Chapter 78: Dragged Away by the "Big" Sucker
Haruko turned his head and saw a blonde beauty with a playful smile on her face.
She looked to be in her twenties, with delicate features, golden twin tails hanging loosely behind her head, and a diamond-shaped mark on her forehead.
And that figure, wrapped in a green robe with the kanji for "gamble" on the back, was certainly eye-catching.
Lady Tsunade.
The legendary Sucker.
Right now, this Sucker was staring at him with a look that was thirty percent teasing, thirty percent inquisitive, thirty percent surprised, and ten percent indifferent.
"That move just now was pretty good... Even that old pro was played for a fool by you."
Distracted by the Planetary Devastation, Haruko found himself saying, "Want to learn? I can teach you."
Tsunade was clearly stunned for a moment, her light brown eyes blinking as if she hadn't expected to be outmaneuvered by this brat.
Immediately after, she burst into a hearty laugh, causing the surrounding gamblers to look over.
"Hahahaha! Good kid, you've got guts! You want to teach me? Sure, but that depends on whether your skills are as big as your mouth!"
Not giving Haruko any chance to refuse, Tsunade pulled her arm back and, as if carrying a little chick, clamped onto him and walked straight outside.
'Is this the gold standard of 10 Strength? I feel like my bones are about to fall apart. And..."
Haruko glanced at the snowy mounds right beside his face; he could almost smell a fragrance.
'I'm actually... for a middle-aged woman (47) pretending to be young? Come to think of it, if I add up both my lifetimes, am I older than her? Then it's fine."
Haruko was dragged into a restaurant near the casino and taken straight to a private room on the second floor.
There was also a black-haired woman in the room, holding a small pink pig and drinking tea.
Seeing Tsunade enter, the woman stood up: "Lady Tsunade, you're back... eh?"
She saw Haruko being dragged in by Tsunade and was stunned for a moment.
"Shizune, go order some food," Tsunade said, pressing Haruko into a chair. "Order a few hearty dishes; it's my treat today."
"Huh? Oh, alright."
Although Shizune was full of confusion, she still went out obediently.
Only Haruko and Tsunade remained in the private room.
Tsunade sat down across from Haruko, crossed her arms, and examined him with great interest.
"Kid, what's your name?"
"Haruko."
"Which Village are you from?"
"Konoha."
"Konoha?" Seeming to have heard an unexpected answer, Tsunade's eyes widened slightly, then she nodded to herself.
"Genin?"
"Yeah."
"You're not very old, but your Chakra control is quite good," Tsunade said, resting her chin on her hand. "That move just now, the precision was at least at a Jonin level. And—"
She paused: "You aren't using ordinary Chakra, are you? That feeling is... Natural Energy?"
Haruko was about to go crazy.
He had specifically used Natural Energy to prevent anyone in the casino from sensing his Chakra, but he still got caught.
'Are there even ten living people in the entire Ninja World who can recognize Natural Energy? Why did I have to run into one?!"
However, he remained calm on the surface and picked up the teapot to fill Tsunade's cup: "Lady Tsunade, your eyes are sharp. Just a little trick, I hope you'll forgive me."
"A little trick? That dealer was cheating earlier; you could have easily won the money, but you chose to make the odds fifty-fifty. You were just trying to teach him a lesson, right?"
She looked Haruko up and down, her gaze becoming serious: "Kid, I don't think your character is bad, and you have talent. Do you want to learn Medical Ninjutsu from me?"
To be honest, Haruko was a bit tempted.
But some things needed to be made clear first—
"Actually... I'm here on a mission, and I have to return to the Village to report once it's over. I have to set off back to Konoha in three or four days."
"Huh?" Tsunade doubted she had heard correctly. "So you went to the casino to play while on a mission?"
"Yeah. The client agreed, and the Jonin leading the team agreed." Haruko said righteously.
"Forget it... Three or four days, the time is a bit short, but it's enough to teach you some basics. So how about it, kid? Are you learning or not? Give me a straight answer."
Although he didn't know why Tsunade was willing to teach him, her Medical Ninjutsu was the best in the Ninja World, and learning it would definitely not be a loss.
Not to mention anything else, the health of Teuchi and Ayame would be guaranteed in the future. Even if he had to pay a price, it was worth it.
"I'll learn!"
"Then it's settled," Tsunade grinned. "Starting tomorrow, come find me here every morning. I'll teach you the basics, and you can learn as much as you can."
"Okay."
Haruko agreed quite readily.
Three or four days—although Tsunade said she was teaching the basics, as long as she was willing to teach, Haruko was confident he could learn the Mystical Palm Technique, and it wasn't impossible to even learn the Yin Seal and Creation Rebirth.
"Lady Tsunade, the food is here."
Shizune walked in carrying the dishes.
"Yeah, put it there," Tsunade said to Haruko. "Eat, let's talk while we eat. I have something to ask you."
Haruko didn't stand on ceremony and picked up his chopsticks to start eating.
Tsunade poured herself a glass of wine: "Konoha... how is it now?"
The tone was very casual, but Haruko heard a hint of concern, and Shizune, who was to the side, also pricked up her ears.
"It's been the same for the last few years, not bad, not good." He picked up his teacup to moisten his throat. "The Third Hokage is still in good health, walking around with his pipe all day, looking more energetic than me."
"Hmph, that Old Man..."
Tsunade snorted coldly and downed the wine in her glass.
She toyed with the glass in her hand, but her eyes were unfocused, as if she were looking at something else through the glass.
Shizune was holding Tonton on the side, wanting to say something but ultimately didn't interrupt, simply refilling Tsunade's glass.
"However..."
Haruko set down his teacup, his tone pausing slightly.
Tsunade's gaze refocused on his face: "However what?"
"Before I left, the atmosphere in the Village wasn't right." Haruko chose his words carefully. "The relationship between the Uchiha Clan and the Village is quite tense."
Although he had just experienced a thrilling night and had even personally raided Danzo's house, Haruko wore the expression of a clueless passerby.
After all, his public identity was just a Genin who had taken a long-term escort mission and left the Village early; he shouldn't know about those events from last night, and could only see the surface phenomena that any villager could see.
"The people from the Military Police Force have faces longer than a donkey's, and walking down the street, there's a smell of gunpowder. Everyone feels like it's a powder keg that could explode at any moment."
Haruko shrugged, indifferent to the matter. "That's also why I took a long-term mission to get out. When gods fight, mortals suffer; as a Genin, it's better for me to stay far away."
"Uchiha... Hmph, I knew it..." Tsunade's fingers tightened slightly around her wine glass.
The conflict between the Uchiha and the Village had a long history, starting with her second grandfather targeting the Uchiha, and inherited by her teacher.
Now that even a Genin could clearly feel that something was wrong and had specifically left the Village to avoid disaster, it seemed the time was near.
"That Old Man... sooner or later..."
She muttered to herself and poured another large gulp of wine down her throat.
Haruko didn't pick up the conversation, focusing instead on finishing the food in front of him.
Anyway, he had said what he needed to say; as for what Tsunade thought, that was her business.
Since he had decided to learn from Tsunade, he would fill his stomach first.
Recalling Sakura Haruno's experience, tomorrow's lesson probably wouldn't be too easy.
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