"Ah—! I'm finally back to life!"
Jiraiya stood with his hands on his hips, looking up at the clear northern sky with a broad, hearty smile.
"The sun in the Land of Fire knows how to behave. In a hellhole like the Rain Village, you'd start growing mold if you stayed too long."
"Mold where? In that brain of yours or those manuscripts?"
A lazy voice drifted down from above his forehead protector.
Gamakon lay sprawled on top of Jiraiya's head, comfortably soaking up the sun, his purple skin shimmering with an eerie luster. "I say, Old Perv, you're heading the wrong way, aren't you? To get back to Konoha, we should be going southeast. Which way are you going for your 'research' exactly?"
Jiraiya's wooden clogs came to a momentary halt before he resumed his pace as if nothing had happened, though his eyes were shifting. "Ahem, well... we just finished such a dangerous mission, and my nerves are a bit frayed. As a great writer, proper relaxation is essential for better creation. I heard a new place opened in Tanzaku Quarters..."
"Cut the crap."
Gamakon interrupted him mercilessly, his toad eyes filled with a playful mockery that saw through everything. "Tanzaku Quarters, right? The famous gambling mecca, a slaughterhouse for suckers. Are you sure you're going to relax and not just throw your money away? Or... are you looking for a certain 'Legendary Sucker'?"
Jiraiya's face turned red visibly, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. He instantly bristled. "N-nonsense! Do I look like the kind of man who's driven by sentiment? I... I'm just going for a few drinks! And to research the local customs!"
"Local customs? I think you're more interested in researching how 'grand' the 'peaks' are over there, aren't you?"
Gamakon rolled his eyes, his tone echoing with a knowing dryness. "Stop pretending, old man. You just want to see Tsunade."
'It's just unrequited love, anyway. Why is that so hard to admit?'
"Shut up! You damn toad!"
Enraged by the embarrassment, Jiraiya reached up to grab Gamakon. "Who's unrequited! We have a pure bond as comrades! Comrades, do you understand!"
"Comrades? What kind? The kind where you use your face to block her fists?" Gamakon nimbly hopped away, dodging Jiraiya's large hand, and landed on his shoulder to continue his assault. "Besides, back in the Rain Village, you used me as a prop for your acting—kneeling and playing the fool. I haven't settled that score with you yet. Exposing your little crush now is just me collecting some interest."
Jiraiya's hand froze in mid-air. Recalling his subservient performance in front of Nagato, which had indeed tarnished the prestige of the Sannin, his momentum instantly weakened by several notches.
"Fine, fine, I give up."
Jiraiya sighed, his playful grin gradually fading, replaced by a rare look of deep contemplation.
He stopped walking and pulled out the intelligence scroll he had gathered in the Rain Village, his gaze drifting toward the direction of Tanzaku Quarters.
"While Minato has temporarily secured the position of Hokage, the mess Danzo left behind hasn't been fully cleaned up, and with the uncertainty surrounding the Akatsuki... the shinobi world looks calm, but there are dark undercurrents beneath the surface."
Jiraiya's voice dropped, carrying a hint of nearly imperceptible weariness. "After Orochimaru failed the race for Hokage, he threw himself into his research, and Nagato and the others became... like that. Of the original Sannin, only she and I can still talk to each other."
Gamakon looked at Jiraiya's somewhat lonely profile and didn't mock him further.
He knew that although Jiraiya usually seemed carefree, he was actually an extremely sentimental person.
The encounter in the Rain Village and Nagato's transformation were undoubtedly a massive blow to him.
"According to the intel from Gamachu, Tsunade has been active around Tanzaku Quarters lately."
Jiraiya resumed his pace, but this time, he was noticeably faster. Once his true motive was exposed, he seemed almost impatient. "That woman... every time she's in a bad mood or something big is about to happen, she gambles like a fanatic. I hope this time... she just has an itchy palm."
...
