Tsunade: Bai Ye's under my protection, got it?

"Hahaha!!! It really was the machine! I knew there was no way I could lose!!!"

Sitting in Bai Ye's former seat, Tsunade grew positively ecstatic as she watched the numbers on the display keep climbing.

She had won!!

She was finally starting to win.

Even the owner beside her began seriously wondering whether the machine really was to blame.

If Bai Ye hadn't been winning just as steadily from Tsunade's former seat,

he would have suspected the two machines were polar opposites.

At first, Tsunade did manage to win a few rounds.

But the longer she played, the more she slipped back into her old pattern.

Her tokens dwindled until, unwilling to give up, Tsunade exchanged all her money for more.

In the end, she lost every last token to that machine too.

Then she turned once again toward Bai Ye, toward the seat that had originally been hers.

When Tsunade saw the suitcases stacked high beside him, she recognized several of them. Those were the damn cases she had just exchanged for tokens.

And they weren't just hers!

Compared with before, there were over twenty more!

Each case held two million.

Added together, that had to be around fifty million.

Wait, what?!

In that little time?!

This guy won fifty million?!

Tsunade had only one name for people like that... gambling freaks!

Her vision went dark, and her head began to swim.

No!

She was done playing!!

Give her money back!!

This wasn't how it was supposed to go at all!!

Originally, Tsunade had imagined she would reach the pinnacle of success, starting with a modest hundred million.

Instead, her campaign had ended before it even began.

Her money was gone...

Every last bit of it!

Tsunade hadn't planned to spend much time on this machine. She still intended to go clean up at the other tables.

But now she didn't have a single penny!

How the hell was she supposed to play?!

Meanwhile, Bai Ye was running out of space for his money cases.

"This is boring. Another jackpot. Boss, exchange all my tokens for cash!"

Bai Ye looked at the machine in front of him. Another jackpot. This really isn't much fun.

What's so interesting about winning every time?

Hearing Bai Ye's words, the owner nearly burst into tears.

This gentleman is finally going to stop!

If he kept playing, that slot machine alone could bankrupt the entire casino.

"Well, sir, how about something more exciting? A few very wealthy guests came today. Would you like me to arrange a game?"

The owner's eyes darted about.

I can't just let Bai Ye walk away with all that money!

Using force was definitely out of the question.

But he could get Bai Ye to lose the money here.

"Sure. Set it up for me."

"Of course, of course! I'll arrange it right away!"

Seeing that Bai Ye intended to stay, the owner immediately went to make arrangements, ordering his staff to exchange Bai Ye's tokens for cash.

Beside him, Tsunade finally came back to her senses.

Her eyes were fixed firmly on Bai Ye-or, more accurately, on the money beside him.

Then, apparently struck by an idea, she gave Bai Ye a sidelong glance and said with feigned indifference, "Kid, that place isn't what you think. Compared with playing machines, the games there are a lot harder.

"The Fortune Goddess won't necessarily keep smiling on you. You don't look like someone who knows how to gamble!"

Tsunade had actually noticed it earlier.

Bai Ye didn't know how to gamble at all.

He placed his bets at random every time, but his luck made up for everything.

In her opinion, though, playing cards in that room involved more than luck.

"So?!"

An amused smile tugged at Bai Ye's lips as he looked at Tsunade. Looks like she can't hold back anymore.

Does she have something in mind?

"I can be your adviser. How about this? If you win, I won't ask for much. Just a ten-percent cut."

Seeing that Bai Ye seemed interested,

Tsunade immediately revealed what she was after.

She was broke now, but she couldn't stand the thought of just leaving like this!

And wasn't Bai Ye about to join that high-stakes game?!

It was exactly what Tsunade wanted.

She had originally kept that five million so she could play there and win back everything she had lost before.

Unfortunately, her luck today had been a little poor.

She had lost all her money at that slot machine.

Now she was broke but still wanted to play. What could she do?!

Her only option was to set her sights on Bai Ye!

"You?! My adviser?"

"Hey!! What's with that tone?! Are you doubting me?"

Tsunade immediately flared up.

He could question her character or her conduct at the gambling table, but he absolutely couldn't question her gambling skills.

She had decades of experience in this field.

She was a seasoned veteran!

"Of course. Your reputation as the Big Fat Sheep is famous. Why would I hire you as my adviser and hand you money for nothing?!"

"Then lend me five million so I can win it back. I'll repay you in full, with interest!"

