It had to be said that Naruto and Karin's luck was remarkably good this time.
They wouldn't end up eating wild game barbecue directly as Naruto had initially imagined.
Just as Naruto released his Observation Haki to search for prey, a small town appeared within his sensing range.
Remembering how desperately Konohamaru had devoured meat during their shared meal, and seeing Karin's malnourished state, Naruto made his decision. The girl needed real food, not whatever scraps they might catch.
Even better, he could probably stock up on alcohol for his future research there.
Speaking of which, as Naruto's physical condition rapidly "recovered" toward its peak state at an unreasonable speed, his alcohol tolerance was also increasing synchronously.
Simply put, to achieve intoxication, he needed to consume significantly more alcohol.
Previously, ordinary sake could barely make Naruto feel tipsy, but now the requirement had doubled.
Should I brew alcohol myself next time?
Naruto had a sudden inspiration.
Forget it.
He was skilled at drinking, but brewing remained beyond his abilities.
Naruto had heard about rum distillation techniques before... but that was only at the level of "having heard of it." If he had to actually operate the process, he'd probably still be completely lost.
Mm, learning brewing techniques. Add this to the list too.
Naruto silently added this task to his mental notebook, placing it at the same priority level as "finding suitable Devil Fruits for Sasuke and Karin."
Letting his mind wander like this, Naruto led Karin to the place he had sensed.
This place was called "Tanzaku Quarter."
Actually, calling it a street might underestimate its scope.
After all, Tanzaku Quarter had gathered numerous casinos, hotels, and various entertainment venues, with quite a few traveling merchants and ninja coming and going.
Even Karin's former teammates had rested here before.
But at that time, Karin had been drowning in despair and hadn't properly observed this "street" that could legitimately be called a small town.
Now seeing so many diverse people and things she had never encountered, the gloom in the little girl's heart was somewhat dispelled.
However, seeing so many people still made Karin somewhat nervous. This couldn't be changed overnight.
Naruto observed all of this.
"Come on, let's find something to eat first. What do you like to eat?"
He tried to make his tone as gentle as possible.
After all, Karin wasn't as "resilient" as Sasuke and Konohamaru. Not just physically, but mentally she was still in recovery.
"I... I'm fine with anything..."
Karin's voice was barely audible, but fortunately Naruto had excellent hearing.
"Great! Then let's go eat barbecue!"
Since the choice was left to Naruto, the result was naturally predictable.
On the way to the restaurant, Karin walked behind Naruto, occasionally looking up to observe the surrounding environment.
Hurried merchants, gamblers thrown out of casinos, geishas soliciting customers...
There were even several ninja from other villages.
The moment she spotted them, Karin instinctively lowered her head, her palms trembling slightly.
Fortunately, Naruto timely grasped her hand and gently comforted her.
"It's alright, I'm here."
Those few words seemed to instantly dispel that fear, and Karin's eyes gradually returned to normal.
The two continued along the street searching for a barbecue restaurant. Occasionally Naruto would stop to purchase some daily necessities and seal them into scrolls.
Naruto seemed to enjoy using his newly mastered little trick.
This ordinary sealing jutsu for inanimate objects could only be performed using specially-made sealing scrolls, and consumed quite a bit of chakra.
Chakra wasn't much of a problem for Naruto. What was really troublesome was how to transfer these sealing formulas to other carriers, like his skin or body.
Unfortunately, the space where the Nine-Tails resided was, strictly speaking, just a "mental world" and didn't have physical storage functionality.
The Nine-Tails was also sealed in his body in chakra form... more precisely, sealed within his own chakra.
The "sealing space" was just a concrete manifestation. It didn't actually exist.
This was why they said, "Jinchuriki and tailed beasts are actually inseparable." The two were fused together. To extract the tailed beast would inevitably result in the jinchuriki's death.
These sealing scrolls basically all came from the Uzumaki clan's inheritance and purchases made with funds obtained from Gato.
After walking for a while, the two finally found a decent-looking barbecue restaurant and entered.
Naruto immediately ordered barbecue for ten people.
Seeing the stack of money slapped on the table, the owner immediately ran off to serve the food excitedly.
Just kidding. Did you think I, Naruto Uzumaki, would need to dine and dash?
Speaking of which, Iruka-sensei should have discovered the money I returned to him...
At this moment, back in Konoha Village, Iruka had just finished a class and returned to his office. Casually opening his drawer, he was instantly dumbfounded.
Of course, this had nothing to do with Naruto's current situation.
Seeing Karin beside him hesitating to speak, Naruto thought she was worried about ordering so much food and not being able to finish it.
"It's fine, Karin, eat as much as you want. It won't be wasted!"
But Karin just shook her head, then looked toward the door. After a moment of silence, she said to Naruto:
"Naruto... sir, why don't those people cherish their freedom and families when they clearly have them?"
Hearing this, Naruto was first stunned. He didn't directly ask the little girl to change how she addressed him, because for Karin at this moment, doing so might only further stimulate her anxiety.
Then he followed her question and recalled what they had witnessed earlier.
It was an ordinary casino with an ordinary gambler.
Red-eyed from losses, he had brought more money from home. Despite his wife's desperate pleas, he still resolutely walked into the casino.
In the end, that wife could only silently shed tears and leave that place.
For Karin, this gambler possessed the "freedom" and "family" she had previously longed for but treated them like trash, his heart completely occupied by gambling.
"Karin, gamblers are the least deserving of sympathy."
"When they lose, they want to turn it around. When they win, they want to win more."
"Whether it's small bets or big bets, once they're at that gambling table, it's hard to leave."
"These people often ignore the precious things around them that should be cherished, instead indulging in false 'gains,' ultimately ending up with nothing."
Karin listened intently to Naruto's discourse. Though she didn't completely understand, she still nodded her head bit by bit in agreement.
Bang!
"Hey there, young man, I can't pretend I didn't hear what you just said!"
The sound of a cup hitting the table suddenly interrupted Naruto's words, followed by a female voice from the neighboring table.
Naruto looked in the direction of the voice.
It was a blonde woman who appeared to be in her early thirties. The coat she wore had a large "Gamble" character embroidered on the back.
"Hah? I wonder what 'instruction' this 'big sister' has for me?"
Naruto seemed somewhat interested in what this woman who had suddenly interrupted had to say and asked her in return.
"Listen here, young man, gambling is one of the world's greatest inventions!"
"No need to fight or plunder. Just roll a few small dice to decide victory or defeat."
"Once you step onto the gambling table, you can throw all your troubles behind you!"
"Compared to this rotten, stinking world where people are just used as chess pieces, at the gambling table I can at least choose when to bet and when to fold."