Returning to Konoha Village

Five days later.

Seeing the gates of Konoha in the distance.

"Finally back."

"This trip away has been quite long."

"Teacher, I want to eat hot pot."

Watching his three students' joyful spirits indirectly lifted Li Yu's own mood as well.

Ninja A was grabbed by Cannon Fodder B and Sissy C, all of them tearing up together.

"We finally made it back alive."

"The battlefield is just too dangerous."

Konoha was truly running low on ninjas; those who had just graduated from the Ninja Academy were being sent straight to the front lines. In the 21st century, 12-year-olds were still in elementary school, at an age where they relied entirely on their parents. The ninja world was nothing if not cruel.

Arriving at the gate, Li Yu shook his head, casting aside these complicated thoughts. He looked straight ahead and walked through the Konoha gates first. He was met with a warm welcome from the villagers; both sides of the street were packed, leaving no room to spare.

This must be the spectacle Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen put together.

It seems that after several days, the villagers have already learned the news that Sunagakure of the Land of Wind has surrendered.

Uzuki Yugao and Yuhi Kurenai, who had never seen such a scene before, felt a bit embarrassed. Their faces flushed red as they walked silently, while Sarutobi Asuma was still busy acting cool, his face devoid of expression.

Although it was Li Yu's first time seeing such a formation—it felt a bit like a VIP being welcomed by a crowd of Young Pioneers—he still mimicked what he had seen on television, waving slowly to the crowd with a gentle, amiable smile.

I suppose I am a big shot in the village now.

Listening to the clamor along the way, at the end of the sea of heads stood a figure in a red Hokage cloak, wearing a hat inscribed with the character for "Fire." With his hands clasped behind his back and the pipe that never left his mouth emitting thin wisps of blue smoke, he watched the approaching Li Yu with a smile.

"Nawaki, you're back."

"Lord Hokage, still the same as ever."

Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze swept over Li Yu and shifted to the people behind him. After observing them calmly for a moment, he continued to exchange pleasantries with Li Yu.

Seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen's behavior, Li Yu chuckled inwardly. The old Third is clearly worried about this mischievous son of his, yet he won't say it. He's just like Asuma, fond of acting cool, stiffening his neck just to force these empty, nutritional-less words on me.

"Nawaki, your performance in this war was excellent. You are truly worthy of being Konoha's finest jonin."

"Not at all, not at all. That was merely the result of the Will of Fire instilled by Lord Third Hokage, and the heroic efforts of the Konoha ninjas."

"You were able to defeat the Fourth Kazekage, greatly boosting the morale of the Konoha ninjas. You are well-deserving of the title of finest jonin."

"My three students also performed remarkably well. They are truly worthy of being the Third Hokage's son."

A group of people watched the two of them, one sentence after another, engaging in a serious, mutual ego-stroking session. The atmosphere was so intense that those who couldn't bear to watch simply walked away.

Ninja A, Cannon Fodder B, and Sissy C stood to the side, listening with great interest, nodding from time to time and whispering to each other.

"I never expected Lord Senju Nawaki to be even more well-versed in this art than us."

"Indeed, Lord Third Hokage is no slouch either. We must learn from this."

"Write it down, take notes!"

Ninja A scratched his head foolishly, full of question marks, not knowing what these two were talking about.

Li Yu finally managed to escape from Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, his mouth parched from all the talking and his stomach feeling a bit nauseous.

I should restrain myself in the future; talking like this is bad for digestion.

He brought Uzuki Yugao back to the entrance of the Senju Clan compound.

A beautiful figure with purple hair and a faint scent of perfume rushed over and hugged Uzuki Yugao.

"Yugao, you're finally back! Are you hurt?"

She looked Uzuki Yugao over, touching her here and there, making Uzuki Yugao giggle. Before long, they were playing around, completely ignoring Li Yu's existence.

Such deep sisterly love.

Can't be helped, that's just the treatment I get.

Entering the inner hall, a Senju clan ninja bowed.

"Clan Head, you have returned."

"Mm."

"Have you seen Tsunade? I heard she is back."

The ninja replied respectfully, "Lady Tsunade went out early this morning accompanied by Senju Rika. She likely doesn't know the Clan Head has returned yet."

