"Mr. Naruto! Is there some misunderstanding?"
Just then, a steady, gentle, dignified, and proper female voice, tinged with panic and confusion, rang out!
Ayame Yotsugawa, who was in another carriage, heard the commotion and rushed over, accompanied by other Kōtetsujō members.
"Miss Ayame, you've arrived."
Naruto's peripheral vision caught her; Ayame's kimono hem was covered in dust, and a few strands of her meticulously styled hair bun were loose.
"Jiu Zhi—"
When Ayame saw Jiu Zhi Laixi holding a self-determination pouch in one hand and a steam gun in the other, her beautiful purple eyes instantly filled with alarm and anger.
"Slap!"
Ayame strode forward, slapping Jiu Zhi Laixi across the face with the back of her hand, and sharply rebuked, "Hurry up and apologize to Mr. Naruto!"
Jiu Zhi Laixi silently bowed his head to Naruto.
Naruto snorted coldly, "I am not the one who needs an apology. Besides, even an apology won't save him from death."
"Mr. Naruto—"
Ayame's expression was complex. She bowed deeply to Naruto and pleaded, "I know—I know he made a mistake! His attitude towards Miss Mumei and Mr. Yiju was very excessive! He—he was too stubborn!"
"I apologize to you on his behalf! I apologize to Miss Mumei and Mr. Yiju!"
After speaking, Ayame bowed to Mumei and Yiju.
Mumei held her hands behind her head, her delicate and lovely face showing indifference. She slightly raised her head, took a lollipop into her mouth, and watched as if observing an interesting event.
Yiju, however, facing the eldest daughter of the Yotsugawa family, who was also now the "lord" of this 駿城, was immediately flattered and returned the bow, saying with trepidation, "Ayame—Ayame-sama, there's no need for this. I know there's a misunderstanding."
Ayame nodded slightly and continued to rise, persuading the expressionless Naruto:
"Jiu Zhi Laixi—he is the most loyal samurai of my Yotsugawa family. He has protected us since my father's time!"
"He protects me, and he protects everyone on the Kōtetsujō. He was just—just blinded by fear. He just—wanted to protect everyone too much!"
"I beg you! Give him a chance! Don't let him die this way, even if it's in battle against the Kabane. Please!"
Ayame's plea was heartfelt and sincere.
However, Naruto's eyes showed no wavering. In the depths of his cold blue eyes, there was only a frozen lake.
"Fear? Protection?"
Naruto's voice took on a hint of mockery.
"Because of fear, he can take it for granted to throw a self-determination pouch at others? Because he wants to protect, he can point a gun at those who are also protecting you, forcing them to die?"
He slowly raised his gaze and looked again at the ashen-faced Jiu Zhi Laixi.
"When he forced Yiju, did he ever give him a chance? Yiju was not out of control or mad; he fully cooperated with the samurai squad. If there was suspicion, they could have just detained him for observation. Why did he immediately make him use a self-determination pouch?"
"When he pointed a gun at Mumei, did he ever consider her feelings?"
Naruto's voice was like a heavy hammer, striking Ayame and Jiu Zhi Laixi's hearts.
"His so-called 'rules' and 'safety' are only meant to be demanded of others. When it comes to himself, it becomes 'fear' and 'begging for mercy'?"
"Why say so much?"
Naruto suddenly gave a wry smile and shook his head.
He actually didn't care about right or wrong. If the other party wasn't Yiju, wasn't a Kabaneri, what Jiu Zhi Laixi did, though extreme, wasn't entirely unreasonable given the Kōtetsujō's situation.
But—
So what?
Pointing a steam gun at Mumei, pointing it at himself, and even drawing his sword to strike him at the very beginning—that reason was enough!
"Naruto—"
"Ayame-sama, there's no need to say more!"
"Regardless of right or wrong, it was my recklessness to offend Lord Naruto."
With Ayame present, Jiu Zhi Laixi, who had initially feared death, instead calmed down, transforming back into a fearless samurai.
"I only hope that Lord Naruto can protect Ayame-sama and escort the Kōtetsujō safely to Kongo Fortress. Then Jiu Zhi Laixi can die in peace."
No sooner had he spoken.
Jiu Zhi Laixi pressed the self-determination pouch against his chest, then pulled the string, detonating it.
With a muffled "boom," Jiu Zhi Laixi's body trembled violently, then he collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
Ayame couldn't bear to watch this scene. She turned her back to Jiu Zhi Laixi, covering her mouth with her hands to keep herself from crying.
