A week had passed in silence since Emperor Ryuzaki defeated Mr. Tsukishima.
The gamblers of Tanzaku Town had become subordinate to one man. A man said to be stronger than the previous God of Gambling— Hashirama Senju.
No one in Tanzaku Town doubted Emperor Ryuzaki's superiority over him any longer.
Well, no one besides Tsunade Senju.
Smack!
A plain briefcase landed on the table.
"Lady Tsunade…" Shizune's lips twitched as they sat in a rented room in sombre silence. Tsunade had a white headband wrapped around her forehead as she extended her fingers and opened the briefcase.
Crispy 10,000 Ryo notes lay silently in the briefcase.
"How much did you borrow this time?"
"1 million ryō! Though the interest on such a large amount was a steep 20% I have a year to earn it back."
"Aren't we already in debt by 20 million?" Little Shizune tilted her head innocently and Tsunade ignored her. She stared at the money in the briefcase solemnly.
"Either I defeat that scammer today or I'll quit gambling!" Tsunade declared heroically and Shizune's eyes lit up.
"Really!?"
Her excitement felt a bit wrong to Tsunade. Why did it seem like she was anticipating her loss?
Anyways, Tsunade smashed her fist on the table, causing it to crack and stood up. With the briefcase in hand, she strode towards the top floor of the inn. The top floor of the inn was also a teahouse and within that teahouse was a master room.
From the talk of the town, it was clear this new God of Gambling was living here.
This time Tsunade wasn't wearing her disguise. It seemed like the God of Gambling had grown tired and instructed the innkeeper not to allow anyone to meet him.
Thus, Tsunade was forced to use her real identity to book a meeting. Despite being one of the strongest ninjas alive, Tsunade knew the consequences of breaking the rules of the Land of Fire. She might not care but due to her identity, Konoha would be implicated.
She didn't think she needed to use force anyway. She was the granddaughter of the legendary God of Gambling- Hashirama Senju.
Her fearsome reputation made sure no one dared mess with her.
…
Guided by the innkeeper, Tsunade and Shizune arrived at the topmost floor.
"Mr. Ryuzaki's guests have arrived."
The innkeeper's tone depicted that he held the status of the man inside much higher than Tsunade's.
Tsunade scoffed at the middle-aged man's ingratiating smile but said nothing.
"Mhm." A soft hum of acceptance sounded from inside and the innkeeper, having completed his task left as quickly as he had arrived, leaving Tsunade and Shizune somewhat confused.
"Wait for me here, I'll be done soon."
Tsunade entered the room leaving a bewildered Shizune outside. Shizune looked at tonton in her hands and scratched its head lovingly.
"I hope Lady Tsunade won't lose too badly." She whispered.
…
"So you're the so-called God of Gambling? You don't seem like much." The moment Tsunade walked in she mocked him, her eyes peering over his frail figure with disdain.
This was a mental attack to make her opponent lose his calm.
No man with pride would endure such a taunt.
Tsunade was determined to win.
Unfortunately for her, Ryuzaki didn't respond to her pointed remark. He calmly gestured for her to sit at the front of the table.
Tsunade frowned before taking a seat.
"What's with the mask? Can't even take it off now?" Tsunade rested her hand on her chin as she lay the briefcase beside her.
"I suppose it is disrespectful of me to act such in front of the Princess of Konoha."
Tsunade watched him remove his plain black mask with curiosity and her body stiffened at the sight. Her lackadaisical posture slowly straightened.
What a beautiful face!
Tsunade had long shut her heart away. Her current infatuation was simply that, infatuation. The feeling was inevitable, not something that she could suppress.
Suddenly Tsunade's misty eyes regained clarity as she stared at him with surprise. Ryuzaki himself showed no astonishment at her behaviour.
Though this odd state lasted only for a few seconds Tsunade couldn't help but joke, "Why not put it back on?"
"I am but an ordinary man. As the saying goes, a man with treasure is guilty. I can only delay the inevitable through such crude methods."
Ryuzaki's serene aura seemed to be infectious as Tsunade relaxed once again.
"Is gambling that important to you?"
Tsunade had initially thought that the guy was at least a Chunin-level Ninja. But after a close-up up she could truly sense that he hadn't refined Chakra at all. Chakra was omnipresent, there was no Ninja above Genin or above that could truly hide their Chakra emissions. Especially not in front of Tsunade.
Thus, this Ryuzaki guy was truly a normal man.
After making such a spectacle didn't he fear being targeted by rogue ninjas? This was the core reasoning behind Tsunade's curiosity.
"Every person's life has a meaning that only they themselves can understand. To some gambling is a vice, a sin, yet to some gambling is their life. It is their purpose. Don't you find it laughable, Princess Tsunade?"
"Huh?" Tsunade had been listening intently only to be confused by his last remark.
Ryuzaki continued, "It is laughable, so laughable that I can't help but look down on the world itself."
"???"
Tsunade felt the conversation was becoming weird.
"The majority look at us, gamblers of ryo, with disdain and contempt but why create a distinction in the first place? Who in this vast world is not gambling at all? We gamble with money while the rest of the world gambles with their lives. When you decide to become a ninja you gamble with your life, when war happens you gamble with your village, when the crossroads of life give you two destinies you choose your own fate and gamble with Heaven itself… In this world, there is no escaping gambling."
Ryuzaki paused, his impassive face slowly curling into a faint smile.
"Just as you decided to gamble by stepping into this room… Princess Tsunade."
"You!"
Tsunade's eyes widened in shock as she noticed the astonishing change in the room. Like vipers hidden in the dark, pitch black sealing script spread across the room like vines crawling onto its target.