"Oh, tell me, how has Tsunade been since she returned?"

Hearing this, the Senju ninja's face darkened, and he said somewhat awkwardly, "The moment Lady Tsunade returned, she started searching everywhere for the Clan Head. We told her you had gone to the border of the Land of Fire to fight the ninjas of Sunagakure, but Lady Tsunade wouldn't listen. She flew into a rage and said many things that were not very kind about the Clan Head."

"As she spoke, she nearly came to blows and almost tore this place apart. Senju Rika couldn't hold her back at the time; at the slightest disagreement, she started tearing the house apart looking for you."

Hearing this, Li Yu's face turned black. He swallowed hard and asked impatiently:

"And then?"

"Seeing that he couldn't hold her back, Senju Rika pulled a slip of paper from who knows where and stared at it for a long time. Suddenly, he chased after Tsunade, whispered a few words to her, and shoved a pile of things into Lady Tsunade's arms."

"I was baffled; Lady Tsunade immediately stopped rummaging through the cabinets and, with a face full of smiles, followed Senju Rika out the door."

Hearing this, Li Yu breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a bit smug.

I really had the foresight. It seems Senju Rika is quite sharp; I'll give him a raise later.

Li Yu arrived at the only casino in Konoha Village, an enterprise belonging to the Senju Clan.

The road was packed with an endless stream of people. Originally, the casino had been located in a remote part of Konoha, but now, numerous shops had opened along the way, making the area incredibly bustling.

The guards at the entrance saw the two ninjas following Li Yu, both bearing the Senju Clan crest, and immediately stepped aside, reaching out to open the doors.

Li Yu didn't stand on ceremony. He walked into the casino first, passing the welcoming hostesses on both sides as he entered the noisy main hall.

"Place your bets! Big or small, place your bets!"

"Big, big, big!"

"Small, small, small!"

He wove through the various tables, watching the modern gambling methods—Baccarat, Roulette, and Sic Bo. The crowd was surging, every gambler filled with excitement, and quite a few Konoha villagers and ordinary ninjas were moving among them.

A casino is just a matter of probability and mathematics; the house almost always wins. Those "God of Gamblers" or "Saint of Gamblers" types from TV don't really exist. As long as the casino prevents guests from cheating, making money is a certainty.

Heading up to the second-floor VIP hall, the crowd was noticeably thinner. Many women in red cheongsams with high slits reaching their thighs walked between the tables, revealing snow-white legs, but the gamblers' attention wasn't on them—it was entirely on the tables.

On the second floor, Li Yu saw many scions of Konoha's great clans enjoying the thrill of throwing money around. Among them was Tsunade, holding a drink provided by the casino in one hand and a handful of chips in the other, shouting along without a shred of decorum.

"Big, big, big!"

The dealer announced, "Open! 1, 2, 3, 6 points, Small."

"Lost again."

Shizune, standing nearby, couldn't bear to watch anymore. The money she usually lost in a month was gone in a single day, so she urged, "Lady Tsunade, we've played enough. Let's go back."

Senju Rika, standing to the side, wiped the sweat from his forehead and quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, we've already lost nearly five million ryo today."

"No way! There's still 1.3 million ryo here. Where did I lose ten million? I'm going again; I need to win it back!"

Helpless, Senju Rika could only accompany her. Catching a glimpse of Li Yu arriving on the second floor, he immediately stood up and walked over.

"Clan Head, you're finally back! I've been waiting for you."

He grabbed Li Yu's sleeve and began to pour out his grievances, recounting everything from finding Tsunade, to her flying into a rage at the compound when she didn't find Li Yu, and finally her "magnificent feat" of escalating her daily losses from a few hundred thousand to five million ryo.

After listening to Senju Rika's complaints, Li Yu couldn't help but lament, "What man could afford to take Tsunade as a wife? She's more of a spendthrift than a spendthrift wife."

Damn, don't tell me I'm going to have to support her for the rest of her life as her younger brother?

Thinking of the original plot, it wasn't impossible. Tsunade remained single, and now that her gambling addiction had been pampered, no one could afford to support her five-million-ryo-a-day habit.