(A/N):
Drop a meme here that you find funny. Or reflects your mood.
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The game stretched on—Round after round.
Win. Lose. Win again.
But not in any pattern Tsunade understood.
At first, it felt like coincidence.
Then—It started getting strange.
Whenever Tsunade felt certain—
'This is it. This is the winning hand.'
She would tilt her cards slightly toward Leo.
A silent question.
"...."
A gambler's instinct seeking validation.
Leo would glance once—And shake his head.
"…Fold."
Or worse—He would casually point at the one card she had protected like treasure.
"Discard that."
Every. Single. Time.
It felt like sacrilege.
"…Are you insane?"
She muttered once under her breath.
"That's my strongest card."
Leo didn't even blink.
"...."
"Not anymore."
And every time she listened—She lost less.
Sometimes barely escaped.
But when she knew she was doomed—When the hand felt like absolute trash—When even she had already accepted defeat—Leo would say—
"Play."
And somehow—Absurdly—Ridiculously—She would win.
Not barely. Not by luck's mercy.
But clean victories.
The table had gone quiet hours ago.
"...."
"...."
"...."
The Uzumaki players weren't smiling anymore.
They were watching.
Carefully.
Because something unnatural was happening.
Coins turned into stacks. Stacks turned into piles.
Piles turned into—A small fortune.
And Tsunade—The woman cursed with catastrophic gambling luck—Was winning.
Consistently.
By the time Leo stood up to leave—The night had already tilted in her favor.
Outside — Uzushiogakure Streets
The cool air hit like clarity.
Leo walked out without a word.
As if the entire night had been nothing more than a passing distraction.
Behind him—
"HEY!"
Footsteps.
Fast. Unrefined. Determined.
Tsunade ran after him—A massive bag slung over her shoulder.
Stuffed. Overflowing.
She looked less like a gambler—And more like a very aggressive festival Santa theif.
She caught up and stepped in front of him.
Breathing steady.
Eyes sharp.
"…Stop walking."
Leo did. Because of course he did.
She pointed at him.
"…Explain."
A beat.
Then—
"How the hell did you make me win?"
Leo looked at her.
Then—
Very deliberately—His gaze moved. Down. Up. Slow.
Unhurried.
Tsunade froze. Just slightly.
A flicker. Barely there.
"...."
Color rose faintly on her cheeks.
But her expression didn't crack. Not even a little.
"…Eyes up," she said flatly.
Leo chuckled hearing her.
-Chuckle!
Soft. Amused.
Like he had just confirmed something.
Then—
"I have another nickname."
Tsunade crossed her arms clearly curious.
"…This better not be stupid."
Leo's eyes glinted as he spoke.
-Glint!
"God of Luck."
Silence.
"...."
"...."
"...."
The night itself seemed to pause.
Tsunade blinked. Once. Then again.
-Blink! -Blink!
"…What?"
Her mind—Which had faced wars, losses, blood, and impossible odds—Stumbled.
Because if that was true—Then he was her exact opposite.
She—Who could lose a winning hand before even sitting down.
Who had turned bad luck into something almost legendary.
And him—Who bent probability like it owed him rent.
"…That's—"
She stopped for a second.
Because she didn't actually have a counter.
Leo had already started walking again.
Tsunade stood there for a second.
Processing. Replaying.
Recalculating her entire existence at the gambling table.
Then—
"…WAIT!"
She ran again. Catching up. Teeth clenched.
Back in Konoha…
She was the one people chased.
Suitors.
Admirers. Annoyances.
She would walk away—And they would follow.
But here—She slowed. Just a fraction.
"…Tch."
'No...'
Her thoughts snapped into place like a defensive formation.
'I'm not chasing him.'
A step faster.
'I just have questions.'
Another step.
'That's all.'
She appeared beside him again.
Keeping pace this time.
"…You're teaching me that."
Not a request.
A demand dressed as one.
Leo glanced at her.
Amusement flickering again.
"Teaching you what?"
She pointed back toward the gambling house.
"…That."
A pause.
Then—
"…How to win."
Leo's smile sharpened slightly.
"That's not something you learn."
A step forward. Calm.
Unstoppable.
"It's something you understand."
Tsunade frowned in deep thought.
-Frown!
"…That doesn't make any sense."
Leo didn't look back this time.
"It will."
A beat.
"If you can keep up."
And just like that—He kept walking.
"...."
Tsunade stood still for half a second.
"…Tch."
-Smirk!
Then smirked. Challenge accepted.
Far from laughter. Far from lantern light.
Where Uzushiogakure's borders dissolved into restless tides—Darkness gathered.
At the outskirts—A group moved like ghosts pretending to be men.
Root.
Silent. Efficient. Disposable.
Their destination—Kirigakure.
Their mission—Treason wrapped as strategy.
They crossed the final boundary of Uzushiogakure.
One step. Two. Three.
And with that—They unknowingly stepped outside protection.
Because within their shadows—Something else had crossed with them.
At the riverbank—A lone boat waited.
Wood creaking softly.
Water whispering secrets against its sides.
The operatives boarded without a word.
The captain gave a nod.
-Nod!
And the boat drifted forward—Into the open sea.
The night deepened.
The village lights vanished behind them.
Only darkness remained.
Halfway through—The captain paused.
"...."
A subtle shift. A feeling.
Something is wrong.
He looked down. Confusion creasing his brow.
A blade. Black.
Silent.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Buried through his chest.
For a moment—He didn't understand.
