Tsunade's gambler's instinct had completely taken over. Whatever restraint she once possessed had been swallowed by the rush of the wager, and the result was undeniable: she had lost everything. Even the necklace left behind by the First Hokage was no longer within her reach. There was nothing left she could reasonably put on the table - no money, no valuables, no leverage to keep the game alive.
Chiba watched her in silence for a beat, then spoke again, unhurried.
"Unless…"
Tsunade snapped her head up. "Unless what?!"
"Unless," Chiba said evenly, "you stake yourself."
The words landed with quiet force.
Tsunade froze. Shizune stiffened beside her, eyes widening as the meaning sank in. The bustle of the casino seemed to dull at the edges, as if the room itself had gone still, leaving only the taut line of tension between them.
Tsunade's gaze narrowed, instinct reasserting itself at last. "Who are you, really?"
"My name is Chiba."
Shizune inhaled sharply. "Chiba… as in the Mizukage of Kirigakure? The one everyone's been talking about?"
"That's me."
Even after years of drifting far from the affairs of the great villages, Tsunade wasn't ignorant of that name. Some figures were simply too large to avoid.
Her expression steadied. "So this wasn't chance," she said coolly. "You came here on purpose."
"Yes," Chiba replied without hesitation. "For you."
Tsunade scoffed. "And what could the Mizukage possibly want from someone like me? What are you after?"
"I already told you."
She paused - and then it clicked.
"…You want me."
"You want me to join Kirigakure," she said, voice sharpening. "To turn my back on Konoha."
"Turn your back?" Chiba echoed. "From where I'm standing, you left Konoha behind a long time ago."
Tsunade's eyes hardened. "I did. But it's still the village my grandfather founded. The Third Hokage was my teacher. I grew up there."
She held his gaze, unflinching. "Even if I said I have nothing to do with Konoha anymore, you wouldn't truly believe it."
Chiba nodded once. "No. Ties like that don't vanish so easily."
Then his tone lowered, more deliberate - less accusation than question.
"But tell me… where is your family now? Where is your clan? Where do you belong?"
For the first time, Tsunade's composure cracked.
Nawaki - her little brother - had been sent to war before he was old enough to understand what war meant. He never returned.
The Senju, once a pillar of the shinobi world, had quietly faded into history.
And her roots - were they truly still in Konoha?
What remained there wasn't a home. It was a graveyard of memories.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had been her teacher. Yet under his era, the Senju disappeared completely. Konoha preached unity, but other clans endured. The Sarutobi line continued - generation after generation - its legacy intact.
Tsunade had seen it for years. She didn't even need to say it out loud.
Asuma had found a place in the world even after leaving the village. Konohamaru had grown up surrounded by guidance and opportunity.
And Tsunade?
Her parents were gone. Her brother was gone. Her clan was gone.
Nothing remained.
The dimness in her expression flickered - only briefly - before she snapped her gaze back to Chiba.
"So you think dragging all this up will force me to join Kirigakure?"
"I'm not forcing you," Chiba replied. "I'm asking questions."
He met her eyes, calm and steady. "The answers - and who created them - you already know."
Tsunade fell silent.
Shizune lowered her head. She understood Chiba wasn't wrong, but she also knew she couldn't be the one to sway Tsunade. That choice had always belonged to her alone.
At that moment, the casino doors opened again.
Two figures stepped inside - one tall and weathered, the other young and alert.
Jiraiya.
And Uzumaki Naruto.
Tsunade turned sharply. "Jiraiya?"
He had heard enough.
"Tsunade," he said, voice heavy, "I understand your anger. But if you abandon Konoha because of it, I won't accept that."
The last thread of Tsunade's restraint snapped.
"Who are you to judge me?" she shot back. "Have you lived my life? Have you watched everyone you love disappear?"
"You talk about ideals," she continued bitterly. "Is Konoha really worth sacrificing everything for?"
Jiraiya hesitated - then answered honestly.
"I know it isn't perfect. I know there's darkness buried inside it."
"But right now," he said, "it's still the best option we have. Protecting the village protects the peace most people live under."
Tsunade laughed, cold and hollow. "And if that village killed everyone you loved?"
Jiraiya held her gaze. "I can't pretend to understand your pain. But I can't stand by and watch you turn against Konoha."
"My choices are my own," Tsunade said flatly. "No one decides them for me."
Jiraiya exhaled, slow and controlled. "I understand."
Then he turned to Chiba.
"Mizukage. I didn't expect to meet you like this."
His eyes sharpened. "Trying to pull Tsunade to your side - would you accept someone doing the same to your village?"
Chiba's answer came with a soft laugh - quiet, but not light.
"I've never sent children to die."
"I've never erased founding clans."
"I've never forced heroes to destroy themselves to keep up appearances."
He looked at Jiraiya directly. "If we're talking about principles… are you sure Konoha upheld them first?"
Jiraiya said nothing.
Because he understood exactly what Chiba meant.
And Chiba - whatever else he was - had rebuilt Kirigakure. He had crushed internal unrest, gathered fractured forces, restored the great families, and raised the village from instability to strength. What had once been known as the Blood Mist, teetering on collapse, now surged forward under his rule.
Beside that, Hiruzen's leadership could feel - at times - hollow.
Tsunade remained silent.
