing once, and seeing a hundred times is not as good as doing it once. Let Takizawa Dan suffer a loss and get fooled just this once; once he feels the sting, he won't make the same mistake again in the future.