Alex gulps, staring at Tsunade as she steps in front of him, her arms crossed and her eyes sharp. He tries to keep a calm expression.
Fuck… what do I do… stay calm. I need to use her weakness against her. She may be strong, but she's lawful, and I didn't even kill anyone just yet. I just robbed a bunch of scammers!
"How should I compensate you? I don't think you really want to rob me now," Alex says, his tone slightly sarcastic.
"Hoh, you don't see how? You have ruined my evening and ruined my chance of getting rich," she smirks. "Hey, Shizune! What do you think, huh? How should this man compensate me?"
A woman of average height with short black hair, holding a small, clearly nervous pet pig, hesitantly approaches them.
"Tsunade-sama, let's just stay away from trouble, okay?" she says, visibly uncomfortable and unsure how to handle the situation.
"Can't do that!" Tsunade replies, grinning. "This guy ruined my chance to win big. He has to compensate me."
"Can we maybe talk this through peacefully? I am willing to compensate you fairly," Alex says with a weak grin.
"Oh, you are?! Great! You can treat us to a drink. Follow me!" she beams.
I guess... that could've gone a lot worse.
Shizune gives Alex a look—a mixture of suspicion and embarrassment—as they follow Tsunade into a small bar tucked between larger buildings.
"Old man! Give me the usual! Someone's paying for me today!" Tsunade yells out with joy as they enter, dropping onto a tatami mat in the corner.
Once they're seated, she turns to Alex. "So, how are you going to make it up to me?"
"First of all… do you even know who those men were?" Alex asks, trying to approach things calmly and logically.
"No. Gamblers? Why should I care about a bunch of old, nasty men? I just wanted to gamble—but you robbed them dry," she says, visibly annoyed.
"They were cheating," Alex replies. "I've got proof. The dice were rigged. I lost over and over, despite my high LU… luck. After I left, I came back in secret and watched them divide the money they scammed off me. If anything, I did you a favor. I might've saved you from getting scammed yourself."
Please just accept that and let it go…
"Who cares?" she huffs. "I still could've won!"
How?! They were cheating! This woman is hopeless!
At that moment, a waitress brings over three large bottles of sake and three cups. Tsunade snatches a bottle immediately and downs a good amount, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
"Ahhh… that hits the spot!"
"Tsunade-sama, you're embarrassing yourself. Please stop," Shizune pleads, clearly mortified.
Alex, who's never been a fan of alcohol, and never smoked—a rare redeeming trait—stares at the bottle with mild curiosity.
Might as well try… I guess it's the culture. If I don't at least try I'll regret this.
He pours himself a cup and sniffs it cautiously.
Smells slightly sweet… fruity? Maybe a bit nutty?
Tsunade raises an eyebrow. "Never drank sake before, or are you one of those snobby connoisseurs?"
Feeling slightly embarrassed, Alex decides to just gulp it down. His throat burns slightly.
Tastes like… nothing really. Just strong alcohol with a faint hint of sweetness.
"Meh, nothing special," he mutters, setting the bottle down beside her. "That's the first part of the compensation."
"Haha! I like how you think. But I'm afraid it's not enough!" she laughs.
"How about I compensate you in a fairer way?" Alex grins. "I prevented you from getting cheated. So how about this—you put down your money, and we bet. You seem to be okay with cheating, but I've got the biggest cheat of all. It's undetectable, all-powerful, and almost impossible to obtain."
"What's that supposed to be?!" Shizune exclaims, clearly worried. "Tsunade-sama, he's literally saying he's going to cheat! Don't do it! We still need money to buy food for Tonton!"
"Luck, Shizune. He's talking about Luck..." Tsunade says, her face shifting into a strange calm—almost like resignation.
"Are you serious?" she asks, locking eyes with Alex.
"You choose the game. I trust you won't cheat. If it's a fair game based purely on luck, I'll win. If I'm wrong, you keep it all, I'll probably have more money than you," Alex says, confidently slamming the case full of money and a mountain of loose bills onto the table—everything he stole from the scammers, along with his own stash.
"DEAL! Let's play Cho-Han. One round only—all in!" she shouts, eyes gleaming with excitement, almost unhinged.
"...I'd like to play, but I've never heard of that game," Alex admits.
"What?! How can you not know it?! One cup, two dice. Shizune—you're the dealer. You're slamming down the dice. We each bet whether the total is even or odd. Simple enough for even you to understand, right?" she teases.
"This game sounds totally flawed and pure luck-based… but I guess it's usually played in groups? Still makes no sense… but sure," Alex says.
Wait… her character… Do I rely on my good luck and let her call the bet first? Or do I force the bet and trust my LUK will carry me? Decisions…
Shizune sighs and walks over to the bar owner, who silently hands her a cup and two dice—clearly used to Tsunade's antics.
