Always Loses at Gambling

The next day, Chiya woke up early.

The rain outside had already stopped, but water still dripped from the eaves. Drip, drip—the sound was crystal clear.

Chiya stared with his eyes open for a while before slowly raising his hand and waving it in front of his face.

It was still blurry.

His fingers were right before his eyes, yet they seemed separated by a layer of misty water, impossible to bring into focus. Chiya tried blinking a few times, but a sharp pain immediately shot through his eyes, forcing him to stop.

"Stop blinking."

Kaguya's voice rang out in his mind.

Chiya froze for a moment, then asked in delighted surprise,

"You're still awake?"

"Stop making noise."

"I haven't even said much."

"You're noisy the moment you wake up."

Chiya nearly laughed out loud.

He propped himself up in bed and reached for the cup of water beside him. His fingertips tapped the tabletop twice, but only found a damp cloth.

"To the right,"

Kaguya said.

Chiya moved his hand rightward and, sure enough, touched the side of the cup.

He lifted it and took a sip. The water had gone cold, but as it slid down his throat, he felt a little more awake.

Then something suddenly occurred to him.

"Hey? Does that mean I can rely on you to find my way from now on?"

Kaguya did not respond for a long time. Then he heard her softly snort.

"In your dreams."

Just then, the door was suddenly pushed open.

Shizune came in carrying medicine. Seeing Chiya sitting at the edge of the bed, she hurried over.

"You're awake? How are you feeling?"

Chiya set the cup back down and stretched.

"I slept for a while. I feel much better."

"That's good, but you still need to rest and recover. Don't move around too much lately."

She picked up the bowl of medicine and held it out to him.

Chiya reached for it, but his fingers nearly missed.

Shizune noticed immediately.

She did not point it out, only nudged the bowl farther into his palm.

"Here, drink this bowl of medicine."

Chiya gripped the rim and lowered his head for a sip. The bitterness made his brows knot together.

"What is this stuff?"

"Medicine."

"I know it's medicine. I'm asking why it's so bitter."

Chiya actually made Shizune laugh in exasperation.

"If it wasn't bitter, would it still be medicine?"

Chiya pursed his lips, so bitter he wanted to spit it out.

"Can I not drink it?"

"No! I went to great lengths to prepare that medicine. You have to finish it!"

Chiya had just been about to retort when footsteps sounded from the doorway.

Tsunade walked in with an outer robe draped over her shoulders, her hair tied up carelessly and her face still carrying the irritation of someone who had not woken up properly.

"What are you two making such a racket about this early in the morning?"

Without waiting for either of them to answer, she walked over to the table and dropped into a chair.

Tsunade crossed her legs, then held out one hand toward Chiya.

A strange smile appeared on her face.

"Kid, did you bring any money when you escaped?"

Chiya went completely blank.

"Huh?"

Shizune was stunned too. "Lady Tsunade! He's still a child!"

At those words, Tsunade's expression turned impatient. Frowning, she looked at Shizune and said,

"What do you mean, child or not? When I was a teenager, I was already roaming the Shinobi World!"

"Besides, we're completely out of money, aren't we? Hahaha."

Shizune covered her forehead, utterly speechless.

Tsunade turned back to Chiya.

"Hey, kid, you've got money, right? I saw it yesterday."

Chiya nodded stiffly. He had never expected Tsunade, who had originally extorted Naruto, to extort him instead!

Seeing him nod, Tsunade immediately brightened.

"Ah! I knew you had money. So, how about investing in me?"

Before Chiya could react, Tsunade moved from the chair onto the bed and pulled him into her arms.

"I'll let you in on a little secret, kid. I'm a famous gambling god around here! If you sponsor me a little, once I win, I'll definitely pay you back tenfold!"

Tsunade spoke with absolute conviction, practically vibrating with excitement.

But Chiya knew the truth. What famous gambling god? She was a famous sucker! She lost every time she gambled.

When Tsunade saw that Chiya had not reacted for ages, her face gradually darkened.

"Kid, you don't want to sponsor me?"

As she spoke, the arm around Chiya tightened.

Chiya jumped in alarm and hurriedly said with a smile,

"Of course I do! Of course!"

"Hahaha, I knew it. Hurry up and take it out. I saw it already."

Extremely reluctant, Chiya pulled his little wallet from inside his clothes, then took out a gold bar.

Tsunade's eyes instantly sparkled as she snatched it away.

"A... a gold bar?"

Shizune stared in shock as well, then said somewhat shakily,

"L-Lady Tsunade, isn't this... a little inappropriate?"

"Cut the nonsense! This time, I'll definitely win! I'll win back everything I lost!"

The moment she finished speaking, she seemed to realize she had let something slip. She quickly covered her mouth, then, before Chiya could react, grabbed Shizune and rushed out.

"Come on! I can feel it—I'm insanely lucky today!"

"Lady Tsunade! Is it really okay for us to trick a child like this?"

"Just treat it as payment for his medicine."

Their voices grew farther and farther away until they could no longer be heard.

Chiya stood there blankly for a long time before coming back to his senses.

He had... been extorted.

Kaguya suddenly laughed in his heart.

"Idiot."

Chiya got up, tidied himself up a little, and left the inn.

Now, he had no village, no missions, and did not even know what he was supposed to do. All he could do was wander leisurely around the small town.

There were not many people on the streets in the early morning. The ground was still wet, and the air was filled with the fresh scent of rainwater and grass.

Chiya bought a few rice balls and dumplings from a roadside stall.

"Oh, right. How is your research into the Flying Thunder God going?"

"I figured it out long ago."

"Really? Then when do we start?" Chiya asked excitedly.

"But I still don't know how to teach you." Kaguya's voice was flat, giving away no emotion.

"What do you mean?"

"It means you're too stupid. I don't know how to teach you."

"Hey! Isn't that a little insulting?"

"Careful! There's a lamppost ahead!" Kaguya's voice suddenly turned tense.

Chiya's vision was still extremely blurry, and he could not see clearly at all. Hearing that, he instinctively dodged to the side.

Then, with a bang, he slammed into the wall beside him.

Kaguya burst into laughter. Chiya could practically picture her laughing her heart out.

"I told you that you were an idiot."

Chiya's face darkened. This was Kaguya? The ancestor of chakra? Oh, right, this Kaguya wasn't the ancestor of chakra.

But that still isn't right. What kind of Kaguya makes jokes like that?

Oh, my own Kaguya. Then it's fine.

After she finished laughing, Kaguya explained some concepts behind space-time ninjutsu, then taught him the principles of the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Chiya was not exceptionally smart, but neither was he that stupid. He quickly absorbed those concepts and principles.

That evening, Tsunade returned to the inn looking dejected, followed by an equally dejected Shizune.

Chiya did not even need to look to know that she had suffered a crushing loss.

But he still asked smugly,

"Lady Tsunade? You must have won lots and lots of money, right? So what about the tenfold repayment you promised me? Shouldn't you make good on it now?"

Tsunade raised her head. Her face was a little red, but she still cleared her throat and forced herself to look composed before saying,

"Ahem, well, we got off to a bad start this time. Mainly because... uh... right, mainly because I stepped into the casino with my right foot first! It really hurt my luck!"

"Well, you still have money, right? Sponsor me a little more. This time, I guarantee it! I'll definitely win it back!" Tsunade looked at Chiya with hope in her eyes.

Shizune was too embarrassed to lift her head by then. She held Ton Ton and looked down, lost in thought.

Chiya shook his head like a rattle drum.

"No, I really don't have any left."

Tsunade slammed a hand down on the table. "Bullshit! I saw it already! You clearly still have two gold bars in your bag!"