Chiba obtained the Hyūga clan's confidential scroll far more quickly than he had anticipated - so quickly that even he found it surprising.
In his mind, what he had done that day amounted to nothing more than planting a seed: an offhand suggestion, a quiet nudge. By all logic, the Hyūga should not have been capable of turning against Konoha in such a short span of time. Unlike the Uchiha, they had never been locked in open, irreconcilable conflict with the village. Their relationship with Konoha had always been restrained - tense at times, but ultimately stable.
Yes, the matter of Hyūga Hizashi lingered like an old scar. Yet Hyūga Hiashi, and the clan as a whole, had carried that injustice for years without revolt. It was unreasonable to believe that a few words from Chiba alone could drive them to sever ties so abruptly.
What he had not foreseen - what he could never have predicted - was that Hiruzen Sarutobi's own planted agent within the Hyūga would become the true catalyst. An instrument of control meant to watch and restrain had instead accelerated the clan's fracture, pushing them toward rebellion.
Whatever the cause, the outcome was favorable.
Anything that weakened an enemy while strengthening his own position was worth accepting, regardless of how it came about.
For now, however, Chiba was not in Kirigakure.
He was occupied with something else entirely.
He was searching for the third of the Legendary Sannin - the name spoken in the same breath as Jiraiya and Orochimaru:
Tsunade.
Chiba had long maintained a discreet network dedicated to tracking Tsunade's movements. Shortly after the Chūnin Exams, as he was preparing to depart Konoha, fresh intelligence arrived: Tsunade had been sighted within the Land of Fire, in Tanzaku Town.
Upon receiving the report, Chiba ordered Kisame Hoshigaki and the others to return to Kirigakure with their forces. He remained behind with Mei Terumī, intending to locate Tsunade personally.
There were reasons - several of them.
First, Tsunade was one of Konoha's last true pillars. Through operatives embedded within ANBU, Chiba had learned that Hiruzen had recalled Jiraiya and, more alarmingly, reached a temporary alliance with Orochimaru.
Originally, Orochimaru had infiltrated the Chūnin Exams to assassinate Hiruzen.
In this altered reality, events had shifted in the opposite direction.
That, too, was something Chiba had expected.
Orochimaru's obsession had never truly been revenge. It was the perfect vessel for his immortality technique. Among his many experiments, only two candidates had ever met his standards: Kimimaro of the Kaguya clan, and Uchiha Sasuke.
Both were now in Kirigakure.
Orochimaru wanted them desperately - but he was not foolish enough to believe he could challenge Kirigakure alone. Cooperation with Konoha, and with Hiruzen, was therefore the simplest path: a temporary alignment of interests, wrapped in a shared enemy.
Yet cooperation was not reconciliation.
The hatred between them ran too deep. Orochimaru would turn on Hiruzen the moment Konoha stopped being useful - and Hiruzen, an old fox hardened by decades of war and politics, would never truly trust Orochimaru either. They were merely waiting, blades hidden behind smiles.
With two of the Legendary Sannin now aligned with Konoha, Chiba had every reason to seek out the third.
Tsunade's strength needed no embellishment. In the Fourth Shinobi World War, her performance against Uchiha Madara had been surpassed only by Ōnoki of the Two Scales. Her speed rivaled the Raikage's; her raw power exceeded his. She shattered Susanoo with a single kick, endured Madara's techniques head-on, and even being cleaved in half failed to kill her.
More than that, she sustained the battlefield itself - healing the other four Kage, restoring their chakra, keeping them alive against impossible odds. That balance of offense, endurance, and medical prowess was unmatched.
And during Pain's assault on Konoha, Tsunade alone preserved the entire village - proof beyond doubt that no one surpassed her in medical ninjutsu.
But strength was not the only reason Chiba sought her.
Tsunade was also one of the few people who had real cause to resent Konoha.
What the village had done to the Senju was no secret. Her younger brother - barely ten - had been sent to war and died to an explosion tag. One tragedy among many, yet one that had branded her forever. And now the Senju clan had vanished from history entirely.
To believe Tsunade carried no bitterness toward Konoha - or toward Hiruzen - would be naïve.
A shinobi of overwhelming power, burdened with grief and quiet rage, was too valuable to ignore.
If that strength could be turned to his side, then failing to try would be unforgivable.
