It had already been five days since Tsunade sent out her carrier pigeon, but no reply had come. Without news, they dared not move rashly. All they could do was wait.
That night, Tsunade once again brought Hyūga Shigeo to a gambling house in a seaside town within the Land of Iron—one that lay along the road to the port.
Thanks to Shigeo's help in recent weeks, Tsunade had not only cleared her debts but even accumulated some winnings.
"Shigeo, make sure you do well tonight. If we win, tomorrow morning we'll go soak in the hot springs, how about it?" Tsunade's eyes gleamed with excitement, though deep inside she still worried about the situation at the port. She simply chose not to show it.
"Hot springs are fine, but I'm not going to the women's bath!" Shigeo protested. The last time, because he was only five years old, Tsunade and Shizune had dragged him along with them into the women's section. He had been laughed at by a crowd of women, and to make it worse, Tsunade had claimed, "He can't see anything," and the women had agreed!
Did they not understand? If he really wanted to see, he wouldn't even need to open his eyes. These women had absolutely no sense of caution!
"Alright, alright, you can go to the men's bath this time, okay? Hahaha! Come on, let's go. It's a brand new gambling house, so you'd better hold out!" Tsunade laughed as she grabbed his hand and pulled him through the doorway.
"Tonight, I'll only do it for thirty thousand ryō. Anything more, I won't," Shigeo warned again.
"Fine, fine—just thirty thousand! Let's go…"
Tsunade entered the inner room, brimming with excitement. Three men turned to look at her, and upon seeing who it was, they burst out laughing. One of them whispered, "That's the woman who gambles like her life depends on it, right?"
"Yeah, that's her. Keep your voice down!" another muttered. Their eyes, however, glimmered with scheming intent.
The moment Shigeo stepped into the room, he sensed something different. This wasn't like the usual gambling dens. There was killing intent here.
"Well, well, it's been half a year. Brought your son to play?" One man reached out as if to touch Shigeo, but the boy shifted aside to dodge. The man quickly pulled his hand back.
"What nonsense are you spouting? He's my little brother," Tsunade said with a broad smile as she pulled Shigeo closer.
"Ohhh, so he's a brother. Funny—I didn't hear anything about you having one half a year ago. Hahaha! Come, come, sit!" the man said with a grin, though his eyes were cold and calculating.
"I've got a good memory," Tsunade replied with a chilling smile. "I'm pretty sure we've never met."
Her words made the three men chuckle awkwardly. "Is that so? Feels like we have. Hahaha! But that doesn't matter. Let's begin."
This time, the game was pai gow. With Shigeo's sharp mind—and his Mirror System's support—he quickly read the flow of the cards and began winning round after round.
The three men exchanged glances, their eyes flickering with silent signals. One scratched his ear, another tapped his nose—obvious hand signs, some kind of secret code.
But even with their signals, they still lost. Finally, one of them slammed the table and shouted, "What's going on? How can we keep losing? Impossible! You're cheating! Someone's cheating here!"
At his outcry, more than a dozen men from outside surged into the room with a loud clamor.
"Hey! Don't talk nonsense! We didn't cheat at all. My little brother's just that smart—he can calculate the cards. You lost, so admit it! Don't think you can just back out!" Tsunade said sharply, giving Shigeo's hand a squeeze as she rose slightly to her feet.
It was her silent warning: Watch the situation carefully. Be ready to protect yourself.
(End of Chapter)
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