Chapter 77: Chapter 77
If there was a chance to turn back time, the Silent Clone would never have lent money to Tsunade. But this was just like buying a lottery ticket and thinking, What if I win?
The clone had naively thought, What if she really wins? Perhaps this was the only character trait he had inherited from Zixu's original body—unfortunately, it was a flaw.
"Hey, hey, hey! Didn't you say you could win it back? How the hell did you lose your coat too?" The clone felt a headache coming on as he looked at Tsunade, now dressed in nothing but her loose white shirt. The green haori with the kanji for "gamble" on the back had completely vanished.
"Damn it, my luck is horrible! I really am the legendary fat sheep," Tsunade growled, clenching her fists so tightly they cracked. "Shizune, if I lose again, you'll have to mortgage Tonton!"
"Lady Tsunade, please don't! Tonton isn't food!" Shizune clutched the little pig in her arms, her expression wary. She couldn't just pawn off Tonton like that! Though it was technically a bet, Shizune feared that the poor pig might actually end up on someone's dinner table.
The clone was taken aback. Wait… is there really someone in this world who loses every single time they gamble? He had inherited his original body's bad luck, but even he found this hard to believe.
"I have a friend who's usually unlucky, but even he has moments of great fortune…" The clone patted his chest confidently. Meanwhile, far away in Konoha, Zixu suddenly sneezed.
"What's wrong? Do you have a cold? I have some medicine…" Karin asked, noticing Zixu shudder.
"Ah, it's nothing. Maybe someone's talking about me." Zixu waved her off. "You guys should rest. I'll arrange some things for you later. For now, focus on training and improving your strength."
Back at the casino, Tsunade's interest was piqued. Could it be…?
"Alright, let me try. It's just probability. How hard could it be?" The clone strode confidently into the casino, his excitement almost demanding a gambling king's theme music in the background.
A few minutes later, he stumbled out with a blank look.
"What the hell just happened? Why am I so unlucky? I bet on small ten times in a row… and it was big ten times in a row? This place must be rigged."
The casino dealers, who had originally planned to cheat, were just as baffled. They hadn't even had the chance to interfere! In fact, they had been about to rig the game so he could win, but somehow, he still managed to lose everything on his own.
Shizune and Tsunade had watched the entire thing unfold. Even Tsunade, who lost nine times out of ten, had never witnessed anything like this. For a moment, she looked at the clone with newfound friendliness. People naturally feel closer to those who are worse off than themselves—and in this case, that person was the clone.
"What? So you're an even bigger fat sheep than me?! Losing ten times in a row on such an easy bet—hahahaha!" Tsunade doubled over with laughter, holding her stomach. The two prominent curves on her chest bounced with every laugh, making the situation even more ridiculous.
"By the way, I never got your name. I'm Tsunade, and this is Shizune. That little food reserve she's holding is Tonton."
"Rosinante. My name is Rosinante," the clone muttered.
The two of them ignored the silent complaints from Shizune and instead bonded over their shared misfortune as gamblers.
"Anyway, weren't we going to eat?" Tsunade asked.
"…All the money's gone. How the hell are we supposed to eat?" Rosinante spread his hands helplessly. Not only had he failed the mission Zixu had given him, but he had also gotten himself lost and lost every last coin. This was an absolute disaster.
Still trying to gather information on Konoha? How the hell am I supposed to do that now? What kind of information? Can Tsunade help me get closer to Konoha? Does she even know anything valuable? Rosinante glanced at Tsunade, who was still laughing loudly, and shook his head.
Forget it. It's already surprising she hasn't sold herself for money. Expecting her to have intel on Konoha is just wishful thinking.
Tsunade, of course, had no idea what was going through Rosinante's mind. Instead, she strolled over to Shizune and whispered something. Shizune sighed in exasperation before pulling out some money from her pig-shaped wallet and handing it over.
