Hotel Private Pool Number Four — Booked Exclusively.
Splash!
Kushina sprang from the three-meter diving board, elegantly flipping twice midair before slicing into the water with a perfect splash.
Watching the diving competition broadcast on the large screen by the poolside,
She emerged from the water with a grin, drying her dripping hair with a towel.
"Four days already. Hasn't she gotten tired of this yet?"
Hikaku Uchiha, dressed in a modest navy-blue one-piece swimsuit with a flared skirt, sat on a beach chair sipping freshly pressed mixed fruit juice.
Her small feet dangled idly, sprinkled with tiny droplets of water.
"It's already over."
Kei Yamanaka let out a yawn, cross-legged and casually sipping an expensive cocktail.
On their first night here,
Tsunade's Green-Tier Trait [Gambling Mastery] suffered a crushing defeat at the largest casino in Gambling City!
As one of the oldest and most established gambling houses, it operated under a complete system. Once the house discovered how skilled she was, her chances of dominating were effectively over.
Small wins were fine, but dreaming of making a huge profit? Forget about it.
The real issue was Tsunade's strange persistence regarding gambling—she never cheated using her own abilities.
Still, she seemed to have her fun—though that small chest of gold…
Well, at least it was better than spending four days skipping stones like with the previous Black-Tier Trait [Reverse Gambling King].
Kei gave a light chuckle, unfazed by the loss of those gold bars.
With his current strength, even without support from the Ninja World, he could easily locate a mineral vein, use Magnet Release: Gold Dust once, and gather endless amounts of gold.
Such things meant nothing to him now.
Back in modern civilization,
Tsunade became addicted to all sorts of dazzling gambling methods in casinos, while he, Kushina, and Hikaku Uchiha spent these past few days touring every corner of this city.
For ordinary people, 2011 was a year of explosive growth in electronic information technology.
All kinds of convenient electronic services drastically changed everyday life.
Plus, this city's currency exchange industry was highly developed—whether coins from various nations, gold, jewelry, accessories, or antiques, everything could be converted into cash rapidly.
Not worrying about money at all, Kei and the others have been living quite comfortably these past few days!
Smartphones, clothes, bags, shoes, home appliances...
Countless items flooded the Primordial Realm, piling up like a miniature mountain.
In the Marvel world's timeline,
2011 was also a pivotal year.
That year, Thor invaded Jotunheim seeking revenge because the Frost Giants disturbed his coronation ceremony, almost sparking a war. Odin exiled him to Earth (Blue Planet).
Odin fell into Odinsleep, during which Loki seized the throne of Asgard and tried to kill Thor.
After gaining a newfound appreciation for life, Thor regained Odin's approval, grabbed Mjolnir, defeated Loki, and shattered the Bifrost Bridge.
The Cosmic Cube surfaced within S.H.I.E.L.D.
The Russian Bear Petroleum Exploration Team discovered Captain America encased in ice in the Arctic.
"Did that old coot Odin use me...?"
Kei Yamanaka thought of Odin and recalled the scene when he appeared at Jotunheim, a muscle twitching in his cheek.
Experience comes with age—that's the saying, right?
Didn't Odin deliberately set out to provoke that idiot Laufey?
Otherwise, how could Loki have schemed under his very nose? After all, he's Celestial-level—surely not so incompetent as to miss something like that!
BOOM~
"I'm back~!"
As Kei was thinking, refreshed and energetic Onee-san Tsunade kicked the door open to the swimming pool area.
Still wearing the hoodie she hadn't taken off in four days, she dove headfirst into the freshly refilled, crystal-clear water of the pool, creating a massive splash.
Even though she'd lost every last penny again, she was oddly proud of lasting four full days!
Lasting four whole days on a single crate of cash?
Back then, that would've been unthinkable—right?
"...No wonder you're a VIP, huh?"
Dark sweat lines formed on Kei Yamanaka's forehead.
Logically speaking, the amount Tsunade had lost shouldn't have qualified her for VIP status at the biggest casino in Gambling City. But the manager was no slouch.
A woman who could lose millions repeatedly without batting an eye—and getting more excited with each loss—was anything but ordinary.
She was instantly upgraded to the highest-tier guest status!
Not only did she get free meals and lodging, but she also got access to the VIP-only gaming room!
"Big sister Tsunade, are you going home? Your job's been neglected for several days now."
Kushina stood at the edge of the pool, handing a towel to Tsunade, who had just climbed out of the water.
"Kushina, can I ask a favor?"
Tsunade casually tossed her drenched hoodie aside.
She grabbed the towel Kushina offered, started drying her hair while locking eyes with Kushina, and looked dead serious.
"...Nope."
Kushina instinctively stepped back, shaking her head like a wind-up toy.
She could figure it out even with her toes.
Now that her sanity was back, there was no way Tsunade wouldn't rope her into dealing with all that red tape again!
Besties till the end, right?! Let me tell you—we've taken in a few Uzumaki refugees from Grass Country lately. You don't wanna help settle them in?
"Huh? This... Well..."
"Don't worry, won't take long. The gate's practically at our doorstep anyway! You can come whenever you feel like it."
