"Kid, what’s with that look? Do you believe I’ll beat you up?"

  Tsunade ched her fist, her eyes gring with menace.

  "Ahem, Lady Tsunade, your expressio seem like you’re trying to learn how to defend against cheating," Shizuerjected kindly, trying to defuse the situation.

  "Tch, whatever."

  Tsunade didn’t care. She had said simir things many times before and wasn’t bothered by Tsunade’s anger.

  Tsunade g her, then turned her gaze to Kyoichi. Notig the simir looks in their eyes, she retracted her fist and snorted, "Gambling is a sacred endeavor. Cheating would be an insult to my character."

  "I believe that…"

  Kyoichi hahe cards back to Shizune, calmly agreeing with her.

  Tsunade’s expression softened.

  "However," she tinued with a smile, "while I don’t cheat, I observe others. If some fool dares to cheat in front of me, I catch them and make them pay my debts, right?"

  "Uh…" Shizune was stunned, p for a few seds but finding no fw in her logic.

  But then…

  Kyoichi scoffed, "Aren’t you overthinking it? With your luck, anyone who knows your reputation wouldn’t eveo cheat."

  "Kid, you looking for a fight?!"

  Bam!

  A single punch cracked the nearby cliffside.

  Tsunade’s face darkened.

  What he said…

  o cheat?

  They could win against her with their eyes closed, huh?

  This brat had repeatedly challenged her gambling skills, pletely disregarding her reputation as one of the Legendary Sannin.

  "Fine, let’s bet. The simplest game—guess the card."

  Kyoichi reached out and took the deck back.

  "Hmph, kid, I’ll show you that my money isn’t so easy to win."

  Right there by the roadside…

  The two began dealing cards, leaving Shizuerly dumbfounded.

  What kind of situation was this?

  She watched the game closely, notig that Kyoichi didn’t even look at his cards, simply pg them face down on the ground.

  Tsunade, after seeing her hand, smiled.

  "Aren’t you going to look?"

  "No need. I’ve already won. I’ll just flip them ter."

  "Uh…" Damn it!

  Tsunade’s mouth twitched, and she almost puhe kid right then and there.

  He was infuriating.

  She gestured for Kyoichi to reveal his cards.

  Kyoichi flipped them over, and Tsunade g her own hand…

  Then, she silently pced her cards bato the deck.

  "Again!"

  "Uh…"

  "Again!"

  "Uh…"

  "Dammit, are you cheating, kid?"

  Three rounds…

  Kyoichi hadn’t even looked at his cards, yet he always ended up with a better hand than Tsunade, drivio the brink e.

  This brat must be cheating.

  It couldn’t possibly be her own fault!

  "Haha, do I o? Besides, you’re one of the Sannin. ’t you tell if I’m cheating?"

  Kyoichi chuckled.

  This was typical of a cursed gambler—always suspeg others of cheating when, iy, it was just their own terrible luck.

  "Impossible!"

  Tsunade’s expression shifted between anger and doubt.

  Kyoichi stood up and said, "This is b. Shizune, you py a few rounds with Lady Tsunade."

  "Me? I don’t know how…"

  Shizune looked utterly lost.

  "It doesn’t matter. Pying with Lady Tsunade doesn’t require skill."

  "Huh?!" Tsuilted her head, her beautiful faow filled with murderous i.

  Shizune broke into a cold sweat.

  She relutly started pying.

  A few moments ter…

  "I’m dohis is no fun!"

  Tsuhrew the cards down.

  Five rounds, all losses.

  The worst part was…

  Her oppo didn’t even know how to py. Shizune had to ask Tsuo check the cards for her, yet she still lost every time. It was beyond frustrating!

  "See? I wasn’t wrong, Lady Tsunade. If you want to catch cheaters, just don’t gamble yourself. Otherwise, who would eveo cheat against you?"

  "Uh…" That made sense!

  If she stopped gambling and just observed, she could catch cheaters aort money from them.

  Eveer…

  If the o itself was cheating, she could directly bckmail them.

  Tsunade held gambling in high regard and despised underhaactics, but this wasn’t about gambling—it was about making moo pay off debts.

  Brilliant!

  She was delighted, pletely missing the underlying meaning of Kyoichi’s words.

  Bad luck?

  Wasn’t that just on sense?

  Tsunade herself knew her gambling luck was bizarre. If she ever won, she’d actually start w.

  For her, gambling wasn’t just a hobby—it was also a way to gauge the safety of those she cared about.

  So far…

  Since leaving the vilge, she hadn’t won a single game.

  "By the way, do you have any other money-making or debt-dodging tricks?"

  Tsunade’s eyes sparkled.

  This kid seemed ued in such shady methods, but he clearly knew a lot about them.

  Kyoichi fell silent for a moment, then said, "Have you ever sidered… getting a pet?"

  "A pet? What for? We barely feed ourselves," Shizune said pitifully.

  It was true.

  Any mohey mao scrape together would be gambled away by Tsuhin days. Their daily expenses were covered solely by Shizune’s mediinjutsu earnings.

  "Idiot! A pet is an asset. If someone es to collect debts, I hand over the pet as colteral, then have it escape aurn. Perfect! But the pet would raining, preferably with chakra…"

  Tsunade’s mind was quick, already devising a full pn.

  The Sannin were all clever individuals.

  Kyoiodded, though he found the situation a bit odd.

  This development…

  Wasn’t he supposed to be ving her to stop gambling?

  Oh well…

  It was hopeless…

  After all, Tsunade’s gambling wasn’t just about the game itself.

  He sighed…

  Just then, a system notification chimed.

  Kyoichi was momentarily stunned.

  He summohe system.

  Iask log, there was an unread entry.

  It was the reward for the mission pleted by Shisui and the others after their bat training.

  [Mission plete: "bat Training," "Will of Fire" Teag]

  [Evaluation: Excellent]

  [Reward: Genjutsu - Dark Mist Teique]

  However…

  The entry left him speechless.

  [Mission plete: "Cheating Teiques," "Debt Repayment" Teag]

  [Evaluation: Good]

  [Reward: Chaotic Impact]

  This ted too?

  Well, the teique was quite practical.

  Alright, even if the subject matter was a bit unventional…

  He g Tsunade, feeling a mix of emotions.

  Tsunade leaned against the railing, gazing into the distance, and suddenly sighed. "Kid, if life in the vilge ever gets tough, you always e find me… Just don’t die!"

  "Don’t worry, I uand."

  Kyoichi waved his hand.

  He kly what Tsunade meant.

  The vilge might seem harmonious on the surface, and the Senju were sidered great tributors to Konoha, but the reality was different. Not to mention Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo in the shadows had always been wary and oppressive toward the Senju.

  Tsunade uood all this but chose not to speak of it.

  Now that Kyoichi had awakehe Senju physique and bee a jonin, if he were to gain military achievements and prestige in future wars, he might even have a shot at being the Fourth Hokage.

  But…

  Would Hiruzen and Danzo allow it?

  Tsunade doubted it.

  That old man didn’t truly see Kyoichi as one of his own, otherwise he wouldn’t have goo such lengths te this meetiween her and Kyoichi.

  She patted Kyoichi’s shoulder and said, "You’re like a brother to me. As long as you’re not rebelling, no one will dare say a word if you leave the vilge."

  "If that day ever es… I will."

  Gcell