Chapter 367 - 52

AI Model: gemini-3.0-flashChapter 52: The Legend of the God of GamblersThe next day, news spread that the rogue Ninjafrom Takigakure, Kakuzu, had reappeared after thirty years. For a small amount of money, he had brutally murdered over fifty people in a casino, including the owner.Upon hearing this news, Naruto was speechless with shock for a long time, finally managing to squeeze out two words: "How ruthless!"By now, Naruto and his group had been out for over a year. Calculating the time, there were still nearly six months left before Uchiha Itachi would carry out the Clan Massacre Plan, so the group prepared to return to the Village.Along the way, Naruto didn't get another chance to use Kotoamatsukami, but he was already quite satisfied with this trip. After all, he had gained the support of Gaara and Kakuzu; one couldn't be too greedy.The journey back was quite pleasant. Although Tsunade still lost money every time as usual, Naruto was no longer worried about it.Every time they reached a place to stay, the group would split into two: Tsunade and Shizune would go to lose money, while Naruto and Robin would go to "withdraw" money.Until one day, the two of them actually heard a story: it was said that there were two powerful Ninjas who frequented various casinos year-round, and their gambling skills were so superb that they had never been defeated.These two appeared in different locations every time and only played dice. Crucially, they always bet only on "Triple Twos." Fortunately, they would leave as soon as they won twenty thousand, never playing a single extra round.However, because these two always wore black robes and kept themselves tightly covered, no one had ever seen their true appearance.Unexpectedly, an unintentional act had actually made a name for Robin in the Ninja World; she had even earned the title "God of Gamblers: Triple Twos."Later, when the two of them went again, the dealers would simply hand over twenty thousand directly into their hands and respectfully see them off.But this behavior also gave many people an opportunity. They disguised themselves as Narutoand Robin, hoping to try their luck. Initially, the casino owners didn't care much and sent out large sums of money, but as more people did this, they were forced to take measures.Finally, they came up with a solution: regardless of whether the person was real or not, they would make them gamble first. If it was the real deal, they'd hand over the money and apologize profusely; otherwise... they'd be dragged out and beaten to death.In the end, Naruto felt a bit embarrassed. He felt like a bully forcing others to pay him protection money. Getting money so effortlessly made him feel a bit guilty.But for the sake of their livelihood, he persuaded himself to accept it with a thick skin. After all, Tsunade, that spendthrift woman, spent way too much. At this moment, he experienced the hardships and pressure of being the head of a household.Sigh, life is like a ruthless carving knife, changing our appearance. Defeated by reality, Naruto could only pocket this ill-gotten wealth against his conscience.Six months later, the five of them finally returned to the territory of the Land of Fire. But before they could find a place to stay, they found two old acquaintances waiting for them.Somehow, Orochimaru and Kakuzu had ended up together. Seeing Naruto's group, both of them appeared very excited.The first to speak was Kakuzu. As if afraid Narutowould run away, he directly used black threads to control his fists to grab him, then said impatiently: "Naruto, hurry up and have this little girl teach me her Ninjutsu! I also want to live a life where people constantly hand me money."His words left Naruto speechless. He thought there was some important matter for them to be waiting here specifically. So Naruto said helplessly: "You didn't look for me just for this, did you?"Kakuzu seemed surprised and asked in confusion: "Is... is that not enough?"Naruto sighed, rubbed his forehead, and said: "Then I might have to disappoint you. Robin's ability is equivalent to a very special Bloodline Limit. I'm afraid you won't be able to learn it."Hearing this, Kakuzu immediately felt as if his life had lost its purpose. The light in his eyes slowly faded, and he was hit hard. At this moment, he felt so out of place in this colorful world.Then, Orochimaru's voice reached his ears, reigniting his hope for life: "Oh? A very special Bloodline Limit? Could you give me some of her blood samples so I can study them and see if they can be replicated or transplanted?"Hearing this, Kakuzu immediately grabbed Orochimaru's shoulders with both hands and shook him incessantly, saying excitedly: "Really? Is what you're saying true?"Orochimaru's hairstyle was shaken into a mess. "Enough!" After a roar, he broke free from Kakuzuand said angrily: "Kakuzu, stay 100 meters away from me from now on. Otherwise, don't even think about learning Robin's technique in this lifetime."Hearing Orochimaru's words, Kakuzu immediately dashed to the side and waved his hands, shouting: "You guys chat first, I'll wait for you here!"Seeing that he had finally moved away, Narutobreathed a sigh of relief and said to Orochimaru: "Uncle Snake, you didn't come looking for me for these boring things too, did you?"Orochimaru shook his head repeatedly and said: "Of course not. I have a very important matter to report to you.First is the mission you gave me. Didn't you ask me to try and contact members of the Akatsuki Organization and bring them to you?Look, this person is named Kakuzu. He is very powerful. And because he practices a secret technique, he can even achieve immortality. It is said he even fought with the First Hokage.I went through a lot of trouble to trick him into coming here. Hurry up and use Kotoamatsukami on him!"As soon as Orochimaru spoke, Naruto knew he was completely full of hot air. In reality, he hadn't looked for Akatsuki members for him at all.This gave him a headache, and he wondered: "Could it be that Kotoamatsukami triggers a person's inner goofy attribute? Shouldn't they become emotionless machines that only execute missions after being hit by this move? Why is their level of freedom so high now?And why have the two people I subdued using Kotoamatsukami turned out like this? Where did their original cold, bloodthirsty, and ruthless personas go?"