"Big! Big! Big!"
"Small! Small! Small!"
"I won! I won!"
"Give me a chance! I'll definitely make a comeback!"
"..."
A cacophony of voices poured out from the Heiya gambling house—cheering, laughter, shouting, table-thumping, and wild cackling. All these sounds converged in Aozora's ears, forming a vivid scene within his mind.
He stood outside the gambling den, lit a cigar, slipped on his sunglasses, then stepped inside.
Though he'd come just to investigate, Aozora was ready in case things turned violent. Wearing sunglasses could hide his Sharingan during battle if needed.
As he took just two steps forward, a guard at the entrance lifted the door curtain and bowed respectfully, saying, "Please, sir, come inside!"
Once through the curtain, Aozora was immediately hit by a wave of heat.
The space inside was quite large. The entire first floor had been divided into various sections. While the setup couldn't match the grand scenes Aozora had seen in movies, the atmosphere was every bit as lively and frenzied.
Before Aozora could even glance around, a short, slightly comical-looking middle-aged man hurried over and flattered with a grin, "Welcome, sir, to Heiya Gambling House! May you conquer all and defeat everything, earning great fortune before the new year begins!"
Though not a glamorous attendant, the man's pleasant appearance and smooth speech clearly contributed to the gambling house's prosperity.
After delivering his greeting, he asked, "Is this your first time visiting Heiya Gambling House, sir? Would you prefer to explore on your own, or may I have the honor of accompanying you?"
Aozora took a puff of his cigar, held it between his fingers, then pulled out a wad of cash and tossed it to the attendant without counting.
"Change it all into chips. I'll play by myself."
Delighted, the attendant accepted the money, counted it openly, then went to the counter to exchange it for chips.
Aozora continued smoking his cigar while watching the attendant leave. It seemed the casino was actually running things rather legitimately. Of course, he wouldn't jump to conclusions yet—perhaps this amount wasn't worth risking their reputation over.
Soon enough, the attendant returned carrying a small box. Opening it, he revealed neatly arranged stacks of chips, colorfully grouped into five piles: black, red, yellow, green, and blue.
Aozora picked up a few chips and examined them. Each was beautifully crafted and marked clearly with their value—ranging from $1 to $10,000. Very thoughtful indeed.
"Hope you have a great run, sir."
With that, the attendant respectfully stepped back.
Aozora glanced around and casually chose a gaming table, then carried the chip box toward it.
The Heiya gambling house was a major source of income for Heiya Ichiji—if he really were crooked, there'd definitely be underhanded dealings going on. Though earlier operations appeared legitimate, how would they react if someone won too much?
The first table Aozora approached was one for betting on big or small.
With his sunglasses on and a long black coat draped over his shoulders, he chewed on his cigar.
Aozora carried such an intimidating presence that the crowd around the table instinctively parted a path. Even a gambler sitting on a chair stood up out of respect when he approached.
Someone who had risen from his seat was asked, "Why did you give up your spot?"
"Man, I don't know. But when I heard his footsteps and saw his figure approaching, I couldn't help but stand up instinctively. Somehow, letting this kind of person remain standing while placing bets feels like a disrespect toward gambling itself."
After Aozora sat down, he handed a cigarette to the man who'd given him his seat, then flipped open the chip box.
"This must be at least ten thousand chips! Now that's a high roller!"
"No, maybe even a million! Shouldn't someone like him be upstairs anyway?"
"Who knows? Maybe he just likes the atmosphere downstairs."
Truthfully speaking, Aozora didn't lack for money himself, especially not after recently wiping out a few Mountain Bandits and eliminating two Bounty Hunters.
The croupier saw Aozora's chips and his eyes lit up, quickly resuming a composed expression while shaking the dice cup.
Aozora puffed on his cigar, closed his eyes behind his glasses, and listened attentively.
Rattle! Rattle!
He isolated the sound of the dice colliding within the cup from the surrounding chaotic voices of cheers and sighs.
Clap!
"Bets placed! Bets placed!"
Gamblers hurriedly placed their bets while some cast glances at Aozora. Those familiar with the casino knew sometimes you didn't need luck or gambling skills to win—just pick the right Gambling God!
"Hmph!"
Aozora removed the cigar, exhaled a smoke ring, then tossed out one blue chip into the 'Small' betting zone.
Clearly marked with '1', it was the lowest denomination chip.
For a moment, silence surrounded the gaming table, then instantly broke into noisy chatter.
"What the hell are you pretending? Dressed all like a Gambling God and you only bet one or two chips?!"
"Pfft, I thought I could make a few bucks following the Gambling God!"
The croupier stood there stunned as well—who in their right mind would carry tens of thousands in chips and still bet just one?
Aozora's lips curled into an amused smile. "Can't I bet just one chip?"
The croupier snapped back to reality. "Of course! Of course!"
"All bets final! Let's open!"
"Four, three, six—Big!"
As the cup lifted, gamblers who had hoped to get rich quick by following this so-called god displayed disappointed expressions—it turned out he was just another clueless greenhorn.
Quickly starting the next round, Aozora continued listening carefully before tossing two minimum chips again, once more placing the wrong bet.
Third round came, he threw four minimum chips—and lost again.
Fourth round, he tossed eight chips—still incorrect.
Fifth round, after finishing his cigar, he lit another one and casually tossed a ten-coin chip onto the table.
When the cup revealed the dice this time, he got it right.
A slight curve appeared on Aozora's lips—an assured smile. He had already mastered the skill of identifying the exact dice values through sound alone.
From that point on, Aozora began betting more chips each round and winning increasingly large amounts. Seeing this, veteran gamblers recognized their opportunity and quickly started placing bets alongside him.
As time passed, Aozora's pile of chips grew from hundreds of thousands to over fifty million. Other gamblers also seized the chance to make considerable profits.
Gamblers were experts at sniffing out opportunity. The moment they saw their chance, they swarmed Aozora's table in droves, surrounding it three layers thick within seconds.
"Open quickly!"
"What's taking so long?"
"Have casinos ever feared gamblers placing bets?"
"..."
The usually bustling gambling house was now boiling with unusually intense chatter. The waiter at the center of the crowd had turned pale, continuously sweating coldly.
This scene wasn't unique — on the other side of the gambling den, another waiter was similarly losing color from his face.
However, the specific situation here was somewhat different. An easy mark appeared here, continuously losing money without ever winning. Seeing this, some veteran gamblers waited for the mark to place his bet before rushing to bet on the opposite side. Soon enough, the casino suffered heavy losses.
Inside a room on the second floor of the gambling house,
Heiya Ichiji, the owner of Heiya Gambling House, was conversing with a slender man with brown hair when he suddenly heard a knock at the door.
"Come in!"
A man dressed as a samurai stepped in and murmured something into his ear.
Heiya Ichiji frowned, "[Gambling God] and [Easy Mark]? Both gathered at my Heiya Gambling House today?"
The samurai asked, "How should we handle them?"
After a moment's thought, Heiya Ichiji replied, "First, invite both of them to the private rooms upstairs. Let Master Hisanobu take a look!"
After issuing the order, he continued speaking with the brown-haired man.
"What I want is top-class secret intel on Konoha — the number of Jonin, the village's barrier defenses, Sarutobi Hiruzen's weaknesses... Not this kind of trivial information. Name your fee — whatever the amount, I can cover it!"
The brown-haired man shook his head. "That's impossible. Lord Danzo would never agree."
Heiya Ichiji sneered, "Then what are you still doing here?"
Hearing this, the brown-haired man fell silent, making the room instantly quiet.
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