"Well… that kinda makes sense?"
"Hahaha! Then it's settled!"
Tsunade tightly gripped Kushina's wrist as if afraid she might run away. Then she turned her gaze toward Hikaku Uchiha standing nearby.
"Don't look at me—I'm just in charge of water management, and there's not much happening," Hikaku Uchiha said smugly, sipping his juice with a proud grin spreading across his flushed cheeks.
"As our top combat asset, what if the Otsutsuki show up? Either way, we should check things out first. Deal with it if there's trouble. Otherwise, come back later."
Hikaku Uchiha puffed up her cheeks and glanced at Kei Yamanaka standing beside her, who was chuckling.
That jerk totally did that on purpose!
"Let's go!"
Kei Yamanaka slapped his own butt and went to check out at the hotel reception.
After goofing around for the last few days, he figured it was time to get serious.
After all, he'd received the Eye of Agamotto from The Ancient One and even carried the title of Sorcerer Supreme.
Wouldn't look good if he didn't even know which way the entrance to Kamar-Taj faced!
He paid the hotel bill using an anonymous card issued by the casino.
Kei Yamanaka then brought everyone straight back into Chen Ge Hu.
After Tsunade, Kushina, and Hikaku Uchiha changed into their newly purchased outfits designed for this world, they entered the gateway leading to the Ninja World.
Eleven-year-old Clerie, notebook in hand, ran toward Kei Yamanaka with quick little footsteps, giving him a detailed report on everything that had occurred over the past few days.
Though her expression remained somewhat lifeless, after several days of adjustment, her eyes were noticeably livelier than when they first met.
"Sir, three days ago, Mr. Jiraiya came here asking about your whereabouts... One and a half days ago, Miss Butterfly Sanae came with her younger sister Butterfly Shinobu, inquiring about constructing a shrine... One day ago, a gentleman named Nara Shikaku..."
Kei Yamanaka didn't interrupt her words. As the ruler of the Primordial Realm, he already had perfect knowledge of all these events.
But this was the only meaningful task young Clerie and recovering Dinisha could currently manage.
For two people who had once been abandoned by the entire world,
the fresh vegetables, meats, fruits, and various other foods, along with children's picture books, storybooks, and clothing that they had never known the kindness of others before made them feel uneasy.
Only by contributing something "meaningful" could they truly feel at peace.
Listening to Clerie's dedicated report,
Kei Yamanaka sat in the garden recliner, occasionally nodding slightly to show his approval, while his focus returned to the system interface.
He secretly instructed the system to use up all remaining Keyword Draw chances.
From rewards earned when Orochimaru took Priscilla away, defeating Tongmo, and changing Sanae's fate, he had accumulated four Keyword Draw opportunities.
Lately, he'd been neglecting his strength while just goofing off.
Reflecting on it now really felt like a sin!
[System Notification: Congratulations, Host!]
[Green-Rank Skill 'Gecko Expert', Purple-Tier Trait 'Cupid's Brat', White-Rank Skill 'Moral Mountain', Black-Tier Trait 'Bald Uncle's Heir']
Gecko Expert (Green-Rank Skill): True Love Identifier, Chunan's Ultimate Technique. Having studied and refined gecko restriction techniques since childhood, you can complete gecko ink preparation in thirty seconds. Any attempt to forcefully take someone not their true love will incur backlash from the restriction, with intensity determined by the setter's power.
Cupid's Brat (Purple-Tier Trait): Noble love? Strong desire? Not here! Today, this mischievous one is spreading chaos! By draining energy, you can fire emotional arrows that cause chaos. Upon hitting the target, if the target already has a romantic partner, one of the following effects will occur—arguments, breakups, fights, or catfights—each lasting thirty minutes.
[Moral Mountain] (White): An intense sense of morality, as if a mountain resided in one's heart. Slightly increases moral sense, justice, order, and protective instincts; significantly intensifies inner guilt, regret, and sense of sin after committing immoral acts.
[Bald Uncle's Heir] (Black): Inspired by Hannibal since childhood, you've finally embraced your true nature. Greatly reduces humanity and morality; greatly increases craving for human flesh; improves skills in meat cooking, internal organ handling, and meal preparation; slightly boosts elegant demeanor, affability, and verbal abilities.
"..."
Kei Yamanaka fell silent for a moment, then scratched his head.
[Gecko Expert]—thank goodness it wasn't like actually marking him with a real gecko. Otherwise, if he ever wanted to study it, he'd have to go into the bathroom and spread his legs open just to get a good look!
And then there's [Cupid's Brat].
Such a cute little Cupid—can't he act at least a little decent?
Why must he be the exact opposite?
As for [Moral Mountain] and [Bald Uncle's Heir]...
The first one is basically like a hero-making ability. Give it to someone with even a little conscience, and they'll become a firm warrior of justice from then on. But if you stuck it onto a villain, they'd probably feel so guilty within minutes they'd start relentless grinding trying to atone.
As for the second one...
Anyone with these skill listings who isn't totally useless could probably carve out a place for themselves even in Gotham City!
The system today...
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