Tsunade's Winning Streak

On the way back, the four of them walked in silence.

Mirai walked in the middle of the group, the captured katana hanging at his waist, dark red stains left by dried blood still on his hands.

He lowered his head to look at his hands, then clenched them into fists.

This was a ninja's fate!

But in the end, it was because the Shinobi World was too cruel!

No wonder Nagato had said that line—how many floors could you carry a sack of rice up?

Meanwhile, Konoha.

Bang— The Hokage's office door was shoved open.

Leaning on his cane, Danzo Shimura walked in, his single eye fixed directly on Hiruzen Sarutobi behind the desk.

"Hiruzen, why did you allow the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki to leave the village?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi set down the document in his hand and drew on his pipe helplessly. "Danzo, I've told you many times. Knock before entering the Hokage's office."

"Don't give me that useless nonsense!" Danzo strode inside, his cane striking the floor with a dull thud.

"The Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki is one of the village's strategic assets, and you just let him leave the village? If something happens—if the Nine-Tails loses control or he's taken by someone else—can you bear that responsibility?"

Hiruzen took a puff of smoke and slowly exhaled. "Mirai isn't a tool. He's a Konoha ninja, and he's also a ten-year-old child. He has his own Jonin instructor and a complete mission record. There won't be any problems with Jiraiya leading the team."

"No problems?" Danzo sneered. "You're always this naive, Hiruzen. Jinchuriki should be kept under strict watch in the safest place possible, not allowed to run around freely."

"He may be a Jinchuriki, but before that, he's a Konoha ninja!" Hiruzen's voice deepened. "I agree with Lady Mito's philosophy—we should use bonds and affection to maintain the relationship between a Jinchuriki and the village, not chains and cages."

Danzo's lone eye narrowed slightly. "Bonds? Affection? Hiruzen, war could break out at any moment. What we need are weapons, not flowers raised in a greenhouse. Hand that child over to me. Within a year, I can turn him into a qualified weapon of war, superior to any ninja—"

"Impossible!" Hiruzen cut him off. "Danzo, this is my final warning—don't set your sights on Mirai Uzumaki! He will not join Root. There is no room for discussion."

Danzo stared at him for a long time.

Smoke drifted slowly between them, and the air seemed to have solidified.

"Hiruzen! You'll regret this." Danzo finally threw down those words and turned toward the door.

"Danzo." Hiruzen called after him. "Remember, I am the Hokage!"

Bang!

Without looking back, Danzo slammed the door and left. The Hokage's office fell silent once more.

Hiruzen remained seated, his pipe flickering on and off, the weariness in his eyes deeper than usual.

At the same time, outside Konoha Hospital.

Tsunade changed out of her white coat, patted down the wrinkles on her collar, and stretched lazily. "All right, work's done for today. Time to get off."

Kushina followed her out, her red hair tied in a ponytail and a bandage plastered across her forehead. She was starting to look the part.

But her face carried a bored, listless expression. "Sister Tsunade, Mirai's been gone for two days already. I wonder how he's doing... Has he been eating properly? Has he gotten hurt? Has he met any pretty girls on the road..."

"That last part was the main point, wasn't it?" Tsunade glanced at her.

"Of course not!" Kushina denied it immediately, though her face still reddened. "I'm just a little bored! Mirai's usually around. Even though he always teases me, at least there's someone to talk to."

Tsunade thought for a moment, then her eyes suddenly lit up. "Bored? Perfect—come on, I'll take you somewhere fun."

"Where?"

"The casino."

Kushina froze. "The casino?"

"That's right." Tsunade slung an arm around her shoulders, grinning boldly. "It's not like we have anything better to do. Sister Tsunade's hands are itching, so let's go win a few rounds. Oh, right. You've got money on you, don't you? Lend me some."

"Huh?" Kushina looked miserable. She was interested in seeing a casino, but lending money to Sister Tsunade meant it would never come back.

Grandma Mito had left a commercial street to her and Mirai. It was an asset Mito had acquired after marrying into Konoha from the Uzumaki Clan, and the rental income alone reached tens of millions every month.

But even that couldn't withstand Sister Tsunade's "borrowing"!

It wasn't just that she borrowed huge amounts every time—the problem was that she never paid it back, losing it all at the gambling tables.

"You definitely have some." Tsunade gave her no chance to refuse. "Come on, come on! Let me show you what real casino thrills are!"

Kushina was dragged into the casino in a daze, and then Tsunade emptied her wallet in a daze.

Konoha's casino was no small establishment, and the atmosphere inside was even livelier.

The clatter of dice, the clink of chips, and the shouts of gamblers blended together into a deafening roar.

The moment Tsunade entered, she seemed like a different person. Brimming with energy, she squeezed over to the dice table and slapped a stack of chips onto it.

Kushina curiously looked around, only to hear Tsunade's bold voice—

"Three of a kind! All in!"

Kushina immediately snapped out of it and tried to stop Sister Tsunade from losing all her little savings, but it was already too late!

"Bets are final!" the dealer shouted excitedly, then lifted the Dice Cup—three sixes.

The entire room fell silent for a moment before erupting in astonishment. "No way! It really is three of a kind!"

Tsunade froze for two seconds, staring down at the doubled pile of chips. Her expression became one of indescribable confusion.

To be honest, after gambling so many times in her life, she had barely ever won!

And whenever she did win... something bad happened!

Kushina excitedly tugged on her sleeve. "Sister Tsunade! You won! That's so much money!"

Tsunade didn't respond. Last night's scene suddenly flashed through her mind—Mirai had been sitting at the dinner table, casually asking about Nawaki's mission.

At the time, she had thought the brat was just asking casually. But thinking back now, there had been something off about the child's expression.

She wasn't good at using her brain to analyze complicated matters, but her intuition had never deceived her.

The last time her luck had been especially good at gambling was the day before Grandma Mito died.

The time before that was when Great-Grandpa Hashirama died...

Tsunade abruptly gathered up the chips on the table and grabbed Kushina's hand. "We're done gambling."

"Huh? Why?"

"We're going to find Nawaki." The lightheartedness had vanished from Tsunade's face, replaced by a rare gravity. "I have a feeling something happened."

Before Kushina could react, Tsunade had already dragged her out of the casino.