…
Tanzaku Town was one of the most famous entertainment districts in the Land of Fire, far from Konoha. Its history stretched back to the era of the First Hokage - perhaps even further, to the Warring States Period. Day and night the streets overflowed with life: bright lanterns, ceaseless crowds, noise, laughter, indulgence.
Wealthy patrons came here to escape restraint. Hot springs, luxury inns, gambling halls - every pleasure flourished openly. For someone like Tsunade, a notorious gambler, Tanzaku was practically holy ground.
Ironically, that was precisely why she had avoided it for years. She stood out too much. Wherever she went, attention followed.
But time dulled caution.
Perhaps she no longer cared.
According to reports, she had been seen at a casino somewhere in town.
Chiba wasted no time. He and Mei followed the trail at once.
Mei, for her part, was quietly fascinated. The only female shinobi among the Legendary Sannin was a figure of rare stature. As Granny Chiyo had once remarked, truly powerful women in the shinobi world were uncommon. Aside from Mei herself, only Tsunade commanded genuine admiration.
When they arrived, they did not act rashly.
They blended in.
For a while they set strategy aside and allowed themselves a brief interlude - an unguarded pause amid constant plotting. Certain places were off-limits with Mei at his side, but it hardly diminished the experience. Hot springs, late-night drinks, the quiet warmth of a private room - small luxuries worth savoring.
Then, one ordinary day, as they emerged from the baths, Chiba felt it.
A powerful chakra signature.
Not Tsunade's.
Jiraiya's.
Chiba had already expected Hiruzen to dispatch Jiraiya to find Tsunade. The Hokage's intention was obvious: gather all three Sannin back under Konoha's banner. With that lineup, Konoha could face any great power without fear.
Naturally, Uzumaki Naruto was with him.
On the surface, it looked like a master guiding his student through training. In truth, Jiraiya never stopped searching. Even while traveling with Naruto, his attention stayed fixed on Tsunade's trail.
Chiba and Mei did not reveal themselves.
They simply accelerated their own search.
That day, they stepped into one of Tanzaku Town's casinos.
And there, at last, they saw her.
The legendary "fat sheep."
By all rights, Tsunade was no longer young. Yet time had treated her with strange generosity. Her face retained a youthful softness - delicate, refined - tempered now by the sharper edge of someone who had survived war and loss. There was authority in the way she carried herself, confidence that required no announcement.
And her figure - needless to say - was impossible to ignore. Full, perfectly proportioned, commanding attention whether one wanted to look or not. Mei's beauty drew eyes wherever she went, yet even she had to admit that Tsunade surpassed her in sheer impact.
If it could be summed up in a single word:
Impressive.
Mei leaned close, whispering with open astonishment. "That's one of the Legendary Sannin? Tsunade-hime… Hashirama's granddaughter?"
"To think she still looks this young - and that figure is just…"
Chiba chuckled softly. "A technique. Once she's in Kirigakure, you can ask her about it yourself."
Mei's eyes lit instantly. "Then we have to bring her back - no matter what."
At Tsunade's side stood a young kunoichi watching the table with mounting dread: Shizune, her disciple.
"Tsunade-sama," Shizune pleaded, voice tight with panic, "you've already lost almost everything today. M-maybe we should stop for now and… continue losing tomorrow - ah, no, I mean - continue gambling tomorrow?!"
Tsunade waved her off without looking. "Don't stop me. I'm finally getting into rhythm."
She seized the dice cup and shook it with reckless confidence.
Minutes later, she lost again.
Mei stared, baffled. "Even if the First Hokage left her mountains of money, this pace would ruin anyone…"
Chiba's mouth curved. "That's why she's called the legendary fat sheep."
He stepped forward. "Come on. Let's meet her."
Mei nodded.
Chiba sat down directly across from Tsunade, posture relaxed, expression polite.
Tsunade narrowed her eyes, clearly not recognizing him. "Hey - what do you think you're doing? We're in the middle of a game. Don't just barge in."
"I'd like to place a bet as well," Chiba said pleasantly. "Is that all right?"
He released a hint of pressure - subtle, controlled, unmistakable.
The gamblers nearby stiffened as if an invisible hand had gripped their throats. Faces paled. Nods came quickly.
"Y-yes! Of course! Please - go ahead!"
Tsunade clicked her tongue, mildly annoyed, but her focus stayed on the game. Who sat across from her mattered far less than the thrill of the gamble.
"Fine," she said. "But you'd better be able to pay if you lose."
