Tobi wandered around all night, but never found a suitable opportunity to make his move. In the end, he decided to give up.
It wasn't that he couldn't have forced the issue — but doing so would have risked blowing his cover as "Tobi."
After weighing the risks, he realized he didn't have absolute certainty that he could snatch the Nine‑Tails Jinchūriki right out from under Jiraiya's nose. So he simply abandoned the plan.
But he immediately sent the intelligence he had gathered back to his organization.
Before long, other members of the Akatsuki would come to carry out the capture mission.
And since Jiraiya was now part of the picture, their leader might even choose to take action personally.
And so, Tobi left — having seemingly done nothing, yet having arranged everything that mattered.
Several days later, Shinji sold all the treasures he had obtained from the Wealth‑Generating Mist Shell through an underground exchange, easily earning a massive fortune.
But since that night, Tsunade had never come to see him again.
Not wanting to owe anyone anything, or have any further ties with her, Shinji simply sent Sasuke to deliver the money owed.
He had never asked where she was staying, but in these past few days, news of this "number one cash cow" in town had spread everywhere.
Business at the local gambling houses was booming. Countless people hoped to run into her, thinking it would be their ticket to instant wealth.
After all, you didn't need any skill or luck yourself — you just bet the opposite of whatever she bet, and you were practically guaranteed to win big.
Of course, whether the casino would actually let you leave alive with your winnings was another question entirely…
Inside a certain casino…
"BIG! BIG! BET ON BIG!"
"OPEN THEM!"
"WHAT THE HELL?! Sixteen straight times BIG — that's just insane!"
...
When the final numbers on the three dice were revealed, the crowd erupted in noise, then cheered as they began collecting their winnings.
It was inevitable. This lady — the legendary loser — had bet on SMALL sixteen times in a row, losing hundreds of thousands of ryō each time.
Meanwhile, everyone else was getting rich off her streak.
Sweat began to bead on the dealer's forehead.
It was downright eerie. No matter how he manipulated the dice or cheated with hidden mechanisms, something always went wrong. He couldn't even make her win once if he wanted to.
It was as if the heavens themselves were working against him.
You might think: What's the problem? A cash cow who always loses is the best thing a casino could ask for!
Sure — in theory. But not when every other person in the room is betting against her.
Every time she lost 100,000 ryō, they paid out 200,000 to the crowd. They were losing money fast!
At this moment, the owner came over and invited Tsunade again to play in the VIP room — where the stakes were higher, the environment better, and most importantly, where everyone else was on his payroll. He wanted to keep this juicy prize all to himself.
But Tsunade, who had long since gotten bored of the quiet, controlled VIP area, refused flat out.
Where was the fun in there? Out here, it was loud and exciting. People cheered, they chatted, they flattered her — she loved it.
After failing to persuade her again, the owner walked away — but not before giving the dealer a meaningful look.
"The pig is fat enough. Time to slaughter it."
The dealer gave an almost imperceptible nod. Message received.
A new round began.
Again, Tsunade stubbornly bet on SMALL. And this time, she went all‑in — over 500,000 ryō, everything she had left.
Seeing this, the crowd went wild, throwing every coin they had onto BIG.
Even though the odds of BIG coming up seventeen times in a row were practically zero… they trusted her terrible luck more than any logic or probability.
The dealer smirked coldly.
"OPEN! THREE SIXES — A TRIPLE! HOUSE WINS ALL!"
"WHAT THE HELL?!"
"NO! MY MONEY…!"
"How is that even possible?!"
"Of all the times — now you roll three sixes?! Do you take us for fools?!"
"Give me my money back! I quit! Just give it back!"
...
As the crowd turned ugly and desperate, a group of burly guards — ready and waiting — stepped in and "politely but firmly" dragged the most furious troublemakers away.
Those who remained quietly counted their blessings. They hadn't bet everything they owned. They had already won plenty earlier, and were satisfied — so many slipped out while they could.
Tsunade shook her head. "Boring. Let's go, Shizune."
She might lose every time she gambled, but she always accepted her losses with grace.
But places like this — where they resorted to dirty tricks the moment they started losing — weren't worth staying in.
"Ma'am! Leaving so soon? Did we treat you poorly?"
Seeing their golden goose walking out, the owner rushed after her in a panic.
His whole year's profit might depend on this one last game.
"Nothing wrong. I just don't feel like playing anymore. Besides… I'm broke."
"Ah, that's no problem at all! Money is easy to fix. I can lend you as much as you want — lowest interest rates in town, guaranteed!"
"Do I have to pay it back?"
"…Excuse me?"
"I said: if I borrow your money… do I have to pay it back?"
The owner was stunned. "Well… of course you do…"
"Then forget it. Not interested. Move aside."
His face darkened, but he had no choice — until, right at that moment, Sasuke arrived.
He was carrying a bank note worth six million ryō.
"Shinji‑san asked me to give this to you. Principal plus interest — exactly six million. Now you owe each other nothing."
With that, Sasuke turned and left.
Tsunade frowned slightly. She knew exactly what this meant: he was cutting all ties with her.
And the reason… it must have been what happened that night, when she stepped in to help Jiraiya and attacked Hidan.
She didn't believe she had done anything wrong. Between the two of them, Jiraiya was far closer to her than Shinji ever was.
If he wanted to be cold and distant, fine — she certainly wouldn't go out of her way to fix things.
But why… why did she feel so annoyed and upset about it?
While she was grinding her teeth in frustration, the casino owner slipped back in with a greasy smile.
He wasn't blind — he had just seen six million ryō handed over.
There was no way he was letting this lady leave now.
"Get lost."
Tsunade glared at him, her voice ice‑cold.
His smile froze, then twisted into a nasty smirk.
"Hmm. You've been offered kindness and you spit on it. You should have taken the respect while I was giving it. Now… I don't think you're walking out of here alive."
Before he finished speaking, a dozen thugs surrounded them.
As if people who run casinos are ever decent human beings…
Tsunade began to laugh.
Shizune, seeing that particular smile on her mistress's face, shivered involuntarily.
The last person who made Lady Tsunade smile like that… weeds were already growing over his grave.
Someone else was about to have a very bad day.
BOOM!
Minutes later, a massive explosion shook the building.
All the customers came running out in a panic. The entire casino had collapsed into rubble.
Inside, the owner and all his goons had been thoroughly beaten up. Their faces were swollen beyond recognition — their own mothers wouldn't have known them.
Tsunade, in a terrible mood, had taken all her frustration out on them. Thankfully, she had held back — otherwise, every bone in their bodies would have been broken.
"Phew… that feels much better."
She dusted off her hands and smiled easily.
Time to go get a drink!
____________________
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