"What's wrong? Is there a problem?" Tsunade turned her head, narrowed her eyes, and smiled slightly at Shizune.
Shizune finally couldn't hold back any longer and spoke loudly,
"Of course there's a problem! You know better than anyone how bad your luck is, Lady Tsunade. At this rate, you'll probably rack up another huge debt again!"
"Oh, fine. Then we'll just go into more debt. Next time I'll borrow even more and win it all back in one go."
Shizune stayed quiet for a long time before finally speaking up,
"Tsunade-sama, maybe we should hold off on discussing this for a few days. Let's keep a low profile for now, okay?"
"Hmm? Sure, I guess that works."
Rarely, Tsunade actually agreed with Shizune's suggestion.
It seemed that this time, the debt had reached a level that even Lady Tsunade needed to handle with caution.
"That's right, Tsunade-sama," Shizune asked tentatively, "we've been away from the village for so long. Won't you go back and take a look?"
However, the next moment, Tsunade's expression suddenly became gloomy.
"No way."
Shizune suddenly felt like she had said the wrong thing. After all, she clearly knew that Lady Tsunade hadn't yet moved past her own shadow.
Just as Shizune was preparing to say something to divert Tsunade's attention,
Tsunade suddenly spread her arms toward Tanzaku Castle, her face completely clearing up,
"Whatever! Since I've arrived at one of the holy lands of gambling, I must have a big game!"
Looking at Tsunade full of fighting spirit in the sunlight, Shizune couldn't help but think inwardly, *"Although Tsunade-sama can be hard to handle sometimes, it's still better than seeing her fall into darkness."*
"Welcome, may I ask what you need?" a girl wearing a service uniform asked politely.
Tsunade answered, "Give us two rooms."
As she spoke, Tsunade handed over the money.
"Yes, here are your keys—Room 205 and Room 206 on the second floor."
Thus, with a brief conversation, Tsunade checked into a small inn at Tanzaku Castle.
"We'll stay here for a few days first and see who might lend me some money."
Tsunade let out a soft sigh. As much as she loved gambling, it was hard to borrow money while on the run from debt, which really threw off her gambling rhythm.
Tap, tap, tap—
The sound of shoes tapping on the stairs gradually faded away, allowing Misato Yamae, the inn attendant, to comfortably stretch and yawn.
"Lately, there have been more customers coming in, but the ones with really memorable features were probably only last night's guests and the ones just now."
In her mind, she was still lingering on the moment when that woman in her twenties turned around.
In the ninja world, it wasn't uncommon for someone to wear a single character on their back to symbolize their personal creed.
But this was the first time she'd ever seen someone with the kanji for 'gambling' on their back — especially a woman.
Before, in her mind, gamblers were always rough men — the kind who lived and breathed gambling.
"Well, the group of customers from yesterday was more fascinating. That somewhat frail-looking guy, you just can't help but want to hold him close. And that red-haired kid is pretty cute too."
Perhaps because Misato Yamae was alone here, she wasn't trying to maintain her usual composure. She lost in thought, leaving the story unfinished.
Chapter 173: Shizune
"Hey hey, excuse me please."
Shizune kept her head lowered, deep in thought. She was holding Tonton and walking quickly.
She never expected there would suddenly be so many feet blocking her path, yet even now, she still didn't lift her head.
Looking at the polished wooden floor gleaming under the lights,
"Oh, right." Shiki hadn't expected he was blocking someone else's way and instinctively responded.
Then he stepped aside, letting the girl—who was taller than him—pass by.
But he didn't look at this girl either, instead turning his gaze back to his companions and continuing the topic they had been discussing earlier.
"We've already searched all day today, so we should leave now."
Just as Shiki was speaking, suddenly his voice caught in his throat.
Where his eyes landed, he noticed a pet pig.
Could it be...
Shiki looked at the figure of the woman passing through the narrow space,
"Please wait a moment!"
Shiki hurriedly reached out to grab Shizune's hand. A soft, boneless sensation lingered in his palm.
Shizune was startled, never expecting her hand would be grabbed by someone else at such a place.
She realized instantly that the person grabbing her hand was a child—but a ninja child.
Strangely enough, whoever had grabbed her hand was exerting quite a strong grip.
Shizune turned her head, her gaze sweeping past the paintings hanging in the corridor before finally settling on the four figures.
Yet the forehead protectors on their heads immediately triggered recognition within her.
"Y-You... you're ninjas from Konoha?"
"Shizune?" Hayate Gekko instinctively asked. Before this, he hadn't known this girl named Shizune.
However, Team 9 (Konoha's ninja unit) did have a photo of her. After all, she was Tsunade's closest aide.
Shizune, however, was taken aback. She pointed at her own nose with one slender finger and said,
"You know me?"
Search [BookHelper] official address: www.bookhelper.com, read millions of popular books free for life without ads!
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
Want to read the subsequent content in advance?
Please follow my Patreon:patreon/Tansnovel
Tans Novel - The Fastest-Updating Naruto Fanfiction Account
Read 100+ chapters in advance, with at least 3 new chapters updated every day! More free chapters! 20+ Naruto fanfictions!
Just three steps:
1. Download and open the "Patreon" app
2. Search for "Tans Novel"
3. Click on the collection and enjoy to your heart's content
<><><><><><><><>