After a long pause, she finally shook her head.
"Jiraiya. Mizukage-sama."
Her voice was calm, but distant - like someone speaking from behind a closed door.
"I don't want to think about any of this right now."
"At this moment, I'm just a gambler wandering the world. Someone who refuses to involve herself in village affairs."
She looked from one to the other.
"I won't betray Konoha. And I won't join Kirigakure."
"Neither of your requests is something I can accept."
With that, Tsunade turned and walked out of the casino without another word. Shizune hurried after her.
As she disappeared into the street, Jiraiya glanced at Chiba and let out a quiet sigh.
"Mizukage-sama… what you said is true."
"But there are things in this world that can't be judged by right and wrong alone."
His gaze hardened. "Maybe one day you'll persuade Tsunade. If that happens, I'll stop it with everything I have."
Chiba's smile was faint.
"I understand."
"And as Mizukage, I genuinely respect shinobi like you," he added. "What leader wouldn't value someone capable - and unwaveringly loyal?"
Chiba and Mei Terumī left the casino as well.
Only Jiraiya and Naruto remained.
Chiba's words lingered in Jiraiya's mind. On the surface they sounded like praise, but underneath was a quiet, unmistakable irony. Jiraiya could only smile bitterly and shake his head.
Naruto scratched his hair, utterly lost.
"Hey, pervy sage… what were you guys even talking about? I didn't get any of it."
"Aren't we here to find that Tsunade granny who's as famous as you?"
Jiraiya replied flatly, "That woman just now was Tsunade."
"What?!" Naruto yelped. "She's that young?!"
"Isn't she supposed to be an old lady?!"
"She uses a technique to keep her appearance youthful," Jiraiya said. "In reality, she's about my age."
Naruto froze.
"…Isn't that cheating?"
Jiraiya laughed under his breath, rubbed Naruto's head, and stared out the window as if trying to exhale something heavier than air.
…
Outside, Mei let out a soft breath. "As expected… it wasn't that simple."
"Of course not," Chiba replied. "She grew up in Konoha. The village was founded by her grandfather. No one abandons a place like that easily - even when it's stained with countless sins."
Mei nodded slowly. "All I felt was the pain she's been carrying. If it weren't for that, she wouldn't have sunk this far… gambling just to escape."
Chiba's expression softened by a fraction. "I never expected to convince her today. But someday she'll face it."
"I hope so," Mei murmured. "I hope she can finally leave behind the place that gave her nothing but grief."
Chiba's mouth curved. "Setting that aside - we didn't win Tsunade, but we did win plenty of money."
He lifted the necklace and held it out. "And this is yours."
Before she could protest, he stepped closer and fastened it around her neck.
Mei's face warmed instantly. "This is valuable, isn't it?"
"Very," Chiba said. "A relic of the First Hokage. You could buy several mountains with it."
He added, matter-of-fact, "It still contains his chakra - strong enough to suppress even a tailed beast."
Mei hesitated, fingers brushing the crystal. "And you're just giving it to me?"
"I'm not going to wear it," Chiba replied, amused.
She frowned slightly. "What if Tsunade really joins Kirigakure someday and sees her necklace on me? She'll explode."
Chiba paused as if considering it seriously.
"That's true."
Then he smiled. "In that case, I'll take it back from you and return it to her when she arrives."
Mei stared at him for a beat, then turned away, flustered.
"You're awful."
Chiba laughed, and the two returned to their hot spring inn, bickering lightly as they went.
"Another soak?" Chiba asked casually. "With the necklace on."
Mei's cheeks flushed deeper. She understood exactly what he meant.
After a moment, she answered softly, "…Mm."
…
That night, Tsunade returned to her room and instinctively reached for her chest.
The necklace was gone.
A strange emptiness settled in her heart - one she hadn't expected to feel.
Shizune noticed at once. "Lady Tsunade… do you want to buy it back?"
Tsunade shook her head. "I lost it fairly. I won't take it back like that."
Her voice lowered. "If I ever do… it'll be at a gambling table."
Shizune sighed. "That's not all you're thinking about, is it?"
Tsunade didn't answer.
Shizune continued carefully. "Even Lord Jiraiya came. That means this was the Hokage's intention."
"The world looks peaceful," Shizune said, "but everyone knows it's an illusion - especially between Konoha and Kirigakure."
"The Hokage wants you to return and support Konoha," she finished. "And the Mizukage wants you to stand with Kirigakure."
Tsunade closed her eyes. "I know."
Shizune hesitated. "Then… what will you do?"
Tsunade shook her head again. "Nothing."
"Right now," she said, turning over, "I'm just a gambler."
Shizune watched her quietly. She knew Tsunade wouldn't sleep - not really - but there was nothing she could do.
In the end, the choice belonged to Tsunade alone.
…
At that same moment, Chiba received a sealed scroll from the Hyūga clan.
Mei frowned the moment she saw it. "So soon?"
Chiba's expression tightened as he read. "Then something went wrong."
"Are you going?" Mei asked.
Chiba smiled - calm, certain. "Of course."
He rolled the scroll back up with deliberate precision.
"Tsunade. The Hyūga clan. Hiruzen Sarutobi."
"This time," he said quietly, "I'll settle everything."
"And strike Konoha where it truly hurts."
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