Chapter 39 — Lady Luck Smiles Upon Tsunade
Ninja Academy.
Kinoshita Hikaru stood on a stool, his face brimming with excitement as he spoke:
"Everyone, as future Hokage candidates, we need to train ourselves—and now the opportunity has come… I've received an A-rank mission that requires all of us to work together."
The group exchanged glances. An A-rank mission?
"Well… isn't it a bit too risky for us to take on an A-rank mission right now?" Nara Shikaku said.
Am I the only one who thinks this is a bad idea?
Seeing that everyone else looked thrilled, he couldn't help but voice his concern.
An A-rank mission—such a rare opportunity. How could they pass it up? Taking on an A-rank mission before even graduating from the academy—wasn't that worth getting excited about? No wonder the Nara clan had such high hairlines—they worried too much.
Nara Shikaku's face darkened. Do you even understand what an A-rank mission is? ∪ω∪
A-rank missions (Definition: missions that concern the safety of a village or even a nation).
These missions typically involve battles between ninja units, led by multiple jōnin. However, the mortality rate for chūnin—and especially for genin—is extremely high.
Taking Konoha as an example: chūnin are more numerous and generally stronger, so their survival rate on the front lines is slightly higher. Genin, on the other hand, are too weak—sending them into battle would be suicide. As such, genin are usually assigned evacuation duties, while chūnin engage directly in combat.
"Sugoi!" Senju Nawaki, who aspired to become Hokage, was visibly excited.
"So what exactly is the mission?"
"Stop keeping us in suspense—just tell us already! Everyone's waiting!"
Kinoshita Hikaru's tone grew passionate, his voice rising and falling dramatically as he declared:
"The reward for this mission is 180,000 ryō!"
"Sugoi! x9" (д｀)
"I've named it—the Great Proposal Challenge."
Kinoshita Hikaru then explained the mission in detail. Nawaki, who had been brimming with excitement just moments ago, immediately lost his nerve.
If I really do this… won't my sister kill me?
Kinoshita Hikaru fed him a bowl of "motivational soup":
"Nawaki, you're a man who wants to become Hokage—how can you back down? You can do it. Gambare!"
"That's right… I can." Nawaki's gaze hardened with determination as he nodded firmly.
Kinoshita Hikaru let out a sigh of relief. With Nawaki taking the lead to absorb the backlash, things shouldn't get too out of hand.
…Probably.
…
At that moment, the sky was dyed crimson. The setting sun illuminated the evening clouds, painting a scene as beautiful as a picture.
Outside the Senju compound.
Jiraiya stood there in a white kimono, pacing back and forth, unable to bring himself to go inside.
At that moment, Kinoshita Hikaru's voice came through his earpiece:
"Go in already. Everything's ready on this side."
"Oh."
"Idiot! Don't respond—you'll blow your cover!"
Jiraiya's expression turned serious as he stepped into the Senju compound. As Tsunade's teammate, he could enter freely without needing to report himself.
Entering the main hall, he saw Tsunade and Uzumaki Mito sitting in the courtyard.
She's still just as beautiful… Jiraiya, come on—you can do this.
"Tsunade?"
"You bastard, you finally decided to come back to Konoha. But judging by your outfit, it seems you've changed quite a bit," Tsunade said with a smile.
She was genuinely happy. Ever since Jiraiya left Konoha to search for the Child of Prophecy, they had only exchanged letters to keep each other updated. It had been years since they last met.
The biggest change—he wasn't as perverted anymore.
Jiraiya simply nodded to Tsunade, then formally bowed to Uzumaki Mito.
"Lady Mito, you're as youthful as ever."
"Little Jiraiya, you've grown taller, more mature, and steadier after these years away. I'll leave you young people to chat—I won't disturb you."
"Take care, Lady Mito."
After his grandmother left, Tsunade casually asked Jiraiya about his travels over the past few years.
"These years of wandering the ninja world… although I didn't find the Child of Prophecy, I gained many insights and shed my restlessness.
