A Bumper Haul!

"Little brother, I really underestimated you! I had no idea you were this talented! You won all this money!"

Tsunade looked at the money piled on her back, her heart swelling with indescribable joy.

After Takizawa Dan went inside, he'd been unstoppable. In just half an hour, he'd won tens of thousands of coins playing a simple game of high or low!

He'd broken the casino's all-time record, sending the entire place into an uproar.

Of course, Takizawa Dan's winnings had made the casino manager unhappy. He'd wanted to make trouble for him, at the very least to stop him from walking away with the money so easily.

But when he saw Tsunade standing beside Takizawa Dan, his face immediately turned into a fawning smile.

After all, Tsunade was the Hokage of Konoha, a woman of great standing. She might often lose at gambling, but if she ever got angry, that was no laughing matter.

The casino was a shady business to begin with. If they truly offended someone as influential as her, they'd be in for trouble.

With that in mind, the manager didn't dare stop them. He even had people escort them out and rounded up Takizawa Dan's winnings, bringing the total to fifty thousand coins!

For an ordinary person, that was practically a lifetime's savings. But to the casino, it was a drop in the ocean—nothing worth worrying about.

Spending that little to win Tsunade's goodwill and ensure they could keep making money in peace was obviously a great deal.

In short, it had been a bumper haul for both Takizawa Dan and Tsunade!

Tsunade was especially delighted. She was practically laughing herself to death. With this much money, she'd earned back everything she'd lost gambling!

"Dan, we made a lot of money today, but luck like this doesn't come along every day. No more gambling from now on, understand?"

Even though Tsunade was happy, she hadn't let it go to her head. She gave Takizawa Dan a stern warning.

"Haha, don't worry, Tsunade. I understand."

Takizawa Dan nodded seriously. "In the end, we were able to get this money because of you. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to walk away so safely."

That was the truth.

Tsunade looked at Takizawa Dan, and her expression changed.

This kid had such a clear head. No wonder he'd dared to go into a casino!

He'd already mastered gambling to an astonishing, almost peerless degree. Compared to him, she was nothing. And yet she gambled every day without even knowing her own limits!

At that moment, Tsunade's opinion of Takizawa Dan rose higher than ever before. At last, she also gave up gambling for good, deep down.

As for how Takizawa Dan had become such a skilled gambler, Tsunade wisely chose not to ask. Everyone had their secrets, and even if she did ask, he probably wouldn't tell her.

When Takizawa Dan and Tsunade reached the entrance, the two bunny girls spotted them carrying those huge bags.

"Look! They actually came out—and they're carrying two enormous bags!"

One of the bunny girls exclaimed in surprise.

"Really... That's incredible. I can't believe anyone could win so much money from that casino so quickly. I never would've imagined it!"

The other bunny girl was just as genuinely amazed.

Just then, Takizawa Dan stepped outside. He looked at the two bunny girls, paused for a moment, then pulled a thick wad of cash from his pocket and handed it to the first one.

"This is a tip for you. Take it home and use it to help your mother. I hope she gets better soon. And don't ever do this kind of work again. Be sensible and find an honest job!"

With that, Takizawa Dan turned and left with Tsunade.

His hearing was exceptional. He'd overheard the bunny girl's predicament before he even went inside, so naturally, he'd decided to help her.

The bunny girl froze. After a long moment, she finally dropped to her knees and bowed deeply toward Takizawa Dan. "Thank you! You're my benefactor. I'll remember you for the rest of my life!"

After leaving the casino, Takizawa Dan immediately went with Tsunade to the scroll shop and bought all the scrolls there.

"Boss, if you get any more scrolls like these, I'll take them."

Before leaving, Takizawa Dan said this to the shopkeeper.

"Haha, sure! No problem. I'll save them for you whenever I get any!"

The shopkeeper laughed happily, looking every bit the person who'd do anything for money. Who wouldn't want such easy income? Only a fool would turn it down!

Afterward, with the money in hand, Tsunade took Takizawa Dan to a nearby bank.

After giving the bunny girl a lot of money at the entrance, Takizawa Dan still had more than forty thousand coins left!

He'd originally wanted to give some of it to Tsunade, but she refused outright. She insisted that he'd earned it himself through his own hard work—and besides, he'd been the one to provide the initial stake. She wouldn't take any of it.

With no other choice, Takizawa Dan gave in and agreed to let her have her way.

When he left the bank, Takizawa Dan looked at the gleaming bank card in his hand and couldn't help feeling a little emotional.

He finally had a bank card of his own. The more than forty thousand coins on it would be enough to keep him fed and sheltered for the rest of his life, if he chose to live as an ordinary person.

But if he chose to become a ninja, the expenses would be enormous.

Still, that couldn't be helped. In this world, ninjas were the ones who mattered. Becoming a ninja took a lot of money, but the rewards he could reap later couldn't be measured in money.

Besides, if he really became a famous ninja, would he ever have to worry about money? Definitely not.

In any case, this money would last him a long time.

"All right, Takizawa Dan. We've more or less taken care of everything. Let's head back now. Once we're home, we'll get right back to training!"

Tsunade said with a smile.

"Okay!"

Takizawa Dan had no objections. He nodded in agreement.

So that afternoon, Takizawa Dan temporarily stayed at Tsunade's house and began training in earnest.

The main focus of the training was controlling his strength.

Simply put, it was training in how to apply force.