Inside the cavern Aoshi had prepared for the creation of his Rinne Six Paths Puppet, he completed his latest trial.
After using the Summoning Technique to bring back Puppet: Kakuzu, Aoshi felt a deep sense of satisfaction with the results. The only flaw he could see was the limitation—the range of control simply could not extend too far.
After all, the Six Paths Puppets were essentially human puppets. Their ability to move like ordinary shinobi relied entirely on Aoshi, the controller, continuously supplying chakra.
Unlike traditional puppet masters who required chakra threads, Aoshi could transmit chakra remotely thanks to the black receivers embedded in the body, allowing him to manipulate Kakuzu from a distance.
But even this technique had its limits.
Through repeated testing, he determined that within fifty kilometers, he could maintain precise control over Puppet. Beyond that distance, chakra transmission became unstable and intermittent, causing the puppet to frequently freeze up.
And once the range exceeded one hundred kilometers, control was lost entirely.
At first glance, that distance sounded impressive—but compared to the vast scale of the ninja world, it was still far too limited.
"I wonder… if I could set up relay stations, would that extend the range of Six Paths control?" The idea suddenly struck Aoshi.
The method reminded him of wireless networks from his previous life. If it worked, then by establishing enough relay points, Aoshi could sit comfortably at home and still command the puppets to traverse the entire ninja world.
He believed the concept wasn't impossible—just beyond his current ability to achieve.
Afterward, Aoshi directed Puppet: Kakuzu to hunt down a wandering shinobi skilled in Lightning Release. Killing him, he extracted his heart, restoring Kakuzu's five-heart system.
He also didn't forget to transfer Kakuzu's decades of accumulated wealth into his own accounts. The shinobi world did have banks, after all.
And someone like Kakuzu—who lived alone yet hoarded a fortune—would never realistically wander around carrying piles of cash.
In that sense, Kakuzu was a true working man. His earnings over the decades were enough for Aoshi to retire on the spot and live in luxury for the rest of his life.
Fortunately, in the shinobi world, no one would investigate how he suddenly acquired such an enormous fortune.
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"I want sake!" Faced with Tsunade's unreasonable demand, Aoshi immediately rejected her, expression firm.
"Absolutely not. Tsunade-sama, what you need right now is proper rest! Drinking only harms your body—and besides, you don't want what happened last time to repeat itself, do you?"
The moment those words left his mouth, Tsunade stiffened slightly, her cheeks tinged red.
She knew exactly what Aoshi was referring to, that drunken incident back in Kusagakure.
She had already pushed the memory aside, but Aoshi had to bring it up again. What a little brat!
Crossing her arms, she deliberately hardened her expression and shot him a fierce glare.
But what Tsunade didn't realize was that such a posture did nothing to intimidate him. On the contrary—it only emphasized her… assets.
The snow-white curves practically shone before his eyes, drawing his gaze against his will. Noticing Aoshi's unconscious glance, Tsunade's temper spiked instantly.
So you're not even going to pretend anymore, huh?
Almost without thinking, she blurted those words out. "Are you dissatisfied with something?"
But the moment the question left her lips, she regretted it. By asking that, wasn't she basically inviting Aoshi to speak his mind?
Aoshi heard her but remained silent. How was he supposed to respond to that? There was no way to answer. Silence was the only option.
Two soft coughs later, Tsunade broke the awkward air. "Fine, then I won't drink. I feel like gambling instead!"
It was, after all, her greatest passion. But ever since she began dissecting White Zetsu's corpse, she hadn't had the time. Now that there was finally an opportunity, her hands were itching.
"…Tsunade-sama, do you even have money?"
At Aoshi's question, Tsunade's face froze again.
During her days of reckless living, she had already burned through enormous amounts of cash, leaving behind mountains of debt.
Right now, she really couldn't take out a single coin.
"Lend me three million ryō. Once I win, I'll pay you back immediately."
Hearing that, Aoshi curled his lip. 'Tsunade-sama… do you actually believe those words yourself? Do you really have no clear grasp of your own luck?
Lending you money would be the same as throwing meat treats at a stray dog—it's never coming back.'
I don't make losing deals.
"I don't have money either."
Aoshi's blunt refusal left Tsunade deeply dissatisfied.
This brat might call her Tsunade-sama all the time, but in truth, he showed her no respect at all. Infuriated, she lunged forward and clamped her hands tightly around Aoshi's neck.
"Today I'm going to teach you a lesson, you arrogant little brat. You need to learn what it means to respect your elders!"
Strictly speaking, Tsunade wasn't truly Aoshi's teacher.
He had never formally apprenticed under her. By shinobi tradition, the one person qualified to be called Aoshi's teacher had already fallen in the Second Great Ninja War.
Still, Tsunade had taught him medical ninjutsu. If she insisted on claiming the role of teacher, it wasn't completely unjustified.
So, Aoshi didn't argue back. If anything, he found himself oddly entertained.
With Tsunade choking him, he couldn't help but notice the soft pressure against his face… along with a faint fragrance brushing his nose.
"I just became a Chunin. How could I possibly have thirty million to lend you?"
Hearing his reasoning, Tsunade released him with two embarrassed coughs. Perhaps she had asked for a bit too much.
Rubbing his neck after being freed, Aoshi looked at her twitching hands and made a suggestion.
"How about this, Tsunade-sama? I'll play with you, but we won't gamble money. Whoever loses gets a slip of paper stuck on their face."
Tsunade wanted to protest—it wouldn't be any fun without money. But in her current situation, compromise was all she could manage.
"Fine. But if you lose, don't start crying."
Seeing her brimming with confidence, Aoshi almost wanted to ask—where on earth did she get it from?
Since there were only two of them, they decided to play a dice game. After a few rounds, Aoshi quickly grew bored.
Playing against Tsunade, he could win with his eyes closed. Watching her face get plastered with slips of paper one after another, he felt no sense of accomplishment.
Tsunade, however, only grew more determined the more she lost. Even when Aoshi tried to call it quits, she clung to him, refusing to let him leave.
"Tsunade-sama, it's late. We should rest."
"Just one last round! I don't believe I can't win even once!"
"Please stop, Tsunade-sama. Outside it's alrea—"
"This really is the last one! If I lose again, I'll wager this necklace!"
As she spoke, Tsunade removed the necklace she always wore around her neck.
Aoshi's mouth twitched. Why curse me like this? What grudge do you hold against me?
His reaction wasn't exaggerated. That necklace was infamous for carrying a curse.
Even Naruto, the main protagonist of the original story, hadn't escaped its misfortune—he died once in the Fourth Great Ninja War while wearing it.
If it hadn't been for the Sage of Six Paths' divine intervention, he would never have returned.
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