After sailing at sea for half a day, a small island appeared before them.
Shinju immediately recognized it—this was the island drawn on the information broker's map, the place where En Oyashiro had recently been active.
Because the island was far too prosperous, nothing like what a remote island on the open sea should look like!
Once they landed, Shinju sharply noticed a slight shift in Chino's expression—some tangled emotion…
"You know this island?" Shinju asked.
Chino glanced at Nowaki, then at Shinju who asked the question, and finally told the truth:
"On this island… there are a lot of entertainment venues. You could call it a paradise for the rich to burn money."
"One of them is a place specifically for ninja battles. They call it the Arena."
"In the Arena, wealthy patrons send out the ninjas they keep to fight, and they can place bets on wins and losses…"
"I used to be one of those raised battle ninjas… but I eventually escaped…" Chino's eyes dimmed as she remembered painful memories.
Seeing her expression, Shinju didn't think she was lying, so he very inappropriately asked,
"A ninja like you can fight in the Arena? Wouldn't that mean the other side wins every time?"
Chino: "Stop looking down on me. My Water Release is actually pretty strong…"
"Water Release…" Shinju muttered. He didn't press further and had Chino guide them toward the Arena…
...
Inside the Arena.
The host held a microphone, voice loud and feverish: "Everyone here—are you enjoying yourselves?!"
"Glory to the victor, ruin for the defeated!"
"You all know the Arena rules: send your card against your opponent's card and fight!"
"And the winning side gets the opponent's card! Survival of the fittest—fair and reasonable!"
After the host finished, Chino quietly explained, "The 'cards' he's talking about are ninjas."
"The winner can take the loser's ninja under their command."
Shinju nodded. "Got it. Are ninjas the only prize? No money or anything?"
Chino: "Winners usually bet on themselves. If their own ninja wins, they naturally walk away with a lot of money."
Shinju: "I see… Can I go up there?"
Chino looked troubled. "The ones sending ninjas to fight here are all major business figures. Like that guy—he's the president of Makino Corporation. And opposite him is the chairwoman of the Lily Company… They're all worth tens of billions, even over a hundred billion…"
"Only tens or hundreds of billions and they're playing this kind of game…" Shinju muttered.
At that moment, Nowaki spoke: "The fight's starting…"
In the Arena, the host announced loudly: "Entering first, the card of Makino Corporation's president, Makino-san—Black Lightning, Raimei!"
"His opponent—the card of the Lily Company's chairwoman, Lady Lily—Moonlit Demon Flame, Suzuran!"
"And now—the battle begins!"
With the host's shout, the two ninjas began fighting!
Very soon the match ended, the victor cheering triumphantly while the loser fumed with rage.
Right after that match finished, the host received an urgent message from backstage. His expression changed dramatically!
"Players of today—you're in luck!"
"I've just received news: today, a new challenger has joined us!"
"She is none other than the former Hokage of Konohagakure—Princess Tsunade!"
"And the card she's sending out—Uchiha Sasuke, the last remaining Uchiha!!"
As he finished, the spotlight landed on Shinju!
The one "registered" as Tsunade was just his clone in disguise—his entire plan was to get himself onto the stage!
As for why he used Tsunade's name… Well, Tsunade-sensei gambles every day, her reputation is already in ruins. (•̀⌄•́)
...
Konohagakure.
Tsunade and Jiraiya were playing cards with others.
"Eight Man!"
Tsunade: "What is with my luck today?! Losing every single hand—how am I supposed to play like this!! (ꐦ ಠ 皿 ಠ) "
Jiraiya chuckled. "Your luck has always been bad. Why else do people call you the Legendary Sucker? (σ≧︎▽︎≦︎)σ"
Tsunade: "Shut up! I'm winning today no matter what!! (｡•ˇ‸ˇ•｡)"
A few minutes later, Tsunade lost all her retirement savings and nearly cried:
"I usually win at least something… What's wrong with my luck today?! Did someone else take it?! (*꒦ິ⌓꒦ີ)"
...
Back in the Arena.
Shinju, acting as Sasuke, bet all his savings on himself—and won three matches in a row. Two hundred million became four hundred million, four hundred became eight hundred million, and eight hundred finally turned into 1.6 billion!
Shinju couldn't keep his mouth from stretching into a grin!!
"This feels amazing—so damn amazing! This is what being rich feels like!! (σ≧︎▽︎≦︎)σ"
In the stands, some people were overjoyed, others miserable.
"I've lost everything, everything! How is this guy so strong?!"
"No, someone needs to break his legs! I'm mad!"
"Seriously! Isn't Tsunade supposed to be the Legendary Sucker?! Why is she winning this much?! (′д｀σ)σ"
"This fighter is insane—betting on him wins every time!! He's my personal god of fortune!"
"Hey, you've never heard his name? Then you really shouldn't be gambling here! He's an owner of the Sharingan bloodline limit! And see that left eye? That's a Rinnegan! The eye that rules life and death—he can resurrect the dead! （￣⊿￣）"
"No way! That strong?! Then who's stronger—him or Konohagakure's Shinju?"
"Is that even a question? If Shinju came to the Arena, they wouldn't even bother opening the place. They'd just hand him everything!! (⌯︎¤̴̶̷̀ω¤̴̶̷́)✧︎"
In another area of the stands, Chino and Nowaki had frozen expressions.
Nowaki: "Did you see that? That move just now… If he's that strong, can we really…"
Chino: "Shut up. My eye power isn't necessarily weaker than his!!"
After a bit of chaos, the flamboyantly dressed host bounced back onto the stage:
"I must say—today's audience is blessed! After Tsunade's participation, the long-absent En Oyashiro has also announced his entry! And he's sent out his strongest card—Kaede!"
On the platform, when Shinju heard En Oyashiro's name, his eyes sharpened as he scanned for the suspicious man.
He'd come to the Arena purely out of curiosity and to earn money—but this was an unexpected bonus! Like a blind cat stumbling onto a dead mouse!
Unfortunately, after scanning the stands, he didn't see En Oyashiro.
"Just as the intel said—cunning as ever."
"But today, I'm taking you down! (′д｀σ)σ"
If the human bomb incident really was En Oyashiro's doing, Shinju would make sure he suffered first—and then confiscate all his assets! ୧⍢⃝୨
Soon, the Kaede sent by En Oyashiro stood upon the Arena.
A few seconds later, Kaede was carried out!
Host: "Unbelievable! Sasuke has achieved an unprecedented four consecutive wins!"
"Will he continue creating miracles…"
"Wait… En Oyashiro has issued an invitation to Tsunade and Sasuke!"