"Don't worry," Chiba replied smoothly. "My gambling reputation is impeccable. I never default."
It was a lie, of course.
He simply trusted Tsunade's legendary misfortune.
As for money - he had more than enough. Kirigakure's finances had grown formidable, and as Mizukage, Chiba had never been shy about ruthless accumulation.
At first, his bets were modest. But as Tsunade continued to bleed money, he raised the stakes steadily - calmly, patiently - until the numbers on the table became absurd.
One by one, the other gamblers withdrew. Against Tsunade alone, they might have dared. Against Tsunade and a stranger wagering like a daimyo, one mistake meant total ruin.
Yet none of them left.
They gathered around instead, eyes wide, blood racing, watching the spectacle unfold.
Across from Chiba, Tsunade grew visibly more energized.
"You've got some nerve," she said, grinning. "You're the first one who's ever dared gamble this big with me."
"And you're not just brave," she added, eyes flicking over the stacks. "You're filthy rich."
Chiba lifted a shoulder. "I do all right."
Tsunade snorted and slammed the dice cup onto the table.
Bang.
"Good. I like straightforward people."
Then she swept her money pouch onto the table and dumped its entire contents out, coins and bills spilling in a messy pile.
"For the next round, I'm betting everything I brought today," she declared. "Do you dare take it?!"
Chiba's smile didn't change. "Then I'll match it."
He placed his own money down - far more than hers.
For the first time, Tsunade's brow furrowed. Even with her terrible luck, encountering someone this extravagantly wealthy was rare.
But she refused to lose momentum. She had nothing else left.
"Shizune," Tsunade barked. "Money!"
Shizune flinched. "Tsunade-sama, I don't have any either!"
"We can't lose face!" Tsunade snapped.
Chiba's gaze drifted briefly, then he gestured casually toward Tsunade. "Then bet that."
Tsunade's face darkened immediately. "What are you implying?!"
Chiba paused, deadpan. "…I meant the necklace."
The green crystal necklace - a relic of Senju Hashirama - was no ordinary trinket. Priceless. Valuable enough to buy mountains. A chakra-responsive artifact tied to Hashirama's power, famous throughout the shinobi world.
Tsunade stared at him, eyes sharp. "You want my necklace?"
"You said you had nothing left," Chiba replied evenly. "Is there anything else?"
Silence held for a beat.
Then Tsunade slammed her palm down. "Fine."
"I'll bet it."
Shizune went pale. "Tsunade-sama! That's the First Hokage's relic - if you lose - "
"I won't lose!" Tsunade snapped, already intoxicated by the thrill.
Chiba nodded once. "Good."
Tsunade removed the necklace and placed it on the table.
The casino seemed to inhale.
Every eye locked onto the crystal, onto the impossible wager.
They chose the simplest game: odd or even.
Tsunade shook the dice herself. Both would call their guess. The roll would decide everything.
After a long, dramatic shake, she slammed the cup down.
"Guess."
"Ladies first," Chiba said lightly.
Tsunade's eyes narrowed as she weighed fate itself. "Odd."
"Then I'll take even," Chiba replied.
With trembling fingers, Tsunade lifted the cup.
The room held its breath.
Shizune clutched Tonton like a lifeline. Mei leaned forward, eyes bright. The crowd didn't blink.
Two dice.
Two ones.
A total of two.
Even.
Tsunade's face drained of color. For a heartbeat she looked almost hollow - then she collapsed backward onto the floor as if her bones had vanished.
"How is that possible?!"
Shizune nearly fainted.
Mei, meanwhile, beamed. "That's incredible!"
Chiba calmly gathered the winnings - the scattered bills, the heavy pouch, and finally the necklace, resting quietly among the piles.
"Much appreciated," he said.
That was when Tsunade snapped.
Veins stood out at her temple. She surged to her feet and drove her fist down.
The table exploded into splinters with a single punch. The crack thundered through the casino. Gamblers screamed and scattered, diving out of the way, clutching their heads as they fled.
Tsunade didn't even glance at them.
She pointed straight at Chiba, eyes blazing.
"Do you dare gamble with me again?!"
Chiba rubbed the bridge of his nose, looking more amused than alarmed.
"Oh?" he said lazily. "But it seems you don't really have anything left to wager."
He let the silence stretch, deliberate and pointed.
"Unless…"
Tsunade roared, shaking the room. "Unless what?!"