It must be said that Naruto and Karin's luck this time wasn't bad.
Contrary to Naruto's expectation of immediately starting a wild game barbecue, just as he released his Observation Haki to search for prey, a small town appeared within his perception.
Recalling Konohamaru's state whenever they ate meat together and considering Karin's long-term malnutrition, Naruto decisively chose to take the little girl to that town for a proper meal.
It just so happened that he might also be able to buy some alcohol for his upcoming experiments.
Speaking of which, as Naruto's physical condition 'recovered' at an unreasonable speed toward his prime, his alcohol tolerance was also increasing accordingly.
Simply put, if he wanted to get drunk, he needed to drink much more.
Originally, regular sake had already made it difficult for Naruto to feel any intoxication, but now, it was even worse.
'Should I try brewing my own alcohol next time?'
The thought suddenly crossed Naruto's mind.
'…Forget it.'
He was good at drinking, but brewing was another matter entirely.
Naruto had heard about the distillation process of rum before-
But that was as far as 'hearing about it' went. If he actually had to do it himself, he'd probably be completely clueless.
'Hmm, learning brewing techniques… Let's add that to the list.'
Naruto silently added this task to his mental notebook, prioritizing it alongside 'finding suitable Devil Fruits for Sasuke and Karin'.
With his mind wandering like this, Naruto led Karin by the hand to the place he had sensed.
This place was called [Tanzaku Quarter].
In reality, calling it just a 'quarter' might be underselling it.
After all, Tanzaku Quarter was surrounded by numerous casinos, hotels, and entertainment venues, with plenty of traveling merchants and Ninja passing through.
Even some of Karin's former had once stopped here to rest.
But back then, Karin had been in such despair that she hadn't paid any attention to this 'quarter', which was practically a small town.
Now, seeing so many unfamiliar faces and things she had never experienced before, the gloom in the little girl's heart lightened slightly.
Still, Karin couldn't help but feel nervous around so many people, as it's something that wouldn't change overnight.
Naruto noticed all of this.
"Let's go find something to eat first… what do you like?"
He tried to keep his tone as gentle as possible.
After all, Karin wasn't as tough as Sasuke or Konohamaru… not just physically, but emotionally as well. She was still in recovery.
"I... I'm fine with anything..."
Karin's voice was soft, but fortunately, Naruto's hearing was sharp.
"Alright! Then let's go for barbecue!"
Since the choice was left to Naruto, the result is naturally predictable.
On the way to the restaurant, Karin walked behind Naruto, occasionally lifting her head to glance at their surroundings.
Hurried merchants, gamblers thrown out of casinos, entertainers calling for customers-
There were even a few Ninjas from other villages.
The moment she saw them, Karin instinctively lowered her head, her hands trembling slightly.
Fortunately, Naruto immediately took her hand and reassured her gently.
"It's okay, I'm here."
Those few words seemed to dissolve her fear, and Karin's expression gradually returned to normal.
Like this, the two continued down the street in search of a barbecue restaurant. Occasionally, Naruto would stop to buy some daily necessities and seal them into scrolls.
Naruto seemed to be enjoying this newly learned trick a little too much.
This kind of basic sealing technique for inanimate objects could only be used with specially made sealing scrolls and consumed a fair amount of Chakra.
Chakra wasn't an issue for Naruto… The real challenge was figuring out how to transfer these Sealing Formulas to other mediums, like his skin or body.
Unfortunately, the space where the Nine-Tails resided was, strictly speaking, just a 'mental world' and didn't have any physical storage function.
The Nine-Tails was also sealed in Naruto's body in the form of Chakra... or more accurately, he was sealed into Naruto's Chakra.
The 'Sealing Space' was merely a visual representation and didn't actually exist in reality.
That's why it is said that 'the relationship between the Jinchuriki and the Tailed Beast is fundamentally inseparable'. The two are fused together, and forcibly extracting the Tailed Beast would inevitably lead to the Jinchuriki's death.
These sealing scrolls were basically purchased with the inheritance from the Uzumaki Clan… along with funds obtained from Gato.
After walking for a while, the two finally found a decent-looking barbecue restaurant and stepped inside.
Right off the bat, Naruto ordered enough meat for ten people.
The moment the owner saw the stack of cash slapped onto the table, he immediately scurried off to prepare the food.
'Are you kidding? Do you think I, Uzumaki Naruto, need to dine and dash?'
'Come to think of it, Iruka-sensei must have found the money I returned to him by now...'
Meanwhile, back in Konoha, Iruka had just finished a class and returned to his office. When he casually opened his drawer, his jaw dropped in shock.
Of course, that had nothing to do with Naruto anymore.
Looking at Karin, who seemed to be hesitant to speak, Naruto assumed she was worried about ordering too much and not finishing it.
"Don't worry, Karin, eat as much as you want! Nothing will go to waste!"
Unexpectedly, Karin only shook her head, then glanced outside the door. After a moment of silence, she finally spoke, "Naruto...-sama, why do those people, who have freedom and family, not cherish them?"
Naruto was momentarily taken aback. He didn't immediately correct her way of addressing him, because for Karin right now, forcing a change might only worsen her anxiety.
Then, recalling what they had seen earlier, he considered her question.
It was just an ordinary casino, an ordinary gambler.
The guy lost all his money and then took more valuables from home. Despite his wife's desperate dissuasion, he still stubbornly returned to the casino.
In the end, the wife could only leave in silent tears.
For Karin, this gambler possessed the 'freedom' and 'family' that she had once longed for, but he treated them like trash and was completely obsessed with gambling.
"Karin, gamblers are the least deserving of sympathy."
"Lose, and they want to win it back. Win, and they want to win again."
"No matter whether it's a small bet or a big bet… once they step onto that gambling table, it's hard to step away."
"These people often overlook the precious things they should cherish, drowning instead in the false illusion of 'gaining more', until they end up with nothing."
Karin listened to Naruto's long talk in a daze. Though she didn't fully understand, she still nodded slowly in agreement.
Thud!
"Hey there, kid… I can't just let that slide, you know?"
The sound of a cup hitting the table abruptly cut off Naruto's words, followed by a woman's voice from the next table over.
Naruto looked in the direction the voice came from.
It was a blonde woman who appeared to be in her early thirties at most, wearing a coat with the bold character for 'Gamble' embroidered on the back.
"Hah? And what exactly does this 'nee-san' have to say about it?"
Naruto seemed intrigued by the woman's sudden interjection and fired back.
"Listen here, kid… gambling is one of the greatest inventions in the world!"
"No need for bloodshed, no need for plunder. Just toss a few dice, and victory is decided."
"Once you step onto the gambling table, all your worries fade away!"
"Compared to this rotten, stinking world where people are just pawns, at least at the gambling table, I can choose when to call and when to fold."