And the centre of this sealing script was her sitting position.
This was a trap.
She had been lured from the start.
"Shizune!"
"Shizune!"
She called out twice but received no response in return. She glared at Ryuzaki with a sharp look, "Bastard! If anything happens to Shizune I'll make sure you'll die a gruesome death!"
"Don't worry, she's fine. The sealing script has been incorporated with a sound-encasing encryption. She can't hear you. Everything that happens within this room is a mystery."
"Who are you!?" Tsunade hissed.
All my Chakra has been sealed. My movements are locked as well. If the room is really soundproof then I'm truly at his mercy. If only I could delay him till Shizune notices something. This sealing script is clearly pre-arranged. If there's a slight change I might be able to break free. I'll smash this entire building apart!
"Who I am is irrelevant. What you need to know is that you belong to me now and if you try to rebel I will slaughter the girl outside. If you still disobey I'll go kill the rising stars of Konoha. That Uzumaki brat is close to you, right?"
"Someone who needs to use a sealing script against me dares to boast about attacking Konoha? You're quite the lunatic. Did you intentionally use my grandfather's title to lure me here?"
To Tsunade, this was the best possible outcome. As long as she could stall enough Shizune would surely notice how even her usual banter was not audible. This was clearly a flaw considering she was usually very boisterous while gambling.
Just a few minutes more.
"When given the opportunity between walking and flying, why would one walk this dusty earth? Why would I go through the effort of subduing you with strength when given the option of a simple seal?"
"Hmph! Extravagant theatrics," Tsunade had seen many lunatics like this, "Are you from the Uzumaki Clan? A remnant? Are you seeking vengeance against Konoha? But why is your hair black? I don't sense a Transformation Jutsu."
Certainly, the phrase 'dumb blonde' did not apply to Tsunade. In just a few seconds she had deduced a plausible identity and motive. Even if it was wrong it would allow the conversation to continue smoothly.
Too bad she had underestimated the nature of the seal he had used in the first place. Ryuzaki too wanted to stall as long as possible.
"Interesting. You admit that Konoha has wronged Uzushiogakure?"
"What are you talking about? Don't be brainless! Konoha was surrounded from all fronts, we simply didn't have the manpower to support the Land of Whirlpools. It was just too sudden. The situation in Amegakure had intensified too much due to Hanzo's interference. Even the elite force we had barely scraped together wouldn't have reached in time. It was simply an unfortunate disaster. Don't forget that the former princess of the Uzumaki Clan was the wife of my grandfather."
"Is that the official justification?" Ryuzaki couldn't help but laugh, a laugh so mocking it grated Tsunade's ears.
"You've been blinded by vengeance. Undo the seal and I'm willing to let go of this incident. I'll draft you a letter and you can go settle down in Konoha. Your current princess has no family members left, it would warm her heart."
Appeal to emotion?
Ryuzaki was getting increasingly impressed by the woman in front of him.
"Was it really just your fear of blood that made you leave your own home?"
Ryuzaki's question caused Tsunade to tremble. Her most securely guarded secret had been thrown in her face. Her face paled as she looked at the calm but aloof Ryuzaki with unprecedented wariness.
"The dirty politics of the Five Great Ninja Villages is beyond the understanding of a fool like you," Ryuzaki shook his head in exasperation. Who was he? The Emperor of a land multiple times greater than Konoha. The Son of Heaven, Emperor Ryuzaki. He had ruled the chaotic lands brutally for almost three decades.
"The Uzumaki Clan was an immovable wall for Kirigakure who wished to invade Konoha. As a close ally of Konoha, there was no choice but to make sure the Land of Whirlpools was gone. The second reason was its independence. Unlike the one nation one village policy of all Great Five Lands where the Daimyo kept the Villages in check the Uzumaki Clan was not bound by this structure. They could move as freely as they wished."
"That only proves the helpless situation Konoha was in. You should know exactly how brutal that assault of Kirigakure was." Tsunade scoffed. She had actively participated in the war, and she knew these basic reasons.
"That's exactly where Konoha faltered. Kirigakure dared to act so brutally and even used its Jinchuriki to assault and harass Uzushiogakure because it was in the end a test of resolve which Konoha failed. Konoha had been battling the Sunagakure and Iwagakure, naturally, they were wary of the Cloud Ninja infiltrating the Land of Hot Springs and further breaching the Land of Fire." Ryuzaki paused as he looked at the thoughtful face of Tsunade.
"Looks like you still haven't grasped it." Ryuzaki chuckled, "Kirigakure and Kumogakure must've negotiated. Just as you received reports of Uzushiogakure being attacked you must've also received intel of Kumogakure breaching the Land of Hot Springs. Tell me what the expression of the legendary Third Hokage was then?"
"I don't understand. Why is Konoha to blame? Your words themselves imply that Konoha was helpless."
"Wrong. The reason for the Uzumaki's hatred towards Konoha is that Konoha simply decided it wasn't worth it. Not that they couldn't help but that it wasn't worth it! Konoha never had to help defend the Land of Whirlpools in the first place…" Ryuzaki watched as Tsunade's face paled, "...they could've simply helped the Uzumaki relocate near Konoha or within Konoha itself. So now do you understand what I'm implying?"
"This… because our resources and manpower would've stretched thin helping the Uzumaki and relocating them? Kumogakure's assault would've become harsher had they known Konoha had sent forces to help Uzumaki. To avoid engaging Kirigakure and Kumogakure so we… we…"
"Yes," Ryuzaki nodded, "You abandoned Uzushiogakure."