"Of course, fifty thousand ryō is nothing. The Uchiha clan wouldn't even dream of cheating over such a small amount. It would tarnish my—and the clan's—reputation!"
Genya looked at Tsunade's serious expression and smirked silently. Tsunade was, after all, one of the Sannin of Konoha. How could she actually think he would care about such a sum?
She was seriously underestimating the current Uchiha Merchant Association.
"All right!" Tsunade licked her lips and turned to Shizune beside her. "Go get a pair of dice cups!"
"Tsunade-sama, you forgot… if you gamble, you'll lose!" Shizune carefully pulled at Tsunade, trying to persuade her. "Maybe we shouldn't gamble at all."
From Shizune's perspective, Tsunade loved gambling, but her luck was terrible. Yet she was addicted to it, often losing nine out of ten times.
So Shizune really didn't want Tsunade to gamble again and risk losing everything.
"No need. Even if I only win one out of ten rounds, I won't lose overall!" Tsunade said seriously, her tone full of urgency.
Shizune sighed helplessly and had no choice but to follow Tsunade's orders.
Before long, she returned with a few dice and a dice cup.
"You little brat, you roll them. We'll guess the total!" Tsunade said generously, her confidence radiating as she even offered for Genya to roll the dice.
Genya, however, decisively refused, his expression calm. "You roll them yourself. Don't let me win so you can accuse me of cheating."
His words left both Tsunade and Shizune momentarily stunned.
This kid had some nerve, handing over the dice to Tsunade herself. Wasn't he afraid she'd cheat?
Tsunade looked at Genya, who radiated confidence, and snorted coldly.
Hmph. Today, I'll make sure this Genya loses everything.
If anyone else rolled the dice, she might not be able to cheat. But since she had the dice in her hands, it was a whole different story.
With the experience she'd accumulated over years at gambling tables, tricking a little brat was nothing at all.
"Let's start. Don't dawdle!" Genya urged, eyes fixed on Tsunade.
"All right, little brat. Then I'll show you what a true gambling god looks like!" Tsunade's excitement was instantly piqued.
She picked up the dice, dropped them into the cup with a clatter, and began shaking it vigorously.
The dice cup spun rapidly in her hand, whistling softly as the dice clinked together with crisp, clear sounds.
"Bang!" After spinning it a dozen times, Tsunade slammed the dice cup onto the table with a sharp, decisive motion. A gust of wind followed, making the papers on the table flutter gently.
She lifted her head, confidence shining in her eyes, and looked at Genya. "Kid, big or small?"
"Big!" Genya nodded confidently, then without hesitation, placed a hundred thousand ryo on the left side.
His gaze was firm, as if he could already see the dawn of victory.
"In that case, I'll go with small!" Tsunade said with a hint of a smug smile. Her fingers tapped lightly on the dice cup.
The seemingly casual motion concealed a hidden trick. Invisible chakra threads flowed through the dice cup like tiny, nimble snakes, silently manipulating the dice inside.
The movement was extremely subtle. Even a elite jōnin would hardly notice it without deliberately observing.
"You…" Hinata could see it clearly.
Now, even without fully activating her Byakugan, she could trace the flow of chakra in everyone's body.
When she noticed Tsunade's small trick, she instinctively wanted to shout a warning.
But just as she opened her mouth, Genya stopped her.
He gave her a reassuring glance, as if to say everything was under control. Since Tsunade wasn't playing fair, it was on him to handle it.
While Tsunade made her subtle move, Genya lightly tapped the table with his fingers. In an instant, the space beneath his fingertips seemed to ripple slightly—so faint that it was almost impossible to notice without careful attention.
"Since you picked big, I'll pick small!" Tsunade said confidently, then slapped the dice cup open.
Before even looking, she declared, "Kid, you lost!"
She reached eagerly for the hundred thousand ryo Genya had bet.
"Auntie, take a look—I won!" Genya's reflexes were quick. He pressed down on his money, signaling Tsunade to check again.
"Eh?" Tsunade froze, a look of surprise flashing across her face. Still, she instinctively glanced down at the dice.
The three dice showed five, five, and six—indeed, it was big.How was this possible? She had just used chakra to manipulate the dice, yet it still came up big?
Tsunade's face was full of confusion and unwillingness to accept it.
"I win!" Genya didn't hold back, reaching out to claim the ten thousand ryo that Tsunade had staked.
"Again, again…" Tsunade's mind was filled with doubt, but her competitive spirit drove her to continue.
She thought to herself that her previous move must have been a mistake. Let this kid enjoy his victory for now, she mused, there would be time for him to cry later.
With that in mind, she picked up the dice cup again, skillfully dropping the dice inside and starting to shake it once more.
This time, her gaze was sharper, her hands moving with more caution, as if performing a ceremony of utmost importance.
"Bang!" The dice cup slammed heavily onto the table. Tsunade looked at Genya and asked, "Big or small?"
"Still big!" Genya's reply was simple and firm, without a hint of hesitation.
Tsunade took a deep breath and slowly lifted the cup. When she saw the dice, her expression instantly darkened. Big again. Genya had won once more.
"Again…" Tsunade gritted her teeth, her refusal to lose fully ignited.
What followed were five or six more rounds.
In each game, no matter how much Tsunade tried to manipulate the dice or how carefully she attempted to cheat, the outcome was always the same: Genya won.
It felt like she was trapped in an endless nightmare, unable to break free.
She, one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha, couldn't even win against a brat from the Uchiha clan, even while cheating. The thought was unbearable.
Tsunade looked at Genya, her eyes filled with scrutiny and suspicion. "Kid, are you cheating?"
"Cheating?" Genya looked at Tsunade, a faint smile on his face. "Lady Tsunade, that's not fair. The dice and the cup are yours, and you shook them yourself. How could I possibly cheat?"
He paused, his eyes sharpening. "If you think I'm cheating, then show me the evidence!"
Genya's words completely cut off whatever Tsunade had been about to say.
Even if she suspected Genya might be cheating, she had no idea how he could be doing it.
At a gambling table, as long as you weren't caught in the act, it didn't count as cheating.
"Clatter~" In a burst of frustration, Tsunade waved her arm, sending the dice cup and everything else on the table crashing to the ground.
She looked at Genya and said again, "No more dice. I want to play cards with you…"
****
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