"In front of the person he loved, he finally acted like a man."
Naruto withdrew his gaze, leaving the carriage, which reeked of machine oil mixed with blood. He went to the Kōtetsujō's roof, and amidst the roaring sounds, he looked out at the pre-dawn glow at the end of the tracks, where a sun was about to rise above the horizon, ushering in the dawn of the small Far Eastern nation.
"Weirdo, why are you here by yourself, catching the wind?"
Mumei, with her hands clasped behind her head, also came to the roof and asked casually.
"What do you think about what just happened?"
Naruto asked without turning his head.
"I don't think anything about it."
Mumei tilted her head and said, her cerulean eyes still innocent, but those eyes had long witnessed life and death and farewells,
so her heart remained undisturbed.
"I could feel Jiu Zhi Laixi's killing intent. His threat wasn't just for show. If you hadn't crushed his steam gun, the moment he pulled the trigger, I would have also raised my leg and used the blade on my wooden clogs to cut off his arm."
"Well~"
"Kabaneri are easily misunderstood, but I don't want to die either, you know. If it really came to a fight, I'd only act to save my own life."
Naruto, whose mood had been a bit gloomy, heard this and a smile played on his lips. He nodded.
"Speaking of which, Weirdo, are you also a Kabaneri, like us?"
"The reason I couldn't bite you must be because your skin has become like your heart, with an indestructible steel membrane covering your body!"
"Isn't that right? It must be like that!"
Mumei put her small hands behind her back, almost like a famous detective with a baseball cap and a pipe in her mouth, deducing with a giggle, "Hehe, that's why you 'eat hearts.' Actually, you've mastered some kind of Western magic that allows you to absorb the life force from Kabane hearts."
She leaned in, craning her small, delicate body from behind Naruto, peering at his profile from below.
"Am I right?"
Naruto glanced at Mumei and nodded, "Half right."
"My goal is indeed the life force contained in Kabane hearts, but I am not a Kabane."
"Wah!"
Mumei suddenly exclaimed, looking around, muttering in confusion, "It's so quiet. It's really strange. I haven't seen a single Kabane along the way, nor have I heard their annoying screams."
Naruto smiled without speaking.
This was because all the Kabane along the railway line had been completely eliminated by the Shadow Clones he had sent out last night, not a single one left.
"After clearing them out for most of the night, I wonder how well the Shadow Clones collected life force."
With a thought, Naruto immediately activated Kagura Mind's Eye, located the nearby Shadow Clones, and then used the Mind Body Switch Technique to mentally inform them to return.
"Swish!"
Several afterimages flickered, and the nearby Shadow Clones appeared instantly beside Naruto like ghosts, startling Mumei.
Naruto began to retrieve the life force they had harvested, and his expression immediately changed.
"What's going on? Why is there only so little life force?"
After receiving the life force collected by the Shadow Clones, a look of surprise and doubt flashed in Naruto's azure eyes.
"Could it be that they killed fewer Kabane? That's unlikely."
He dispelled a few Shadow Clones, and their memories returned. He confirmed that those Shadow Clones had killed at least thousands of Kabane, but the amount of life force returned was probably only enough for a few dozen, which was very little.
"The life force has dissipated—"
Soon, Naruto found the reason.
Shadow Clones, after all, are not true living beings and cannot store life force for long periods. Even if they extract life force from a Kabane's heart, if it's not immediately returned to the main body, the life force will still evaporate and dissipate, returning to nature.
"Life force must be stored in a living container—it seems I've been busy for nothing."
Naruto frowned and sighed inwardly.
Having Shadow Clones run back and forth was definitely not a solution. He needed to find a method that served both purposes to solve the problem of life force storage.
"I was planning to ditch Jiraiya-sensei, but now it seems I really have to go find Tsunade and learn her Yin Seal."
The Yin Seal is a sealing technique originating from the Land of Whirlpools, an S-rank medical sealing technique perfected and developed by Tsunade. Its core principle is to accumulate Chakra daily and compress it for storage in the diamond-shaped mark on the forehead.
In combat, it can instantly release stored Chakra to achieve high-speed regeneration, enhance monstrous strength taijutsu, and also has the special effect of maintaining youthful appearance through Chakra micro-regulation.
Even Danzo Shimura's Root Organization and the Scroll of Seals had not yet recorded the Yin Seal developed by Tsunade. In the original story, only Tsunade and later Sakura Haruno knew the Yin Seal.
