This was the first time in Tsunade's wandering life that she had suffered such a huge loss.
Since she had already lost, she naturally planned to recover something in other ways.
Even if the benefits could not compare to what she had lost, gaining even a little advantage was still worth it.
After the three people and one pig finished breakfast, Arata brought up his request:
"Sister Tsunade, I've already learned almost all of the medical ninjutsu you left in Konoha. However, for many of them, I only know how to perform them, not why they work.
Because of that, the effects are often unsatisfactory. I hope you can spare some time to guide me."
Tsunade stuffed the last piece of fried egg into her mouth and looked at him in surprise.
She hadn't expected Arata to actually be interested in medical ninjutsu.
Although the Sharingan made it easy for Uchiha members to learn techniques, interest was a completely different matter.
Medical ninjutsu, in particular, was regarded as useless by most combat-oriented ninjas.
After all, learning medical ninjutsu required mastery of complex foundational subjects .... anatomy, cell biology, herbal studies, chakra meridian theory, and the intricate reactions of the human body. It was far more complicated than ordinary ninjutsu.
However, Tsunade had always welcomed those willing to learn medical ninjutsu.
After all, she was the pioneer and founder of this entire discipline.
So after her initial surprise, she readily agreed.
"No problem. Prepare your questions and organize your thoughts. Tonight, I'll give you two hours of guidance. If that's not enough, we'll continue tomorrow night."
As for why she didn't teach him during the day?
Naturally, because she wanted to gamble happily.
She refused to let such a small matter delay her pursuit of joy.
Moreover, Tsunade had a strong premonition that once Arata fully took charge, her carefree gambling days would soon be over.
Since Arata had already achieved his objective, and Tsunade's matters required time, he suddenly found himself with nothing to do.
So after breakfast, he followed Tsunade and Shizune out of curiosity, wanting to see what a casino was really like.
Although he had lived in this world for a long time, he had never actually stepped into one.
Thus, Arata temporarily became a follower, trailing behind Tsunade just like Shizune.
That day, Arata followed Tsunade through casino after casino.
Though he had no interest in gambling, he found himself fascinated by the people.
Here, everyone removed their disguises. Their emotions surged with every roll of the dice .... joy, despair, madness, collapse, ecstasy.
It was a vivid display of humanity.
What surprised Arata most was Tsunade.
Despite losing heavily every single round, she displayed almost no negative emotion.
It seemed she didn't gamble to win.
She gambled simply for the thrill itself.
Winning was a bonus. Losing didn't matter.
As long as she could keep playing, she was satisfied.
Arata curled his lips slightly.
It seemed she truly had money .... and didn't care about losing it.
Otherwise, she must have long since given up.
He silently decided:
When he had children in the future, he must discipline them well and never allow them to inherit such disastrous habits.
The Senju clan's vast fortune had probably been eaten away by her already.
Though the Uchiha clan was wealthy as well, such habits absolutely could not be allowed.
Thus, Arata spent an entire day wandering casinos with Tsunade, witnessing all kinds of gambling scenes.
And as always, Tsunade maintained her legendary losing streak.
No matter the size of the bet, as long as she gambled, she lost.
To lose this consistently was a kind of talent in itself — a metaphysical phenomenon beyond probability.
As the sun set, Tsunade finally had her fill.
After collecting more than a dozen IOUs, she walked out of the final casino and headed back toward the inn.
Arata felt mentally exhausted after following her all day.
Even continuous combat wouldn't have tired him this much.
His body was fine — but his mind was drained.
At that moment, Arata suddenly felt deep sympathy for Shizune.
He had followed Tsunade for only one day and already felt drained .... yet Shizune had done this every single day for years.
No wonder the girl looked perpetually exhausted.
Thinking of this, Arata turned to Shizune and gave her an encouraging thumbs-up.
Although he said nothing, Shizune somehow understood.
She smiled faintly and returned the gesture.