Seeing that this approach wouldn't work either, Tsunade remained unruffled.

She had a backup plan.

Upon hearing her proposal, Bai Ye's lips curved slightly. She finally took the bait.

This was the moment he had been waiting for.

When Tsunade ran out of money, she borrowed more. That was practically a law of nature.

He had been waiting for exactly this.

"Sure. If I lend you five million, how much will you repay?"

"Five and a half million!"

"And what if you don't pay?!"

"Who here doesn't know I'm honest and reliable?! I always repay my debts. If you don't believe me, I'll write you an IOU!"

As soon as Tsunade finished speaking, the mouths of everyone around them twitched.

A deadbeat like Tsunade could only fool an idiot like this.

Whenever Tsunade owed money, didn't she just run off and hide from her creditors?!

By now, she had more creditors than anyone could count.

But nobody warned him. If Bai Ye lent Tsunade money, she would owe him and he would take the loss. Once she lost that money to them, however, their profits would be very real.

They watched the two draw up an agreement.

Tsunade borrowed five million from Bai Ye and would repay five and a half million within ten days. If she failed to pay on time, she would have to work off the debt.

"Hand it over!! Give me the five million, and I'll take you into the veterans' room and show you how it's done!!"

With money in hand, Tsunade's confidence soared.

Even her stride had swagger.

As for paying him back?!

She already owed so much. Why would she be afraid of owing more?!

Once you had enough debt, a little more hardly mattered.

If she owed ten thousand, she would certainly be careful. But she already owed tens of millions, even hundreds of millions. She wasn't the one who needed to worry now.

She had no money to repay anyone anyway. She was a lost cause...

There was no money to take, and she wasn't giving up her life either.

If she couldn't pay when the time came, she would just run.

And if Bai Ye came demanding his money?!

Well, sorry, but she had never intended to repay him in the first place!

"Well, you two, please follow me!"

Once their transaction was complete, the casino owner immediately led them elsewhere.

As far as he was concerned, lending money to Tsunade was like tossing a meat bun to a dog: it was never coming back.

The young man had probably just arrived in Tanzaku Town and didn't know what this woman was like.

Of course...

He might also be one of those youngsters blinded by beauty. Plenty of naïve young men had been drawn in by the Big Fat Sheep's looks, lent her money, and lost every penny.

But the owner wasn't going to warn Bai Ye either.

Whatever he gave the Big Fat Sheep, she would lose it all anyway.

What mattered was finding a way to make Bai Ye lose all his winnings back to the casino!

Inside a VIP room,

four people were waiting.

Three men and one woman.

After Bai Ye and Tsunade entered and the owner introduced them, one middle-aged man looked at Bai Ye with interest and said, "You won all that money through luck, and now you think you can play here?!

"Come on, come on... sit down and let's get started. I can hardly wait!"

The middle-aged man felt that today was his lucky day.

Apparently, two easy marks had arrived. Tsunade's reputation preceded her, while the owner had described Bai Ye as a lucky gambling novice who had won a fortune at the slots.

Looking at Bai Ye's cases, he certainly had plenty of money.

"Oh, don't say that. You'll scare our handsome young friend away. This is your first time playing here, isn't it, handsome? How about dinner together afterward?"

As she spoke, the wealthy woman unconsciously licked the corner of her mouth.

This handsome young man... was just her type.

"Heh, you're the one who'll scare him away! Come on! Enough chatter!"

An older man spoke up impatiently.

They had already been waiting ages.

At last, they had enough players.

He signaled the owner with his eyes, and the owner promptly seated Bai Ye and Tsunade.

The two sat together.

Tsunade glanced at Bai Ye and smirked. "Watch closely and learn! If you lose, just consider it tuition!"

"Oh? So you're feeling pretty bold?"

Bai Ye smiled.

Why did everyone here seem convinced they had him in the bag?!

"Are you kidding? I'm super... why am I even telling you this? Hurry up!!"

Tsunade had been about to say more, but then she caught herself. Why bother telling Bai Ye so much?!

She was getting impatient too.

Everyone present was a veteran, and every one of them thought Bai Ye would be easy prey.

After the owner explained the rules, the dealer began dealing.

By then, Bai Ye had a rough grasp of the game. It wasn't much different from the card games in his previous life.

"Ha! You're all finished! I'm taking everything!"

Looking at the cards in her hand, Tsunade felt certain she would win today.

Back in familiar territory, everything felt right again.

It's back. It's all back!!

