"My horizons were too narrow. I always wanted to train you to be my successor, but I never considered that you have your own future to pursue."
"I'm troubling you, Shigure. The poison in my body won't kill me immediately. Take Suisen with you! Both of you should go find Lady Tsunade together," Amahara Ye suggested.
Suisen responded happily, "Shigure, you won't think I'm holding you back, right?"
Originally, Shigure wanted to refuse, but seeing Suisen's enthusiasm made him a little embarrassed. Finally, he agreed to let her accompany him.
"All right, pack up and leave immediately. Your mother's poison can't be delayed any longer. I'll wait for you outside Daimyo City." Shigure arrived at the city outskirts first.
Kakuzu was already waiting for Shigure there.
"Boss, what are your orders?" Kakuzu asked.
"Summoning Jutsu!" Shigure performed the Summoning Jutsu and summoned a snake. "This is my contact snake. It will send you missions anytime. Your current mission: secretly protect Amahara Ye. Don't let the enemy kill him. Wait for me to bring back Tsunade."
"Understood." Kakuzu nodded. Money motivates Kakuzu, a man obsessed with wealth.
Soon, Suisen met Shigure. Without hesitation, Shigure hugged her, then the two vanished together.
Shigure used Body Flicker Technique to move swiftly. Finding Tsunade—the elusive Sannin—was no easy task.
Tsunade was likely still crippled by hemophobia, deeply trapped in grief over her brother's and lover's deaths. Probably numbing her pain with gambling and alcohol.
"So our hunt is for izakayas and gambling dens," Shigure thought, planning their search.
South of the Valley of the End is a famous street named Tanzaku Gai. It bustles with hot spring inns, bathhouses, gambling dens, and izakayas—a renowned spot in the Land of Fire.
Shigure and Suisen had already arrived.
"Where first, Shigure?" Suisen asked.
"My intuition's sharp. I think we should start at the casino. Maybe luck will lead us right to Tsunade," Shigure said.
His intuition seemed as reliable as Kakashi's—though Kakashi's tips often led to trouble.
"Aren't we going to the gambling den? Why a restaurant first?" Suisen looked puzzled.
Shigure reserved a small private room and said, "Suisen, a gambling den isn't a place for a child like you."
"Hey, aren't you a kid too? You're even younger!" Suisen teased.
"Haha, but I have the Transformation Jutsu!" With a puff, Shigure transformed into Orochimaru.
"Is that... Orochimaru, one of the Sannin? Why transform into him?" Suisen asked, confused.
"This disguise will hopefully attract Tsunade's attention." Shigure had fought, copied Orochimaru's ninjutsu, and inherited Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode. His acting skills should fool Tsunade.
"Are you certain Tsunade will be in a gambling den?" Suisen asked again.
"I believe so." Shigure's intuition was firm.
Dressed as Orochimaru, Shigure entered one gambling den after another. Each time, scanning, but found no sign of Tsunade.
Helpless, he spent a large sum to buy information.
"Who's the biggest whale in this gambling den?" Shigure asked.
The gamblers answered unanimously, "That woman with twin ponytails and the kanji for 'gambling' tattooed on her back! She lost millions in a single round!"
"Right! She has a diamond-shaped mark on her forehead! The biggest whale? It's definitely her."
Shigure confirmed it must be Tsunade. He took out several million ryo and asked again, "Who knows where that whale is now? One million ryo reward!"
One million ryo matched a Leaf Village S-rank mission reward, showing Shigure's immense wealth.
"I know! She's at the largest gambling den on the far east side!" a burly man said.
Shigure tossed him the bounty, scattering silver throughout the den, causing a scramble.
Having secured his info, Shigure promptly left for the largest eastern gambling den.
This den was much grander than earlier places, with guards searching entrants and a sizable cash deposit required for chips.
"We apologize for the intrusion!" The guards' attitude shifted drastically when they saw Shigure's checks worth tens of millions.
"Exchange ten million in chips, no small bills. The rest is for tips," Shigure handed a check for over twelve million ryo to the agreeable guard.
"Boss! So generous!" The guard marveled. It was his first time encountering such wealth from a young master, and he nearly kowtowed.
"Really... the rest is for me?" the guard asked.
"For you," Shigure replied casually. Over two million ryo was a generous reward for a jōnin or above on an S-rank mission.
Their typical monthly salary was only a few tens of thousands ryo, with performance bonuses just over a hundred thousand. Several million equaled decades of salary.
Proceeding, Shigure asked, "I like you, what's your name?"
"My name is Shingen, my lord!"
"Shingen, you're smarter than the rest here. You have a limitless future. Now, lead me to the whale's gambling table."
"The whale… no problem! You mean that whale woman, right!" The guard understood immediately, guiding Shigure to the table opposite Tsunade.
"Small, small, small!" Nearby gamblers bet on 'small', except one who bet on 'trips.'
"What the…" Shigure was speechless. The game was dice betting, mostly 'big' or 'small'. 'Trips' meant three identical dice—very rare.
Beginners wouldn't bet like that.
Just by thinking, Shigure saw the dice's numbers inside the cup.
"One, two, three, six points—small," Shigure whispered.
"So we bet on small?" Shingen asked.
"Can you bet too?" Shigure asked.
"Yes, guards can bet too," Shingen nodded.
"Then bet all on small. Guaranteed win! I'll bet big," Shigure said casually.
"Eh? Lord? Why bet big?" Shingen was puzzled.
--
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