Brat, you really won't leave me alone!

"Then please pay back my thirty-five million ryo."

Tsunade choked, then slammed the table.

"You gave me that money willingly! It's not like I stole it!"

Uchiha Yi said nothing and simply stared at her.

His stare made Tsunade uneasy, but she stood her ground.

"I'm not going back! I'll find a way to repay you!"

Beside her, Shizune held Tonton, her face scrunched up like a steamed bun.

Was this the first time Lady Tsunade had offered to repay a debt? But she hadn't even paid off the last one!

Uchiha Yi suddenly spoke, amusement in his voice.

"Lady Tsunade, your gambling skills are incredible. Even the First was no match for you. How about a wager?"

Tsunade's eyes lit up, and she forgot everything else.

"You're on! I'll win so much you'll cry!"

Shizune opened her mouth, then closed it again. There was no stopping her.

The moment Tsunade finished speaking, she grabbed a dice cup and dice.

"So you can't say I'm picking on you, we'll just compare totals. Highest roll wins. We'll wager the money I owe you."

She shook the dice cup, the dice rattling inside.

"I'll go first! I'll win it all in one roll!"

The dice landed, and Tsunade lifted the dice cup. Her face turned green.

"Hey, kid, you still have a chance to back out. Thirty-five million ryo per round!"

Uchiha Yi smiled.

"It's fine. If I lose, I lose. I know how to take a loss. Go ahead, O God of Gambling."

Tsunade laughed heartily and lifted her dice cup.

Three ones. Just three points.

Tsunade: ...

Uchiha Yi lifted his dice cup. Four, five, six. Fifteen points.

"Oh, I won."

He looked at Tsunade. "Now you have two choices: come back to the village with me, or pay me seventy million ryo."

Tsunade's eyes widened. "I'll take the third option! Another round!"

Shizune froze, Tonton still in her arms.

Tsunade lost seven rounds straight. By the end, she stared at Uchiha Yi, her face pale.

"Impossible! I'm such a good gambler! How could I keep losing?"

Shizune rolled her eyes inwardly. I've wanted to say this for ages, Lady Tsunade. With your gambling skills, weren't the others just losing to you on purpose?

Uchiha Yi didn't respond. He simply looked at her.

"Lady Tsunade, why don't you just come back to the village with me?"

"You already owe me 4.48 billion ryo, after all."

Tsunade's eyes widened further as she looked at Shizune.

Shizune turned away, holding Tonton and pretending not to notice.

Tsunade cursed inwardly, while Shizune was screaming inside too. I couldn't stop you!

Tsunade's face flushed bright red, and she gave a couple of awkward laughs.

"Kid, can't we work something out?"

Uchiha Yi shook his head.

"There's nothing to discuss. Two choices: return to the village or pay up."

Tsunade cursed every last one of Uchiha Yi's ancestors in her head, but dared not show it on her face.

Trying to dodge a gambling debt? Tsunade's time-honored family method was to throw the first punch and worry about the rest later.

In a flash, she used the Body Flicker Technique to slip behind Uchiha Yi and brought her hand down toward his neck.

She was so practiced at it that she could have taught a class, but a moment later, her pupils abruptly contracted.

Just as her hand was about to strike, Uchiha Yi vanished and appeared where she had originally been standing.

"Flying Thunder God?" Tsunade blurted out in shock.

Uchiha Yi offered no explanation. He simply smiled at her.

"Lady Tsunade, trying to knock me out and run? Don't you care about your reputation as the God of Gambling?"

"What are you talking about? Would a gambler of my integrity do something like that? I was testing your skills, understand?"

Watching from the sidelines, Shizune curled her toes in embarrassment. She could practically have dug a hole to hide in.

Though Tsunade had been exposed, she also knew she couldn't escape today. She could only stall for now.

"Hmph. Don't worry. I'll go back to the village with you tomorrow morning."

She flicked her sleeves and turned to Shizune. "Shizune, let's go get some rest. We leave first thing tomorrow."

