Inside the dimly lit private room, the game had officially begun.
Yet, for Mizuki Ryosuke, the true purpose of this gambling session wasn't about winning or losing. It was about extracting intelligence—uncovering the identities and intentions of the individuals seated across from him. Still, if victory came as a byproduct, he wouldn't reject it.
Every participant, except for the seemingly naïve, overweight young man, was watching their opponents closely, searching for any tells, patterns, or signs of deception.
The gaming table itself was specially designed—any attempt to channel Chakra into it would trigger a reaction, exposing cheaters instantly. This anti-cheating mechanism was a common feature in high-stakes gambling dens throughout the ninja world, where shinobi frequently tried to manipulate luck with their abilities.
Of course, disabling Chakra-based interference didn't eliminate all forms of cheating. For ninjas skilled in subterfuge, sleight of hand, psychological manipulation, and observation were far more dangerous weapons than a jutsu.
As the first round commenced, Ryosuke anticipated an intense battle of wits. He expected to witness masterful deception, sharp instincts, and calculated risk-taking—a showdown of gambling experts akin to a legendary duel.
However, just ten minutes in, the corners of his mouth twitched in disbelief.
This was not what he had expected.
It wasn't that Ryosuke himself was losing badly—in fact, quite the opposite—but the sheer incompetence of his opponents baffled him.
The thin middle-aged man, who had initially proposed the game, had already lost half his money through repeated discards and cautious folds. Yet, judging by his determined gaze, he still believed that his "real skills" would eventually turn things around.
Then there was the obese young man—an absolute disaster.
He didn't just lack gambling skills; he didn't even seem to understand the basic rules of the game.
Whenever he was dealt a strong hand, he hesitated as if unsure whether to keep it. Conversely, whenever he had weak cards, he stubbornly raised his bets, completely unaware of his poor odds.
The confirmation of his incompetence came when Ryosuke glanced at his discarded cards—three pristine Aces staring back at him.
…This guy actually threw away three Aces?
The fat youth, after every round, would frown in confusion, muttering about how his "big cards" always lost, yet he blindly continued throwing money onto the table.
Even so, the most outrageous player wasn't him.
When Ryosuke turned his gaze to the blonde woman seated opposite him, he finally understood what true despair looked like.
Sure enough, in this round, both the thin man and the fat young man had folded.
"Hurry up!!" the blonde woman exclaimed, her voice carrying an unmistakable excitement, as if she had just won the jackpot in a casino.
"Hurry up!" she urged again. "I won this time!"
In her excitement, she completely forgot to disguise her voice, revealing a natural, clear, lark-like tone—one that sounded eerily familiar to Ryosuke.
She eagerly flipped over her hand, revealing her cards:
3, 5, 8.
…A completely unconnected set of numbers!
Ryosuke stared blankly at her cards, utterly speechless.
The woman genuinely believed she had won—despite holding one of the weakest hands possible.
Heaving a deep sigh, Ryosuke reluctantly revealed his own cards: K, J, 8.
Compared to her abysmal hand, his was superior. Naturally, he won the round.
Beside him, Hoshigaki Kisame, who had been silently observing the chaos, smirked as he flipped over his own cards—K, J, 7—realizing that he had barely lost to Ryosuke.
Of course, none of this was a coincidence.
Playing cards with the boss and winning? That's a joke.
Kisame discreetly slipped an Ace into his sleeve, feeding it to a baby shark he had secretly Summoned beneath the table. At the same time, with a slight flick of his fingers, he exchanged one of the deck's cards with a 2, ensuring that Ryosuke's next opponent would be holding a losing hand yet again.
"Next round, I'll make sure she loses properly," Kisame thought to himself, a sinister grin playing at the corners of his lips.
Meanwhile, the blonde woman—completely unfazed by her crushing defeat—immediately retrieved another stack of golden tickets from her cloak and slapped them onto the table.
"Hurry up! Come on, let's go again!!"
Her reckless confidence showed zero hesitation, as if she had already forgotten how terribly she had been losing.
Despite the overwhelming defeats, her spirit remained unbroken—on the contrary, she became even more aggressive, seemingly determined to win back her losses.
Twenty minutes later…
Ryosuke glanced at the massive pile of golden tickets in front of him and sighed.
At this point, there was no reason to continue—the game had become completely one-sided.
More importantly, he had already extracted all the intelligence he needed from his opponents.
• The thin man was likely a Sand Shinobi from the Land of Wind—his overly tanned arms suggested he had spent significant time under intense desert sunlight.
• The obese young man likely came from the Land of Earth—his straightforward demeanor and lack of gambling knowledge aligned with the conservative culture of Iwagakure, where gambling was looked down upon.
• And then, there was the blonde woman…
She was the real jackpot of the evening.
Although he hadn't been certain at first, the more he observed her—her gambling addiction, her incomprehensibly bad luck, her Yang Release proficiency, and her reaction to the Land of Fire's currency—the more his suspicions solidified.
There was a 70% chance that this woman was none other than Tsunade Senju—the granddaughter of the First Hokage, the student of Hiruzen Sarutobi, and one of Konoha's legendary Sannin.
To confirm his theory, Ryosuke decided to conduct one final test.
"It's getting a little boring gambling with you all," Ryosuke said suddenly, his tone casual but deliberate.
"I suggest we end it here."
His words immediately triggered varied reactions.
The obese young man exhaled in relief, clearly glad the torment was over.
The thin man's face darkened, clearly frustrated at his inability to turn the tables.
But the blonde woman's reaction was the most extreme.
She abruptly stood up, slammed her hands on the table, and leaned forward, locking her piercing blue eyes onto Ryosuke's.
Her message was clear—
"You're not leaving until I win back my money!"
Ryosuke's mouth twitched slightly.
Good grief…
"Big sister, do you have any idea how bad you are at this?"
"You really don't want to leave until you've lost every last coin, huh?"
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