The Fuma Clan ninja hiding on the third floor raised both hands in surrender and came out one after another, hurrying over to kneel before Naoki Senju and the others.
Two of them were middle-aged men, while the rest were adolescents. Those Naoki Senju had lashed down with his water whip were young adults.
"The Fuma Clan pays its respects to the esteemed Konoha Ninja."
One of them was so weak he could barely hold on. Barring any surprises, he was probably the Earth Release ninja who had used Antlion and Earth Style Wall.
"The Fuma Clan is indeed a ninja force in the Land of Rice Fields. Its origins go back as far as the Warring States Period. As for its strength, well, it hardly matters." Tsunade walked over to Naoki and whispered to him.
Naoki Senju understood and addressed the Fuma Clan ninja trembling on their knees before him:
"Tell me honestly where Orochimaru is, or your Fuma Clan had better prepare for war with Konoha. Do you understand?!"
"Yes, yes! We wouldn't dare deceive you, my lord."
The middle-aged man kneeling on the ground took out a scroll with a pained expression, spread it out on the floor, and explained:
"Orochimaru and his subordinates approached our Fuma Clan this June. They forcibly took the secret techniques passed down through our generations, then left this Ninjutsu scroll as compensation."
With just a glance, Naoki Senju could tell that the scroll contained only three Ninjutsu. Two were basic C-rank Ninjutsu, and the only B-rank one was the Earth Style Wall used earlier. Only the Fuma Clan would treasure a Ninjutsu scroll like this.
"Enough. I'm not interested in these basic Ninjutsu. Where is Orochimaru himself?"
The Fuma Clan ninja, already kneeling in terror, instantly began sweating buckets. Under Naoki Senju's increasingly icy pressure, someone finally said in a trembling voice:
"After Orochimaru obtained our Fuma Clan's secret techniques... he left. We don't know where he went either..."
By the end, his voice had taken on a sobbing tone. They really did seem to have suffered a terrible injustice, first robbed by Orochimaru and then interrogated by Naoki Senju through force. Although they feared later retaliation from Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, if they refused to speak now, they would have no future.
Shizune's eyes showed pity. After all, according to the Fuma Clan's account, they were textbook victims. Naoki Senju, however, shook his head. Who was Orochimaru? A master of brainwashing, an expert at pyramid schemes, who had cultivated a large following of ninja so devoted to him that they willingly offered their lives.
Though he had lured them with benefits, the Fuma Clan was still one of them.
Naoki Senju did not believe Orochimaru had truly left the Land of Rice Fields. Raising both hands, Naoki Senju began forming hand seals!
At this sight, the Fuma Clan nearly had their souls scared out of them. Were all Konoha ninja this brutal and bloodthirsty? He clearly looked like an immortal, yet used the methods of an asura.
"My lord, wait! Wait, I have important information!"
An adolescent kneeling at the very back finally broke under the pressure. Ignoring the furious glares of his fellow Fuma clansmen, he told everything:
"Although Orochimaru has left the Fuma Clan, he left several subordinates behind. They occasionally offer guidance in training, but their mission is to monitor the Fuma Clan."
Naoki Senju lowered his hands mid-seal, and the Fuma Clan's hearts settled along with them.
As expected of Orochimaru, winning people over in such a short time. When it came to methods, he was simply on a different level from the other two Sannin, Naoki Senju grumbled inwardly.
Tsunade shot Naoki Senju a suspicious glance. She suspected the brat was bad-mouthing her, but she had no proof.
Still, Naoki Senju had set the stage for her this thoroughly. If she still failed to understand, she truly would not deserve the title of Sannin.
"Go back and tell Orochimaru that an old acquaintance has come to visit: Tsunade of the Sannin!"
With that, she gave her haori a dashing flick and turned to leave, showing them only her back. Shizune covered her mouth and giggled as she followed. Naoki Senju also smiled helplessly and hurried after Princess Tsunade, who was working hard to maintain the Sannin's imposing image.
Only a group of Fuma Clan ninja remained, exchanging looks with lingering fear in their hearts. That fat sheep was actually Tsunade, one of the Sannin alongside Lord Orochimaru!
