Tsunade's Fury

The instant the bronze dice cup came down over the Mystic Crystal gambling table, Neji tapped the table's edge seven times with his index finger. Qi flowed through the gaps within the table, seeping through the wooden base and into the bottom layer of the dice cup.

He saw the formations embedded within the three dice awakening—when a specific combination appeared, they would trigger cursed chains that bound chakra.

"No more bets." The chakra receiver behind the dealer's ear glowed faintly as the barrier beneath the casino dome began scanning every gambler's meridians.

Neji pushed three vermilion jade chips onto the "Small" section, while threads of Qi wrapped around the edges of the dice.

When the dice cup opened, three bone-carved dice stood in the center in a triangular formation. "Six, six, six. Triples. The house takes all."

The corners of the dealer's eyes, dusted with stardust, lifted—but then she saw Neji suddenly place thirty chips on "Big."

As the dice began spinning in the second round, his middle finger, hidden beneath his sleeve, curled slightly, sending three spirals of Qi into the hollow layers inside the dice.

By the time the dice cup rose another three centimeters, Neji's Qi had already completed three precise manipulations: as the first die slid along the inner wall of the lid under centrifugal force, its trajectory was adjusted by seven degrees; at the instant the second die collided with another, threads of Inner Qi adjusted the angle of contact within a thousandth of a second; the third die seemed to bounce naturally, but had actually been infused with a reverse rotational force.

The game continued, yet the atmosphere changed in a bizarre way.

"Four, five, six. Big." The dealer's voice stalled for half a second.

"Four, five, six. Big." The dealer frowned.

"Four, five, six. Big." The dealer began wiping sweat away.

"Four, five, six. Big." The dealer trembled like a leaf. She sensed nothing unusual, but she knew something enormous had gone wrong.

"Four, five, six. Big." The dealer trembled as she forced out the words.

"What's going on? Why is it the same result every time..."

"Yeah, what kind of trick is your casino pulling..."

"Are you cheating? Bring out your boss!"

The spectators around the table began shouting. Watching those who had followed the trend and bet on Big pile up mountains of chips in front of them hurt worse than death. They hated themselves for not having any chips to join in.

Before the small vermilion mountain of stacked chips, Neji noticed tortoiseshell-like cracks appearing in the sealing formation on the inner wall of the dice cup.

"That should be enough. Are you still not going to make your move?"

Seeing Tsunade still insist on betting the opposite way under such circumstances, Neji could not help admiring the way her mind worked.

Bang...

The gambling table instantly exploded into pieces, and flying chunks of stone struck the surrounding railings, walls, and crowd with a rapid series of cracks.

"Ah!"

"Argh!"

"Damn it, what happened..."

Neji had already used the Body Flicker Technique before the table shattered. He now stood at the entrance, watching Tsunade clutch shattered dice in one hand while holding the manager, who had just come downstairs, in the other.

"Your casino actually cheated. Do you not want to keep operating in Konoha anymore? Bring me all the money, along with the twenty million ryo I lost here last time. Otherwise, I'll tear this whole casino down!"

Tsunade's roar echoed through the casino, shaking the entire building.

For a moment, the entire casino descended into unprecedented chaos.

Neji turned and left the casino. He stopped at an intersection, leaned against a wall, and patiently waited for Tsunade to pass by.

After a long while, Neji watched Tsunade, her face flushed, and Shizune, whose eyes gleamed with golden light, turn the corner and approach.

"Hyuga Clan brat, you were behind what happened today!"

Tsunade stopped, her eyes seeing through Neji's Transformation Technique.

Pop!

Neji returned to his original appearance, respectfully bowed to Tsunade, and said, "Yes, Lady Tsunade. I wonder if you were satisfied with this gift of greeting?"

"Hahaha! Satisfied, satisfied! Extremely satisfied!" Tsunade put her hands on her hips and threw back her head in laughter.

"So you're a Branch House brat. Then that kid from the Main House was your doing too!"

Her laughter suddenly stopped, and Tsunade's tone became dangerous and certain.

