The gamblers scrambled to their feet and bolted out of the casino, panic written across their pale faces. Tonight, Tanzaku Street's gambling dens were witnessing an unprecedented disaster—Tsunade's "legendary losing streak" had been reversed by the presence of a certain pale-skinned Sannin.
Thermal Inn – Evening
"Orochimaru, don't be mad… Look, it's cold and rainy outside. I only wanted to stay here for a while, relax a bit on Tanzaku Street, and head back to Konoha tomorrow!"
Tsunade pressed her palms together in a pleading gesture, her bright brown eyes sparkling with desperation. She had never expected Orochimaru to catch her in the middle of her "harmless" gambling break.
Did something really go wrong every single time she gambled?
She refused to believe that—yet the world seemed determined to prove otherwise.
"Then I'll return first. You can come back to Konoha tomorrow," Orochimaru replied calmly. He remembered the experiments waiting for him and the fact that Tsunade's training in Shikkotsu Forest seemed stable enough.
"NO!"
Tsunade lunged forward and hugged him tightly. Her hands brushed against something—something that definitely had not been there half a year ago. She instinctively squeezed.
Orochimaru stiffened.
"Huh? You've… grown this much?"
Her eyes widened like she had discovered a new continent.
She blinked. Something wasn't right. Orochimaru had trained for only half a year—there was no way he should've grown that much in such a short time.
"As a medical ninja, don't underestimate my knowledge," she muttered, suspicion flooding her gaze. "Are you really Orochimaru? Or are you… his older sister or something?"
Her hand was still pinching him.
"Are you still not letting go?" Orochimaru's pale face flushed faintly. He fought the urge to smack her hands away.
"Orochimaru, how did you grow so much all of a sudden?"
Tsunade finally loosened her grip. She wrapped her arms around his waist instead, as if she might interrogate his ribs next.
He sighed. "Training in Ryūchi Cave is different from training in Myōboku Mountain or Shikkotsu Forest."
His golden eyes swept over her. Compared to six months ago, Tsunade looked thinner—far too thin.
"You, on the other hand, lost a lot of weight."
Tsunade puffed her cheeks. "Hehe… I went through the same suffering Jiraiya did."
Orochimaru rubbed her cheek and frowned. "I told you to bring plenty of food and soldier pills. Jiraiya should've taught you how terrible those places can be."
Tsunade stuck out her tongue. "How was I supposed to know that the meals in Shikkotsu Forest were just as bad as those in Mount Myōboku? I ran out of my supplies too fast…"
Orochimaru sighed again. "So, did you master Shikkotsu Forest's Sage Mode?"
Tsunade froze. "…"
Orochimaru had imagined what a Slug-themed Sage Mode might look like—antennae sprouting from Tsunade's head, maybe her skin turning glossy and mucus-coated, her eyes becoming round like a slug's.
He almost burst out laughing.
"OROCHIMARU! What are you imagining?!"
"Nothing. Nothing at all." He forced the smile down. "So? Did you learn it?"
"No! I didn't!" Tsunade shook her head vigorously. "I don't want slug features growing all over my body! Imagine being sticky or slimy—absolutely not!"
A full-body slime transformation was beyond unacceptable for her.
And thus, Tsunade had decisively abandoned Shikkotsu Forest's Sage Mode.
Orochimaru thought briefly of Sakura Haruno from the original story—the student who admired Tsunade, signed the slug summoning contract, and valued her appearance just as much as her master. It now made perfect sense that she too never sought Sage Mode.
"And what about you, Orochimaru? Did you learn Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode?" Tsunade asked curiously.
"Of course." He took two steps back. The Yin Seal on his abdomen pulsed, releasing stored Sage Chakra. His body expanded, two porcelain-white horns grew from his temples, and a thick white serpent tail unfurled behind him.
Tsunade gasped. "O-Orochimaru… this is the Ryūchi Cave Sage Mode?!"
She paced around him, poking the smooth, cold scales of his tail, then touched his horns with fascinated awe.
"Orochimaru, can you drink alcohol now? You look like you're eighteen!"
Her eyes drifted downward…
"…and your chest also grew…"
"Looking eighteen doesn't mean I am eighteen," he said flatly.
Tsunade continued staring.
"Stop staring. You'll grow in the future," he muttered, gently pushing her cheek aside.
Tsunade lit up. "Really? I'm just a late bloomer!"
Then she remembered something. "Jiraiya once said Sage Mode requires staying still for a long time to gather natural energy. How did you do it?"
"Here." Orochimaru lifted his shirt, revealing the Yin Seal on his abdomen.
Tsunade's eyes softened. She traced the seal with her fingertips, admiring its delicate design. For a second, she even felt a strange urge to… kiss it.
She shook her head violently.
Damn those forbidden books Orochimaru wrote! They were definitely affecting her thoughts.
"I modified the Yin Seal to store Sage Chakra," Orochimaru explained. "When I need Sage Mode, I just release it from the seal. Enough. Stop touching."
"Just a little more…" Tsunade pouted, blowing on her fingers shyly after he pushed her hand away.
Orochimaru pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Tsunade, are you staying on Tanzaku Street until tomorrow, or coming back to Konoha with me now?"
"Will you come with me to the casino?" she begged immediately. "Just a little longer. We already paid for the inn. It'd be a waste not to enjoy the hot springs!"
"…Fine. Tomorrow morning, we leave. I have important experiments."
Tsunade cheered. "Let's go then! We're going to win every casino on Tanzaku Street!"
Orochimaru watched her transform into a "gambling deity." He still couldn't comprehend why she loved gambling so much.
He remembered Hashirama using little Tsunade as a "lucky charm" when she was young. That man's influence ran too deep.
That day, every gambler on Tanzaku Street suffered defeat under Tsunade and Orochimaru's combined presence. The gloomy skies and steady drizzle reflected their misery perfectly.
"Hehehe!"
Tsunade sat cross-legged on the floor of the casino's VIP room, hugging a suitcase overflowing with cash they had won—plus the money of the previous gamblers who fled in terror. Their devastated expressions still pleased her immensely.
"I told you we could sweep every casino here!" she said, looking proudly at Orochimaru, who had changed clothes after dispelling Sage Mode.
She glanced at his silhouette again—pale skin, graceful posture, and that tail still lingering faintly in her mind.
Her cheeks turned red.
For some reason.
Orochimaru misread her flustered expression.
"Don't tell me you lost even more money earlier," he sighed. "No wonder you're this excited."
Tsunade ignored him and stuffed the remaining bills into the suitcase before jumping up.
"You're not entering the hot springs? If you're not going, I will," he warned.
"I'm coming! Don't leave me!" she shouted, hurriedly trying to undress.
But—
"A-ah—ah!"
Thud!
She tripped on her shorts and fell flat. Orochimaru massaged his forehead. He walked over and helped her change properly.
After Tsunade finally finished undressing, Orochimaru suddenly sensed something—an unfamiliar chakra signature approaching. It wasn't from any Konoha ninja. This one carried the distinct flavor of a bloodline-limit user.
Tsunade noticed the change in his expression. "What's wrong?"
Orochimaru pressed a finger to his lips and smiled. "Let's go soak in the hot springs."
"Okay, my love," she replied casually, pulling him toward the baths.
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow at the unexpected endearment but didn't comment.
Whatever chakra he sensed… he'd deal with it soon