Chapter 75 – Shizune Wants to Make Money
But Uchiha Fugaku is the Fifth Hokage now…?
If Jiraiya-sama were to assassinate the Fifth Hokage, would that mean betraying the village?
Even though she had followed Lady Tsunade away from Konoha for many years, Shizune still considered herself part of the village.
On one side was Naruto, whom she had just met. On the other was Jiraiya-sama, Lady Tsunade's old teammate, though not someone Shizune knew well herself.
The more she thought, the more muddled she became. No matter how she turned it over in her mind, none of it felt right. Finally, Shizune shook her head, pushing the chaotic thoughts away.
It has nothing to do with me, nothing to do with me, nothing to do with me. Don't meddle, don't meddle, don't meddle…
She repeated the mantra silently, three times, until her eyes cleared again. Then she returned to eating.
"Shizune? Are you listening?"
Tsunade's displeased voice jolted her back.
"Hm? What is it, Lady Tsunade?" Shizune asked, blinking in confusion. She had been so caught up in her own thoughts that she hadn't heard a word.
"I said, I just thought of a great way to make money. Want to hear it?"
Tsunade's eyes lit up with excitement.
Shizune's heart sank. She instinctively tightened her grip on her wallet.
"Lady Tsunade… why don't we borrow money from your old classmates instead?" she suggested carefully.
But Tsunade wagged her finger, clicking her tongue. "Borrowing is fine, but if we can make money first, why would we need to borrow?"
She grinned proudly, which only made Shizune more uneasy.
"No, Lady Tsunade, I think—"
Her protest was cut short when Tsunade slapped the table and glared. "Shizune, I don't care what you think. I've decided—we're making money! That's enough!"
Then her expression softened into a coaxing smile. "Come on, give me the five hundred thousand. I know a quick way to turn it into a fortune. Don't underestimate it—if we win, it'll multiply!"
The poor wallet trembled.
Shizune's inner voice groaned. I knew it… gambling again.
Aloud, she said cautiously, "Lady Tsunade, nine out of ten gambles are lost…"
What she didn't dare add was: And you, old lady, lose ten out of ten.
Tsunade's hands itched. It had only been a day and a half since she last played cards, and already her addiction was clawing at her like a cat scratching.
Shizune saw her teacher's eyes start to glow red with excitement and knew disaster was near. With a heavy heart, she pulled out her wallet, took out the five hundred thousand ryō in silver notes, and handed it over.
Better to give it up willingly than have it snatched—since either way, she couldn't win against Tsunade.
Sure enough, Tsunade beamed as soon as she had the money. "Shizune, eat slowly. I'll go first. Wait for my good news—we're going to be rich!"
She vanished out the shop door in a blur.
Shizune stared after her with tearful eyes. The unagi don in front of her had turned to ash in her mouth.
My poor five hundred thousand… gone again!
She knew she had been played. Thinking back, Tsunade's behavior earlier was clearly suspicious. If I'd known, I should've said we had less. At least then we'd still have money for food and lodging.
But it was too late.
There was no hope from Lady Tsunade—she would inevitably lose it all. Borrowing from others wasn't reliable either. How many old classmates in the village could Tsunade even approach? And Jiraiya-sama's whereabouts were unknown.
If they wanted to survive, she would have to find another way to earn money.
She had already extended their inn stay for one more night. If they ran out tomorrow, they would truly be on the streets.
What to do, what to do…
Her mind raced.
Just then, voices drifted over from the next table.
"Hehe, I just completed a C-Rank mission. The client was a wealthy lady, and I got sixty thousand ryō!"
"Oh, that's great. Usually C-Rank pays ten to fifty thousand, right? You got a bonus."
Shizune's ears perked up at the word money.
"How about it? Pansi Cave tonight?"
"Definitely. After being tied up with that mission, I need to relax. I heard Kotetsu Hagane say Pansi Cave now has a restaurant—you can even eat for free."
"Really? Free food? Great, then let's go tonight."
Shizune listened closely, clicking her tongue. C-Rank missions pay that much now? Ten to fifty thousand ryō as the standard? That's higher than seven years ago.
Then she exhaled in relief. Of course—prices, wages, everything had gone up.
She glanced at the two men wearing Konoha headbands. An idea sparked.
Her shinobi registration should still be valid. Which meant… she could take missions again.
Action was better than hesitation. She sped up her eating and even urged Tonton to hurry.
Before long, she had finished, grabbed Tonton, and decisively left the shop.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Fugaku had also finished eating, unhurried as always.
He returned to the Hokage Building with thoughts swirling in his mind.
From Tsunade and Shizune's conversation, he had gleaned much.
They were planning to leave Konoha tonight.
And more importantly, they were broke.
Only five hundred thousand? Which Tsunade had taken to gamble?
Fugaku smirked. He knew her too well. With her legendary bad luck, that last bit of money would vanish without a trace.
Then what? Their house in the village had been torn down by the Sarutobi clan, leaving them homeless. He had even confirmed through the Anbu that they were staying at an inn.
Once Tsunade lost it all, they would have nothing left—not even travel expenses.
They would be forced to borrow.
Fugaku chuckled, snapping his fingers. "Out of money, are you? That's good. Very good."
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