Jiraiya and Orochimaru trailed behind Arima and Tsunade like a pair of nosy tails, keeping their distance.
They followed cautiously, then watched in shock as their teacher walked up to the entrance of a casino, holding Tsunade in his arms, and lifted the curtain to step inside that place... the one that was strictly off-limits to minors.
The two boys looked at each other, stunned.
They couldn't believe what they'd just seen.
Why would their normally strict and disciplined sensei go into a place often referred to as "a children's forbidden zone"... and with their classmate Tsunade, no less?.
Their curiosity was now ablaze. Fueled by the burning urge to uncover what was going on, they couldn't stop themselves from inching closer to that "forbidden ground."
By now, night had fully fallen, and the streets were nearly empty. The two boys stood hesitantly in front of the noren curtain, unsure whether to lift it and step inside.
They were already trembling from the cold. Even Orochimaru's face had turned a slight shade of blue.
As for Jiraiya, his nose was beet red, and long trails of snot dangled beneath it, swaying slightly in the cold wind.
Orochimaru glanced at him and immediately looked away, disgusted by the sight.
Jiraiya stomped his feet and blew warm air into his cupped hands, trying to heat up his frozen fingers.
But eventually, he couldn't take it anymore and turned to Orochimaru.
"Hey, Orochimaru, how about we just peek inside real quick?" he suggested.
Orochimaru was visibly shivering, his skin breaking out in goosebumps with every shudder, and his legs trembling from the cold.
He figured standing around doing nothing wasn't helping, so he nodded silently, gesturing for Jiraiya to lift the curtain.
Jiraiya hesitated for a moment, then glanced over at Orochimaru beside him. Somehow, having someone with him made him feel a bit braver.
He'd been worried about what might happen if sensei caught them snooping, but now the cold, the mystery, and the tension had overridden that fear.
Gritting his teeth, he reached out with a stiff hand and slowly pulled up the curtain.
At last, they stepped into the casino.
Their first impression?
It was like stepping into a different world.
The atmosphere inside was surprisingly warm and inviting. The hall was lavishly decorated with glowing lights and polished walls, creating a cozy yet vibrant ambiance.
The place was spacious enough that even though people were shouting excitedly at the betting tables, the noise wasn't overwhelming.
As soon as they entered and took a quick glance around, they spotted Arima and their classmate Tsunade.
The table they were at had already attracted quite a crowd, and more and more people were gathering.
Most of the onlookers were amused by the sight of a child placing bets with such confidence.
They watched as the girl in the boy's arms skillfully shook the dice. With the flair of a seasoned gambler, she called out.
"Last call for bets. Go big or go home. One push of the cart and you've got a camel."
The scene made quite a few people chuckle.
Arima simply let her play however she liked. It didn't matter how much she bet, as long as she was happy.
He couldn't help but be reminded of the times he'd gone to casinos with his grandfather…except back then, it had been Hashirama holding little Tsunade in his arms.
Just then, a loud "thunk" snapped Arima out of his thoughts.
He turned to see Tsunade slamming the dice cup down onto the table.
"I'm betting on high." she announced boldly. "What about you guys? High or low?"
Some of the gamblers, charmed by the adorable little girl, decided to join in and placed casual bets alongside her.
Tsunade pushed forward a bet of one thousand ryo on "high."
Soon, everyone had placed their bets. The stakes on "high" and "low" were fairly balanced this time.
Then came the reveal.
Tsunade, eyes shining with anticipation, slowly lifted one edge of the cup. The crowd leaned forward, necks craning with tension.
Suddenly, she flipped the entire cup over in one go, dramatically revealing the dice inside.
Everyone recoiled in sync, as if collectively spooked.
Arima couldn't help but smile at her playful antics.
He knew Tsunade was simply using this moment to remember her grandfather, just as he often did.
This whole dice-rolling act was more than a game, it was a quiet, mutual bond between the two of them.
All eyes turned to the die on the table.
It landed on one. The lowest possible roll.
Cheers erupted from the gamblers who had bet on "low."
Those who had followed Tsunade's bet muttered things like, "What bad luck," and "Unbelievable..."
Tsunade stared at the die she'd rolled with such effort and muttered in disappointment.
"That was a slip-up... total slip-up."
Hearing her try to console herself in that tone, so reminiscent of Hashirama, made Arima's heart ache with longing.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya and Orochimaru had watched the entire sequence unfold without missing a beat. They turned to each other, both wearing stunned expressions.
Neither had expected Tsunade to be such a polished gambler, despite her terrible luck.
And Arima didn't seem the least bit bothered by the situation. Even after losing money, he acted like it didn't matter at all.
Before the two boys could even fully process what they'd seen, the next round at the table had already begun. Tsunade was still the dealer.
And just like before, everything went down exactly the same, every motion, every call, every outcome. Another loss.
More and more people were drawn to the strange energy around their table.
Some gamblers began betting specifically against Tsunade's picks, noticing that every time she bet one way, the dice would fall the other.
It didn't take long before some of the shrewder players realized what was going on.
"That girl's like the goddess of bad luck," one whispered.
From that point on, people began using Tsunade like a guiding light.
Whatever she bet on, they bet the opposite. And it kept working. With each round, their confidence grew, and so did their wagers.
They raked in money by the handful.
It didn't take a genius to figure it out, once the pattern was obvious, everyone jumped in to ride the wave.
New gamblers entering the casino were initially clueless. They'd see the majority of bets piled on one side and assume the smart move was to go the other way.
A few of them, hoping to be clever, would bet against the crowd, thinking a lucky break would net them big.
But luck wasn't on their side tonight. After losing round after round, even the most stubborn gamblers gave up their schemes and followed the masses.
And once the newcomers caught on to the near-prophetic consistency of Tsunade's bad luck, they too joined in, and quickly profited.
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