After completing the disintegration and fusion of the "Shinigami," Haseo conducted several attempts at performing the Dead Demon Consuming Seal. The results showed that this ultimate sealing technique couldn't be used anymore...
When his initial experiments proved fruitless, Haseo then let Tsunade try forming hand seals to perform the technique. The conclusion was the same as when he had tried himself.
This outcome was only natural, because the "Shinigami" used within the Dead Demon Consuming Seal was unique, and now it had completely disappeared. This naturally meant the permanent deactivation of the Dead Demon Consuming Seal—the Uzumaki clan had spent untold years developing this technique through trial and error, sacrificing countless lives in the process, yet now someone had preemptively claimed and nullified it entirely.
Haseo had obtained the crucial Sage's Body, so his spirit form had gained some traits of the "Shinigami" as well. However, they ultimately were not the same entity, meaning Haseo himself bore no direct connection to the Dead Demon Consuming Seal's technique structure. Therefore, his spirit body could naturally not possess summonability.
Under normal circumstances, Haseo wouldn't recklessly use the Spirit Transformation Technique either—he still had a clear mind, after all...keeping one's soul safely housed inside the physical body was clearly safest.
After confirming their success, Haseo and Tsunade left Shikkotsu Forest and returned to the Land of Hot Springs.
So Haseo felt increasing personal strength was pointless—staying somewhere like the Land of Hot Springs, he barely ever got a real fight.
Using [Six Paths Power] against some punk gangster? That punk must've been blessed with nine lives!
Whether the main consciousness of the Sage of Six Paths had noticed these developments remained unknown... After death, the Six Paths' chakra had scattered throughout the world. Though technically deceased, the Sage wasn't entirely unable to influence the mortal realm.
One could only wonder whether the great Sage of Six Paths would feel interested in chatting with an inheritor like Haseo.
However, regardless of whether Six Paths would, there were certainly others wanting to chat with Haseo. One morning, when only Haseo was home alone, a certain "familiar face" came knocking on his door.
"Master, your skin seems... more youthful than before, but why did you suddenly turn completely white-haired?
Ah, I see! You've got a young wife at home… Ah, that explains everything!"
The visitor was none other than Shinyu, the one whom Haseo had previously rescued—a regular customer at 'Haseo's Figurine Shop.'
The changes in Haseo's appearance were obvious. Upon noticing these unusual signs, the man's resulting speculations... weren't too unreasonable. After all, didn't Haseo look exactly like someone caught in that weird mix of pain and satisfaction?
"..."
Haseo thought to himself—you understand nothing. How could you? My health's absolutely fine—even if I really did go all out every single day...
"...Customer, tell me—you came here especially just to visit me, didn't you?"
"No, no! Actually this time I came specifically to thank Master and Madam for saving my life. Regarding the previous incident at Yunagi Village and the Shoe God Religion…my esteemed wife told me it was actually Master who brought me back."
And it was thanks to your wife's medical skills that I survived. Otherwise, I'd probably be dead by now.
Well, this whole mess taught me a thing or two too...
Since the Land of Hot Springs is still investigating the Shoe God Religion, Shinyu kept quiet about what happened that night. He wasn't one of the inner circle members; he and Haseo had similar situations – just regular folks who got caught up in all this... What happened that day was a complete stroke of bad luck for him.
"People always need to learn and grow. As for the lesson I learned from this incident... it's basically to cherish life and stay far away from the Shoe Religion."
Shinyu gave an awkward smile. After all, wasn't it because of his introduction that Haseo had contact with the Shoe Religion?
Although Haseo wasn't particularly forgiving, he wouldn't be petty enough to blame others. Of course, he wasn't accusing Shinyu; these words were merely meant as friendly advice... In fact, Haseo should actually thank Shinyu. Conversely, it was the Shoe Religion that should feel resentment.
This time when Shinyu visited, he brought along a small child. The kid hid behind him, hugging his leg, occasionally peeking out with one eye to curiously observe Haseo... It seemed to be a rather introverted and shy child.
"Wait—is this… yours?"
Haseo had naturally noticed the child already. He mused to himself – no wonder Shinyu knows his way around things; he's still young but already has a kid old enough to run errands.
"Yes, Master, this child is named Hidan. He's exactly three years old."
"...So you're Hidan's father?"
"Is there any problem, Master?"
Haseo sounded like he already knew the boy, which confused Shinyu a bit.
"No no, nothing at all. I'm just marveling how indeed our world isn't very big... Well, I suppose you could say I've met this child's mother once before.
Honestly, it might be best if this child followed family tradition and grew up to be just like his father. Why bother researching those random strange things anyway?
How about this? You remember how many action figures I've got stashed away in my place? I'll give them all to this kid... Maybe starting early with the right hobbies will keep him outta trouble.
Don't thank me. This is merely something I, as an elder, should do. If you can raise this child well, that alone would be sufficient gratitude for saving my life... Then I can finally rest easy."
"..."
What the hell?
The more Shinyu listened, the more something seemed amiss about these words, especially giving away so many precious figurines without hesitation... Even a boy's own father wouldn't indulge him like that.
Could it be...?
Shinyu sucked in a cold breath. So while he was thanking him, did he unexpectedly discover something shocking? Was there a grassy-scented hat currently being placed slowly onto his head?
...
While Haseo was idly meddling with other people's family relationships out of sheer boredom, Tsunade was engaged in a highly risky investment and financial activity.
A casino open this early in the morning? It must be one of those 24-hour places.
Tsunade knew exactly which casino to visit at the right time. She had only arrived in this country a few days ago, but she already had a firm grasp on the layout of local casinos—their locations and operating patterns.
You could say she singlehandedly kept several casinos in business.
Losing money at a casino was normal. There was no one in the world who could get rich purely through gambling skill—it was only possible for the house itself, the casino owners.
Yeah, that's just how things worked.
But Tsunade wasn't like other gamblers who occasionally lost. Because she didn't just lose overall—she had literally never won a single hand.
She was exactly the kind of customer every casino adored.
But today was a bit different. Right now, piles of chips were stacked in front of her. From the moment she entered the casino that morning until now, she hadn't lost even once.
At first, other gamblers still dared to play against her, because everyone knew Tsunade's money was the easiest to take—after all, she couldn't win. But soon enough, they deeply regretted their decisions. Today's Tsunade was a monstrous gambler.
Eventually, only the dealers were willing to face her.
And within just two hours, she had recouped all the money she had previously lost in this casino—and was still winning non-stop.
More mysteriously, no matter what underhanded tricks the casino pulled—rigging the equipment or trying every trick in the book to ruin her luck—Tsunade's winning streak refused to end. Even cheating couldn't stop her fortune.
Their coordinated teamwork paled in comparison to how easily she won on her own draws. She drew exactly what she needed every time. What could anyone do?
It was as if Tsunade was burning through all the good luck she had accumulated over an entire lifetime.
After all, when running a business, you couldn't openly resort to underhanded methods just because a customer started winning. And as for taking forceful action… sorry, when it came to tearing things apart, Tsunade wasn't much worse than Haseo.
There was no denying it: Tsunade's confident smile while winning looked dazzling.
Yet also terrifying.
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