Tsunade loved gambling. So why not play to her taste? If she liked it, they would gamble.
She was only five, yet the little girl already snuck money from home and dragged it to casinos.
Picture it: a small child lugging a bag of cash into a den of gamblers. That was Tsunade.
Gambling and drinking became her lifelong vices. Later, she would be hounded by debt wherever she went.
"Gamble?!"
Tsunade frowned, suspicion in her big eyes. "How?"
She loved betting, but she had not expected Hiko to suggest it. The terms were simple: if she won, he listened. If she lost, she had to back off.
"Anything works."
Hiko yawned lazily and said, "If you dare, let's do it. If you don't, then get out of my way. Don't waste my time."
"Me, not dare?!"
The word dare flipped her switch. Her already-wide eyes went rounder still, like they might pop out of her head.
Big eyes could be cute. Too big, though, was just frightening.
Hers were already huge. Staring harder made her look terrifying.
"Deal! After school, don't you run!!!"
Tsunade was convinced she would win. Gamble? Fine. She feared nothing.
"Got it. Now, go sit down. I'm going to nap."
"This isn't your house. I can sit wherever I want!"
"..."
Hiko twitched, then shook his head and put his head down. She was right. The academy wasn't his house. She could sit where she liked. If anyone should stop her, it was the teacher, and that was doubtful.
"Cough, cough."
Soon the teacher walked in. He glanced at Hiko, already snoozing on his desk, sighed helplessly, and then glanced at Tsunade beside him. He said nothing.
It wasn't her assigned seat, but the spot beside Hiko was free. And she was the Senju princess. Few teachers wanted that headache.
Still... was his class so dull that Uchiha Hiko would nap through it again?
"Haah..."
Even so, Hiko sat up straight, patted his cheeks, and forced himself to wake up. If he had to be here, he might as well listen.
Dreams of instantly learning S-rank jutsu on transmigration were laughable. Progress was step by step.
Even Tsunade didn't get special treatment. Clan kids might get access to training, but no family would hand over their scrolls wholesale. If you wanted techniques, you had to earn contribution points through missions.
"Snore... snore..."
Across the room came the familiar sound of Jiraiya.
The boy was a lot like Naruto would be: inattentive, pervy, always napping in class. A problem child through and through.
His flaws piled high, his strengths unseen. Yet this was the one who would later catch the Third Hokage's eye.
"Huh..."
Tsunade made a surprised noise. Jiraiya sleeping was nothing new. But Hiko, usually a class clown like Jiraiya, now sat upright, paying attention.
Like Orochimaru, Hiko had lost his parents. The difference was that as an Uchiha, he had the clan to support him. Orochimaru, born a civilian, had no such net. He had to rely on himself.
Of the entire academy, no one worked harder than Orochimaru.
And now, Uchiha Hiko too seemed transformed.
"Alright, class begins!"
The teacher ignored Jiraiya. Scolding never worked. He had long given up hope. Later, when Jiraiya ended up in the same team as Tsunade and Orochimaru, under the Third himself, the teacher would nearly choke on shock.
Hiko rubbed his eyes and focused.
"Uchiha Hiko, don't you leave!"
When class ended, Tsunade stood at the door like a guardian deity, blocking his path.
Hiko shrugged, folded his arms, and sat back down. The other students filed out. They wanted to stay and watch, but one glare from Tsunade sent them packing. Even Orochimaru and Jiraiya slipped out.
No one wanted to become the target of her pent-up fury.
"Haah... fine, everyone's gone. How do you want to bet?"
He yawned, unimpressed, signaling her to hurry up.
His nonchalance only made her angrier.
"You... just wait."
She ground her teeth. He had suggested gambling, and now he made her decide the game? Should she haul in a roulette table too?
Her little hands fumbled through her clothes. Hiko almost laughed. Did she really stash gambling gear on her?
"What are you laughing at?!"
She snapped, then slammed something onto the desk with a CLACK!
Two dice. Her eyes gleamed with challenge.