"One million, one million..."
Just after roughly healing Jiraiya's injuries, Tsunade was already impatiently demanding repayment.
She was desperately short on money now. Recently, all the cash in her pocket had been completely won by a certain damn little brother. Losing her original underwear wasn't even the worst part—she still owed a gambling debt of 500,000 ryo...
When playing cards with others, Tsunade's win rate was less than 1:9. But when playing with Ryun, her win rate was as high as 3:7.
When betting small, she could keep winning. But once the stakes got high, she would start losing big money repeatedly...
That damn little brother provided her with immense emotional satisfaction, making her feel like she had a real chance of winning, trapping her in an illusion she couldn't escape...
That was why Tsunade loved playing cards with him the most. Even when she lost her underwear, she still couldn't stop, always believing she could win it back soon.
Because of this mindset, over the past six months, the gambling addict had poured all her hard-earned battlefield wages into someone else's pockets—and there was no way to stop her...
"What's the rush?!"
Jiraiya roared angrily at her, then took out a small storage scroll from his ninja pouch.
After undoing the seal on the scroll, a large amount of cash appeared out of thin air.
"Hehe... Tsunade-nee..."
Ryun rubbed his hands and walked over.
He had already healed Orochimaru-sensei's abdominal injury. Now, seeing Jiraiya taking out money, he immediately followed the scent and came to collect Tsunade's debt...
He didn't dare—and couldn't—take Orochimaru-sensei's money, but Tsunade-nee's money was a different story...
If Tsunade was going to lose money anyway, it was better for her to lose it to her little brother than to strangers. At the very least, if she ever had financial difficulties, Ryun was willing to generously help the gambling addict...
"Get the hell away from me. Just looking at you pisses me off..."
Tsunade snapped while counting the money.
Especially the way Ryun was rubbing his hands and grinning so smugly.
The moment he approached, half of Tsunade's joy from winning money vanished. She suspected that half of the cash she just won might soon disappear too...
"Borrow and return, and you can borrow again. I know Tsunade-nee values her reputation the most..." Ryun chuckled, placing a "high hat" on her.
"Little brother, your sister is really short on cash right now... Can you give her a few more days?" Seeing that being tough didn't work, Tsunade immediately switched tactics.
Her voice turned soft and coquettish, her expression pleading. The sudden change made Jiraiya, standing nearby, stare in disbelief...
If Tsunade could treat him like that, Jiraiya swore he'd give her his life...
"Ahem... You still have 500,000 ryo, right? That's not a small amount..." Ryun coughed lightly and said tactfully.
"You heartless little bastard! Have you forgotten how hard I worked to teach you the Mystical Palm Technique? Who took care of you when you were sick? Who shared her favorite treats with you first?"
Tsunade angrily scolded.
"..."
"The Mystical Palm Technique... Tsunade-nee already forced me to write off 1,000,000 ryo in gambling debt as payment. You even said we were even..."
"Eating two of your sweet cakes cost me 200,000 ryo..."
"My dear sister, I'm seriously about to cry..."
"Of course, if you promise to never gamble again, I'll forget about the 500,000 ryo you owe me—consider it your little brother's gift. But if you still want to gamble with me, then settle the previous debt first..."
Ryun calmly explained the whole story, and the last sentence made Tsunade jump in frustration.
"Fine, take it back, you ungrateful brat!"
The next moment, Tsunade threw several stacks of large bills at Ryun.
She was counting on a big win tonight. If Ryun refused to gamble, who else could she turn to for a comeback?
She had lost too much money before, and now it was too late to turn back. Even 1,000,000 ryo would only last her one night of gambling—maybe just half a night if her luck was bad...
At this point, Tsunade could only go all-in. If she could win back half tonight, she would quit...
"Hehe..."
Ryun stuffed the cash into his pocket, grinning from ear to ear.
His plan was to first win all the cash Tsunade had on hand, then have his dear sister teach him her monstrous strength techniques in exchange for returning some of the money she lost.
This way, he wouldn't have to beg humbly, avoid owing too many favors, and even make Tsunade feel indebted to him.
Besides, he didn't want to appear too obsessed with power.
Over the past year, his rapid growth through shadow clone training had already alarmed many people.
If he kept acting indifferent to fame and fortune while relentlessly pursuing strength, people would inevitably fear him—even the Konoha higher-ups and the Third Hokage would start worrying.
Back in his private room at the Konoha camp, Ryun noticed a small white snake the moment he entered.
Seeing the little white snake, he couldn't help but smile happily.
It was a messenger snake—his mother had sent him a letter.
Pressing the snake's back, it spat out a small scroll from its mouth.
Ryun didn't find it disgusting. He opened the scroll and pulled out two letters.
The first letter was from his mother, Asuka. It was filled with longing and asked when Ryun would return home and when his mission would end...
Though the letter was full of mundane daily matters, Ryun read it with great interest and didn't find his mother annoying.
At the end, Asuka also shared surprising news.
"Huh? Dai's child was born, and his name is... Might Guy!"
"If Guy is already born, then Kakashi and the others probably aren't far behind..."
Ryun murmured to himself. For some reason, hearing about the birth of these future key figures gave him an inexplicable sense of urgency.
Putting down the first letter, Ryun read the second one from the same scroll.
The second letter was from Kushina, overflowing with affection. Her love practically spilled from the page, making Ryun grin like an idiot for a long time.
Kushina briefly described her recent life and shared some funny moments from missions.
Then, using the secret codes taught at the Ninja Academy, she asked about Ryun's safety, the situation on the Amegakure battlefield, when the war would end, and when he could return.
Two women who adored him, two letters brimming with love—Ryun felt warmth in his heart and wished he could return home immediately...
This damp, rainy country gave him no reason to like it.
Putting the letters aside, Ryun wrote a reply to each of them.
"To my dearest mother..."
"To my most adorable little tomato..."
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