And she had come to visit as an old acquaintance. Fortunately, they had not shifted with the wind and revealed Lord Orochimaru's whereabouts just now. They had shown some backbone, or they would have been in danger now.
They had barely walked any distance from the casino before the aura of a powerhouse Tsunade had worked so hard to maintain collapsed. From time to time, she glanced back longingly at the casino behind them, which was about to collapse completely.
Naoki Senju insisted on adding fuel to the fire, teasing, "What's wrong, Sister Tsunade? Haven't you gambled enough yet?"
Furious, Tsunade subdued Naoki Senju with a backhanded move, trapping him under her left arm while her right hand tugged at his cheeks.
Of course, she did not use much force, but the soft, fragrant warmth pressed tightly against his cheek was still an enormous test for Naoki Senju.
"You have the nerve to ask? If you were looking for Orochimaru's subordinates, then just look for them properly! So young, and already choosing casinos over good habits. We'd already won, so why didn't you take the money before attacking?"
Naoki Senju rubbed against Tsunade's embrace and snapped his fingers as he struggled like someone drowning.
A rotund merchant with a shrewd face approached, set down the two briefcases in his hands, then quickly left with an agility that belied his build.
Still pinned down, Naoki Senju said in a muffled voice, "That's our original ten million ryo, the eighteen million ryo we won, and another three million ryo in ill-gotten gains. That casino owner was very shrewd. Once the cash was exchanged for chips, it was sent out of the casino. I used a Wood Clone to follow it all the way before retrieving the share that rightfully belonged to us."
Besides this cash, the casino owner also had some real estate, shops, fields, and other immovable assets. Since they could not be sold off quickly, he could only let Orochimaru benefit by taking them over. Naoki Senju inwardly regretted the waste, but his money was not that easy to earn.
With her lost money recovered, Tsunade mercifully released Naoki and personally picked up the two briefcases. Their weight in her hands instantly filled her with confidence, and she surveyed her surroundings with her nose in the air, looking every bit the nouveau riche.
Declining Shizune's offer to carry the cases, Tsunade affectionately put an arm around Naoki and made a grand declaration:
"Naoki, whatever Ninjutsu you want to learn from now on, just tell your big sister. Even if it's Second Grandpa's Scroll of Seals, I'll get it for you."
Naoki Senju remained unmoved. Unless Tsunade personally used a honey trap, how could these paltry sugar-coated bullets corrupt his resolute heart?!
"Sister Tsunade, I won the last round. You seem to have... not won a single one."
Tsunade's expression turned serious, and she scolded, "What nonsense are you talking about? You're so young. Should you even be in a casino? Besides, you won this time, but what about next time? You'll pick up bad habits sooner or later. You can't handle what's involved here. Let your big sister help you instead."
With that, Tsunade carried the two heavy cases away with light steps, leaving Naoki and Shizune behind, afraid Naoki would catch on.
Shizune had intended to apologize to Naoki on Lady Tsunade's behalf, only to meet Naoki Senju's amused gaze. After they exchanged smiles, Naoki Senju reassured her:
"No need to be so polite, Sister Shizune. Though Sister Tsunade is much older than you, she still has the heart of an innocent girl. She owes you a lot for looking after her every day. Come to think of it, I should thank you too, Sister Shizune."
Naoki Senju looked at Shizune, expecting those words to win him a little fangirl. Instead, Shizune was looking at him strangely. That look... seemed to be sympathy?
A sweet voice drifted eerily from behind him. "Who did you just say was much older? Naoki, are you saying that I. Am. Old?!!!"
Run!!!
"Sister Tsunade, I swear, I absolutely didn't mean that! Sister Shizune, save me!"
Watching Tsunade neglect even the two briefcases in her effort to catch Naoki, Shizune felt heartfelt sympathy for him. Lady Tsunade could use Monster Strength Fist with her left hand and the Mystical Palm Technique with her right.
But at the thought of Naoki's miserable fate, the little angel Shizune immediately picked up the two briefcases and chased after the pair, who were already running farther away, while also handing Naoki Senju a good person card in passing.
Lord Naoki was the second-best person she had ever met. As for the best, that was definitely Lady Tsunade.
Who knew whether Naoki Senju would find himself wanting to cry but unable to shed tears if he learned of this?