Shizune sighs as she places Tonton on the ground. "Tsunade-sama, don't forget that we and Tonton also need to eat… are you really fine with lo—" she begins, but Tsunade cuts her off with a sharp glare.
"R… ready?!" she quickly corrects herself, flinching under the pressure.
"Sure," Alex responds calmly.
"Get on with it!" Tsunade snaps, growing impatient.
Alex narrows his eyes and activates Gyo, locking his gaze on Shizune to make sure she isn't about to pull anything sneaky.
"N-No need to glare, please!" she says, clearly intimidated.
"Your stare's not bad… might you be a ninja after all?" Tsunade remarks, eyeing him closely. "I didn't sense any Chakra, but there's something… weird. Shizune, get on with it already!"
Shizune drops the dice into the cup, gives it a few good shakes, then places it down on the mat.
Alex stares at the cup. Even with Gyo, there's no advantage—he can't see through the cup or detect any trickery.
Wait a minute… Gyo won't help. Since there is no Aura involved, that's obvious, but what about… En?
Alex activates En, keeping his aura tight and focused. He slowly extends it just enough to brush against the cup, concentrating with everything he has.
I can feel the dice… I can feel them… but I need to sense the little markings. Damn, this is hard. Okay—that one only has one marking in the middle, that's bound to be a 1. The other… three? Four? Wait… there's a mark right in the center, like the one. It can't be a six. That means it's a five! So the total is even!
"I'll bet on even," Alex says, sitting up straight.
As he lifts his gaze, he catches Tsunade staring at him—she's obviously been watching him the whole time.
"I thought you were gonna rely on luck?" she asks in a teasing tone, arching a brow.
Alex sighs. "Sorry… I guess I ended up solving it with a skill instead. Let me make it up to you. The answer's even. I'll play fair next round—promise."
"Hehe… You think you can trick me? You are trying to off-balance me," Tsunade smirks. "I didn't sense a single flicker of Chakra being molded. And you're clearly not using a dōjutsu. You probably don't even know who I am—but you're not fooling me. I call your bluff! Odds!"
Alex sighs again.
This isn't how I wanted to win… well who cares. I won, fair and square, she can't complain.
Shizune lifts the cup and reveals the result: one die showing a 1, the other a 5.
"...Even," she says in disbelief, slapping her palm against her forehead.
Tsunade stares silently for a second before grabbing Shizune's bottle and downing everything in it in one big gulp.
"You know, I kinda feel bad taking your money…" Alex starts to say, but Tsunade cuts him off before he can finish.
"TAKE IT! I DON'T NEED YOUR PITY! I'LL WIN IT BACK!"
Should I ask if she's willing to pay me back with her bo—nah, better stop that thought or a certain spider will get mad.
…
I know you're there, Jewel.
Congratulations, Soulmate! You not only won the bet, but you also sensed Princess Jewel!
However, even with those two cases of money, I think you'll have to bow before your new queen really soon. ❤️
Arrogant, aren't you? I thought you were good at counting. No way in hell you got more!
Alex stands, collecting Tsunade's money but deliberately leaving behind some of the loose bills he'd taken from the thugs earlier.
"Let me at least pay for the drinks—and for your pig's food. You two might be willing to gamble away your futures, but your pet deserves better," he says with a grin.
"I'll get you back for this," Tsunade growls, narrowing her eyes. "I have a certain intuition… and in life, you always meet twice."
"Oh? Interesting. Wanna bet on it?" Alex replies with a smile.
Tsunade grins and pulls out a small scroll along with a brush, then starts writing rapidly.
Alex watches, stunned at the speed and precision with which she creates the seal. In less than three minutes, she tosses the completed scroll toward him.
What the hell is this? It's all gibberish. Looks quite complicated, though.
"One year," she says. "If I catch you within a year, you'll owe me a favor. If not, this seal will transform into something special. You can trade it in Konoha—or back to me, if you manage to find me again. Either way, it'll be worth your while."
"Deal!" Alex says, catching the scroll. His hand trembles slightly as a notification pings—it's recognized by the system.
[Tsunade's Scroll]
Quality: Purple
Type: World Item / Quest Item
Effect: Allows the player to enter the World of Naruto.
Effect: Player will automatically enter this world exactly 48 hours after using this item.
Effect: ?????
Requirements: Level 6-??
Note: You'd better hold onto this and wait a while before using. If you use it too soon, you might be confronted with a truly bothersome task or face the wrath of a certain Sannin
Note: If you wait for too long, this item may disappear.
Note: This item cannot be traded, discarded, or sold. It will disappear after use.
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