A pale blue interface appeared before Shinji's eyes—a virtual screen visible only to him, floating silently in front of him.
He raised his right hand and lightly tapped in the air. After a moment, his gaze fell on the Binding Column.
When he had previously asked Yahiko to purchase supplies, Shinji had used the personnel detector on him. Later, while performing surgery on Nagato and Konan, he had also detected the two of them.
He felt this was a perfect opportunity. After working so hard for so long, it was time to earn some Points from these three.
Shinji opened the Bound Object section in his personal interface to check the binding information of the three.
[Bound Object: Konan (First Stage), Yahiko (First Stage), Nagato (None)…]
Shinji frowned slightly, somewhat puzzled. Nagato had not directly achieved the First Stage Conquest as expected.
He had thought that after experiencing a life-and-death crisis, coupled with his life-saving favor, it would be enough to conquer Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan all to the First Stage.
Shinji operated the system again, opening the Message Column above.
Soon, two new prompts popped up, corresponding to Konan and Yahiko respectively.
[Konan has completed Preliminary Conquest, Ambiguous Relationship established]
[Host has obtained First Tier Points Reward: 4,000 Points]
[Bond Relationship not yet confirmed. Please advance as soon as possible, complete Bond Establishment, and obtain Second Tier Reward]
[Yahiko has completed Preliminary Conquest, Ambiguous Relationship established]
[Host has obtained First Tier Points Reward: 6,000 Points]
[Bond Relationship not yet confirmed. Please advance as soon as possible, complete Bond Establishment, and obtain Second Tier Reward]
"Indeed, there's no Conquest Success Prompt for Nagato."
Although they were initially strangers to each other, after sharing a life-and-death experience, the three's recognition of him had greatly increased, at least reaching a level of trust.
The evidence was that Konan and Yahiko, after being bound, were directly and automatically conquered to the First Stage.
The only one who had surprised him was Nagato.
Shinji thought for a moment, helplessly spread his hands, and silently complained in his heart.
"As expected of the Child of Prophecy?"
"The Conquest Difficulty is indeed different."
Although all three were war orphans, Nagato's personality was more introverted and solitary, and his thoughts were heavier. Currently, the only ones who could truly enter his heart were Yahiko and Konan.
Even if he felt gratitude toward Shinji, deep down he still maintained vigilance—perhaps due to the shadows left by the chaos of war in his childhood, or perhaps out of instinct to protect Yahiko and Konan, always keeping his guard up against outsiders.
"At least Konan and Yahiko gave me ten thousand Points."
Shinji's mindset remained relatively optimistic. With a thought, he closed the system interface.
He leaned back in his chair, looked up at the ceiling, and sighed slightly.
If he could conquer all three to the Second Stage, the Points would probably be enough to directly save up for upgrading to the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.
Especially Nagato—his Second Tier Reward was a full 200,000 Points.
However, he would likely have to leave Amegakure Village soon and return to Konohagakure. The next time they met was uncertain, so the conquest progress would have to be temporarily put on hold.
Only being able to obtain part of the benefits, Shinji couldn't help but feel a bit regretful.
Konohagakure, a certain hidden gambling den.
Ignoring the flattering gazes of those around her, Tsunade walked straight to the most crowded gambling table, slapped her palm on the solid wood surface, causing the chips on the table to jump.
"This time, I'm betting big—one thousand ryo!"
"Bad luck, Lady Tsunade."
The dealer grinned as he lifted the dice cup, deftly tossed the dice inside, and shook it up and down with both hands. The crisp clattering of dice echoed from within.
Tsunade leaned on the table with one hand, her eyes fixed intently on the dealer's movements. An aura of stubborn determination surrounded her, undeterred by repeated losses.
"I refuse to believe not a single 'big' will come up."
The dice cup landed gently on the table, and Tsunade leaned in eagerly, her face full of anticipation.
The dealer smiled politely and slowly lifted the lid.
"Two, two, three—small!"
"So close, Lady Tsunade. Care for another round?"
"Damn it, small again! Once more—I'm still betting on 'big'! I refuse to believe I can't win!"
Beside them, the casino owner rubbed his hands together, his grin stretching almost to his ears as he flattered her incessantly.
"How generous you are, Lady Tsunade!"
"Lady Tsunade is a legend in the gambling world!"
Every casino owner knew that encountering the Legendary Sucker guaranteed steady profits.
Shizune stood half a step behind Tsunade, clutching her purse tightly and glaring fiercely at the casino owner.
Watching the silver coins vanish like flowing water, her heart ached so much she nearly cried.
The money Tsunade had recently earned through medical ninjutsu was about to be completely squandered.
She steeled herself, vowing inwardly not to let Tsunade lose every last coin.
But what could she do to stop Lady Tsunade once her gambling fever took hold?
As she watched Tsunade repeatedly bet on 'big' and lose every time, a sudden inspiration struck Shizune.
She remembered a joke Shinji had once shared with her.
"Shizune, if you just bet opposite Lady Tsunade, you'll be the luckiest person in the casino. After all, Lady Tsunade never wins at gambling."
"That's right!"
Shizune's eyes instantly lit up.
If she bet opposite Lady Tsunade, couldn't she win back the money that was being lost?
Shinji's words struck her like a bell tolling at dusk, resonating deeply within her.
Suppressing a smile at the corner of her mouth, she quietly retreated to a corner.
"Transformation Technique!"
The next moment, Shizune, now transformed into a burly, six-foot-tall man, returned to the gambling table. She pulled out a stack of banknotes from her robe and, seeing that Tsunade didn't recognize her, took a deep breath and placed all her pocket money on 'small.'
The dealer picked up the dice cup again, shaking it in the air.
Both Tsunade and Shizune fixed their gazes on the cup, their heartbeats quickening.
This was Shizune's first taste of the thrill that gambling could bring.
"Open! Open! Open!"
The clatter of dice and the clamor of gamblers blended together.
With a thud, the dice cup settled.
"One, one, three—still small! Lady Tsunade, you've lost again!"
Tsunade slammed the table, her expression turning grim.
Beside her, Shizune, disguised as the burly man, covered her mouth and let out a strangely rough, hearty laugh.
"Hahaha! So gambling is this easy!"
Her triumphant demeanor made Tsunade grit her teeth in frustration, inwardly cursing, "Why can't I ever win?!"
At that moment, Shizune only wanted to share this joy with Shinji immediately.
Thanks to him, she had finally found a way to protect their funds.
Thank the Sage of Six Paths, thank Shinji!
Just as Tsunade was about to place another bet, the casino suddenly fell silent.
The gamblers all turned their heads toward the entrance.
An Anbu Ninja wearing a Fox-Faced Mask walked in slowly. He scanned the room and quickly locked onto Tsunade in the center.
Approaching her, he lowered his voice and said, "Lady Tsunade, the Hokage requests your immediate presence."
Tsunade turned her head impatiently. "What is it that has to be said now?"
She was on the verge of winning back her losses, only to be called away by the old man at this very moment. It was rather disappointing.
"Uchiha Shinji is in trouble!" the Anbu replied in a low voice.
Tsunade's pupils contracted sharply, her expression instantly changed drastically, and she abruptly stood up.
"What did you say?!"
Shizune, standing nearby, was even more shaken. With a "poof," the Transformation Technique was directly released, and the burly man transformed back into her original appearance.
Tsunade didn't even have time to pay attention to this scene, her mind filled only with unease.
"Let's go, Shizune!"
Swinging her cloak, Tsunade walked out of the casino with a grim expression. Along the way, gamblers quickly made way, no one daring to stop her.
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