Chapter 32: Borrowing Money, Part 1
Shikamaru woke up early. The weight of their debt was a mountain, crushing him.
He stared at the ceiling, his mind racing.
The Yakiniku Q bill... training expenses... Chouji's bottomless stomach...
If this kept up, the three of them were going to be blacklisted from every shop in Konoha.
"What a drag." He rolled over, only to hear Ino's hushed voice from outside. "Shikamaru! Get up! I found Naruto!"
Shikamaru shot out of bed and threw open the window. Ino and Chouji were squatting suspiciously at the base of the wall.
Ino was waving a crumpled piece of paper, her eyes shining with a frightening intensity. "I just found out! Naruto is doing special training with Lord Jiraiya today! And..."
She lowered her voice. "He just finished a top-tier D-rank mission yesterday—organizing three years of old archives for the Hokage's office. The pay was 50,000 Ryo!"
Chouji gulped. "50,000 Ryo... that's enough for twenty plates of premium wagyu."
Shikamaru narrowed his eyes. "Is that intel reliable?"
"Totally!" Ino tossed her head. "I 'ran into' Kakashi-sensei and just casually got it out of him. He also said Naruto's been super cocky lately because Sasuke told him he's improving fast."
"Sasuke?" Shikamaru instantly seized on the key. "That's the one thing Naruto can't stand."
A calculating smile touched his lips. "Let's go. To the training ground. And remember the plan: we have to casually mention that Sasuke already offered to lend us the money."
Naruto was alone at the training ground. Jiraiya was long gone.
He was covered in sweat, practicing the Toad Shadow Clone Jutsu, when he heard a rustling from the bushes.
Three suspicious figures were hiding in the shrubbery. Ino was forcefully yanking Chouji back, who was trying to just walk out.
"Hey! What are you guys doing?" Naruto dispelled his clones and stood, hands on his hips.
"Ahaha, fancy seeing you here, Naruto!" Ino walked out, feigning surprise, while frantically making hand signals behind her back.
Shikamaru followed slowly, faking a sigh. "We were gonna talk to you about a mission, but it looks like you're busy. Never mind."
"A mission?" Naruto's eyes lit up. "What mission? Is it tough? Are there enemy ninja?"
Shikamaru pretended to hesitate. "It's a B-rank escort mission. But it requires a 50,000 Ryo deposit to accept. We just... don't have the money right now."
He deliberately glanced at Naruto. "Sasuke already offered to lend it to us."
"WHAT? SASUKE?!" Naruto exploded, just as predicted. He grabbed Shikamaru's collar. "I'll pay the deposit! There's no way I'm letting that smug bastard show me up!"
"It's just 50,000, right? Here!" He fumbled for his signature little frog wallet.
He ripped the zipper open—ZRRRRT—and started counting out the bills, moving so fast it was like he was afraid someone would beat him to it. "One, two, three... exactly 50,000 Ryo! Here!"
Shikamaru looked at the money Naruto shoved at him, unable to hide his smile, but he put on a "troubled" expression. "This... I don't know, Naruto. We did ask Sasuke first..."
"Who cares!" Naruto stuffed the money into Shikamaru's hand and puffed out his chest. "I'm paying the deposit, so I get in on the mission, too! We'll split the reward four ways!"
Hiding in the bushes, Ino flashed a silent "V" for victory. Chouji leaned in and whispered, "That was too easy... If I'd known, I wouldn't have held back so long..."
Shikamaru took the money, the weight in his chest finally gone, but his face remained impassive. "Fine. We'll go accept the mission this afternoon. Just wait for our good news."
As he spoke, he gave Ino a subtle look. Entrance fee: secured. Now, we just wait for the "Legendary Sucker" to appear.
...Outside the underground casino, three suspicious figures huddled in an alley.
"Transformation Jutsu's holding up well." Ino inspected Shikamaru's new, bearded face, then poked Chouji's round beer belly. "But Chouji, your physique..."
"I'm trying to suck it in!" Chouji whined, rubbing his stomach.
Shikamaru, chewing on a toothpick, watched the entrance. "Remember the plan. First, we find Lady Tsunade. After she loses three in a row, we bet against her."
The three of them pushed open the creaking wooden door and were immediately hit by a wall of sound.
The rattle of dice in a cup, the crash of chips, the roars of winners, and the curses of losers all blended together. The air was thick with smoke, sweat, and cheap sake. It was so bad Chouji couldn't help but cough.
"Quiet!" Ino hissed, grabbing his arm. "Don't draw attention."
She scanned the room, pulling the other two deeper inside. The hall was packed with gambling tables, all of them surrounded.
Dice clattered, chips clacked, and gamblers howled.
Suddenly, Ino stopped. She grabbed Shikamaru and Chouji. "There! The VIP table!"
They looked where she was pointing. Behind a partition screen, a gaudy chandelier lit up a familiar figure.
Tsunade was at the table, the sleeves of her green robe rolled up. A massive stack of chips was piled in front of her. She grabbed a fistful and shoved them onto the table, her eyes shining with a gambler's fever.
Beside her, Shizune was paler than a sheet, clutching Tonton, the pig, her hands trembling.
Every time Tsunade bet, Shizune would whisper, "Lady Tsunade, maybe we should stop for today..." only to be waved off.
"BIG!" Tsunade slammed the table, making the chips jump. "It's gotta be Big this time! I dreamed of gold ingots last night! It's a sign!"
The other gamblers cheered. Some followed her bet; others, knowing the "Legendary Sucker's" luck, pulled their money back.
The dealer, expressionless, picked up the dice cup, shook it, and slammed it down. He waited for the noise to die. "One, two, three... Six! Small!"
"WHAT?!" Tsunade's eyes bulged. She shot to her feet, slamming her hands on the table. "How is it 'Small' again?! I heard 'Big'! Are you cheating?!"
Shizune grabbed her arm, on the verge of tears. "Lady Tsunade, please! We're really out of money!"
Hiding in the crowd, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio exchanged a look. This was it.
Shikamaru, toothpick still in his mouth, gave Ino the signal. She got their chips ready. Chouji watched Tsunade nervously, terrified she might quit.
"She'll bet 'Big' again. We bet 'Small'," Shikamaru whispered, watching Tsunade angrily pull out her last pouch of chips.
"After this win, our debt is clear," he thought. "And we'll even have enough left over to buy Chouji some chips."