Naruto Uzumaki is a Rogue Ninja

When Naruto saw the shopkeeper actually nuzzling the bear's head, she couldn't help herself.

"If you don't want this bear pelt, give it back to me!"

"Want, want, want! How could I not want it!"

The shopkeeper feigned contemplation, and Naruto felt he looked shifty and untrustworthy. His face, that of a shrewd merchant, was surely plotting how to lowball her.

Naruto raised her hand and swatted. After only swatting at the annoying flies buzzing around, her Wind Release chakra compressed into a pellet and dispersed, turning into a gust of strong wind.

"Sorry, I found those flies buzzing around a bit bothersome," Naruto said, looking at the disheveled general store with no hint of apology on her face.

"So, how much are you willing to pay for this bear pelt?"

"How about ten thousand Ryo?"

The shopkeeper rubbed his hands together and stated the true price he had in mind for the bear pelt.

Naruto pocketed the ten thousand Ryo and carried the two unconscious people out of the general store. They went to an inn, got a room, and after settling the two in, she fed them water with her mouth. Naruto then left the inn and used the Transformation Jutsu to disguise herself as C.C and wandered around the village.

Suddenly, a sign with the character "Gambling" caught her attention.

"Nine-Tails! I've thought of a great way to make money!"

"What way?"

"Gambling!"

C.C patted the more than nine thousand Ryo in her pocket, calculating how she could cheat with the Nine-Tails' help to double, double, and then double her money again!

C.C swaggered into the casino and saw someone she unexpectedly recognized gambling there. He sat grandly at a dice table, throwing down large sums of money, betting on "small." When the dice were rolled, the result was "big."

She actually ran into Tsunade here... If I don't fleece this legendary cash cow, who will I take money from?

Afterward, C.C saw Tsunade bet on "big," so she bet on "small." When Tsunade bet on "small," she bet on "big."

As expected, she won money every time. Tsunade's luck was truly terrible, and yet she was such a gambling addict.

In a short while, Tsunade's money was almost won by the people in the casino. Seeing the conspiratorial looks of the casino patrons, Naruto secretly used her chakra to cheat. A gentle breeze blew, and under Naruto's control, her Wind Release chakra altered the dice rolls.

In the final round, Tsunade only had one stack of money left. Seeing Tsunade lose continuously, C.C felt the casino staff were going too far; they were colluding to rip Tsunade off!

"For the last round, bet on big."

C.C approached Tsunade and whispered in her ear.

Tsunade's eyes widened in shock as she looked at the green-haired woman who suddenly spoke to her. Seeing the confidence on her face, Tsunade decided to trust her and bet her last stack of money on "big."

In the final round, Tsunade won. Due to the high amount bet and the odds, Tsunade won back all the money she had lost in one go.

C.C looked at the casino worker who was shaking the dice with a displeased expression and smiled with amusement before turning to leave the casino.

"Wait!"

Tsunade, who had followed her out, called out to C.C.

"What is it? We don't seem to know each other, do we?"

C.C tilted her head, looking curiously at Tsunade. Could it be that she had helped her win the last round and Tsunade had figured it out?

Tsunade quickly walked up to C.C, gazed intently into C.C's golden eyes, then suddenly placed her hands on C.C's shoulders and said solemnly, "Take me as your disciple!"

"Huh?"

C.C's expression was one of surprise. She felt like she must have misheard something. What did Tsunade just say?

Take her as a disciple?!

"Are you kidding me?"

A few minutes later, C.C and Tsunade sat on stools outside a dango shop, eating dango. C.C gritted her teeth, looking distressedly at Tsunade, whose face clearly showed "I want to learn gambling techniques." She cast a pleading look at Shizune, who stood behind Tsunade.

Shizune turned her head, pretending not to see C.C's pleading gaze.

"I'm sorry, but I don't have anything to teach you. I only helped you win just now by cheating. Those people in the casino won your money through sleight of hand, and I used my chakra to cheat and help you win it back."

"You should gamble less in the future... 'Ten bets, nine cheats' isn't just a saying."

C.C patted Tsunade's shoulder and casually advised her. What kind of person was Tsunade? She was someone who had learned the bad habits of the First Hokage since childhood. It would be a miracle if she could change.

C.C forcibly shifted her gaze away from Tsunade's impressive assets. Honestly, it was the first time she had seen such a formidable bust. Seeing it in person was far more explosive than in anime. Damn, she was truly fierce (chest) fierce (chest)!

She couldn't handle it!

"See you around!" Never to see you again!

C.C blew a kiss at Tsunade, leaped onto a rooftop, and disappeared from Tsunade's sight.

After dispelling the Transformation Jutsu, Naruto let out a sigh of relief. She hadn't expected to run into Tsunade just by going to a casino. What kind of luck was this!

Returning to the inn and looking at the two unconscious people, Naruto sat by the window, hugging her knees, and gazed at the cumulonimbus clouds gathering in the distance. She went into her inner world and lay on the Nine-Tails, doing nothing but quietly resting on its body.

Perhaps it was the vigorous life force in Naruto's Uzumaki bloodline that affected Mikoto Uchiha, causing the severely injured and near-death Mikoto Uchiha to awaken.

Mikoto Uchiha's eyelids twitched. Her long eyelashes fluttered slightly as she slowly opened her eyes.

"Where is this... Am I... not dead?"

Mikoto Uchiha stared at the unfamiliar ceiling, her memories still stuck on that day, the last time she lay on the cold ground and lost consciousness.

Chapter 24: Lost (Revised) (1/2)

♂ "Naruto, that woman is awake."

"Huh? Which woman is awake?"

Naruto looked up sharply, her face blank, and looked down at the Nine-Tails.

"The woman from the Uchiha Clan," the Nine-Tails said, tossing Naruto out.

"Yoho~! You're awake~!"

Naruto, kicked out of her inner world by the Nine-Tails, saw Mikoto Uchiha awake and excitedly ran to her side.