"Shake the dice cup."
Uchiha Kazama did not answer Tsunade's words, instead casting his gaze upon the dealer.
"Oh... right."
The dealer quickly shook the dice cup.
"Open!"
"One, one, two, four points, small..."
The dealer looked at the dice points before him, completely numb all over.
How could this be?!
Wasn't Tsunade famed as the God of Gamblers who never won?!
"Let's go, grab a bite to eat?"
Uchiha Kazama looked at Tsunade with rising interest.
This woman was clearly very interested in him, yet suppressed the thoughts in her heart.
"Shizune!"
Tsunade called out, then stood up and walked toward the outside of the casino.
"Miss Shizune, please also trouble yourself with cashing out my chips as well."
Uchiha Kazama smiled faintly.
Then he turned and followed in Tsunade's footsteps.
Shizune, holding the piglet, froze.
Just now, Uchiha Kazama had only spoken a single sentence to her, yet Shizune actually had a blushing, heart-fluttering sensation.
So handsome!
Shizune could not help uttering the thought in her heart.
This handsomeness was not merely about appearance.
Rather, it was a special temperament from the inside out, as though... his whole body were radiating charm.
Inside the private room.
"If you've come to lobby me to return to the village, then save it."
"You can talk to me about things regarding the village and keep me company for a couple of drinks."
"I didn't expect that little brat from the Third Shinobi World War period would now have become the Hokage of Konoha."
Tsunade held a smile, yet spoke with a hint of coldness.
Regarding the Uchiha, Tsunade had been somewhat influenced by Tobirama and did not particularly care for them.
Yet, she did not harbor excessive resistance either.
"Village matters, you say?"
"Jiraiya went back and became a Konoha consultant. When the Hokage isn't around, he takes charge of handling some village affairs."
"The Patriarch of the Nara Clan, Shikaku, serves as the Shadow Assistant, also assisting in handling village affairs."
Uchiha Kazama quickly laid out the current composition and situation of the village.
Hearing the end, the Uchiha had actually directly become the Pursuit Shinobi.
That was to say, apart from Uchiha Kazama himself as the Hokage, the Uchiha held no real power whatsoever.
The village's power had already been delegated into the hands of the various shinobi clans.
Such a circumstance was something Tsunade had not expected.
"As the Hokage, aren't you being hollowed out?"
Tsunade bantered, pulled out her flask, and took a drink by herself.
"Hollowed out?"
"As long as I have power, authority will always remain in my hands."
"Didn't Hiruzen Sarutobi grasp power in his hands? Without strength, it is still useless."
"Let's eat first."
"We'll talk in a moment."
Once Uchiha Kazama finished speaking, he did not give Tsunade time to continue asking questions.
Because the food had already been served.
Watching Uchiha Kazama eat, a strange feeling welled up within Tsunade's heart.
After the meal.
Uchiha Kazama stood up and opened the door to the private room.
"We respectfully invite the Patriarch to return to the village!"
"We respectfully invite the Patriarch to return to the village!"
Suddenly, the uniform chorus of voices caused the flask Tsunade was raising to her lips to pause.
Those voices...
Tsunade slowly turned her head, looking at the group of people before her, her pupils trembling.
If someone were to give Tsunade Uchiha genes right now, she would probably be able to awaken the Sharingan on the spot.
"You..."
Looking at the Senju Clan emblems on these people, and the fact that they all wore Konoha forehead protectors.
She recognized most of them.
However, why were they... appearing here?
Tsunade cast her gaze toward Uchiha Kazama.
"Senju Clan Patriarch, Medical Department Director."
"Please return to the village with me!"
Seeing Tsunade's gaze turn toward him, Uchiha Kazama stated his intentions.
"Senju Patriarch?!"
"Medical Department Director?!"
Tsunade felt as though her thoughts could not keep up with the current developments.
How many years had it been since the Senju Clan disbanded?!
Even she and her younger brother Nawaki...
did not bear the Senju name.
Other clansmen would certainly not have this title either.
This was the decision her grandfather had made back then, intending to lead by example and completely integrate the clan and the village into one.
Yet the result...
had fallen far short of Hashirama Senju's expectations.
Various clans still prioritized their own family interests.
Especially major shinobi clans like the Uchiha and the Hyuga.
"Are you trying to use this method to force me back!?"
"However, what can I do even if I go back?"
"Right now, I cannot serve as the Medical Department Director, nor can I participate in combat."
"Since you came to find me, you must already know about this, right?"
The startled expression on Tsunade's face faded, replaced by laziness and indifference.
That's right, afflicted with hemophobia as she was, there was very little she could do now.
"I know..."
"Slash!"
Uchiha Kazama raised a finger, and a sealed short knife instantly appeared in his hand.
With that, he sliced open his palm.
The Senju clansmen standing outside the private room also followed suit, making the exact same motion.
The stench of blood instantly washed over them.
Tsunade's seated body shuddered, and a wave of nausea and dizziness coursed through her entire body.
Even the hand holding the flask trembled slightly.
"Clutch!"
Before Tsunade could react, Uchiha Kazama's blood-stained hand grabbed hers and pulled her to her feet.
"Director Tsunade, this warm blood is flowing precisely for you!"
"The village needs you!"
"With you here, this blood will only flow before your eyes, rather than spilling out in the wilderness due to a lack of qualified medical shinobi."
"We respectfully invite Director Tsunade to return to the village!"
Finished speaking, Uchiha Kazama raised his voice once more.
"Welcome back, Patriarch!"
The group of Senju clansmen standing outside also shouted loudly in unison.
The scent of blood seemed to grow fainter.
Yet the reason this group of Senju clan members was willing to follow Uchiha over was certainly not because of Uchiha Kazama's personal charm.
Rather, they knew that only after the Senju Clan was reorganized could they secure more resources.
As one of the two founding clans of the village, the Senju had now vanished while the Uchiha remained thriving.
Though these people obeyed the admonitions of their ancestors, now that an opportunity had presented itself... they were still unwilling to remain ordinary.
Coupled with the fact that Uchiha Kazama had gone to visit them one by one to invite them personally.
At the same time, he promised to grant Tsunade the positions of Konoha Advisor and Medical Department Director.
Therefore, they had followed Uchiha Kazama over here together.
"Advisor Tsunade, can you feel my heartbeat and blood?!"
"If you can, then you should be able to feel Konoha's need for you."
"And my need for you."
Uchiha Kazama drew close to Tsunade, his voice soft.
The charm value rewarded by the system took effect at this very moment.
Tsunade, who always repelled contact with the opposite sex and suffered from hemophobia, froze as she met Uchiha Kazama's firm gaze.
Her body stopped trembling, and her breathing grew steady.