"Ninja-sama, please spare me!"
In the corner of the casino, the casino owner approached Renya with a pale face.
Sometimes, knowing too much isn't a good thing.
If he hadn't recognized the identities of the God of Shinobi and the Asura of the Shinobi World, perhaps this wouldn't have happened.
If only he'd known… why did he even come down here in the first place?
The casino owner regretted it deeply. He shouldn't have joined in the excitement.
And now, great — he might just lose his life because of it.
He was just an ordinary middle-aged man, completely powerless before such powerful shinobi.
"Boss, we meet again."
Renya turned around, and his black eyes instantly turned crimson.
The casino owner froze as soon as he met those scarlet, three-tomoe Sharingan.
Renya wasn't the kind to kill someone over such a trivial matter.
Using the illusion of the Sharingan to erase the man's memories would be enough.
But as he invaded the owner's mind, Renya's expression suddenly turned strange.
"What the hell… the Asura of the Shinobi World's illegitimate son?!"
What on earth went through this guy's head every day?
Without hesitation, Renya erased the owner's memories and returned to stand beside Uchiha Madara.
"Is it done?"
"Madara-sama, I've erased his memories."
Madara nodded, his gaze falling once again on Hashirama.
"Big… big… big!"
There was no need to guess — Hashirama had definitely lost the bet.
Renya had only stepped away for a short while, yet one-fifth of the massive pile of chips in front of Hashirama had already disappeared.
"Tsk, as expected of a fat sheep!"
He'd never seen Tsunade lose money before, but judging by this, she couldn't be much different from Uncle Hashirama.
The two of them were absolute natural-born losers at the gambling table.
No wonder Tsunade was always being chased by debt collectors in the original timeline.
At this rate, no amount of money would ever be enough.
...
Through Hashirama, Renya could almost picture Tsunade's expression when losing money…
"Kid, give me some money."
Uchiha Madara finally couldn't take it anymore.
Hashirama's way of gambling was just too disgraceful.
If this went on, he'd lose the entire reward from an S-rank mission.
"Alright."
Renya took out a thick stack of silver bills from his robe — easily over a hundred thousand.
"Hashirama, let me show you what a true God of Gambling looks like!"
Madara activated his Sharingan and joined the table.
He was Uchiha Madara — he had never once lost in a casino!
Sure enough, from the moment he joined the game, he kept winning nonstop. In no time, a mountain of silver bills had piled up in front of him.
"Hahahaha! I am the God of Gambling!" Madara roared with laughter.
"Madara, you're actually cheating with your Sharingan! That's so sneaky!" Hashirama shouted.
"Ha—"
Madara's laughter stopped abruptly.
This idiot! Didn't he know some things shouldn't be said out loud?!
The nearby gamblers, their eyes red from losing, instinctively turned to look at Madara.
"Damn it, he's cheating!"
"Shameless!"
"I knew it! How come I kept betting wrong every time? Turns out I was being controlled by an Uchiha's Sharingan!"
"Uchiha bastard, give our money back!"
"Didn't expect the Uchiha clan to be such cheats!"
In an instant, all the gamblers turned hostile, glaring at Madara as if they could tear him apart and snatch their lost money back.
Madara: "…"
He shot a resentful look at the awkwardly scratching Hashirama, snorted coldly, and walked away from the table.
Realizing what he'd just done, Hashirama could only keep apologizing with an embarrassed grin.
He'd spoken too fast and forgotten where they were.
Still, his guilt didn't last long — he soon joined the group of gamblers rushing to reclaim Madara's winnings.
After all, most of his money had ended up in Madara's hands. Now was the perfect chance to take it back!
"Madara-sama, are you alright?"
Renya cautiously looked at the dark-faced Madara-sama, afraid he might lose his temper and slaughter everyone in the casino.
Hashirama really said whatever came to mind!
All Madara-sama did was use his Sharingan illusion to quietly make the gamblers and Hashirama place the same bets — and now his fun had been completely ruined!
"Hmph."
Madara let out a cold snort, his face written with displeasure.
That bastard Hashirama had really pissed him off this time.
It had been ages since he last joined a gambling table, and yet his best friend had betrayed him right there.
If Hashirama hadn't opened his mouth, those gamblers would've never realized they'd been controlled!
Renya glanced at the fuming Madara-sama, wanting to say something to comfort him, but he didn't know how.
Better to let Hashirama handle this — after all, only the one who tied the bell could untie it.
He was the one who angered Madara-sama, after all.
Meanwhile, Hashirama was still reveling in the joy of regaining his lost money.
He'd gotten back everything he lost earlier!
Without Madara's interference this time, he was certain he'd win big — maybe even make up for all his past losses.
Renya: "…"
All he could think was — Hashirama sure had nerves of steel.
Madara-sama's face was practically red with rage, and yet Hashirama kept happily gambling as if nothing happened.
Even when he lost, he still smiled.
Madara, already annoyed from being exposed, grew even angrier seeing Hashirama gambling so carefreely.
Renya could feel Madara-sama's fury rising, so he instinctively took a few steps back — afraid of being caught in the crossfire.
All he could think was — Uncle Hashirama, you're doomed.
Completely doomed.
At that moment, Hashirama, who had lost another heap of money but was still dreaming of a comeback, had no idea how much trouble he was in.
...
"Madara, don't be angry anymore, okay?"
On the street, Hashirama slung an arm around Madara's shoulder, trying to console him.
He'd been too busy gambling earlier and had neglected his friend, but it wasn't too late to apologize now.
Besides, he'd just lost all his money again.
Madara didn't say a word. He simply brushed away the other man's hand — that wandering pig hand — without even looking at him.
"Madara, I was wrong! I'll never expose you again, I promise!" Hashirama pleaded.
"I really was wrong! Let me make it up to you — I'll treat you to dinner, okay?"
"Fine."
To Hashirama's surprise, Madara didn't refuse. He stopped walking, pointed toward a luxurious restaurant in the distance, and said,
"We'll eat there."
Seeing that his friend didn't reject him, Hashirama realized his apology had worked and immediately agreed.
"No problem!"
He slung his arm around Madara's shoulder again, and the two of them walked off toward the restaurant, looking like the best of friends.
As if all the unpleasantness from before had never happened.
Renya: "…"
Where on earth would Hashirama get the money for that?
He'd just lost everything at the casino not long ago.
If Renya guessed right, he'd be the one footing the bill again.
Those two were clearly using him as their way to make peace!
Still, you couldn't deny it — the bonds of the older generation ran deep, and their tempers burned out as fast as they flared up.
Renya was utterly speechless at the strength of Konoha's friendship.
If Danzo ever tried to act all cutesy toward him like Hashirama did, he would absolutely draw his blade and cut him down without hesitation!