158Chapter 1ur DrawsChapter 166: Four Draws
"If I win, these will be my teacher's betrothal gifts; if I lose, these will be the stakes." Naruto grinned mischievously. "Tsunade-neechan, dare to bet?"
"Naruto! That's enough!"
Jiraiya, standing up from the ruins of the large hole in the wall, stood behind Naruto with a stern face and his hand on his chest.
"Here we go again! Get out of the way, this is a bet between me and this brat!"
"Lady Tsunade, you..."
Shizune also wanted to dissuade her, since although Tsunade's gambling etiquette was good, her luck at gambling was almost terrible.
She only won money twice in her life, and both times were when her two closest relatives left her. This can only be described as a kind of destiny.
When Tsunade has good luck, it often brings misfortune; perhaps this is divine punishment for her gambling addiction...
"Let's bet!" Tsunade waved her hand dismissively. "A contest of size, huh?"
"Yes, let's compare sizes."
Naruto was still very confident. Tsunade's exploits were no longer a secret, especially her incredible luck in gambling, which was legendary. She wasn't called the "big fat sheep" for nothing.
If you encounter Tsunade, as long as you bet against her in the betting game, you'll definitely win a villa by the sea!
Seeing that Tsunade accepted the invitation, Naruto didn't hesitate. He put the dice into the sieve cup and started shaking it. The constant rattling sound combined with Naruto's actions made it seem like he was doing something.
"Bang!"
Naruto placed the sieve cup face down on the ground and gestured to Tsunade that they could begin.
Tsunade is extremely skilled at rolling dice; there's absolutely nothing to criticize about her movements. Her years of experience in casinos have certainly paid off.
"open!"
The two shouted in unison, opening the upside-down dice cups on the ground, and the numbers on their dice were immediately revealed.
"2, 4, 6!"
"3, 4, 5!"
"draw?!"
Naruto was puzzled; this shouldn't be happening...
"Again?!"
"Again!"
"5, 6, 6!"
"5, 6, 6!"
"Another draw?!"
"Again!"
When the third match ended in a draw, Naruto had a guess and couldn't help but turn to look at Jiraiya with some sympathy. He and Tsunade were truly destined to be apart.
"How about we try a different way of betting?"
Naruto was still somewhat unwilling. After successfully bringing Tsunade and Jiraiya together, he believed that given their personalities, it would be difficult for them to stay in Konoha. This would give him ample room to maneuver.
As Jiraiya said, Kakashi Hatake's abilities are decent, but he is too inexperienced to suppress the evil spirits in Konoha's upper echelons, which is why Naruto was able to take advantage of the chaos.
"You said it, I'll stick with you to the end!"
After three consecutive draws, Tsunade's gambling addiction was completely aroused. She had become accustomed to losing every bet, so how could a gambler be content with three consecutive draws?
"Okay, let's play cards!"
Naruto then magically produced a deck of cards from his ninja tool pouch, shuffled them, and gestured for Shizune, who was standing next to Tsunade, to deal the cards.
Shizune glanced at Tsunade, and after receiving a signal from the latter, reluctantly took on the role of the dealer.
The cards were quickly dealt to the two of them, and Naruto and Tsunade were both very decisive. After glancing at their cards, they confidently revealed them.
However, the outcome was not unexpected, and the two remained tied.
Naruto glanced at Jiraiya behind him with a hint of helplessness. He figured his teacher would probably spend the rest of his life writing erotic novels…
"Tsunade, how about we make a bet?"
Jiraiya's expression remained unchanged. He had been pursuing Tsunade for so long, and although he had never been able to win her over, he had long since come to terms with it.
Jiraiya's only wish now is to bring Tsunade back to Konoha, teach Naruto everything he needs to know, and then continue his travels throughout the ninja world.
This is probably how my life will pass by...
The thing Naruto least wanted to see still happened. If Jiraiya had stepped in and changed the bet, Tsunade might have had no other option but to return to Konoha.
"Alright, watch me dominate today!" Tsunade was full of fighting spirit. The four draws just now had completely trapped her in the vicious cycle of gambling.
Shizune didn't try to dissuade her; she still hoped that Tsunade could return to Konoha.
As people get older, they often want to return to where they started. Shizune is not young anymore, and returning to Konoha is something she hopes to do now.
"We'll just compare sizes; I don't know how to do anything else..."
"Tch, don't pretend you don't know anything!" Tsunade was a little annoyed, but still agreed, "A draw counts as a win for me, this is the price you pay for changing your players!"
Although she had fallen into a gambling trap, Tsunade remained rational. Despite being known as a "big fat sheep," she was still quite sensible.
Moreover, Tsunade was just looking for a reason to convince herself; deep down, she still cared about Konoha, otherwise she wouldn't have agreed to Naruto's initial bet.
Of course, for Jiraiya's pursuit, the only thing missing between the two was an opportunity, and Tsunade needed to create such an opportunity for herself through a bet.
However, fate was not on their side, and the opportunity for the two to be together could not overcome destiny. Even with such bad luck, Tsunade drew four times in a row.
Naruto keenly caught the fleeting regret on Tsunade's face, followed by relief. Clearly, while her relationship with Jiraiya wasn't over, it was impossible for them to be together in real life.
unless...
"open!"
While Naruto was lost in thought, Jiraiya and Tsunade had already rolled the dice and simultaneously opened their respective dice cups with a loud shout.
"this..."
Naruto's heart sank; Tsunade had lost.
"I tried to steal a chicken but lost the rice instead!" Naruto cursed himself inwardly, now he was very regretful.
"Alright!" Tsunade clapped her hands and stood up. "Let's go back to Konoha!"
"You agreed?!" Jiraiya's face lit up with joy.
"It's just going back to Konoha, I didn't say I wanted to become Hokage." Tsunade's face showed a sly look. "After all, it's been so many years since I've been back, I really want to see what Konoha is like now!"
"But..." Jiraiya belatedly realized that the loophole in his words became Tsunade's legitimate reason for avoiding becoming the Fifth Hokage.
Jiraiya had no choice but to accept it, since Tsunade had already agreed to return to Konoha with him. Forcing her would only backfire.
"Let's go!" Jiraiya patted his butt and stood up, then his expression suddenly changed, and he grabbed Naruto by the back of his collar with ill intent. "Tsunade, pack your things first, we're leaving tomorrow."
"Let's meet here tomorrow." Tsunade nodded, and after deciding on the meeting place, she led Shizune in the opposite direction.
"Naruto, you have quite the nerve!" Jiraiya could no longer contain his anger. "You even have the audacity to make decisions for your teacher on your own!"
"Don't talk nonsense, I didn't!" Naruto struggled. "Besides, I also want Granny Tsunade to return to Konoha, and her marriage was a complete disaster..."
"Huh... Jiraiya, I think I heard that brat talking bad about me." Tsunade, with her sharp ears, turned her head. "Give him a good talking-to."