Then—A faint blue glow flickered at the edge of his vision.
He turned. Slowly. And saw them.
Eyes. Burning. Radiant.
"...."
An abyss lit in cold blue flame.
He tried to speak—But no sound came.
His body collapsed. Hitting the deck with a dull, final weight.
And then—The shadows moved.
Not one. Not many.
Every shadow on that boat—Came alive.
Figures rose from beneath feet.
From behind backs. From within the darkness cast by flickering lanterns.
Leo's soldiers.
The Root operatives reacted instantly—Weapons drawn.
Formations shifting. Training kicking in.
Too late.
One man turned—A hand burst from his own shadow—Dragging him down without a scream.
Another leapt back—Only for a blade to emerge from the darkness mid-air—Splitting his defense like it never existed.
A third formed hand seals—Fire sparked—Then vanished—As a shadow pierced straight through his throat.
No chaos. No wasted motion.
Just—Execution. Precise. Efficient.
Absolute.
Within moments—The boat fell silent.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Blood pooled across the wooden deck.
Bodies lay still.
Eyes wide with unfinished thoughts.
The sea continued moving. Unbothered.
Then—The shadows shifted again.
One by one—The fallen were pulled.
Dragged. Consumed.
Not devoured. Stored.
Absorbed into darkness itself.
Because death—Wasn't the end here.
Not under Leo. They might rise again.
Not as Root. Not as men.
But as soldiers.
The final shadow stood alone on the deck.
Blue eyes dimming.
Mission complete.
A ripple—And it vanished.
Leaving behind—An empty boat.
Drifting.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Silent.
No bodies. No evidence. No trace.
Only the quiet creak of wood—And the endless sea.
Far away—Under the same night sky—Leo walked through the village streets.
Unhurried.
As if nothing had happened.
Because to him—It hadn't.
It was never a battle.
Just—A correction.
Leo walked on—Unbothered. Unhurried.
As if the persistent footsteps behind him were nothing more than background noise.
"…Hey."
"…Oi."
"…Don't ignore me."
Tsunade was still there.
Still following. Still talking.
Still absolutely determined to pry the secret out of him.
Leo, meanwhile—Acted like she had achieved the incredible feat of becoming invisible.
"…I'm serious."
"…You're teaching me."
"…You owe me that much if I marry you right?"
Nothing. Not even a glance.
Then—Leo stopped.
"...."
So suddenly that Tsunade nearly walked into him.
"…What now—"
She followed his gaze.
A small ramen shop.
Warm light spilling out.
Steam curling into the night air like an invitation.
Simple. Unassuming.
And yet—Something about it made Leo pause.
Because he recognized it.
Not from memory. From possibility.
Ichiraku Ramen
A place that—In another timeline—Would have stood in Konoha.
After loss. After exile.
After the fall of Uzushiogakure.
But not here. Not now.
Because Uzumaki still stood. Because nothing had been taken from them.
Because he was here.
A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched Leo's lips.
Then—He walked in.
Inside the Ramen Shop...
The owner looked up immediately.
Warm. Welcoming. Respectful.
"Ah, welcome! Sir Morningstar."
A slight bow.
Recognition flickered in his eyes.
Not fear. Respect.
Leo nodded once.
Took a seat. The menu was simple.
But deliberate.
He glanced through it briefly.
Then—
"Shoyu ramen."
The owner smiled wider.
"Coming right up!"
Behind him—Tsunade stood at the entrance.
Arms crossed. Eyes narrowed.
Expression—Dangerously misinterpretable.
To anyone else—It might've looked like she had just caught him sneaking off with another woman.
"…You're unbelievable."
She stepped in.
Pulled the seat right beside him—Not across. Not at a distance.
Right. Beside. Sat down.
"Same for me,"
She said, placing her order without even looking at the menu.
The owner blinked. Then chuckled.
-Blink!
-Chuckle!
"Right away!"
A brief silence settled.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Only broken by the soft sounds of cooking.
Broth simmering. Noodles shifting.
Tsunade leaned slightly forward.
Still staring at Leo.
"…You're still not answering me."
Leo didn't look at her.
"You're still asking the wrong question."
She clicked her tongue.
-Tch!
"…Then what's the right one?"
A pause.
Leo's gaze remained ahead.
Calm. Unshaken.
"Why do you lose?"
That—Caught her off guard.
"…What?"
The bowls arrived.
Placed gently in front of them. Steam rising between them like a quiet curtain.
Leo picked up his chopsticks.
"You think your problem is winning."
A bite. Calm. Measured.
"It's not."
Tsunade frowned for a second.
-Frown!
"…Then what is it?"
Leo finally glanced sideways.
"For someone called unlucky…"
A faint glint in his eyes.
"You rely on luck far too much."
Silence.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Tsunade stared at him. Processing. Resisting.
Understanding—Slowly.
"…That doesn't make any—"
She stopped. Because—Somewhere in that sentence—Something clicked.
Leo returned to his ramen.
As if he had already said enough.
Tsunade looked down at her bowl.Then back at him.
"…You're really annoying at explaining."
A pause.
Then—She picked up her chopsticks.
"…But I'm not done asking."
Leo took another bite. Unbothered.
-Sigh!
"I know."
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(Author's POV)
(A/N):
Guys My New Fic name is:
-->Mahabharat: Shiva's Last Variable.
Check it out... I hope you will like it
Whats your thought's guys.
(A/N): I hope you guys are enjoying the story.
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And power stone!!!
It will Motivate Me.