Tsunade imagined not only clearing all her debts today,

but making a huge profit as well, and excitement surged through her.

When everyone revealed their cards and hers proved to be the highest, Tsunade became even more certain.

Just as she was about to collect her winnings, Bai Ye revealed his hole cards and asked curiously, "Mine should be the best hand at the table, right?"

As he spoke and revealed his hole cards, everyone froze.

If Tsunade's hand was the second best at the table, practically a guaranteed win, then Bai Ye had drawn the absolute best-a hand that swept the whole table!

Wait, what?!

He could actually draw that?!

"That has to be a technical adjustment!!! Luck!! It's definitely luck!!!"

Although Tsunade was shocked, she still figured it had to be luck.

All she could do was marvel at how lucky Bai Ye was.

But as they kept playing, Bai Ye consistently beat everyone else at the table.

At first, Tsunade could still get strong hands.

Later, though, she just kept losing, until she was practically numb to it.

After borrowing another five million from Bai Ye on the spot, she kept playing until nightfall. By the time they left the casino, her eyes had gone unfocused.

"Impossible... absolutely impossible..."

She hadn't won a single hand today, while Bai Ye hadn't lost a single one!

Everyone had lost so much they were numb!

As Bai Ye left the casino carrying all those cases, quite a few people were already eyeing him with envy.

He had at least a hundred million on him!

That was a hell of a lot of money!!

Enough to cover the bounty on Asuma three times over.

"Looks like the Fortune Goddess was on my side today!" Bai Ye stopped after saying that, then turned to Tsunade. "Remember to pay me back. I'll come find you when it's due!"

With that, Bai Ye left.

He wasn't worried about Tsunade running away. She wouldn't run before the repayment deadline, after all.

He had cast his bait, and Tsunade had taken it. One more tug, and he could haul in the net.

Before that, he had a few things to deal with.

Bai Ye walked into an alley and stopped, a faint smile flickering across his lips.

A whole crowd had been following him ever since he left the casino.

After all, he had won a hundred million there. How could people not covet it?

Both ends of the alley were already blocked.

Over a hundred people carrying sharp weapons emerged, their eyes brimming with greed as they stared at the cases in Bai Ye's hands.

Their bald leader stepped forward, a vicious look on his face. "Kid, I heard you had a pretty lucky day. How about lending us some spending money?!

"I figure... you wouldn't mind, right?!"

"Boss, quit wasting time. We're not the only ones after him. Let's just grab it!"

One of his lackeys hurriedly spoke up beside him.

Word was that plenty of people in Tanzaku Town had their eyes on this money.

"Kid, you've only got yourself to blame for showing off and winning all that money..."

The boss figured he had a point. Better to take Bai Ye's money first.

Seeing Bai Ye stand motionless as if scared witless, his vicious grin grew wider.

He figured the kid had probably never faced anything like this.

Still, since the kid was obediently standing there without moving, he'd make it quick and let him die without too much suffering.

Even as the blade reached Bai Ye's neck, Bai Ye still didn't move. The look of certain victory had barely appeared on the man's face.

Then the earth shook and the ground began to crack. A short distance away, Tsunade was slowly walking toward them.

As Tsunade walked, Bai Ye's gaze was involuntarily drawn to a certain part of her body...

No wonder she shows up in so many doujinshi...

"This guy's under my protection. Got it?"

Tsunade glanced at Bai Ye, then added, "Well? Get going!"

Tsunade had noticed earlier that Bai Ye was being followed the whole way.

So she had followed along too.

In truth, she had her own reasons for saving Bai Ye.

"I saved you today. Never mind anything else-lend me another ten million, and I'll pay you back in full, with interest, in ten days!!"

Oh, come on...

That formidable-master act only lasted a moment, huh?!

Bai Ye had thought Tsunade would hold out a little longer before asking him for another loan!

She couldn't wait even a moment!

And she really was asking for the moon-ten million, just like that!

Exactly!!!

Bai Ye had known from the start that Tsunade was following him.

That was why he hadn't acted. He even knew why Tsunade had stepped in to save him now.

There was a tiny chance that she simply didn't want to see him die. He had lent her money, after all, and that counted as doing her a favor, even though Tsunade had no intention of paying him back.

At least, not until she won back her losses.

But the biggest reason was that she wanted to borrow more money from him!

So Bai Ye had naturally done nothing, simply waiting for Tsunade to save him.

As far as he was concerned, though, he wasn't afraid of Tsunade borrowing money. He was afraid she wouldn't!