Watching Tsunade walk away, Uchiha Yi's eyes held a hint of amusement.

He didn't believe for a second that Tsunade would obediently return with him, but this wasn't the time to press the issue.

He suddenly called toward the shadows at the alley entrance. "Since you're here, come on out."

"Oh my, just as impressive as ever, Yi. You even noticed me hiding here."

Orochimaru emerged from the shadows with Kabuto Yakushi. Blood still seeped through the bandages around Orochimaru's severed arm.

Uchiha Yi shook his head and spoke bluntly. "Orochimaru, I know why you're looking for Tsunade. Don't waste your effort."

Orochimaru remained silent. Coldness churned in his slit pupils, his killing intent almost spilling out.

"Lord Orochimaru!" Kabuto Yakushi whispered, tugging at his sleeve.

Only then did Orochimaru regain his composure. He was in poor condition, and even at his peak, he couldn't defeat Uchiha Yi. There was no point forcing a confrontation.

"Heh heh. Since you put it that way, Yi, I'll let it go."

He turned and left with Kabuto Yakushi, making no further mention of seeking Tsunade.

After they had gone some distance, Kabuto Yakushi couldn't help asking, "Lord Orochimaru, are we really giving up on finding Lady Tsunade?"

"We are. We have no choice." Orochimaru shook his head. "Judging by Uchiha Yi's behavior, that old Third Hokage probably sent him to bring Tsunade back. There's no need to get in his way."

"Then your injury..."

"Forget treating it. Kabuto, send word to Sakon and the others. Have them go to Konoha and bring Sasuke back to me."

"But Lord Orochimaru, Sasuke isn't the most suitable vessel yet..."

"It doesn't matter. We'll make do and try. Tell them to hurry!"

"Yes, understood!"

After sending Orochimaru away, Uchiha Yi didn't return to the Land of Snow. Instead, he found a spot outside Tsunade's inn and waited.

Around two or three in the morning, two furtive figures slipped out of the inn like a pair of thieves.

They were Tsunade, intent on making her escape, and a helpless-looking Shizune.

"Shizune, hurry! Don't let that brat spot us! Over four billion ryo is far too dangerous!" Tsunade urged in a hushed voice.

"Yes, Lady Tsunade!"

They moved quickly, deliberately keeping their footsteps light. But just as they reached the alley entrance, a soft chuckle drifted over.

"Well, if it isn't Lady Tsunade. Out admiring the moon this late?"

Tsunade's face darkened on the spot. She cursed Uchiha Yi eight hundred times in her head.

"Brat, you really won't leave me alone!"

With that, she hurriedly dragged Shizune back to the inn. It seemed she really couldn't escape this time.

Early the next morning, Uchiha Yi woke Tsunade, and the group set off for Konoha.

Tsunade refused to behave along the way, constantly looking for ways to escape. She even fought Uchiha Yi.

Uchiha Yi didn't activate his Sharingan. With his body enhanced by level 5 Eight Gates, he faced Tsunade in pure taijutsu combat. After that, she finally behaved.

It had been nothing more than a taijutsu spar, and neither of them had gone all out.

Though she had agreed to return to Konoha, Tsunade deliberately dragged her feet. A journey that should have taken six or seven days stretched to nearly a month.

During that time, she came up with all sorts of tricks to pay off her debt.

For instance, whenever she got tired, she demanded "Power Gold" to give her the strength to keep traveling-ten million ryo each time. She paid off quite a bit that way, leaving a debt of four billion ryo.

Earlier in the journey, Uchiha Yi had offered to treat Tsunade's hemophobia, but she had refused outright without even thinking about it.

Later, however, he spent a hundred million ryo in "information fees" to learn the truth. Tsunade didn't really have hemophobia at all. Even if she was somewhat afraid of blood, it was a lingering effect of the devastating blow Nawaki's death had dealt her. Put simply, she had lost heart and used hemophobia as an excuse to leave.

