"Lady Tsunade, don't gamble anymore. We don't have much money left!" Shizune approached cautiously, her voice soft as she tried to reason with Tsunade, who was already a little carried away.
Her eyes were full of worry, afraid that Tsunade's impulsiveness would make them lose all their savings.
If that happened, they would have no choice but to return to the bounty office and take on those dangerous, high-risk missions again.
Looking back over the years, this was exactly how they had been living—balancing gambling and missions to get by.
"What's there to be afraid of? If worst comes to worst, we'll just capture a few rogue ninja who are wanted!" Tsunade wasn't about to give up on gambling so easily.
All her thoughts were focused on winning against this little Uchiha.
At this moment, her eyes were locked tightly on Genya, as if trying to see right through him. Then she turned to Shizune and said sharply, "Go get the cards!"
"But—" Shizune tried to object again, but when she saw the unwavering expression on Tsunade's face, the words died in her throat.
With no other choice, she sighed and turned to fetch the cards.
Before long, the cards were brought back.
"Kid, are we playing high or low, or Golden Flower?" Tsunade asked Genya, letting the cards flutter in her palm like lively butterflies, dazzling to watch.
Her movements were incredibly skilled, clearly the result of years of experience at the gambling table.
"High or low. I like things simple," Genya said with a faint smile, watching Tsunade toy with the cards.
There was a calm composure in his smile, as if this gamble was nothing more than an easy game for him.
In truth, he didn't want to waste any more time here with Tsunade—there were far more important things waiting for him.
"Alright!" Tsunade responded, her cards flying again at incredible speed.
Her fingers moved nimbly between the cards, shuffling with a fluid, professional precision.
Then she laid the cards face down neatly on the table. "Pick one card from here, I'll pick one too. Whoever has the higher card wins!"
"You go first!" Tsunade decided to let Genya choose first, showing the courtesy expected of a senior.
She lifted her head slightly, her gaze confident, seemingly unconcerned about any disadvantage in letting him pick first.
Genya didn't hesitate. He reached for a card from the deck, his movements crisp and decisive.
Then, he slowly lifted the card—King of Spades! The bold black K gleamed sharply under the light.
Tsunade's eyes shrank instantly when she saw the card, and her smile froze.
She knew in her heart there was no need to draw anymore; she had already lost this round.
But she refused to give up easily. "Continue!" she said immediately.
With that, she quickly gathered the cards and began shuffling again.
This time, she shuffled with even more force, as if venting all her frustration onto the deck. "Last time you drew first. This time, I'll draw first!"
After finishing, she didn't wait for Genya to refuse. She drew a card directly and flipped it quickly—Diamond 3.
"Uh?" Tsunade's eyes widened in disbelief. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.
She had been aiming for the King of Spades, so how could she have gotten a Diamond 3? How was this possible?
Her mind was in chaos, unable to understand what had gone wrong.
"Hehe, Auntie, looks like your luck isn't on your side!" Genya laughed and reached for the card under Tsunade's hand.
Sure enough, it was still the King of Spades!
Tsunade felt her eyelids twitch involuntarily.
She thought to herself, could she have seen it wrong? No, with her eyesight, that was impossible. Something must have gone wrong somewhere, but she had no idea what.
She became increasingly certain—it had to be that Uchiha brat's trick!
"Continue." Tsunade gritted her teeth, unwilling to be defeated by Genya so easily, and decided to keep gambling.
From then on, Tsunade continued playing cards with Genya. Every few rounds, she would change her strategy, trying to find a chance to win.
However, no matter how she changed her approach, she lost every time, utterly defeated.
One game after another passed, and Tsunade's meager fortune of just over two hundred thousand ryo was completely gone.
Yet she seemed trapped in an inescapable whirlpool, unwilling to stop.
"Again… I refuse to believe I can't beat you!" Tsunade's voice carried a trace of stubborn determination, but this time, Shizune held her firmly.
Shizune looked frustrated and said to Tsunade, "Lady Tsunade, we don't have any money left!"
"Eh?" Tsunade was momentarily stunned, as if awakening from a dream.
Only now did she realize that she had lost everything she had.
"Looks like you're out of money, then I guess I'll take my leave!" Genya glanced at Tsunade's current state, smiled lightly, and methodically collected all the money.
His movements were calm and precise, as if everything had gone exactly as he expected.
After gathering the money, he prepared to leave with Hinata and the others.
Kurenai nodded along, though she still felt a little confused, unable to grasp what Genya was truly aiming for.
If it were only about this sum of money, Genya wouldn't have allowed things to get so tense with Tsunade.
Yet she could not decipher his intentions.
Just as they were about to depart, Tsunade suddenly grabbed Genya's wrist, her expression serious.
Her grip was strong, as if trying to hold him back. "You won money and now you want to leave?"
"What exactly do you want, then?" Genya looked at Tsunade calmly, speaking evenly and without hurry. "Lady, you have no money left. What else do you plan to bet?"
"I can write an IOU!" Tsunade said seriously, a hint of stubbornness shining in her eyes. "Don't worry. No matter when you present it, I will honor it!"
"But I don't accept IOUs from you!" Genya shook his head decisively, his tone firm and uncompromising. "Since you have no funds left for gambling, I will leave first!"
What he wanted was not an IOU from Tsunade. To him, it was utterly meaningless.
"You can't leave!" Tsunade still refused to let go, shouting, "I still have something I can put up as collateral!"
"What thing?" Genya narrowed his eyes, a hint of curiosity flickering in his gaze.
"I have top-tier ninja weapons and top-tier medical ninjutsu scrolls that I can offer as collateral." Tsunade spoke seriously, completely absorbed in the moment.
All she could think about was figuring out exactly how Genya had managed to win her over.
Until she found the answer, there was no way she would let him go.
Shizune tried to intervene beside her, but before she could even speak, Tsunade impatiently pushed her aside.
"I don't need it!" Genya shook his head again, but his tone shifted. "Auntie, if you're willing to bet the necklace around your neck, I might consider giving you another chance to wager!"
This time, Genya finally revealed his true intention.
He had always coveted the necklace Tsunade inherited from the First Hokage. It was said to be a crystal of the First Hokage's chakra, possibly useful to Hikari.
Moreover, the necklace held special significance—it was a symbol of the First Hokage.
Since Tsunade refused to return to Konoha to care for the Senju clan, Genya felt the necklace should go to Hikari and Hayashi.
After all, without a leader, the Senju clan risked becoming nothing more than test subjects over time.
"Necklace?" Tsunade, who had still been entranced a moment ago, suddenly froze. Her eyes turned icy, as if someone had touched her most treasured possession.
She instinctively clutched the necklace at her chest and spoke deliberately, word by word: "You want my necklace?"
Her voice was low, tinged with anger and caution, as if she were protecting her last line of defense.
****
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