"If the Yin Seal can even seal and store Chakra, then life force is naturally no problem."
After finding a solution, Naruto left two Shadow Clones to protect Mumei and the Kōtetsujō, then logged out of the Underground City and returned to the Fire Shadow World.
In Konoha Village that morning, the morning mist had not yet completely dispersed, and the air carried the damp, cold scent of grass and trees.
Uzumaki Naruto stood at the huge village gate, sighing.
"I should have known to come a bit later. That Pervert Sage is late; is he taking revenge for me ditching him before?"
"Hey! Naruto! What are you spacing out for! Let's go!"
A slightly rough voice interrupted his thoughts.
Jiraiya stood a few steps away, still in his iconic red haori, with his long white hair casually flowing, and a forehead protector bearing the character "Oil." He carried a small travel bag on his shoulder, and his face wore his usual, seemingly carefree smile.
"Did he come from outside the village?"
Naruto turned around, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
It seemed Jiraiya was reliable for once; he must have gone out of the village to gather intelligence last night.
"Jiraiya-sensei, where are we going to find the other legendary Sannin?"
"..."
Jiraiya proudly stroked his non-existent beard.
"Of course, to the 'Gambler's Paradise'—Tanzaku Gai! Where else would that guy be besides a casino now?"
He glanced at Naruto, then muttered, "Tsunade is known as the 'Legendary Sucker' in the gambling world."
"The Legendary Sucker—"
Naruto couldn't help but laugh at the thought of Tsunade's guaranteed losing streak.
Senju Hashirama also seemed to be a gambler; he wondered how his luck was.
And so, they traveled.
By the time they arrived at Tanzaku Gai, it was already dusk.
To call it a street was an understatement; it was actually a luxurious and massive city.
The one thing it didn't lack was casinos!
Naruto followed Jiraiya, searching casino after casino. During their information gathering, Naruto's bulging frog wallet was completely emptied by Jiraiya.
Of course, Naruto, with his Kado assets, wasn't short on money. He just hadn't allocated a larger budget, lest the Pervert Sage go drinking at hostess clubs for no reason.
"Do you know this person?"
Jiraiya took out Tsunade's photo and asked the casino owner.
Naruto, having nothing to do, wandered around the casino and found an old slot machine in a corner.
Next to it lay a smiley-face chip.
"This is—"
Naruto's eyes immediately lit up.
In the original story, Naruto won the grand prize with this very smiley-face chip, filling his empty frog wallet.
Now, Naruto had no intention of putting the smiley-face chip into the slot machine. Instead, he cast an Appraisal Eye on it.
[Smiley Coin (Sucker Edition)]
[Quality: Gold]
[Description: The gambling luck in the world is conserved. If someone loses money, someone wins money! This seemingly ordinary smiley-face chip condenses the gambling luck of the "Legendary Sucker." As long as you wear it, it will double your gambling luck, ensuring you win every bet.
Of course, all this good fortune comes at the cost of someone else bearing the burden for you. Remember not to abuse it!]
"Gold quality, which means it's a legendary item. I can't believe I just picked up a legendary piece of equipment. My luck is too good."
Naruto played with the smiley coin in his hand, a smile playing on his lips.
He thought of the divine artifact in the Goblin Slayer World—the Dice of the Gods.
Using the Dice of the Gods, one could gamble with the gods!
If he won, he could obtain incredibly rich rewards, even control and own the entire Goblin Slayer World, becoming its sole ruler.
With this smiley coin, his chances of winning would increase.
"Tsunade always loses, and I always win. Alas, gambling luck is conserved; Tsunade is bearing the burden for me."
Naruto sighed, then silently put away the smiley coin.
He planned to exchange for the Dice of the Gods later and then gamble with the gods of the Goblin Slayer World.
If he lost, he could always escape back to the Fire Shadow World.
Those players from outside the world, could they really chase him across worlds?
While he was thinking, a deafening roar suddenly came from outside the casino.
"What's going on?"
Naruto's heart jumped, and he immediately realized something.
In the original story, Tsunade and Shizune went to visit the cultural heritage site—Tanzaku Castle—and then encountered Orochimaru and Yakushi Kabuto, who had come for "medical treatment."
Tanzaku Castle was directly crushed into ruins by Manda, summoned by Orochimaru, becoming a true cultural relic.
"Tsunade is in Tanzaku Castle right now!"