Chapter 79 – Can't Borrow
Tsunade slapped the table in frustration. "Alright, let's start over."
The casino attendant's eyes lit up. As expected, the gambler's desire hadn't died down. Slowly, he pulled out a small notebook, a cigarette dangling from his lips as he uncapped his pen.
"Alright, what's your name? And don't try any tricks this time. We'll investigate and confirm your identity before lending you money."
"Got it, got it," Tsunade waved impatiently. "My name is Tsunade, one of the Sannin of Konohagakure. You can find my identity information at the Hokage Building."
She lifted her chin confidently.
The attendant froze, then looked up in shock. "Wait… what did you say your name was?"
"Tsunade."
His face changed instantly. He shoved the pen and notebook away and frantically waved his hand. "Tsunade? No loan, no loan!"
Tsunade blinked. "No loan? Why not? I'm not lying, am I? In this village, no one would dare impersonate me, Tsunade!"
She thought he simply didn't believe her. "You don't believe me? Fine, come with me to the Hokage Building—my picture's there too."
She reached for him, but the man recoiled as though from a viper. "No, no, I can't lend you money. Try somewhere else!"
"What's going on?" Tsunade muttered. "Has my reputation for never paying back loans already spread that far?"
Sighing, she left the casino empty-handed.
By now it was already past three in the afternoon.
"Who should I borrow from?" she thought aloud, but then frowned. Her old classmates? Almost none were alive anymore.
Back in the Second Shinobi War, on the Amegakure battlefield, only she, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru had survived from their class. That battle was what earned them the title of Sannin.
Now, after years of wandering, she realized she had no acquaintances left in the village to borrow money from—besides Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and her loyal disciple Shizune.
She sighed heavily. Then a thought struck her: her former subordinates, back when she was Director of the Konoha Hospital.
"Maybe I can borrow a little from them, just in an emergency."
Seizing on that idea, she hurried to the hospital.
But after searching the wards and offices, Tsunade found only unfamiliar faces. Seven years had passed; only a handful of her old staff remained, and each of them regretfully claimed they had no money to lend.
Defeated, she left.
By then it was already past six. The sky had gone dark.
Squatting on the roadside, Tsunade rubbed her temples. This was the first time she'd ever found borrowing money so difficult. In the past, just mentioning her name—Tsunade-hime—was enough for people to line up to lend her money. Her reputation as the granddaughter of the First Hokage was known throughout the shinobi world.
So why was it failing her now, here in her own village?
She couldn't understand.
---
Meanwhile, the cause of her troubles—Fugaku Uchiha—was lying comfortably on the tatami at home, enjoying a massage from his wife, Mikoto.
Fugaku closed his eyes, his whole body relaxing as though his soul was floating away.
"Wife, your massage technique is really something. You could train the shop girls yourself."
Mikoto's lips curved into a smile at his praise.
"I'm just an amateur. How could I compare to those professionals?"
Fugaku chuckled. "Professional? They've only had a few days of training."
"Just a few days? No wonder everyone's been flocking to Pansi Cave lately," Mikoto said, surprised.
"They're just chasing after the newest novelty," Fugaku mused. "If the shop girls' skills stay at this level, business will die down soon enough."
Mikoto nodded. It seemed her husband was already planning to continue training the workers at Pansi Cave to improve their massage skills.
"Enough about that," Fugaku said suddenly. "Where are Sasuke and Naruto? I didn't see them earlier."
It was unusual. Normally when he came home from work, Sasuke and Naruto would already be arguing or making noise. They weren't even at dinner tonight.
"They're at the training ground," Mikoto said with a laugh.
"What's gotten into them?" Fugaku asked, puzzled.
He remembered how Sasuke used to follow Itachi to train, but after his elder son left, Sasuke had grown lazy—going from daily practice to just occasional effort.
After Naruto Uzumaki moved in with them, Sasuke barely trained at all. The two boys spent most days fighting over the television.
But today was different.
"Apparently they had a practical training session at the Academy," Mikoto explained. "Naruto lost. As soon as they got home, they skipped dinner, dropped their bags, and ran to the training field."
"Ah, I see." Fugaku nodded.
Then Mikoto hesitated. "Husband… Naruto's been with us for some time now. Don't you think it's time you taught him some ninjutsu? His foundation is far too poor. He can't even perform the basic Clone, Transformation, and Substitution Techniques, while Sasuke has already mastered them. If Naruto starts now, it's not too late."
She spoke with quiet guilt. Kushina's child had been bullied and scorned by the villagers all these years, and she had done nothing. If her late friend knew, she would surely resent her.
"You're right," Fugaku admitted. "You don't learn much at the Academy anyway."
The thought sparked another. The textbooks at the Academy—he remembered them well. Under Hiruzen Sarutobi's tenure, countless so-called "history lessons" had been rewritten for propaganda, to brainwash Konoha's children.
Claiming, for instance, that Hiruzen was the "strongest Hokage."
The very idea was laughable.
With the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, as true legends of the village, how could Hiruzen ever claim that title? He was merely a strong Kage-level shinobi—perhaps.
Whether he could even defeat the Third Raikage was debatable.
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