Chapter 33: Borrowing Money, Part 2
Evening, in the backyard of Konoha Hospital.
"So," Tsunade said, her arms crossed as she looked at the three bandaged figures before her. "Tell me. What did you do wrong?"
"We... shouldn't have used the Transformation Jutsu to get into the casino..." Ino's arm was shaking like a leaf.
"We shouldn't have followed you, Lady Tsunade..." Chouji's face was beet-red.
Shikamaru's eyes darted around nervously, not daring to meet Tsunade's gaze. "The biggest mistake... was thinking gambling could solve our problems."
"And?" Tsunade's knuckles cracked, pop, pop. Shizune was frantically trying to signal them from the side.
Shikamaru's Adam's apple bobbed. "We shouldn't have... used Naruto. Or borrowed his money."
BAM!
Tsunade slammed her fist into a nearby tree. Leaves rained down.
"Don't you know how hard he worked on that mission for that money? What if you had lost it all and couldn't pay him back? Were you going to let him starve with you?"
"I... I thought we'd win for sure," Shikamaru mumbled, shrinking back. "Win, pay off our debt, pay Naruto back, and... buy him a few cartons of milk..."
"You 'thought you'd win'?"
Two hours earlier.
Tsunade took out her last pouch of chips and slammed it on the table. "It was 'Small' last time, and 'Small' the time before! This one has to be 'Big'!"
"I'm betting on Big!"
Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji exchanged a look, a flash of pure joy in their eyes.
Ino gripped Shikamaru's arm, ecstatic. Chouji swallowed hard.
"All bets are in!"
The dealer, expressionless, called out and shook the dice cup.
The sound of the dice clattering was crisp and sharp, like a hammer on an anvil.
Tsunade leaned forward, her eyes glued to the dealer's hands, chanting in her head, Big, big, big!
"Open!" The dealer ripped the cup away.
"One, two, four... Seven! Small!"
"WHAT?!" Tsunade shot to her feet, her face livid. "Small again?! Impossible! These dice are loaded!"
Shizune covered her face in despair. Tonton, in her arms, curled into a tight ball.
Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji, however, had to fight to hold back their elation as they quickly raked in their chips.
Ino secretly flashed a V-sign. Chouji whispered, "We won! We can pay off the debt!"
But before they could celebrate, Tsunade narrowed her eyes, scanning the crowd.
She whispered to Shizune, "Mark those three. They're shinobi."
The Ino-Shika-Cho trio cashed out their massive haul and fled the casino.
They clutched the heavy wads of cash, walking quickly until they ducked into a small alley. Only when they were sure no one was following did they dare lean against the wall, panting.
Shikamaru was the first to pull the stacks of new bills from his vest. "Five, ten, fifteen, twenty... 150,000 Ryo!"
"150,000 Ryo?!" Chouji, who had been gasping for air, shot forward as if he'd been electrocuted. His eyes were wide, glued to the money. "R-Really? 150,000? That's way more than we won?"
He thought they'd won 70,000 or 80,000 at most, not double that. His breathing grew ragged.
Ino leaned in, staring at the pile of cash, and let out a gasp of awe. "Haha, we're rich! Now we can not only pay off Yakiniku Q, but we can have a real feast!"
She gently touched the bills, smiling at the texture.
"Yakiniku... chips... a seafood platter..." In Chouji's eyes, the money had already transformed into plate after plate of food.
Ino was just starting to tease him—"Be careful not to drool on the money"—and Shikamaru had just finished stacking the bills to put them away.
Suddenly, a voice came from above, dousing their joy like a bucket of ice water: "So? You used a Transformation Jutsu to get into a casino... just for a meal?"
The three of them snapped their heads up. Tsunade was standing on the wall of the alley, looking down on them.
"L-Lady Tsunade?!" Ino yelped, nearly jumping out of her skin. The cash she was about to hand to Shikamaru scattered to the ground.
Chouji froze, his mouth opening and closing, but no sound came out.
Shikamaru's mind raced, trying to find an explanation, but Tsunade had already leaped down, landing silently in front of them.
"Using a jutsu to sneak into a casino to gamble? You've got guts."
Shikamaru forced himself to look up, trying to explain. "Lady Tsunade, we were just... trying to solve a financial problem."
"A financial problem?" Tsunade sneered. "By gambling? Do you have any idea how many people lose everything in those places? You're shinobi, not gamblers!"
Ino's face flushed crimson, and she looked down in shame. "We... we just wanted to pay off our debt quickly. We weren't thinking."
Chouji rubbed his stomach and muttered, "Well... we did win."
"You won?" Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "Where's the money?"
Shikamaru sighed and pulled the wad of cash from his vest. "Here. 150,000 Ryo. We were going to pay our debt, give the rest back to Naruto, and treat him to a nice meal..."
"Naruto? Naruto's involved in this?"
"The stake money... we borrowed it from him," Ino tried to explain. "Lady Tsunade, we were just..."
"Save your excuses." Tsunade cut her off. "The money. It's all confiscated."
"What?!" Chouji finally found his voice, his face instantly pale. "B-But... we owe Yakiniku Q 20,000 Ryo, and we promised to pay Naruto back 50,000..."
"That's your problem," Tsunade said, snatching the money from Shikamaru. She didn't even count it, just stuffed it into her sleeve. "If you're going to gamble, you have to bear the consequences."
Shikamaru opened his mouth, but just sighed in defeat.
Tsunade glanced at him, a dangerous smile touching her lips. "However... seeing as you are my students, I'll give you one chance."
The three of them shivered.
"Starting tomorrow, after your regular training, you will all work at Konoha Hospital." She counted on her fingers. "Cleaning rooms, hauling medical supplies, caring for patients. You will work until you have earned 150,000 Ryo."
"150,000?!" Ino shrieked. "How long is that going to take?!"
"Too much?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Or would you prefer 200,000?"
Shikamaru quickly grabbed Ino's sleeve. "No, no! 150,000 is great! We'll work hard."
Chouji rubbed his stomach, whispering, "But... will the hospital food be enough to get full?"
Tsunade sneered. "You'll get full. On the basic meal plan. You want yakiniku? Earn it."
"Yes, ma'am..." the three of them muttered, utterly defeated.
Tsunade nodded, satisfied. As she turned to leave, she threw one last comment over her shoulder: "Oh, and remember to apologize to Naruto yourselves. If I find out you tried to brush it off..."
She squeezed her fist, her knuckles cracking loudly. The threat was clear.
After Tsunade was gone, Ino slumped to the ground, on the verge of tears. "It's over... we're going to be worked to death."
Chouji rubbed his stomach, his eyes suddenly lighting up. "At least the hospital food is free!"
Ino and Shikamaru both glared at him. "Shut up!"