Land of Fire.
Early morning on the fifth day.
The caravan slowly entered the streets of Kikyo Town.
"Brother Chiba."
"Won't you consider a long-term partnership?"
Yamada pulled two more large-denomination bills from his money pouch.
He wanted to bind this reliable Chunin to his caravan for good.
"Sorry."
"I still have missions in the village."
Chiba accepted the extra commission, then calmly declined.
After bidding farewell to the caravan.
Chiba did not return to Konoha. Instead, he slipped into a dark, damp alley.
After confirming there were no Anbu watching him.
He rapidly formed hand seals, and the Chakra within his body stirred slightly.
Poof!
A cloud of white smoke exploded in the alley.
When the smoke cleared.
A Wandering Samurai wearing a short gray cloth shirt appeared.
To make the act more convincing.
Chiba had even given himself a shallow fake scar on his left cheek.
Then.
Chiba headed straight for Tanzaku Street!
Several hours later.
The bustling, prosperous scene of Tanzaku Street came into view.
Shops lined both sides of the broad street.
The signs of taverns, izakayas, and underground casinos flashed without pause.
The air was filled with the smell of cheap cosmetics, harsh alcohol, and the sweat stench of gamblers.
This was a gathering place for every sort of person.
Chiba strolled along the edge of the street, seemingly casually glancing over the attendants soliciting customers.
He did not visit the information houses hidden in the back alleys.
Paying for information was certainly quick.
But Chiba did not want to leave behind the fatal clue that someone was asking about Tsunade.
The safest method was the dumbest one.
Search the casinos one by one.
There were dozens of casinos of all sizes across Tanzaku Street.
Chiba was in no hurry at all.
Keeping up his Wandering Samurai disguise, he wandered through them one by one.
Until the afternoon.
Chiba entered a luxurious underground casino called Golden Toad.
The moment he lifted the heavy curtain.
A thick wave of smoke rushed into his face.
Amid the clamor of voices were the wild laughter and curses of gamblers.
Just then.
A shrill, clear female voice pierced through the noise.
"Lady Tsunade!"
"You really can't bet anymore!"
"We don't even have money for lodging tonight!"
Following the voice.
The enormous gambling table at the center of the casino was surrounded by gamblers with bloodshot eyes.
A blonde woman had claimed the best spot.
She wore a long green robe with a huge character for "gamble" printed on its back.
She slammed a hand onto the table and shoved the massive pile of chips before her into the area marked "Big."
Beside the blonde woman stood a black-haired girl holding a pink pig in her arms.
The two were Tsunade and Shizune.
He had finally found them.
Chiba stopped, a sharp glint flashing through his eyes.
But he did not immediately approach them.
The casino was a mixed bag, with eyes and ears everywhere.
No one could guarantee there were no Konoha spies among the crowd.
Then.
Chiba walked toward the exchange counter.
He exchanged every bit of money on him for casino chips.
Immediately afterward.
Like an ordinary gambler, he forcibly squeezed through the crowd and sat in the empty seat beside Tsunade.
The dealer wildly shook the dice cup.
The three dice clattered loudly within it.
Bang!
The dice cup slammed down onto the solid wooden table.
"Bets are final!"
the dealer shouted.
"Big!"
"It's definitely Big!"
"Today's luck has all been building up for this round!"
Tsunade bit down on her red lips, staring fixedly at the dice cup that held her fate.
Both hands pressed against the table, her chest rose and fell violently.
Chiba glanced at her from the corner of his eye.
The First's granddaughter was famous throughout the Ninja World for her supernatural ability to lose every gamble.
The next moment.
Without any hesitation.
Chiba pushed all the chips he had just exchanged onto "Small."
Seeing that.
Tsunade's brows immediately furrowed.
She glanced at this guy who had suddenly appeared from the corner of her eye.
Where the hell did this bastard come from?
He actually dared to go against her!
"Open it!"
"One, two, three—six points, Small!"
The dealer abruptly lifted the dice cup.
A deafening cry of shock instantly erupted throughout the casino.
The gamblers who had bet on Small cheered wildly.
Tsunade clutched her head in both hands and let out an agonized wail.
Even Tonton, the pet pig in Shizune's arms, squealed with a miserable look on her face.
Meanwhile, the chips before Chiba instantly doubled.
The gambling continued.
The dealer picked up the dice cup again and began shaking it with flashy movements.
Tsunade refused to believe it.
She suddenly turned toward Shizune.
"Bring out the reserve funds!"
"Lady Tsunade, that's our food money for tomorrow!"
Shizune frantically shook her head, tears nearly spraying from her eyes.
"Stop talking nonsense!"
"I can definitely turn it around this round!"
Tsunade snatched the money pouch from Shizune's arms and quickly exchanged it for chips.
"This time, Small!"
Tsunade slapped all her chips onto the "Small" area.
Chiba did the opposite.
He pushed every chip in his hand onto "Big."
Tsunade abruptly turned her head and glared viciously at Chiba.
This brat was definitely doing it on purpose. He actually dared to provoke her so openly!
"Open it!"
"Four, five, six—fifteen points, Big!"
The dealer's voice rang out again.
But his words were like a heavy hammer smashing fiercely into Tsunade's heart.
Whoosh—
The entire casino erupted again.
Tsunade froze completely, her mind blank.
The chips before Chiba doubled again, already piled into a small mountain.
"Again!"
Tsunade's gambler's mentality was completely provoked.
She slammed the table and roared, directly borrowing usury from the Casino Boss.
Naturally, the Casino Boss was delighted to lend money to such a fat sheep and immediately brought over a tray of black chips with gold edges.
The third round.
Tsunade stared fixedly at Chiba.
"I'm betting Big!"
Chiba's expression remained unchanged as he pushed all his chips onto "Small."
"Open it!"
"Two, three, four—nine points, Small!"
The fourth round.
Tsunade gritted her teeth and bet on Small.
Chiba promptly slammed his chips onto Big.
"Open it!"
"Three, five, six—fourteen points, Big!"
The fifth round...
The sixth round...
For an entire afternoon.
An extraordinarily bizarre tug-of-war played out inside the Golden Toad Casino.
Whenever Tsunade bet on Big, Chiba would certainly bet on Small.
Whenever Tsunade bet on Small, Chiba would immediately place a heavy bet on Big.
And without exception.
Chiba won like crazy!
Tsunade lost disastrously.
"Ten million ryo..."
Looking at the completely empty tabletop before her.
Then looking at the bags beside Chiba, filled with cash boxes.
Tsunade's entire body trembled uncontrollably.
The usury she had borrowed had accumulated into an utterly terrifying astronomical sum.
Shizune had long since collapsed onto the floor.
Tonton in her arms was crying so hard she was about to faint.
"Lady Tsunade..."
"We're completely finished..."
Tsunade sprang to her feet.
She kicked over the solid wooden chair in front of her and shot Chiba a vicious glare.
That look was as if she wanted to devour him alive.
Just as Chiba secretly went on guard,
"Trouble—run!"
Tsunade grabbed Shizune from the floor and sprinted toward the casino's back entrance.
The way she fled made it obvious she was an old hand at this!
"Catch them!"
"Don't let the fat sheep get away!"
The Casino Boss roared himself hoarse.
More than a dozen vicious-looking thugs immediately grabbed clubs and gave chase.
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