The idea was good—but difficult to carry out.
The Hidden Grass was weak, yes, but not weak enough for a lone genin to just stroll in and do whatever he wanted.
Haruya still needed to focus on getting stronger.He trained Water Release during the day and Wood Release at night, and for a seven-year-old, his progress was remarkable.
But a child's body had limits.
After a long day of training, Haruya stripped off his jacket and collapsed into bed.
Sunday.Tsunade happily dragged him back to Tanshu Street.
This time, she used a Transformation Jutsu, turning herself into a plain, ordinary young woman—The kind of woman Haruya wouldn't look at twice.
An A-cup, in other words.He couldn't afford to look even if he wanted to.
The two of them slaughtered the casinos again, walking away with another million ryō.
On the way back to the Leaf, however, they were ambushed.Two steps into a small forest and eight burly men blocked their path.
Earlier, the casino owners had recognized Tsunade and didn't dare touch her.But now she looked like a nobody—and their anger and greed boiled over.
"Which casino are you from?" Haruya asked mildly as the eight men surrounded him.
He didn't panic.He had backup.
"Stop talking and hand over the money you won today!"
"We can't do that." Haruya tilted his head.He supposed he'd have to emulate Uzumaki Naruto—beat them up first, then escape.
Tsunade stared at him with curiosity.She'd realized something recently: the little boy she'd picked up wasn't actually little.He was mature, sharp, calculating.
Haruya, on the other hand, was all business.
This was his first real fight.
Being nervous was normal.Even if you removed the Chinese character for "nervous," the nervousness would still remain.
Cough.
Thankfully, Tsunade was here, so he wasn't in any real danger.
"Wood Release: Wood Clone!"
In an instant, one Haruya split into three.
"Careful! He's a ninja!" one thug shouted.
They were just ordinary tough guys with decent fighting experience—but nowhere near a trained shinobi.
All three Haruyas flung shuriken—six in each hand.Eighteen total, covering all eight attackers.
The thugs scattered in panic.
While the clones rushed forward, Haruya used another Wood Clone technique mid-charge, doubling their numbers again.
It became a fair fight only in the sense that everyone now had a partner to punch.
A few minutes later, all eight men were tied up and groaning on the ground.
"Can we talk now?" Haruya asked calmly.
"Our boss will never let you go!" one thug spat.
"Pretty tough," Haruya said.Then he turned around. "Sis, show them your fist."
Tsunade smiled sweetly, stepped back a few paces—and lifted one leg.
Then she stomped.
"Ow—my foot…"
A three- or four-meter radius cracked open around her, earth splitting, rubble flying.
The thugs froze.Their brains simply refused to process what they were seeing.
"Which casino?" Haruya asked again, covering his mouth and nose.Tsunade hadn't harmed him, but she couldn't control the dust cloud.
"Gunma Casino!" the thug blurted immediately.
"What's the boss's name? Background?"
"Morikawa! Used to be a street thug, then joined Gunma Company and opened the casino!"
"Got it." Haruya waved. "You can go."
Tsunade blinked. "You're letting them go?"
"They're just hired muscle. Useless."
Haruya explained, "I'm more interested in Gunma Company. Since they attacked us first, we don't need to play nice. I'm thinking of taking that company for myself."
He'd used Wood Clone openly, but normal people would never recognize it—ninjas barely knew Wood Release even existed.
So nothing was exposed.
Tsunade stared at him blankly.If he didn't look like a seven-year-old, she would've assumed he was a fully grown man.
"You want to open a casino?" she asked.
"No." Haruya shook his head. "I want to protect the casinos."
"…What?"
Tsunade felt her mind derail.
"A single casino is too small," Haruya continued. "I want to unify them. Bigger profits."
He wanted to become the underground emperor of Tanshu Street.
This was far beyond the mentality of a ninja.
Tsunade needed a moment to process it.
Ninjas didn't run businesses.Their income came solely from missions.That was all they knew.
Frankly, they didn't read enough books.
If it were Haruya, he could come up with a thousand ways to make more money than missions—without risking his life or working endlessly.
The Naruto world was bizarre.Ninjas strong enough to level mountains still served daimyo like glorified attack dogs.They completed missions for scraps and considered it honorable.
Even the Akatsuki, for all their power, funded themselves through assassination gigs.
Ridiculous.
And worse—ninjas were proud of it.
Haruya could never understand it.It baffled him.
"How do you want to do this?" Tsunade finally asked.
She didn't hesitate long.Choosing between Gunma Company and Haruya wasn't a choice at all.
If it wasn't "ninja-like," who cared?
"Standardize everything. Add new games. Improve service. Charge franchise fees and take revenue shares."
Tanshu Street's casinos were like shady internet cafés—dirty, chaotic, identical in every way.
Once he took over Gunma Company, Haruya planned to build a modern casino.Clean, attractive, innovative.
The others would either copy him, join him… or try to crush him.
He'd also offer a third option—be absorbed into his network.
Tsunade gaped at him.
She had never heard anything like it.But the more she thought about it… the more it made sense.
"I can't do it alone," Haruya said, looking up at her expectantly. "I need my sister's help."
It was spontaneous, yes, but undeniably profitable.And Gunma Company had attacked them first.Taking over was practically justified revenge.
Besides—With money, he could do a lot of things.
Like hiring ninjas to rescue Karin and her mother.
Tsunade's feelings were complicated.
Haruya had shown just a tiny bit of his true mind today, and it was enough to shock her.
Even veteran merchants didn't think like this.
But thankfully… Haruya was hers.
Tsunade bent down, scooped him up, and said warmly,"No problem. Whatever you need, your sister will provide."
Wow.
That sentence definitely had "rich woman" energy.
Haruya tilted his head slightly and caught a glimpse of the First Hokage's necklace.
So white.
He leaned against her chest without hesitation.He was exhausted from the fight.
Her skin was smooth—like silk.
After a moment, sleep washed over him.
He was still a child physically, after all.And chakra consumption drained the body.
Tsunade walked on, feeling the soft rhythm of his breathing brushing against her necklace and collarbone.
She looked down.
Haruya was already fast asleep.