As time passed, the pile of money in front of Tsunade gradually grew.
It looked like it had reached nearly ten million.
Itachi had intentionally been losing for more than a dozen rounds, and the bets were getting larger and larger.
After all, Tsunade didn't have much money to start with.
"Hurry up, let's play the next round! How much are we betting this time?"
Tsunade, her face flushed with excitement, shouted eagerly.
Shizune glanced at the money piling up in front of Tsunade, feeling somewhat incredulous.
Her expression grew increasingly tense, as if sensing some greater scheme at play.
"It's getting late. Let's grab something to eat and play again next time."
Despite Tsunade's enthusiastic invitation, Itachi spoke calmly.
His thoughts were hard to discern.
"You're not scared, are you? Backing out already?"
Tsunade's face tightened at Itachi's words, showing no intention of stopping while she was ahead.
"Tsunade-sama, I'm hungry. How about we take a break and eat something?"
Shizune, surprised by Itachi's suggestion, was secretly relieved to hear he wanted to stop. She quickly tried to persuade Tsunade.
"Shizune, what do you know? We need to take advantage of this winning streak and win as much as possible before our luck turns sour!"
Tsunade replied boldly, brushing off Shizune's concerns.
Watching Tsunade's determined expression, Itachi was speechless.
This addicted? She's bad at it but loves playing so much?
"Shizune, right? Why don't you go get some food for us?"
After some thought, Itachi pulled out a wad of cash, handed it to Shizune, and spoke softly.
He was, admittedly, getting a bit hungry himself.
Tsunade's eyes lit up at his suggestion.
"Great idea! Shizune, go quickly!"
In gambling, it's taboo to take money off the table. Itachi was practically asking for trouble with that move.
"But, Tsunade-sama…"
Shizune looked deeply at Itachi and the money he had handed over, feeling uneasy.
She had a strong sense of impending doom.
"Hurry up and go! If you don't listen, hmph, you'll regret it later tonight!"
Growing impatient with Shizune's hesitation, Tsunade snapped.
Hearing Tsunade's threat, Shizune's face quickly turned red, as if recalling something unpleasant.
"Alright…"
Faced with Tsunade's forcefulness, Shizune reluctantly gave in.
She let out a resigned sigh, took the cash, and left with a sullen look.
"Finally! The annoying one's gone. Let's continue!"
Tsunade, watching Shizune leave, exclaimed with excitement, as if ready to stir up some mischief.
"Alright… I'll bet 100 this round."
Looking at Tsunade, who seemed possessed by the spirit of a gambling god, Itachi spoke softly.
Beads of sweat, glistening from her excitement, slid playfully down her skin, catching Itachi's attention for a moment…
"100?" Tsunade was stunned by Itachi's words.
If he hadn't just pulled out a wad of cash earlier, she would have thought he was out of money.
She wasn't interested in playing with broke people.
"Yes, 100."
Itachi retrieved a scroll, undid its seal, and took out a box.
Inside was another stack of cash.
Seeing his actions, Tsunade's expression grew serious.
Wow, a million.
Initially, Itachi had planned to take things slow with Tsunade, building a deeper bond along the way.
But if it's like this, Tsunade, he can only apologize…
Tsunade, looking at the points in her hand, seemed lost in thought as she played normally.
With a bitter expression, she painfully pushed the hard-earned silver taels she'd worked so hard to accumulate toward Itachi.
Before long, the pile of silver taels in front of Tsunade dwindled to nothing.
This left her momentarily stunned.
She was aware all the time—Itachi wasn't cheating.
But why had her luck suddenly taken a turn for the worse? Usually, as long as it wasn't a 1-2-3 tie, she would always win.
Or could it be… that Itachi's luck wasn't bad anymore? Had it improved?
"Want to go another round, Lady Tsunade?"
Itachi, resting his hand on the pile of silver taels in front of him like a landlord, asked softly.
Tsunade glanced at the last 500-tael banknote in front of her.
"Let's go!"
"Damn it! I lost again!"
In the final round, the dust settled, and the 100,000 taels Tsunade had won from the casino, along with the tens of thousands she had on her, ended up in front of Itachi.
"Want to keep going…"
Itachi lazily leaned forward, picking up the chips in front of Tsunade.
Looking at the now-empty space in front of her, he softly asked, "Do you still want to play?"
"I do!"
Hearing Itachi's question, Tsunade, like a gambler blinded by her losses, shouted.
"But you've run out of stakes, haven't you?"
Itachi looked at the alluring Tsunade in front of him and said softly.
"Well… you've won so much money from me. Can you lend me a little?"
Itachi's words made Tsunade pause briefly. Feeling a bit embarrassed, she said, "Uh… I don't even know you, and you're asking me to lend you money?"
Hearing this, Itachi replied in a tone filled with surprise, "What? You're asking a stranger for money?"
"Just tell me—what do I need to do for you to lend me money?"
Tsunade glanced at the stacks of silver taels in front of Itachi and swallowed hard as she asked.
"Well, about that…"
Looking at the slightly pitiful Tsunade before him, Itachi didn't quite know what to say.
"You're Tsunade of the Legendary Sannin, right? I've heard your medical skills are extraordinary…"
After a moment of silence, Itachi spoke softly.
Before Itachi could finish, Tsunade interrupted him.
"Helping people is out of the question. I'm no longer a doctor."
Tsunade wasn't surprised that Itachi knew of her reputation. After all, she already knew he was a ninja.
She wasn't some naïve young girl just entering the world.
"Uh, I didn't mean I wanted you to save lives. I meant… how about trading your ninjutsu for it?"
Itachi's lips curved into a faint smile as he spoke.
"Ninjutsu isn't something you can just buy. Your money isn't enough," Tsunade said coldly, giving Itachi a long, meaningful look.
At this point, she had calmed down considerably.
"If that doesn't work, and this doesn't either, do you even want to borrow money or not?"
Itachi responded nonchalantly, sounding like a smug villain.
"Uh… this…"
Tsunade found herself pulled back into the vortex of frustration by Itachi's words.
"How about you come up with some other conditions? As a man, don't be so stingy, especially with a beautiful lady like me."
Tsunade's demeanor shifted as she recalled how Itachi's eyes had wandered beneath his mask earlier. She now spoke with a hint of allure.
A mature, seductive air radiated from her, washing over Itachi like a wave.
Inwardly, Itachi groaned.
Where on earth did Tsunade learn this nonsense?
Her exaggerated chest muscles, rippling like waves, were too much for him.
"How about this—you kiss me, and I'll lend you a million?"
Itachi swallowed hard and blurted out.
The moment the words left his mouth, he froze, stunned by his own audacity.
What was wrong with him? Was it the tension in the room that got to his head?
Itachi silently scolded himself.
"Hehehe, in your dreams…"
Tsunade, hearing Itachi's suggestion, threw him a flirtatious glance and said softly.
Itachi wasn't used to dealing with situations like this.
"Please don't… With just the two of us here, let's not make things so… awkward…"
After a brief pause, Itachi calmed his nerves and spoke softly.
"Hehehe, you're the one who started it~"
Hearing Itachi's words, Tsunade felt she'd regained some ground and laughed smugly.