Chapter 78 – Borrowing Five Million
A wild boar's heart is located in its chest cavity, serving as the core organ for life activities. Piercing it causes the heart to stop beating, quickly ending the creature's life.
With a calm expression, Shizune struck accurately, stabbing through the boar's heart. She quietly waited until its breathing grew weaker and weaker… until there was no sound at all.
After confirming the boar was dead, Shizune took out a cloth to wipe the blood from her arm.
"Alright, this wild boar has been dealt with. I don't want the meat—you can divide it among yourselves."
She asked the young hunter if there was a water source nearby. Learning there wasn't one, she made her way back toward the village, stopping at a puddle along the way to wash her arms.
Meanwhile, the elderly village chief, who had been anxiously waiting, saw Shizune return from the forest alone. His face paled and his body trembled—had the crusade failed? Was A-Hu gone?
Fortunately, Shizune reassured him as she passed. "He's just behind me."
The village chief finally exhaled a long sigh of relief.
"Uncle, was that wild boar really dealt with so quickly?" a thin, dark-skinned middle-aged villager asked in disbelief.
The chief didn't answer directly. "You'll know when A-Hu returns." Even though he was anxious, he had to maintain composure before the younger generation. His calm steadied the others.
Shizune, meanwhile, stayed nearby—she still needed the client's signature on the mission form so she could submit it to the Konoha Mission Office and receive payment.
Before long, A-Hu came down from the forest, confirming the boar was slain. The villagers burst into smiles. The accursed beast was finally gone, and the kunoichi had even given them the meat for free.
The old chief approached Shizune, about to bow deeply, but she stopped him. "If you bow, I'll charge you for the boar meat."
He froze, then laughed awkwardly. "Thank you so much, you are too generous."
Shizune smiled faintly and handed over the form. "Village Chief, the mission is complete. Please sign here."
"Of course, of course." He signed without hesitation, then urged, "Honored ninja, why not stay for a simple meal so everyone can thank you properly?"
Shizune shook her head. "No need. I still have things to do. Goodbye, everyone."
She waved lightly and set off down the road back toward the village.
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While Shizune was in a good mood, her master was not.
Inside a gambling house, Tsunade sat frozen, her face pale.
"How can this be? How can this be? I've already lost four straight rounds—how can I still be losing?" she muttered, dazed.
Fifty thousand ryō, gone. How was she going to explain this to Shizune?
Tsunade bit her thumb, frowning. No, it had to be because the starting capital was too small. If she had more money—say, another fifty thousand, or even a million—she was certain she could turn it around.
After all, wasn't there an old saying? When luck bottoms out, it can only rebound.
Convincing herself, she made up her mind to borrow more money. She didn't bother looking for old comrades to borrow from. Loan sharks operated right inside the gambling house.
She was no stranger to this. With practiced steps, Tsunade walked to a corner and said casually, "I want to borrow money."
Her tone was so matter-of-fact it sounded like she was the lender.
The clerk blinked, then recovered—business was business. "How much?"
"Five million," Tsunade declared confidently. She was sure her problem had been insufficient capital. This time, she would win.
The clerk's eyes widened. Borrowing that much at once was rare. He looked her over. No headband. Beautifully dressed. Must be a mistress kept by some wealthy official, he thought.
Still, it didn't matter. Gambling houses with shinobi backers had their own debt collectors. They'd even collect from ninja if needed.
"Five million? That can be arranged," he said smoothly. "But first, we need to register your information. Name, address."
Tsunade calmly gave a false identity. "My name is Sarutobi Sakura, I live on Asakusa Old Street."
The clerk wrote it down, then asked for the house number.
Tsunade froze, irritated. He was asking for details? She quickly made one up.
The clerk didn't suspect a thing. He wrote it down carefully and asked her to confirm.
"It's correct," Tsunade replied smoothly.
"Good. Please wait a moment." The clerk disappeared into a back room.
Tsunade sat down, impatiently tapping her fingers. When he returned ten minutes later empty-handed, she leapt up. "Where's the money?"
The clerk smirked. "What money? You expect to borrow five million with a fake name and address?"
Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "You investigated me?"
He shrugged. "Of course. Did you think we'd hand over five million like it was a head of cabbage? If you want to borrow money, give us real information."
Lighting a cigarette, he leaned back and looked her over with a scornful smile.
Tsunade ground her teeth. So in the end, I'll have to give them my real identity after all.
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