Spicy Strips Dispute

Wu Di swallowed, feeling slightly uneasy.

Tsunade's expression was extremely complicated at that moment, impossible to tell whether it was good or bad.

Shizune, standing beside her, remained quiet as well, not daring to utter a word.

After a long silence, Tsunade let out a deep breath, and the corners of her previously calm brows twitched twice.

Then she burst into loud laughter.

"Shizune, after all these years of gambling, I've finally seen some money come back today!"

The sight moved Wu Di so much that he nearly dropped to his knees.

That one hundred ryo silver note had been scratched out from the last six scratch-off tickets.

Yet those six scratch-off tickets had cost a total of sixty thousand ryo.

Compared to that hundred ryo, it was really rather...

After laughing for quite a while, Tsunade finally lowered her head. "Your little shop is pretty good. I'll be coming back in the future!"

Wu Di gave an awkward yet flattering laugh. "Thank you very much, then!"

"Shizune, I'm in a good mood today. Come on, I'll treat you to barbecue."

At that moment, the Little Pig in her arms snorted twice.

Tsunade lowered her head fondly. "All right, all right, you're coming too, Tonton!"

Watching her leave the little shop, Wu Di let out a long breath.

He suddenly felt that Tsunade was truly an extraordinary woman.

She seemed very easy to satisfy!

Just as he was sighing over this, more people entered from outside.

They were all the members of Team Eight and Team Ten.

They had decided to come only after hearing about what had happened with Team Seven.

"This little shop doesn't look all that big."

With a cigarette in his mouth, Asuma turned to survey the somewhat dim room.

Then he walked up to the counter.

"I heard you sell something called scratch-off tickets here. Bring out two for me to see."

Without hesitation, Wu Di took out two scratch-off tickets worth Ten Thousand Ryo each.

Jonin like them always had a little extra money in their pockets.

Besides, he was the Third Hokage's son. There had to be more than a few people regularly giving him gifts and greasing his palm.

"Two scratch-off tickets, twenty thousand ryo in total."

Without a second thought, Asuma pulled out his wallet and drew two silver notes from it.

Seeing that there seemed to be several more high-denomination silver notes in his wallet, Wu Di's eyes gleamed with a sinister light.

Before long, a flash of golden light appeared, and a bag of Spicy Strips floated out from the scratch-off ticket.

"What is this?"

Asuma froze. He had never seen anything packaged like this before.

But to Wu Di, this sort of thing had been incredibly common in his original world.

He said quietly, "This is called Spicy Strips. It's a delicacy from my hometown. You can give it a careful taste."

"A delicacy?" The ash on Asuma's cigarette suddenly fell.

"What kind of delicacy is this? It cost me Ten Thousand Ryo! Are you robbing me?"

Wu Di raised a hand slightly and smiled disdainfully.

"You haven't experienced the sensory stimulation Spicy Strips can bring you. If you don't believe me, open the bag and try one."

Half-convinced and half-doubtful, Asuma tore open the package.

In an instant, a rich aroma filled the tiny room of less than ten square meters.

Even Yūhi Kurenai, who had never cared much for food, began to drool.

Not to mention Akimichi Choji, who treated food as his life!

As though he had lost his mind, Choji leaped straight onto Asuma and bit down on his arm.

"Choji, are you crazy? Are you a dog?" Asuma shouted, desperately shaking his arm.

But Choji showed no sign of letting go, squeezing out a sentence through his teeth.

"If you don't give me one, I won't let go even if I die!"

Shikamaru could no longer stand watching this and rubbed his forehead helplessly.

He was just about to use the Shadow Binding Technique to separate them when another white figure charged into the fray.

The white figure was none other than Inuzuka Kiba's divine beast mount—Akamaru.

Asuma was utterly helpless. He was a Jonin, after all; he couldn't exactly attack a Genin and a divine beast that wasn't even a Genin.

After thinking it over, he suddenly sprang forward, darting out of the encirclement and running toward the Hokage's Office.

At the moment, the only safe place he could think of was the Hokage's Office—his old man's turf.

Choji and Akamaru ran out with him, dragging along Inuzuka Kiba, who had no interest in food.

The room immediately became much quieter.

Yūhi Kurenai sighed softly, picked up the scratch-off ticket Asuma had left unscratched, and pressed it against the table.

Then she scratched it furiously.

A flash of golden light appeared.

Accompanied by the sound of thunder and lightning.

"Clang clang clang clang!"

A strange jade-like stick with an emerald-green sheen materialized before them.

Wu Di truly had no strength left to complain about that item-drop soundtrack.

He really wanted to ask his great-great-great-great-great-grandfather—couldn't they use some normal human sound effects?

Yūhi Kurenai casually put it away, examining the jade stick curiously. "Boss, what is this?"

Wu Di cleared his throat and said in a low voice.

"This stick is called the Dog Beating Stick!"

"As the name implies, whoever it hits will turn into a little dog."

"The transformation lasts five minutes!"

Yūhi Kurenai drew in a sharp breath, a glimmer of moisture flickering in her crimson eyes.

"Really? That's incredible!"

As she spoke, she held the Dog Beating Stick up before her eyes and inspected it closely.

Hearing about the stick's miraculous effects, those behind her couldn't help wanting a look as well.

Someone from who knew where happened to jostle her arm, and the Dog Beating Stick knocked against her own forehead.

The next instant, Yūhi Kurenai abruptly vanished, leaving behind a little dog with red eyes on the floor.

Everyone immediately backed away, afraid they might accidentally touch the Dog Beating Stick and be transformed as well.

Yet because of that, their desire for scratch-off tickets became stronger than ever.

They all skirted around Yūhi Kurenai and squeezed toward the counter.

"Boss, give me two hundred-yuan tickets."

"Boss, I want ten hundred-yuan tickets."

"Boss..."

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

Asuma successfully hid inside the Hokage's Office.

Choji stared at the office door, unable to stop his heart from aching.

He dropped to his knees and burst into loud sobs.

"Asuma-sensei, let me try one!"

"I'm seriously dying from the craving!"

"Please!"

Beside him, Akamaru copied him, kneeling on the ground and howling nonstop.

No matter how Inuzuka Kiba tugged at him, he couldn't pull him up.

Inside the room, Asuma hugged the Spicy Strips and stood warily opposite the Third Hokage, panting heavily.

The Third Hokage wrinkled his nose, catching the fragrance of the Spicy Strips.

He swallowed. "What is that?"

Asuma panted as he answered, "I scratched it from the scratch-off ticket shop. I heard it's a specialty from the shop owner's hometown."

"Bring it here and let me try it!" The Third Hokage raised his hand, leaving no room for refusal.

Asuma's body trembled, and he abruptly retreated two steps, watching the Third Hokage warily.

"It's mine. Don't tell me you want to snatch it too?"

The Third Hokage blew out a smoke ring and slowly rose to his feet.

A ghostly smile curled at the corner of his lips.

"Five Elements: Great Breakthrough Technique!"

In an instant, Chakra of the five elemental natures—wind, lightning, fire, water, and earth—swirled around him.

Though he had kept it at the lowest possible level, it was still terrifying.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Five consecutive blows struck Asuma, smashing him straight into the wall behind him.

The Spicy Strips slipped from his hand.

"Why... you're the father I respected!"

The Third Hokage plucked out a strip, put it into his mouth, and said leisurely, "Child, remember this: before good food, there is no father or son!"