Uchiha Yi nearly spat blood when he learned the truth. So even the plot could be watered down? Fictional characters becoming real was one thing, but now even the story I'd watched wasn't entirely reliable?

After they reached Konoha, the Third Hokage met Uchiha Yi in his office and patted his shoulder with a cheerful smile. "Yi, you did well. From today onward, you're officially a Jonin of Konoha."

Beside him, Tsunade rolled her eyes and sneered. "Kid, so you had this planned all along. If I'd known, I..." She didn't finish, but Uchiha Yi understood perfectly. Wasn't she just trying to ask for more money?

In fact, they had already agreed on terms during the journey: if Tsunade became the Fifth Hokage, he would forgive five hundred million ryo of her debt. If she could arrange his marriage to Hinata Hyuga, he would wipe out the rest.

To protect her reputation as the "God of Gambling," Tsunade was determined to repay every last bit. She couldn't let her good name be tarnished. Uchiha Yi ignored her muttering. Knowing he had no further part to play, he said goodbye to the Third Hokage and quickly left.

But shortly after leaving the Hokage's office, he was stopped by someone wearing an eye covering, with only the lower half of his face exposed. Uchiha Yi took a closer look. Wasn't that Torune Aburame?

Torune Aburame stepped forward. "Uchiha Yi, Lord Danzo requests your presence." The moment Uchiha Yi heard Danzo's name, he said without looking back, "I'm busy." Then he turned and walked away, leaving Torune Aburame dumbfounded.

Torune Aburame had expected him to hesitate, but this response was completely beyond his expectations. He hurriedly shouted, "Uchiha Yi, don't make us do this the hard way! You dare defy Lord Danzo's orders?"

Uchiha Yi looked back with a cold smile. "Heh. So what if I do? Would you actually dare attack me in Konoha?" Seeing that he wouldn't listen to reason, Torune Aburame raised a hand and unleashed a swarm of insects at him.

Uchiha Yi's gaze chilled. He hated crawling things like these most of all. Without him even forming hand seals, the insects burst into flames and turned to drifting ash in the blink of an eye.

Scared out of his wits, Torune Aburame hurriedly retreated. But Uchiha Yi didn't attack again. He simply turned and left.

Torune Aburame didn't dare pursue him. What had just happened was far too bizarre. Besides, they were in Konoha, and escalating this would benefit no one. He stared after Uchiha Yi for a long while before finally deciding to report back first, then hurried away.

Before long, Torune Aburame returned to Root headquarters and told Danzo what had happened.

Danzo frowned, his lone eye gleaming. "He released those strange flames without even forming hand seals?" Torune Aburame nodded. "That's right!" Danzo stroked his chin in thought. "Could it be a special kind of Fire Release? Or something else?"

In truth, Danzo had long since put Uchiha Yi out of his mind. The boy was of little use to him at present. Ever since the battle between the Third Hokage and Orochimaru, he had clearly sensed the Third Hokage's health deteriorating. That had given him hope of becoming Hokage, and he had spent all his time working toward it. He had no attention to spare for anything else.

But things had changed a month ago. Uchiha Yi had returned from who knew where, and the Third Hokage had summoned him to his office for a private discussion. Danzo had sensed something was wrong even then.

Suspicious by nature, he always felt that someone was trying to steal his position. When he heard today that Uchiha Yi had brought Tsunade back, his heart lurched, and he sensed trouble coming. Danzo knew Tsunade's background perfectly well. If she was returning with Uchiha Yi at a time like this, she was almost certainly coming for the Hokage's seat.

At that thought, Danzo could no longer sit still. He had hurried to have Torune Aburame gather information, but the outcome had been completely unexpected. Staring at Torune Aburame's back, he thought, There's definitely something wrong with this Uchiha Yi!

He didn't know what had been said during that private discussion, but Uchiha Yi was undoubtedly involved. Just as the thought occurred to him, a subordinate arrived with news that deepened his suspicions.