Xin couldn't even be bothered to form hand seals.
His figure flashed as he charged straight into the crowd.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Several dull crashes rang out.
Before those arrogant thugs could even make out Xin's movements, he kicked them flying with terrifying monstrous strength.
They slammed heavily into the casino walls, coughed up mouthfuls of blood, and instantly passed out.
The entire casino fell deathly silent.
All the gamblers trembled in fear, not even daring to breathe loudly.
Xin walked up to the casino vault and kicked open its heavy iron door.
Without the slightest courtesy, he looted every last bit of cash and gold inside.
Night fell.
Xin found a deserted corner and activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Space twisted.
He instantly appeared inside the luxurious bedroom in the Land of Snow's daimyo residence.
Dressed in a thin silk nightgown, Kazahana Koyuki sat at her desk, worrying about funding.
When Xin suddenly appeared, she froze for a moment before throwing herself into his arms, her face full of delighted surprise.
"Didn't you go back to Konoha? Why are you back again?"
Koyuki hugged Xin tightly, feeling the warmth of his body.
Xin smiled and ruffled her hair, then tossed several sealing scrolls filled with money onto the desk.
"I brought you some research funds."
Koyuki unsealed the scrolls. At the sight of the mountains of banknotes and gold bars, she covered her mouth in shock.
For the next half month.
Xin made money and robbed casinos in various towns during the day, then used Flying Thunder God to return to the Land of Snow and keep Koyuki company at night.
Life was incredibly pleasant and relaxed.
Until half a month later.
Xin arrived at a bustling little town called Tanzaku Town.
He had barely stepped onto its streets when he heard a clamor of shouted curses.
"Stop! Don't run!"
"Pay up, you big fat sheep!"
Xin turned to look.
He saw a woman with long blond hair and a voluptuous figure.
She was sprinting down the street, pulling along a black-haired girl who held a pink piglet.
Dozens of vicious-looking creditors chased relentlessly behind them.
They were none other than Tsunade and Shizune.
Clearly, this member of the legendary Sannin had once again lost everything at a casino.
Xin shook his head helplessly at Tsunade's bedraggled appearance.
Ten minutes later.
Inside a quiet little tavern in a corner of town.
Tsunade gulped down cheap sake, trying to steady her nerves.
Shizune sat beside her, holding Tonton, her face full of worry.
Xin pushed open the tavern door, walked straight to their table, and sat down.
Tsunade raised her head warily, sizing up the unfamiliar boy before her.
"I've already dealt with those debt collectors."
Xin took a thick stack of IOUs from his pocket and set them on the table.
"I've paid off the thirty-five million ryo in gambling debts you owed them."
Tsunade's eyes instantly lit up at the sight of the IOUs.
She snatched them up and checked them carefully, then let out a long sigh of relief.
Sitting across from her, Xin silently quipped to himself about the figure.
Thirty-five million ryo.
That was exactly the bounty on Asuma Sarutobi's head at the underground bounty exchange.
This woman really knew how to lose.
Just as Xin's mind wandered.
Tsunade slapped the table hard and spoke with brash familiarity.
"Kid! At least you've got some sense!"
Tsunade let out a drunken belch.
"Well, out with it. What do you want me to do for you after spending all that money to help me? Treat an illness or save someone?"
At the word "kid," Xin's gaze instantly turned cold.
He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his anger.
"Lady Tsunade."
Xin looked at Tsunade and calmly explained why he had come.
"The Third Hokage instructed me to tell you to return to the village."
At the mention of returning to the village, half the drunkenness instantly vanished from Tsunade's face.
Her expression turned extremely cold.
"I'm not going back!"
The atmosphere inside the tavern instantly grew somewhat oppressive.
Tsunade raised her cup and drained the remaining sake in one gulp.
"I never want to set foot in a place as heartbreaking as Konoha again for the rest of my life."
Tsunade's eyes reddened slightly, her voice filled with deep resistance.
Uchiha Xin sat across from her, his hands clasped on the tabletop.
His expression remained calm as he directly revealed the Third Hokage's true intention.
"Lady Tsunade, the Third Hokage isn't asking you back to reminisce."
Xin stared into Tsunade's eyes.
"He wants you to take his place as Konoha's Fifth Hokage."
At those words, Shizune, who stood nearby, widened her eyes in shock and nearly dropped Tonton from her arms.
Tsunade, however, froze for a moment before suddenly bursting into shrill laughter.
"Hahaha!"
Tsunade rocked back and forth with laughter, nearly bringing herself to tears.
"Make me Hokage? The old man's really gone senile!"
Tsunade abruptly stopped smiling, her face full of scorn.
"Only an idiot would take that useless, thankless job as Hokage! I'm absolutely not going back!"
Xin didn't get angry at Tsunade's complete refusal to budge.
He leaned back in his chair, reached out with his right hand, and lightly tapped the tabletop.
"Since you don't want to return to the village, let's settle another account."
Xin's tone became strictly businesslike.
"I just covered thirty-five million ryo in gambling debts for you. Since you don't intend to accept my mission, please return that money."
Tsunade's expression immediately changed at the mention of repayment.
She immediately started acting shamelessly.
"Pay you back? Why should I?"
Tsunade folded her arms and argued as though she were completely in the right.
"You offered to pay that money for me yourself. I never asked you to. You did it willingly, and I'm not paying back a single penny!"
Listening beside them, Shizune broke into a cold sweat and lowered her head in shame.
Xin couldn't help smiling at Tsunade's shameless behavior.
"Lady Tsunade, repaying your debts is only right."
Xin took a dice cup and three dice from his ninja tool pouch and placed them on the table.
"Since you don't have the money to repay me, why don't we gamble?"
Xin looked at Tsunade.
"We'll stake those thirty-five million ryo in gambling debts. We'll roll dice and compare the totals. One round decides the winner."
The instant Tsunade heard the word "gamble," her resistance vanished without a trace.
A feverish light burst into her eyes, and she instantly perked up.
"You've got guts, kid! Challenging me to gamble!"
Without any ceremony, Tsunade snatched the dice cup and dice off the table.
"I'll go first!"
Tsunade tossed the three dice into the cup and shook it wildly with both hands.
Rattle!
The dice collided violently inside the cup, making crisp rattling sounds.
Bang!
Tsunade slammed the dice cup upside down onto the table and lifted it with a face full of confidence.
Even the air around them froze.
Shizune leaned forward nervously to look.
Inside the dice cup, three dice lay still.
One, one, one.
A total of only three.
It was the lowest possible total, unless the three dice were stacked on top of each other.
The confidence on Tsunade's face instantly froze, and the corners of her mouth twitched violently.
Looking at those three ones, Xin couldn't help chuckling.