Neji's heart skipped violently, but his face remained calm.

"As expected of a ninja renowned throughout the Ninja World as a top-tier medical expert. Nothing can be hidden from you. Yes, it was indeed me."

Neji quietly offered her some flattering words.

"Hmph. I don't care if you Hyuga Clan people kill each other, but stopping me here—are you looking for a beating?"

Seeing Neji readily admit to what he had done to Kosuke Hyuga, Tsunade's thoughts stirred, though her words remained harsh.

"I apologize for meeting you in this manner, Lady Tsunade. However, Neji truly has an urgent matter and had no choice but to seek an audience with you."

Neji bowed once more as he replied.

"Stop right there. I'm not taking apprentices. If you want treatment, pay first."

Tsunade waved a hand, her tone leaving no room for argument.

"You may look like quite the genius, but I've seen far too many geniuses in my life. If I took one in every time I saw one, I'd have enough to fill an entire class."

Although Tsunade was surprised by Neji's age and the maturity he displayed at that age, just as she had said, she had seen plenty of geniuses.

As for the methods Neji had displayed on Kosuke Hyuga, Tsunade gave it some thought and lost interest in investigating further. There were too many unknown secret techniques in the Ninja World, and she had seen things even more unbelievable. She could not be bothered to dig to the bottom of it. She was not like that fellow Orochimaru.

"No, Lady Tsunade. I want to make a deal with you."

Neji seemed to have anticipated Tsunade's answer and spoke unhurriedly.

"A deal? What kind of deal?" Tsunade became interested.

"I can cure your Hemophobia!"

After Neji slowly spoke those words, Tsunade's pupils suddenly contracted. Shizune, standing behind Tsunade, cried out in surprise, and even the pig snorted twice.

"Hahaha... Brat, I don't know where you got that information, but I'm a medical ninja myself. You say you can cure me—do you really think I'd believe that? I think you came here to amuse yourself at my expense. You're not looking for a beating. You're looking to die!"

After recovering from her initial shock, Tsunade clenched her fingers until they cracked, her tone growing hostile.

"A physician cannot treat themself. I believe Lady Tsunade has always thought something was wrong with her mentally. That is correct, but not precise. More accurately, this is a psychological illness. I call it Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder."

As though he had not seen Tsunade's threat at all, Neji continued speaking at an unhurried pace.

"Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder often occurs on the battlefield. After suffering a catastrophic event, the mind undergoes severe stimulation, triggering a series of symptoms. Its primary manifestations are abnormally heightened vigilance, as well as avoidance or emotional numbness."

Neji recited the definition of PTSD as though reading from a medical text, his tone entirely devoid of emotion.

Tsunade froze where she stood, but Shizune cried out excitedly, "Yes, yes, that's exactly it! Everything you said is right, Lady Tsunade. What he said completely matches the symptoms you've shown. Over the years, Lady Tsunade has behaved very differently from before. We all thought it was a normal response after mental trauma, but now it all makes sense. Lady Tsunade, this boy summarized it so well. He might really be able to cure you!"

After babbling incoherently, Shizune asked Neji, "Do you really have a treatment? How would you treat her? You're so young, and your ninja training is already so advanced. It's impossible that you also had time to study medical ninjutsu, right?"

Shizune seemed to recall something. Hope flickered in her eyes as she asked, and Tsunade looked over with suspicion as well.

"Medical ninjutsu? Who said I was going to use medical ninjutsu? Not everything has to be solved with ninjutsu."

Neji laughed in disbelief and asked, "Do you use ninjutsu to eat when you have a meal? Do you use ninjutsu to get dressed every day? Do you use ninjutsu when you speak as well?"

Shizune's face reddened, and she was left speechless.

"Brat, then what is your method?"

Tsunade asked.

Neji smiled upon hearing that. "Lady Tsunade, the treatment method and process are rather lengthy. This is not the place to discuss them..."

Tsunade gave Neji a long look and said, "Come with us!"

After saying that, she headed toward the Senju Clan Compound. Neji watched their backs, let out a breath, and quickly followed.