Late at night, by a small post station 10 kilometers south of the village.
Two figures, one large and one small, had just rushed there and came to a stop.
The bright moonlight spilled down, making both of their hair reflect a silvery glow.
These two were none other than Natsuhiko and Kakashi, who had been missing the entire day.
Natsuhiko scanned the surroundings, then walked over to a flat patch of land and said with a smile, "This looks like a good spot. Let's set up the game hall here for today."
"Teacher, are you sure this is okay?" Kakashi, following closely behind, asked with a bit of hesitation.
After all these days, Kakashi had roughly guessed Natsuhiko's plan—to use the game hall as bait to draw Lady Tsunade closer to Konoha. Only someone like Natsuhiko, who had invented so many rune-based creations, could come up with such a plan.
So, those days when Natsuhiko had been out of sight, he had actually been preparing the game hall. Kakashi had witnessed firsthand how Natsuhiko, along with his three small shadow clones, had built so many novel and entertaining game machines in just a few days.
Although Natsuhiko had mentioned that the game machines were originally intended for use in next semester's lessons and that turning them into gambling machines wasn't difficult, Kakashi was still amazed at how quickly it had been done.
Even though Kakashi lacked experience in missions, Natsuhiko's strange way of going about this task made him somewhat skeptical. Could someone as battle-hardened as Tsunade, one of the legendary Sannin, really be tricked by such a simple ploy, even if she was known for her gambling habits?
Unable to hold back, Kakashi asked again, "What if Lady Tsunade doesn't show up? Won't we be back to square one, and we'll lose track of her?"
"Shouldn't we leave a shadow clone there to keep watch?"
Natsuhiko responded with a slight smile, "Kakashi, you don't need to worry. I'm confident enough in the allure of my game hall."
"Besides, your concerns never really existed to begin with."
With that, he turned to face the woods in the direction they'd come from and called out softly, "Lady Tsunade, you left a shadow clone at the game hall, and your true body has been following us the whole time. Isn't it about time you came out?"
Though his voice wasn't loud, it seemed to float through the wind to the ears of a figure in the woods. A moment later, she emerged in a flash.
Kakashi, shocked, turned to look, and just as Natsuhiko had said, it was indeed Lady Tsunade.
So, she had been following them the entire time, and he hadn't even noticed. Kakashi now understood that even though Tsunade had a gambling problem and lacked responsibility, she was still a formidable ninja.
Tsunade strolled over, eyeing Natsuhiko up and down with a begrudging look before giving a reluctant compliment: "To think you could sense my presence… I guess you're more than just a sealing technique genius—do you know sensory ninjutsu too?"
Natsuhiko, of course, wasn't about to reveal that he had spotted her on the map from the very beginning, so he simply smiled enigmatically without saying a word.
"Tch, stingy," Tsunade muttered, knowing full well that Natsuhiko wouldn't answer such a question, so she didn't press further. She then asked, "So, what's the point of moving this game hall around? Are you really trying to lure me back to Konoha? If so, you're seriously underestimating me."
Kakashi's heart skipped a beat when Tsunade so bluntly called out Natsuhiko's intentions, but his face was hidden by his mask, so he didn't show it.
"Lady Tsunade, you must be joking. I would never use such a clumsy tactic on someone like you."
Natsuhiko spread his hands and smiled. "As for why I'm moving the game hall, the reason is simple…"
"I'm just doing some market research."
"You see, I plan to open these game halls all across the Land of Fire in the future. So, since I've got the chance now, I want to use this game hall to test how players in different areas react to the machines and adjust the number of each machine accordingly for each location."
As he spoke, he pulled out a document that detailed the different usage rates of the machines from the past two days at different locations.
And sure enough, the preferences between gamblers in the streets and villagers were markedly different.
Natsuhiko continued, "Plus, a mobile game hall is a bit of a novelty and serves as good advertising for when we officially launch."
Tsunade flipped through the document while listening to Natsuhiko's explanation, and her confidence wavered. Could it be that she had overthought things? Was this guy really just diligently making some extra money?
With no clear answer, Tsunade decided to address another issue. "And the game hall—how exactly did you manage to pack it all up at once? If it's confidential, just forget I asked."
Natsuhiko thought for a moment. While the explanation was technically complex, a simplified version wouldn't be a problem. Plus, sharing a bit could bring him closer to Tsunade, laying the groundwork for future negotiations. So, he decided to indulge her curiosity.
"Although it looks quite magical, it's really not that big of a deal," Natsuhiko said, pulling out a recently improved universal scroll and tossing it a short distance away.
Just like before, a cloud of white smoke exploded, and suddenly, the game hall appeared on the previously empty ground.
