"Easier than I expected."
As Tsunade stood there wide-eyed and at a loss, Uchiha Yorin—watching through the security cameras—couldn't help but remark.
On either side of him, Jiraiya looked ready to blurt "what the—," while Orochimaru shook his head, eyeing Yorin warily.
"You put genjutsu on that machine, didn't you—Sharingan, right?" Jiraiya couldn't help saying.
"Nope. You can sense it—there's no chakra flow on it," Yorin replied lightly. "It's suggestion. Psychology.
With lights, sound, and the path the little steel balls travel, it creates a hypnosis-like effect—people can't help repeating, again and again and again.
The human body—kind of amazing, isn't it?"
Orochimaru and Jiraiya exchanged a look. Amazing or not, Yorin certainly was—that much they agreed on.
Their gazes toward Yorin turned a little strange. Yorin didn't care at all.
Why look at a bunch of dudes when you can look at a supremely mature beauty like Tsunade?
He knew she was gorgeous, but seeing her in person was another thing.
Figure and face both top-tier—curves in all the right places, snow-white skin—and especially those… headlights: Azur Lane–class. Not just "won't starve a baby"—a second child would be fine, too.
Yorin had met plenty of beauties; one with Azur Lane–grade headlights—this was a first.
Before, half-joking about "marrying Tsunade" to Fugaku felt like playing it up, like he'd be the one taking a loss. Now he meant it.
Never mind Tsunade at this age—even a Tsunade ten-plus years older, as in the original, would still be fine.
That Yin Seal is one hell of a technique.
Thinking how in canon, a decade older and her face hadn't changed at all, Yorin felt this jutsu was unbeatable.
"Decision made. I'll spread this hopeful jutsu to the whole world—every kunoichi should learn it, so tragedies like Anko to An-old and Mei Terumī to 'Meh' Terumī never happen again!!"
Yorin swore to himself.
"Famed generals and beauties, none let the world see their gray," as the saying goes—but watching youth fade still makes you sigh at time's cruelty.
With the Yin Seal, it's different—beauties stay beauties. And presumably handsome men (say, Yorin) stay handsome.
That alone is worth the price, even without the chakra-storage perk. He'd still dub it "the strongest."
…
Uchiha Yorin: "Alright—time for our entrance… you go first, I'll be right behind."
By "you," he didn't mean Orochimaru and Jiraiya, but a pack of loan sharks.
Tsunade owed them; they owed Yorin. So they moved when he said move.
What's that—you say they don't owe? Look at my Thunder–Fire Sword and try that sentence again—do they owe, or not?
To ninja, gangsters are small fry.
Never mind a Kage-class like Yorin—even a fresh Academy grad could mop the floor with these street bros.
If Tsunade really threw her pride away, she could flatten them. But Tsunade has face.
She might be short on "shame" and "limits," but she's not that shameless—killing creditors to clear debts.
That's the biggest difference between her and Yorin.
…
On Yorin's cue, the bros rushed in, ringed Tsunade, and barked:
"Hey hey, missy—time to pay up, don't you think?"
"Always ducking and dodging—puts us in a real bind, y'know."
"If you can't pay… we'll sell you to a black mine to work it off, heh-heh-heh."
…
Shōnen manga, what can you say—even "street bros" facing a gorgeous deadbeat only think "sell her to the coal mines." Not a stray other thought in sight. Terra's finest from Arknights would nod in recognition.
"Ah-haha… well, how to put this…"
Normally, Tsunade has a whole playbook for dealing with street bros—bluff, slip, stall. Worst case, pull the loli card.
But that's when she's ready—not in a sudden ambush.
Ringed on all sides, she actually broke a sweat. Crap. This is trouble.
Shizune: "Tsunade-sama… what do we do?"
Thus the moral: even a gentleman can be duped by "proper form." Tsunade could one-punch these chumps into pancakes, but somehow, the creditors had her pinned.
…
Uchiha Yorin: "OK—my turn."
Once the setup was good—time for the hero to save the beauty. He pushed through the doors and strode toward the bleary-eyed, sun-looks-green dead-on-her-feet kunoichi.
As he approached, the street bros parted of their own accord—flunkies to the core.
"What are you lowlifes trying to do to this beautiful lady? Stand down!"
The bros thought, Weren't you the one who sent us? but on the surface they bowed and scampered back.
Having barked at the bros, Yorin stopped before Tsunade:
"Is the lovely lady in some kind of trouble?"
Smile set to max—32 points in Handsome. Warm, gentle, radiant—he turned the charm full on Tsunade.
Whether Tsunade was moved was one thing—her student Shizune definitely was.
"Ah," she squeaked—and the piglet Tonton in her arms squealed too. Probably because Shizune unconsciously clenched, nearly compressing Tonton into sausage.
Tsunade: "Hold on—Uchiha… is this casino yours???"
No forehead protector, no Sharingan—but Uchiha genes are hard to miss.
Sometimes your enemies know you better than your friends.
As a Senju, Lady Tsunade recognized at a glance that the boy in front of her was from her clan's old rival.
Uchiha Yorin: "No—but I do have some equity here… Wait… you're…"
He pretended to "just realize," letting a mix of surprise, amusement, a bit of 'look who's fallen now, hehe' schadenfreude, and a hidden sliver of pity cross his face.
"You—you're not—"
"—You're mistaken! I'm not!" Tsunade denied at once.
"—No mistaking it, Tsunade-senpai. You're Tsunade-senpai, aren't you?" Yorin said. "What a coincidence—Tsunade-senpai! To meet you here!"
"—Shizune, we're leaving!"
…
Even fallen this far, Tsunade still refused to lose face before an old rival.
That fierce "won't lose face" instinct even beat pachinko's pull—she shot to her feet and bolted at top speed.
Though she knew full well—her face was already gone. By a lot.