Unlike before, Shiki had been relying almost entirely on his taijutsu throughout the battle. Only at the very end did he draw the Seiquan Sword from his back and unleash the Dance of the Sword.
"But using shadow clones for sword training might really be the best fit for this kid."
Hayate Gekko fixed his gaze on the black sheath hanging from Shiki's back. Over the past month, he had truly witnessed how quickly Shiki's swordsmanship had improved.
Although his overall strength hadn't increased dramatically, the path of swordsmanship rarely allowed for sudden, explosive growth. Even if progress came quickly, Shiki would still need enough chakra to perform those chakra-enhanced sword techniques.
It wasn't that no one had ever considered using shadow clones for training before—this method multiplied training efficiency several times over.
But not long after starting, most people realized a serious problem.
They just didn't have the stamina to keep it up.
In fact, many ninja couldn't even handle the physical burden of using the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu in battle.
That was precisely why the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu had been classified as a kinjutsu technique; willpower alone wasn't enough to bear the strain it imposed.
Perhaps only members of the Senju clan and their distant relatives, the Uzumaki, could endure such strain.
But thinking about it now was a bit ironic. Those once-great clans had eventually faded into decline.
The Senju were now few in number. The Uzumaki had been wiped out more than twenty years ago during a certain incident. And the Uchiha—entirely destroyed by one man.
It almost felt like some kind of underlying fate was pulling the strings.
Noticing Hayate had fallen into deep thought, Shiki couldn't help but ask,
"Sensei, you've been spacing out a lot lately. Is something on your mind?"
"On my mind? No."
Shiki gave a slight nod. "Alright then. We made it to town. So where are we headed tomorrow?"
The sky had already darkened, scattered with stars like diamonds across velvet. Summer nights always brought flickering fireflies dancing through the air like tiny lanterns.
The cicadas hummed softly in the quiet night, turning the scene into something like a watercolor painting.
Team Ban stood before a quiet, peaceful village—
This was why Hayate Gekko had decided to stop here tonight—because when they arrived in town earlier, the sky cleared up and lit up with stars.
"Tanzaku Street. This town—it's gambling central," Hayate said tonelessly. From the beginning, he had made sure to gather all necessary information.
Even while personally overseeing his student's training, he never stopped collecting intel.
In truth, among a ninja's many essential skills, collecting intelligence ranked highly.
Unfortunately, the intel he got wasn't worth much at all.
All the information available about Tsunade could tell him was how much cash she'd burned through lately—and who she owed.
To be continued.
Chapter 171 Absolute Gambler
Actually, this town built halfway up the mountainside could be considered more like a city.
Actually, it does have a name—it's called Tanzaku Castle. This place is renowned for its impressive architecture.
The rooftops were tiled with weathered gray tiles, giving the towering pavilions an air of ancient mystery.
Yet row after row of those buildings twisted your sense of time and space, making you feel like you'd already been here before.
However, on one of the paths, two women were running down the road heading toward Tanzaku Castle.
The woman in front still wore a smug smile across her face.
Judging by her appearance, she looked no more than twenty years old, yet her expression carried the cunning of someone deeply calculative.
She wore a green top with a large red character "Du (Gambling)" boldly printed on the back. What kind of gambling addict would actually wear that like it's something to be proud of?
In contrast, the woman behind appeared far more modest. Dressed in gray, she looked somewhat rigid.
She had neat, shoulder-length hair—on another girl, this hairstyle and outfit might have looked tomboyish.
But on her, it gave off a quiet and indescribable elegance.
Right now, however, this seemingly cute woman wore a look full of helplessness and exhaustion.
"Hey hey, Tsunade-sama," she panted, "why are we running all the way here? And why so fast?"
Tsunade turned her head and grinned openly. "Because I gambled away all the money I borrowed from the last town."
"...What?"
Gambled away all the borrowed money?
Shizune felt like she could barely process the enormity of that statement.
It was just one sentence, but it hit her like three shocking revelations at once.
"Tsunade-sama, when exactly did you borrow that money? And how did you even lose it gambling? Why didn't I notice any of this happening?" Sweat poured down Shizune's forehead—this wasn't the first time by any means.
Now she understood why Tsunade took off—even though, with her strength and reputation, she really didn't need to run.
But...
She couldn't exactly carry debt and act as if nothing happened, could she?
After all, Tsunade-sama was just the type to skip out on debts—not the kind of person who'd turn into a bully or oppressor.
Faced with all this, Shizune could only ask meekly, "Next time you decide to do something like this... could you please warn me beforehand?"
"Sure thing! Oh, right—I remember a good friend of mine lives right here in Tanzaku Castle. I'll just borrow some money from him. Besides, isn't Tanzaku Street famous for gambling too?"
Looking ahead at the castle now within view—with half of it built against a cliffside—Tsunade showed no surprise.
Actually, seeing Tanzaku Castle only reignited her deep love for gambling.
"I'll borrow a huge sum there, win big, and pay off every single debt I've got!"
Her voice radiated confidence. If not for that word 'debts' in her sentence, one might almost believe she truly was a gambling deity.
"Can I borrow... a huge sum of money?" Shizune stammered slightly, her voice trembling.
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