The ninja world is filled with undercurrents, and the people live in hardship. How I wish I could detach myself from worldly affairs—leisurely watch flowers bloom, quietly wait for them to fall, understanding warmth and cold alike, remaining as pure as in the beginning."
Tsunade nodded in agreement, her expression earnest. Why all the fighting and killing? Wouldn't a peaceful life be better?
But why does this guy sound so philosophical? I can barely understand him (=_=)
For a moment, neither spoke. Both simply enjoyed the quiet.
After a while—
"Let's go for a walk. It's been so long since I came back… it almost feels unfamiliar."
Tsunade lightly punched Jiraiya.
"As long as we're here—and our friends are here—Konoha will always be your home."
Jiraiya coughed, nearly knocked out by that small punch.
"Let's go."
Jiraiya didn't mind Tsunade's roughness, smiling warmly.
Tsunade's face flushed slightly, feeling a bit embarrassed.
It felt like—
Jiraiya wasn't as frivolous as before. He had changed so much… while I'm still standing in the same place.
As soon as they stepped outside, Tsunade noticed that the once-quiet Senju compound was now lined on both sides with Konoha's specialty snacks—dango of all kinds and more.
"It's been a long time, so I didn't know if you still liked these snacks. I took the liberty of getting all of them—you're not mad, right?"
"No… thank you." Tsunade's cheeks flushed red, clearly delighted.
Mad? How could I be? I'm thrilled!
The two snacked as they walked, eventually passing a dice game stall run by a middle-aged man.
A sign read:
Win once → get a doll
Win five times → get a large bouquet of flowers
Win ten times → receive a mysterious grand prize
Gambling?
Isn't this my specialty? Today, I'll show Jiraiya what the Gambling Queen of Konoha is made of.
Jiraiya knew Tsunade all too well—she was the type who was bad at gambling but hopelessly addicted. The title "Konoha's Big Fat Sheep" suited her perfectly.
"Want to give it a try?"
"Mm! ヽ(○^^)" Tsunade stepped up to the stall owner. "How do we play?"
"Simple. Guess big or small. Five ryō per round."
Tsunade's eyes lit up. Rolling up her sleeves, she eagerly took out a thousand ryō.
"Let's do two rounds."
The stall owner said nothing, shaking the dice rapidly before slamming them down with a bang. He gestured.
"Your guess."
Tsunade stroked her chin thoughtfully.
"Big."
After placing her bet, the owner slowly lifted the dice cup. Tsunade didn't rush him—her eyes gleamed as she muttered:
"Big… big… big…"
Finally, the result was revealed amid her cheers.
"Four, five, six—big. You win," the owner said with a smile, handing her a pink doll.
"Again." Tsunade didn't take it and insisted on continuing.
"Big."
"Four-six-six. You win."
She swept through five consecutive wins, unstoppable, her excitement soaring.
At that moment—
The owner spoke:
"You're truly lucky. Would you like to continue? If you win ten times in a row, not only will you receive all the prizes, but also a mysterious grand reward."
Kinoshita Hikaru, disguised as the stall owner, couldn't stop internally complaining.
As expected of Tsunade—the ultimate sucker. Not a single one of those five guesses was correct. She perfectly avoided every actual answer.
That's right—this "stall owner" was none other than Kinoshita Hikaru in disguise, gradually luring Tsunade into the trap.
And Tsunade, as expected, chose to continue.
On the tenth round, she narrowly missed the grand prize, leaving her utterly dejected.
"Again."
She surged forward once more, winning all the way up to the nineth round.
At that moment, Kinoshita Hikaru suddenly spoke:
"You two are together, aren't you? Why not choose together?"
Ignoring Tsunade's puzzled look, he continued:
"The arrival of Lady Luck often comes from that extra glance, that extra thought, that extra step. Why not guess together—participate together, decide together?"
Tsunade froze for a moment, glancing at the stall owner and then at Jiraiya.
"I'm choosing big. What about you?"