"This is the meal money, Lady Tsunade… please don't use it for gambling."
Shizune pleaded with a headache, handing over the remaining meal money after Tsunade's repeated half-hearted assurances.
The moment the money touched her palm, Tsunade wrapped an arm around Rosinante's neck and dragged him along.
"Come on, Rosi… ah, forget it. That's too long. I'll just call you Ross! Let's go win back everything we lost!"
Rosinante felt like he was about to be squeezed into smoke by her grip.
What the hell is this woman's strength?!
It was nearly on par with the original body, if not stronger.
Hearing Tsunade suggest they go back to the casino, Rosinante immediately sobered up. He had learned his lesson—if he stayed poor enough, there was nothing left to lose.
"No, no, no! That's not a good idea... We—"
Before he could finish, Tsunade burst into laughter.
"Hahaha, I was just joking. Relax, let's go eat. Consider this meal my repayment. Hmm… I still owe you nine more meals. We'll talk about those later."
She was playing it safe, knowing full well she wouldn't pay back tenfold.
Rosinante never intended to collect those meals anyway. Just having something to eat now was enough for him.
"Ross, are you here for a break? What's your original destination?"
During the meal, Tsunade ordered a cup of Sake, sipping slowly with a rare sense of contentment.
"I'm just a wanderer… traveling the world, meeting people from different places. If I get the chance, I'd like to visit Konohagakure—after all, it's the strongest Hidden Village."
Rosinante could lie without even blinking. In reality, if given the choice, he'd rather spend his days napping in the sun than going on any journey. Traveling was more of a punishment than an adventure.
"Konoha…"
Tsunade's hand paused mid-air. The name stirred up memories buried deep within her heart—some good, some painful.
"You know something, don't you?" Rosinante caught the subtle shift in her expression.
Tsunade didn't answer. Instead, she quietly drank her sake, her golden eyes staring into the distance.
Suddenly—
"Someone, help! Please, someone help!"
A frantic voice echoed from outside the restaurant, interrupting their thoughts.
A man dressed in black ran through the street, carrying an unconscious child in his arms, desperately calling for help.
In the next instant, Rosinante felt a gust of wind brush past him. Tsunade was already standing next to the man, snatching the child from his arms without a word.
Rosinante followed closely behind to see what she would do.
"You… you're that legendary fat sheep!"
The man in black immediately recognized both Tsunade and Rosinante.
Tsunade ignored the insult. She laid the child on the ground, her amber eyes scanning him carefully before wrapping her hands in Chakra. A soft green light flickered between her palms as she pressed them against the boy's chest.
The man in black was still stunned by her brute strength but quickly regained his senses.
"What are you doing? Let him go! If anything happens to him, you won't even be able to pay the interest on your debts—"
"Shut up."
Tsunade's voice was calm, but the pressure of her chakra swept out, silencing the man on the spot.
The man froze for a second before grinning smugly.
"Oh, so you're trying to win favor with me by treating him? Fine! If you save him, I'll waive the interest on your loan. How about that? What a great deal!"
Rosinante's eye twitched.
Even the thickest-skinned person would struggle to reach this man's level of shamelessness.
"Ross…"
Tsunade's voice was soft but carried authority.
"Chase him away."
Without a word, Rosinante walked up to the man, snapped his fingers, and muttered lazily—
"You're too noisy. Be quiet for a while."
The man's body instantly stiffened. Though he remained conscious, his limbs became paralyzed—locked in a state of Sleep Paralysis.
He was still aware of everything happening around him, but his body refused to respond.
Rosinante grabbed him by the collar and dragged him off to the side like a sack of potatoes.
"Hmm…"
Watching Tsunade perform Iryō Ninjutsu (Medical Ninjutsu), a thought flickered in Rosinante's mind.
Karin leans toward medical skills too… if she could learn from Tsunade, that would be a huge win.
Even for someone as lazy as him, this trip might not have been in vain.
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