"Eh?!"
Tsunade and Shizune froze the moment they heard Yuzuru's words, their expressions turning strangely complicated.
Even after wandering the ninja world for so many years, this was the first time they had ever heard someone encourage gambling.
Tsunade couldn't help asking, "Yuzuru, do you really think I should keep gambling?"
"But I lose every single time. At this point, I don't even know how much I've lost."
Hearing that, Yuzuru sighed and said earnestly, "Tsunade, there's something you have to understand."
"As long as you keep gambling, the money you've lost is only temporarily stored at the casino. But if you quit, then that money is gone forever."
"And besides—do we really go to a casino just to win?"
"No. We go to enjoy the atmosphere, to enjoy the emotional thrill that gambling gives us!"
Tsunade and Shizune once again froze on the spot.
They had never heard such logic before… yet after thinking about it carefully, it somehow felt strangely convincing.
Seeing Tsunade's eyes growing brighter, Shizune hurried to object, "Lord Yuzuru, but we don't have any money left."
Tsunade had finally shown a will to quit gambling—Shizune didn't want this resolve to shatter before it even began.
Yuzuru patted his chest. "Having no money isn't a problem. I can lend you some."
"You know this—I'm not exactly short on cash."
Tsunade hesitated theatrically. "But… isn't that bad? What if I can't pay it back, wouldn't I owe you a mountain of debt…"
Yuzuru smiled. "It's fine. I believe you'll definitely win it back."
He wasn't worried at all about Tsunade failing to repay him.
Worst case, he'd take a small loss—if she owed him a mountain of debt, she could just repay him in another way… well, whatever assets she wanted…
Hearing his encouragement, Tsunade smiled. "Then I'll listen to you. Honestly, I actually feel like my luck should be pretty good today."
Watching Yuzuru and Tsunade chatting so happily, Shizune felt a wave of dizziness.
It's over. Tsunade's dream of quitting gambling would never come true…
————
————
After giving Tsunade the money, it was already late.
Carrying the packaged sweets, Yuzuru headed toward the Uchiha compound.
But near the streets leading into the compound, he saw something that nearly made his jaw drop.
A group of ninjas wearing green jumpsuits and bowl-cut hair were running in formation—while doing handstand sprints.
Leading the pack was Might Guy; at the end was Might Duy.
They shouted things like "Youth!" and "Passion!" as they moved in perfect synchronization.
"Guy!"
Yuzuru called out, and Guy immediately sprinted over.
"Lord Yuzuru!"
Seeing Guy's clothes drenched with sweat, Yuzuru quietly took two steps back.
He pointed at the still-advancing formation. "What's going on here?"
Guy gave a thumbs-up, showing off his gleaming teeth. "These are all ninjas who want to learn our Strong Fist Style!"
Yuzuru blinked. "That many?"
Guy waved his hand. "This is just a small part! A lot of people can't handle high-intensity training every single day. So father and I only need to lead a few dozen people at a time."
Yuzuru suddenly felt uneasy.
Would there really be a green tidal wave on the battlefield someday?
Just imagining it made his eyes hurt…
Seeing Yuzuru spaced out, Guy enthusiastically invited, "Lord Yuzuru, would you like to join us?"
Yuzuru rejected him instantly. "I'll pass. I'm already overwhelmed with administrative work every day."
"Right—why haven't I seen Obito and Kakashi lately?"
"Kakashi has been tutoring Obito in academics." Guy glanced at the distant formation and said hurriedly, "Lord Yuzuru, I have to go!"
He dropped into a handstand and shot off like a rocket.
Yuzuru stared blankly.
Obito… studying academics?
...
"I'm home."
Returning to his residence, Yuzuru found Obito, Kakashi, and Shisui all in the courtyard.
Kakashi was engrossed in a book with the cover hidden. Obito was snacking on fruit.
Shisui, together with a young Itachi, was sparring with kunai.
Seeing Yuzuru enter, the three immediately stopped what they were doing. "Lord Yuzuru!"
He raised an eyebrow and placed the desserts into Itachi's hands. "Itachi, take these to your mother and the others."
"Okay!"
Itachi happily grabbed the box and ran toward the back.
Once he was gone, Yuzuru's gaze swept over Obito, Kakashi, and Shisui.
It hadn't been long, yet Obito was already close to one meter eighty. The childish look he once had with his goggles was completely gone.
Compared to him, Kakashi was half a bit shorter.
"Obito… did you eat livestock feed or something?"
Obito protested, "Brother Yuzuru, I'm not a pig! Why would I eat feed?!"
Yuzuru chuckled and shook his head. "I heard you've been asking Kakashi to tutor you lately. How did you have time to come here?"
Obito's expression darkened even more.
He looked at Yuzuru. "Brother Yuzuru, I'm dying here. You have to help me."
Yuzuru frowned slightly. "What happened?"
"It's the jonin exam!" Obito scratched his head frantically. "Kakashi already passed a year ago!"
"But even now, I still haven't passed!"
Hearing Obito's complaints, Yuzuru finally understood and said directly, "Obito, becoming a jonin isn't just about strength. You have to meet the jonin standards in all areas."
For most people, the title of jonin was already the peak.
Becoming one wasn't as simple as being strong.
A jonin had to handle many responsibilities during missions.
So to become one, you needed strength, leadership, theoretical knowledge, practical ability, and combat experience—all meeting a certain level.
Like in the Hidden Cloud: many ninjas had jonin-level strength, but only a few passed the actual jonin exam.
Given Obito's intelligence level, failing the exam was perfectly normal.
"That's why I want you to help me, Brother Yuzuru!"