...
"How... how is this possible."
Looking at the pile of chips stacked on Furina's side of the table opposite her, Tsunade's face was full of disbelief. This situation was wrong - how was it different from what she had expected?
"Thanks for going easy on me, Lady Tsunade. I think you must have seen that my family is poor and chose to keep losing to me on purpose. I'm really grateful."
"Hey, wait, why are you trying to run away just because you won?"
Tsunade was not affected by Furina's flattery at all. Seeing the other party start packing up as if preparing to leave, she quickly called out to stop her. Win and then run? No way!
"But you don't have any money left. How can we continue?"
Hearing Furina's reminder, Tsunade finally realized that the money she had just borrowed (tricked) this morning had all been lost to Furina. She had no money left to keep playing.
"No money means no money. I'll just owe you for now. You know who I am - I won't welch on a debt."
As Furina packed faster and faster, Tsunade had to make one last desperate attempt. If she went back like this today, she definitely would not be able to sleep.
"A little gambling is fun, but big gambling harms the body, Lady Tsunade. Let's stop here for today. Borrowing money to gamble will only make you more and more addicted. It only makes people think they can win it back next time, and they sink deeper and deeper."
"This..."
Hearing this, Tsunade had to admit that what Furina said made sense. This was what she had originally wanted to teach the other party. But now the development had gone wrong - somehow the other party was earnestly lecturing her instead.
What was going on here?
Before Tsunade could think any further, Furina had already finished packing the chips and called Naruto and the others to leave. Win and run - how thrilling.
"Pervy Sage, did you know in advance that she would lose to Furina, so that's why you weren't worried? You didn't even tell me. Jeez."
Naruto did not suspect that Furina's excuse was fake. In his view, no matter what, Tsunade was a seasoned veteran. Unless she did it on purpose, how could she lose to Furina?
"Ahem, probably." Facing Naruto's complaint, Jiraiya felt a bit awkward. He could tell Tsunade wanted to win, but he had not expected her to be so cursed with perpetual losing that she could not even beat a beginner.
Watching from the side had even made him feel embarrassed. Forget it - better to leave her some face and not explain.
.....
In the following days, every day Tsunade would get some money from who knows where to continue gambling against Furina. Facing her strong demands, Furina could only "reluctantly" accept.
And in the back-and-forth, she accepted the other party's poverty relief funds. Tsunade had not even become Hokage yet and was already starting to sponsor struggling families in the village. She really... I'm crying.
Amid Tsunade's daily frustration, time gradually reached the last day of the bet between Naruto and her. Although Furina said it was easy, being fully prepared was still good. However...
"Pervy Sage, what did you do last night? Why are you still sleeping here? Jeez."
In an izakaya, the three found Jiraiya who had not returned all night. Under Naruto's constant shaking, the sleeping Jiraiya finally slowly woke up.
"Why do I feel like I have no strength at all? That's weird." After waking up, Jiraiya moved his limbs and felt the weakness in them, which made him puzzled. At the same time, a not-so-good thought gradually emerged in his mind.
"This is bad, Lord Jiraiya."
While Jiraiya was doubting, Shizune who appeared afterward confirmed his guess. Through Shizune's explanation, everyone learned that Tsunade had gone to find Orochimaru, and they also understood the whole story behind it.
"Then let's hurry and bring her back. That Orochimaru is very dangerous."
Whenever he recalled the encounter in the Forest of Death, Naruto could not help but get goosebumps. He was not afraid, but that snake-like person had still left a deep impression on him.
"Then no time to waste. Let's head out right away." As she spoke, Furina was the first to rush out. She had waited for this day for a very long time. Now it was finally time.
"We should hurry too, Pervy Sage." "Got it."
Seeing Furina move so quickly, the others did not hesitate either and started moving one after another. However, among them, some had been drugged while others simply lacked the strength, so their speed was far behind Furina's. They could only watch as she gradually left them behind.
...
As soon as she arrived, Furina saw Kabuto beating Tsunade - no, wait, Kabuto was hitting Tsunade. At this moment, Tsunade had blood on her face and body, her beautiful eyes full of fear, and her body trembling slightly. Clearly, her hemophobia had already been exploited by Kabuto.
So even though Kabuto kept kicking her, she remained kneeling on the ground motionless, silently enduring the attacks.
Seeing this, Furina knew it was time for her to act. Although Kabuto's attacks were basically like scraping against Tsunade, after receiving so many days of "sponsorship" from her, watching her get bullied nonstop did not feel right.
"Hm!"
Just as Kabuto continued his relentless attacks, a sudden sense of danger appeared in his mind. His perception was strong, and he trusted it completely. Without thinking, he immediately stepped back to dodge.
In the instant after he dodged, a high-pressure water jet struck the spot where he had been standing. At the same time, a blue figure appeared between the two, separating him from Tsunade.
Furina's attack did not stop there. A high-speed rotating blue drill instantly formed in her hand, and she charged straight at Kabuto without hesitation.
Facing Furina's attack, Kabuto could not help but frown. The sharp aura of the Hard Vortex Water Blade made him unwilling to meet it head-on, so he could only retreat again to Orochimaru's side and wait for an opportunity.
"Second Grandpa..."
After Furina forced Kabuto back, looking at Furina's back, Tsunade suddenly opened her mouth slightly. Her voice was as quiet as a mosquito, almost inaudible.
But Furina was an exception. She was not far away, and right now she was fully focused and vigilant. No movement around her escaped her ears, so hearing it was perfectly normal.
"Second Grandpa, Senju Tobirama? She's not talking about me, right?"
After realizing she seemed to have been super-aged a generation, even though she needed to stay vigilant against Orochimaru and Kabuto, she still could not help wanting to laugh. But thinking about it, it seemed there was nothing wrong with it.
White hair, blue clothes, and the ninjutsu she had just used was also one that Senju Tobirama specialized in. Even Kakashi had the Mangekyo Sharingan's "presbyopia." For Tsunade with normal eyes to mistake it was actually quite normal.
"No, she has to hold it in. Can't laugh."
Fortunately, although Jiraiya and the others were slower, they eventually arrived too. This could be considered saving Furina. Who knows how hard it was for her to have to keep a serious face while roaring with laughter inside. Anyway, it was pretty hard for her.