Tanzaku Quarters was the Land of Fire's most renowned playground for burning through gold.
There was none of the cold tension of a shinobi village or the solemn dignity of the Daimyo here; there was only endless desire and clamor.
The streets were lined with colorful lanterns, and even during the day, one could hear the crisp sound of dice rattling in bowls and the hysterical screams of gamblers.
The air was thick with the scent of cheap powder, alcohol, and grilled meat—the atmosphere of decadence and indulgence.
"Big! Big! Big! Open Big!"
"Damn it! Small again! My money!"
Inside a luxury gambling hall at the center of the street, the air was thick with smoke and noise.
At the innermost gambling table, a crowd of spectators had gathered.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on the blonde woman sitting across from the dealer.
She was a stunningly beautiful woman.
Her long blonde hair was tied loosely behind her, and she had a purple diamond mark on her forehead. She wore a green robe with the word 'Gamble' on the back over a grey mesh lining that perfectly traced her impressive figure.
She sat with her legs crossed, idly playing with a few chips, but her eyes were somewhat vacant, as if she were completely indifferent to the feverish atmosphere around her.
"Tsunade-sama..."
Standing behind her, Shizune held a small pink pig, her face full of worry as she whispered, "We've lost thirty times in a row... This is the last of our travel money. If we lose again, we'll be sleeping on the streets tonight."
"Tonton!" The little pig in her arms oinked twice, seemingly agreeing with its owner.
"Shut up, Shizune."
Tsunade waved her hand impatiently and slammed her last pile of chips onto the table. "This time, everything on Big! I don't believe in this nonsense—there's no way my luck can stay this bad all day!"
The dealer, a bald man with a face full of scars, saw this and his mouth almost twisted into a grin.
This famous "Legendary Sucker" had been giving them money all morning; she was practically a god of wealth descending to their shop.
"Alright! No more bets!"
The dealer shouted excitedly, shaking the dice cup until it was a blur before slamming it onto the table with a loud bang. "Open—"
Just as the cup was about to be lifted.
Tsunade's slightly dazed eyes suddenly sharpened, and her hand pressed against the table went stiff.
A familiar chakra had abruptly entered her range of perception.
Although the person was intentionally suppressing their aura, in the eyes of a fellow Sannin, that unique signature was as obvious as a searchlight in the dead of night.
"That idiot..."
Tsunade cursed under her breath. The tension from the gambling instantly dissolved, replaced by a complex mix of annoyance and... relief?
The dealer lifted the cup.
"Four, five, six—Big! The player wins!"
The crowd immediately erupted into gasps.
"She won?! The Legendary Sucker actually won?!"
"My god, is the world coming to an end?"
Shizune's eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at the massive pile of chips the dealer pushed over. She was so moved she nearly cried. "Tsunade-sama! We won! We finally won! Now we can not only pay off the debt but also stay in the best hotel!"
However, Tsunade didn't show the slightest hint of joy.
She stared at the pile of chips, her frown deepening instead.
"Tch, what a bad omen."
Tsunade snorted coldly and stood up abruptly, her chair screeching harshly against the floor. "I'm done."
"Eh?"
The smile on Shizune's face froze, and Tonton nearly slipped from her arms. "D-done? But Tsunade-sama, our luck just started to turn! This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance..."
"I said I'm done, and I'm done."
Tsunade pushed the chips away without a second glance at the money and turned to walk out, her green robe fluttering behind her. "The air in here is too stale. It's disgusting."
"Eh? Wait! Tsunade-sama!"
Shizune looked at the pile of chips—enough to last an ordinary person a lifetime—and then at Tsunade who was already nearing the door. Her heart bled.
She gritted her teeth and could only mournfully abandon the money, clutching Tonton as she chased after her in a panic. "Tsunade-sama, wait for me! Where are you going?"
Inside the gambling hall, the crowd looked at each other, then at the unclaimed fortune on the table. The place instantly descended into chaos as they scrambled to snatch it up