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In the next couple of days, Horyu finalized his preparations, carefully navigating the goodbyes with a select few he'd come to regard with a semblance of respect or affection within Konoha. Hanabi, upon hearing of both Horyu and Hinata's impending departures, couldn't mask her dismay. However, Horyu's promise of a summoning contract of her own upon his return served as a bittersweet consolation, persuading her to reluctantly accept their decision.
With the necessary farewells behind him, Horyu led Hinata and Ino, aware of the hidden tails assigned by Hiashi and Inoichi, towards a village nearby. Their destination was a local pub known only to a few privileged with the knowledge Tsunade had imparted during their last encounter. Upon their arrival, the pub owner, recognizing the seriousness and the coded message Horyu relayed, escorted them through the pub to a secluded backroom. The atmosphere was thick with anticipation, a stark contrast to the lively banter that filled the front of the pub.
Inside the dimly lit room, the owner produced a sealed scroll, laying it before them with a stern warning, "Normally, only those with the passcode would proceed, but your intentions need verification. Tsunade-sama insists on this protocol." As they each took turns touching the scroll, it vanished in a puff of smoke, revealing a hidden passage. The owner's voice was firm, laced with an unspoken understanding of the stakes, "Follow this path. I cannot allow those who've tailed you to proceed any further."
Nodding his acknowledgment, Horyu took the lead, with Hinata and Ino closely behind. Their journey through the tunnel was silent, each step echoing softly against the walls, a rhythmic reminder of the path they were about to tread. After what seemed like hours, they emerged into an opening, the sudden exposure to daylight momentarily blinding. The woman, having led them thus far, spoke once more, "Tsunade-sama will be here shortly. Make no mistake, any sign of deception and she will vanish before you realize it."
Horyu nodded, acknowledging the woman's assistance. "Thank you for leading us here." With a wave of her hand, she retreated back into the tunnel, which vanished as if it had never been there. "How cautious," Hinata remarked, her Byakugan activated, scanning the area where the tunnel's entrance had been.
"There is no tunnel, is there?" Horyu inquired, turning to Hinata for confirmation.
Hinata nodded, her eyes still scanning the area. "I don't get it, though."
Shaking his head, Horyu explained, "It's simple. If the tunnel led directly to Tsunade, anyone could force the woman to open it, or worse, kill her and blast through the wall. But Tsunade-sama has several security measures in place. First, the passcode. Without it, there's almost no way to get the scroll to contact her. Let's say we used force to rob it from the woman, or put her under a genjutsu. When she touches the scroll, the scroll would detect if she was under control or distress."
He continued, "Then there's how the scroll works for the person who wants to speak to Tsunade-sama again. If they're under an illusion, control, or have malicious intentions, the scroll alerts Tsunade-sama. If none of these conditions are met, a tunnel that wasn't there before opens and takes people to a location only Tsunade-sama knows, making it impossible to ambush her. I once heard it's impossible to find Tsunade-sama if she doesn't want to be found."
Soon after, Tsunade arrived with Shizune, who was clutching her pig, Tonton, under her arm. Tsunade cast a skeptical glance at Horyu and asked, "Did the seal act up?" She was seemingly aware that it was them who had sought her out, recalling the condition under which she had previously allowed Horyu to find her because of the cursed seal Orochimaru had placed on him.
"I am here for another reason, Tsunade-sama," Horyu began, his tone calm yet firm, signaling the importance of their meeting beyond his personal predicament.
Tsunade snorted dismissively, her gaze shifting between Hinata and Ino. "You wasted your chance to find me for something other than saving your pitiful life?" she questioned, her voice laced with incredulity.
Horyu chuckled lightly, an air of confidence enveloping him. "Something like that," he responded, undeterred by Tsunade's skepticism.
Turning her back to them, Tsunade declared flatly, "I refuse." Her refusal was not unexpected to Horyu, but Hinata and Ino couldn't hide their worry. They had journeyed far, and the possibility of their efforts being in vain loomed large, threatening to dampen their spirits.
Undaunted, Horyu persisted, "Won't you at least hear me out?" His request caused Tsunade to halt, reconsidering her stance as she turned to face them once more. "You want me to take them as my assistants and teach them," she deduced, her experience allowing her to grasp the essence of Horyu's request with just a glance.
"Amazing. You figured it out with just a look," Horyu remarked, clapping lightly in acknowledgment of Tsunade's sharp intuition.
"Don't try to flatter me, brat. I'm too experienced to fall for it," Tsunade retorted, her smirk conveying both amusement and a hint of challenge.
Unphased, Horyu pressed on, "Why do you refuse, though?" Tsunade's response was simple, "I'm too lazy to babysit."
Nodding, Horyu proposed, "How about a bet?" Tsunade's expression turned sour at the mention of a bet, remembering their last encounter. However, Horyu's next words piqued her interest. Taking out a scroll, he offered, "In here is all my possession, worth a considerable amount of money. If you win, it's yours, and we will leave just like that. If I win, I'll still give it to you, but you must teach them with everything you have."
Tsunade hesitated, biting her lip. "Who knows how much you have in there. Should I be impressed by the meager money you have?" she questioned, attempting to downplay the stakes.
Horyu didn't take the bait. "This is also a gamble, isn't it? Do I have a lot of money or not? The only way to know is to play," he countered, his words sparking a glint of intrigue in Tsunade's eyes.
After a moment of contemplation, Tsunade accepted the challenge, her competitive spirit overriding her initial reluctance. "Fine, what's the bet?" she inquired, her demeanor shifting to that of a seasoned gambler ready to stake her claim.
Horyu's smirk deepened, relishing the moment's tension. "You choose the game, Tsunade-sama. Dice, cards... anything, as long as it's a game of luck. It might even allay my concerns about this bet," he said, his confidence unshaken.
Tsunade's expression soured immediately, her irritation palpable. "You're really asking for a beating, aren't you?" she snapped, her legendary temper flaring at the challenge laid before her.
Unperturbed, Horyu chuckled, the sound echoing lightly in the clearing. "So, what will it be?" His confidence wasn't unfounded; Tsunade's notoriously bad luck was almost a legend in itself. The last time they bet, Horyu had used a pair of dice he'd crafted himself. Despite giving Tsunade the loaded dice, ensuring her victory should have been a certainty, she still lost—a testament to her abysmal luck.
Tsunade eyed Horyu for a moment, a mix of exasperation and begrudging annoyance in her gaze. "Cards," she finally declared, deciding to rely on what she deemed the lesser of two evils in the realm of gambling. "We'll play a simple game of high card draw. Highest card wins. Simple enough even for you," she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
Horyu's smile didn't waver. "Simple indeed, Tsunade-sama. Let's see how luck favors us today," he replied, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. The stakes were high, not just in terms of the bet itself, but in what it represented for Hinata and Ino's futures.
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