"Huh!" Tsunade's eyes widened in disbelief as she walked up to the game hall, knocking on its walls to make sure it wasn't just a projection created by a ninjutsu illusion. The solid feel of the structure quickly convinced her—it really was the same game hall.
Had he really transported the entire hall so effortlessly?
Tsunade had assumed that Natsuhiko's daytime absences were because he was up all night rebuilding the hall, which was why he needed to rest during the day. But in just a few seconds, it had all been set up.
Tsunade racked her brain but couldn't figure it out, so she gave up and admitted, "Natsuhiko, how did you do it?"
Natsuhiko smiled. "Lady Tsunade, don't worry. I'll pack it up again now, and after you watch the process, you'll understand."
"Then hurry up."
Unable to contain her curiosity, Tsunade urged him on.
Natsuhiko walked over to a small raised button-like spot on the side of the game hall, pressed it, and began injecting chakra into it to activate the mechanism.
This time, without the fog to obscure it, Tsunade saw the walls of the game hall begin to display countless sealing runes.
To her shock, the walls started to fold and collapse inward. Similarly, the game machines, chairs, and floors inside also folded neatly and merged together.
In the end, the large game hall compressed into a small, nearly solid cube.
Once again, sealing runes appeared on the cube's surface, and with a puff of white smoke, the cube vanished, leaving only a sealing scroll behind.
Watching the entire process, Tsunade stood stunned, her mouth slightly open. After a while, she snapped out of her daze, but still found herself at a loss for words.
"This… this…"
Natsuhiko, seeing her confusion, added, "Creating a storage scroll that can hold an entire game hall is indeed challenging, but if it's specifically designed for storing only that game hall, the difficulty is greatly reduced."
"To put it simply, I've integrated the game hall with the storage scroll through pre-inscribed runes, allowing it to fold and compress as it's sealed into the scroll."
"So, in a way, I've integrated the game hall and the storage scroll together, making this possible."
"The only downside is that this storage scroll can't store anything else. In fact, even people inside the game hall won't be sealed in when I pack it up."
"Though, depending on how you look at it, that might not be a downside at all."
With Natsuhiko's explanation, Tsunade began to grasp the concept, her eyes reflecting admiration. She hadn't expected that you could pre-inscribe runes on the object to be sealed, integrating the two and lowering the demands on the scroll.
Though this limited the flexibility of the storage scroll, it drastically increased its capacity or reduced the material requirements for the scroll itself.
In no time, Tsunade thought of several practical uses for this technique. Its potential was immense, and it could even change the future of warfare!
The only catch was that this technique required a skilled practitioner.
Though Natsuhiko made it sound easy, Tsunade, having learned sealing techniques from Grandma Mito, understood just how difficult it was to make his idea a reality. To guide an object through compression and folding with runes and have it emerge unscathed would require precision and masterful rune-drawing techniques.
Otherwise, the scroll would either explode from the strain or the stored object would be ruined upon release.
In Tsunade's mind, the only person she knew capable of such a feat was Grandma Mito. But clearly, Natsuhiko now had to be added to that shortlist.
On top of that, with the various strange ninjutsu, game consoles, and storage scrolls he's demonstrated over the past few days, Tsunade couldn't help but be reminded of her Second Grandpa, Senju Tobirama, who was also adept at inventing all sorts of things."
"So, this kid can be said to have inherited Grandma Mito's talent for sealing techniques, along with Grandpa Tobirama's development skills! How is that even fair?"
"Tsunade looked at Natsuhiko with a complicated expression, unsure whether she should be envious or relieved."
"She, who was always seen as a genius by everyone, finally understood how people felt when they looked at her."
"Maybe even without her, as long as Konoha had Natsuhiko… and the already grown-up geniuses like Minato Namikaze, things probably wouldn't be too bad."
"At this moment, Natsuhiko also knew that Tsunade needed some time to digest everything, so he didn't continue talking. Instead, he unsealed the game arcade once again and placed the house where he and Kakashi usually stayed next to it."
"Just then, Tsunade's clone arrived with Shizune, and after merging back with her original body, it disappeared."
"Interrupted by the clone's memories, Tsunade snapped out of her thoughts. Upon seeing the house beside the game arcade, she couldn't help but sourly remark:"
"'Natsuhiko, you really know how to enjoy yourself.'"
"'So, while Shizune and I were sometimes roughing it in the wilderness, you and Kakashi were living comfortably in such a nice house every night?'"
"Upon hearing this, Shizune pouted, feeling a bit wronged."
"So this is what you're really like, Teacher Natsuhiko…"
"Natsuhiko, surprised by Tsunade's oddly sharp critique, found himself momentarily speechless. Awkwardly, he could only respond with a wry smile:"
"'Actually, there's plenty of space inside. Why don't you both stay the night?'"
(End of the Chapter)