"Brother, are we violating the ninja code by doing this?" Taro asked with a gulp, his voice trembling under the bright lights of the town's main street.
But his hands were honest—clutching the cash box tightly, refusing to let go. His eyes darted around, alert as if any passerby might suddenly lunge to snatch their money.
"That shouldn't be the case. The village only forbids ninjas from using ninjutsu to rob others—but we didn't break that rule! Besides, they made the first move." Jiro responded excitedly, his face flushed.
This was three hundred thousand! Not three thousand, not thirty thousand, but a full three hundred thousand Ryo. They might never see that much money again in their lifetimes.
Hearing that, Ishikawa nodded silently in agreement. The real ninja world did have its rules—especially when it came to money.
To maintain the stability of the ninja village system and ensure sustainable development, the ninja world shared a general consensus: whether active or rogue ninja, no one was allowed to use force to seize wealth.
Income could only come through missions or legitimate means—like Jiraiya's smut novels or the Nara clan's pharmaceutical business.
After all, ninjas didn't produce goods. If they relied solely on force to plunder, the world would collapse into chaos. Industries would crumble, and progress would regress.
When the nest is overturned, how can the eggs survive?
In such disarray, as resources dwindled, ninjas would only fall into more brutal infighting—a vicious cycle that would leave each generation weaker than the last until they faded away.
That's why even traitors with half a brain wouldn't do something as stupid as killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.
Official ninjas were also bound by village rules. If you didn't want to be jailed or labeled a missing-nin, you'd better follow them.
That was precisely why Ishikawa didn't kill anyone or demand more money. Instead, he had revealed his Konoha forehead protector to pressure the casino boss.
Three hundred thousand ryo was definitely pushing it—but considering it came from Tsunade's losses, and he had a solid reason, it was still within bounds. Any further greed could've led to disciplinary action from the village—or worse, a bounty from the casino's backers.
Ishikawa didn't believe that killing a casino owner would solve his problems. He didn't want to spend his life looking over his shoulder, constantly hunted by underground bounty circles—especially when he only had Genin-level strength.
"Damn it, why didn't I trust my brother back then?" Jiro suddenly slapped himself in the face, his shout jolting Ishikawa from his thoughts.
If he'd gone all-in earlier, he could've made tens of thousands! If Ishikawa made thirty thousand, his own capital would've brought him similar gains.
Taro, who had been clinging to the cash box, suddenly froze in realization. These three hundred thousand taels were amazing—but they had almost nothing to do with him...
Looking at the box, he felt like he'd just lost both his parents. Why hadn't he followed his brother's lead? He silently cursed his own so-called cleverness.
"Well, don't be too down, you two," Ishikawa said, sighing as he looked at their devastated faces. "We're brothers—we share the good times and the bad. I won thirty thousand Ryo earlier. Let's split that evenly: ten thousand each. As for the rest? That's compensation from the casino for my emotional trauma. You don't have a problem with that, right?"
Though it stung a little, Ishikawa knew this was the right move. A big brother had to bleed a little to win hearts. If he couldn't even bring benefits to his younger brothers, what right did he have to ask for their loyalty?
Just relying on seniority? That would be idiotic.
"Really? Thanks, brother!"
"No problem, no problem! You deserve it, big bro!"
In an instant, the two younger brothers who had looked so dejected now shouted with joy, their eyes glowing with admiration—like men ready to die for their friend.
Ten thousand Ryo! Something they never dared dream of before—and now it had fallen into their laps. Why would they complain?
Although the eldest brother got more, as he said, it was what he deserved.
"Alright, let's go back and regroup with Teacher." After glancing at the cash box, Ishikawa reluctantly gave up the idea of continuing to chase after Tsunade.
Carrying so much money around was inconvenient and unsafe—it was better to hand it over to Kakashi for safekeeping. Besides, they had a mission tonight, and time was running out!
"Yes, big brother." The two younger brothers naturally followed his orders and trailed behind Ishikawa through the alleys and streets, their spirits high as they returned to the mayor's mansion.
---
Meanwhile, on another street—
"Lady Tsunade, where did you find the gold mine? How come I didn't know about it?" Shizune asked excitedly, holding the little piglet Tonton as she followed behind Tsunade.
If they really discovered a gold mine, they could easily wipe out their previous debts and make a fortune without needing to run and hide…
"Gold mine? When did I say anything about a gold mine? I only said I found a small gold nugget in the mountain, and they insisted on lending me money," Tsunade replied lazily, gesturing the size of the nugget with her hand—it was only as big as a stone.
"What? There's no gold mine?!" In an instant, Shizune was stunned.
Thinking back to how Tsunade had disguised herself as a child and tricked those three debt collectors with solemn promises—convincing them to increase the loan and give her millions in funding—her face went pale.
"Fraud! That's a fraud! Lady Tsunade, you're really…" Shizune couldn't help but cry out miserably at the thought of being saddled with millions in debt again.
Her sudden scream echoed through the street, immediately drawing the attention of passersby.
"What was that?" Just after rounding a corner, Ishikawa stopped in his tracks and turned toward the source of the sound.
Under the streetlights, he vaguely saw Tsunade and Shizune entering an Izakaya—clearly planning to drink the night away.
'Perfect. If they're staying to drink tonight, that means they'll still be in town tomorrow. This is an opportunity I can't afford to miss.' Overjoyed, Ishikawa said nothing and continued walking toward the mayor's mansion with his two younger brothers.
At another corner near Ishikawa's position, a jonin wearing a Kumogakure forehead protector also turned his head in surprise. "Tsunade? Could that be the Legendary Tsunade?"
However, reminded of his mission, the Cloud Ninja Jonin quickly shook off the thought and continued to the rendezvous point to meet with the Raikage.
---
Mayor's Mansion.
"I sent you to gather intelligence, and you come back after robbing someone?" Kakashi was stunned as he stared at the box of money in front of him.
Three hundred thousand Ryo meant little to him, but for Genin like Ishikawa, it was an absurd amount. Just what exactly had these three done?
"Teacher, don't joke around. How could we break the ninja code and rob someone? We won it. Please hold onto it for us," Ishikawa rolled his eyes at Kakashi, pretending to look offended. As if he'd ever do something as crude as robbery.
Well… extortion under pressure might be a different matter.
"Won it? Did you go gambling? And made three hundred thousand Ryo?" Kakashi frowned at Ishikawa, clearly unconvinced, his eyes silently saying, Do you take me for a fool?
"Teacher Kakashi, big brother didn't lie! We met a woman at the casino—everyone called her the 'Legendary Sucker'..." The two younger brothers quickly chimed in, afraid that Kakashi would misunderstand.
"Casino? Legendary Sucker? Woman? Wait, don't tell me…!!" Kakashi's expression froze as he processed the keywords. For a moment, he looked genuinely stunned.
There was no doubt about it—it had to be that person...