Tanzaku Town, a gambling den.
The air was thick with a mingled smell of tobacco, sweat, and copper coins. Shouts, rattling dice, and the clatter of tumbling chips blended into a sea of noise.
This was a gambler's heaven-or hell-where money and luck collided in a frenzy.
The crowd gathered around the busiest table was especially excited.
Not because the stakes were the highest, but because the woman sitting across from the dealer was the legendary Big Fat Sheep.
Her long golden hair was tied in ponytails, a diamond-shaped mark adorned her forehead, and her figure was stunning.
At that moment, she was staring fixedly at the dice cup shaking in the dealer's hands, her breathing slightly quickened.
Beside her, Shizune held the little pink pig Tonton in her arms. Looking anxious, she tugged at Tsunade's sleeve and leaned close to whisper in her ear:
"Lady Tsunade, you can't keep gambling! We've almost lost all our money. If you keep losing, we won't even have enough left for food and lodging!"
Shizune was nearly frantic.
They had gambled their way here from the Land of Hot Water. Their once reasonably substantial travel funds had been all but exhausted by Lady Tsunade's terrifying "luck"-she lost every time she gambled.
At this rate, they really would end up on the streets!
But Tsunade was far too caught up in the gambling to listen.
"All right, all right, I know! Be quiet!"
Tsunade waved her off impatiently, her eyes still locked on the dice cup.
"Watch me win back everything I lost in this round!"
She took a deep breath. Her face shone with that familiar gambler's mixture of wishful hope and determination, and she pushed every last chip in front of her onto "big" without hesitation!
"All in!"
With a grand sweep