Marvel: Devour to Evolve From Naruto

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The Black Heaven Squad No. 16, 18, and 22 possessed a bloodline no weaker than Uchiha Madara's.

Having a Mangekyō Sharingan? Totally normal.

But just like the Eight Gates, raw power alone wasn't enough.

His Mangekyō Sharingan was more for show than actual use in battle.

And because it was purely a result of bloodline stacking, it lacked unique abilities like Amaterasu or Tsukuyomi.

Even so, his mental strength far exceeded that of an average Uchiha Jōnin.

"I'm improving too fast. Gotta take some time to adjust."

"Especially with all these different jutsu."

Now that he had reached Jōnin level, he could open the Fifth Gate of the Eight Gates without harming his body.

Of course, that was under ideal conditions.

If Ron really pushed himself, he could forcefully open the Death Gate too.

But if he did that, he'd end up just like Might Duy—dead on the spot, without even a chance to be saved.

Opening the Sixth Gate would leave him severely weakened for a while.

If he forced open the Seventh Gate, he'd probably be bedridden for half a month.

Only the Fifth Gate was sustainable. Using it would just leave him temporarily exhausted, but he'd recover quickly.

Even without his Iron Man armor, he now had enough strength to protect himself in the ninja world.

Feeling confident, he decided to deactivate the armor and let the AI system control it remotely, hovering above him.

Following his memory, he arrived at the infamous Tanzaku Town.

The moment he stepped foot into the lively streets, he couldn't help but marvel.

Tanzaku Town truly lived up to its reputation.

While the rest of the world was under a heavy cloud of war, this place remained as bustling as ever.

People crowded the streets, voices filled the air.

Ron was just about to find a hotel and treat himself to some good food.

He'd been living off wild game for days and was getting sick of it.

Suddenly—

"Hurry up! The big sucker is here again!"

"What? Where?"

"In that casino up ahead!"

"Why didn't you say so earlier?! Move it, move it! If we're late, we'll miss out!"

A group of gamblers rushed past him in a frenzy.

Hearing their conversation, Ron instinctively raised an eyebrow.

Big sucker?

Could it be... Tsunade?

Intrigued, he followed the crowd toward the casino.

The moment he reached the entrance, he was greeted by a raucous voice from inside.

"If you're not betting, get the hell out of my way!"

"Hic~~!"

The owner of the voice let out a drunken hiccup right after yelling.

Ron stood taller than most in the crowd, so he had a clear view over their heads.

There she was, draped in her signature green cloak, lazily slumped in a chair.

One hand gripping a sake bottle, she poured drink after drink down her throat while tossing bets onto the table.

Beside her stood a beautiful young woman.

Her expression was one of pure misery, looking like she wanted to say something but didn't dare.

She hesitated, wringing her hands, watching helplessly as Tsunade shoved all her money onto the table in an all-or-nothing gamble.

As expected, she lost it all.

"Shizune, give me more money!"

"L-Lady Tsunade… we're broke…"

"Broke? Didn't we bring five million?"

"We did… but you just lost all of it."

Shizune's voice trembled, on the verge of tears.

Waaah! We're broke again… We're gonna have to sleep on the streets…

At this point, Shizune hadn't been traveling with Tsunade for too long.

She wasn't as mature as she would be later.

She hadn't yet learned to secretly stash money away.

Later, she wised up and started hiding cash, making sure they at least had food.

Eventually, she even got herself a pig—one she could use to 'exchange' for money. Totally not a scam.

"How did we lose it all so fast…?"

Tsunade grumbled in frustration and waved her hand dismissively.

"Forget it! We're done here. Let's go, Shizune!"

Shizune, utterly defeated, silently followed Tsunade out of the casino.

As they passed by Ron, Shizune glanced at him—

So handsome…

At that moment, Ron looked at her too.

Their eyes met.

Shizune's face instantly turned bright red. She clutched the sleeves of her robe, flustered and unsure what to do.

Time seemed to freeze.

Then—

"Shizune, what are you doing—hey, kid, are you trying to hit on our Shizune?"

Noticing something off, Tsunade turned around and immediately caught sight of their staring contest.

Shizune's face grew even redder.

"L-Lady Tsunade…"

Tsunade suddenly burst into laughter.

Throwing an arm around Shizune's shoulder, she grinned.

"What's with the shy act? This kid looks decent. Pretty boy, well-dressed… he might actually be good enough for you."

Ron: "..."

Pretty boy? Was that supposed to be a compliment?

Tsunade then leaned in close to Shizune and whispered into her ear.

"Shizune, we're completely out of money."

"Tonight's dinner and hotel stay depend on you."

"Look at this guy—he's clearly loaded."

"And the way he was looking at you? Totally pervy."

Ron suddenly spoke in a calm tone.

"You do realize I can hear you, right?"

"And yeah, I've got money. What, are you trying to sell Miss Shizune to me?"

He paused, then smirked.

"Of course, if the legendary Tsunade herself is up for sale, I'd be willing to pay even more."

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