"No, he hasn't," Mito Homura interjected, taking over the conversation. "According to the intelligence reports, the Third Kazekage seemed to have entered the Land of Fire at some point but later withdrew. He's been stationed at the camp in the Land of Rivers and hasn't left since. The enemies within the Land of Fire are mainly led by Chiyo's son."
"And who's in command?" Tsunade asked, fearing that the Third Hokage might again place someone unsuitable in charge. The mess Danzo had caused in the Rain Country battlefield had almost driven her mad. If the same were to happen in the Land of Rivers, Konoha would struggle even more in this war.
"It's Sakumo Hatake," the Third Hokage finally spoke.
Hearing this, Tsunade nodded approvingly. "Good choice. Sakumo-senpai is indeed capable of holding such a position, but I suggest sending Nara Shikashige as well. Sakumo-senpai is better suited for combat on the battlefield, not managing the camp."
"He's already been sent," the Third Hokage confirmed.
"Good, I'll return to the Rain Country battlefield as soon as possible. With Chiyo's presence there, Konoha will need to constantly supply antidotes."
"Thank you for your hard work," the Third Hokage said, acknowledging her efforts.
At this, Tsunade pushed her chair back in frustration. "If you really appreciated my efforts, you'd remove Danzo from his position."
"Tsunade, Danzo is the Hokage's advisor! He's also your senior. Show him the respect he deserves," Koharu Utatane couldn't hold back any longer. After all, their interests were closely tied to Danzo's, and Tsunade questioning Danzo was as good as questioning them all.
"I'll think about it," the Third Hokage said, his tone noncommittal, signaling Koharu to drop the matter. Replacing Danzo was out of the question, especially since there wasn't anyone suitable to take his place. As for reprimanding Tsunade, that was even less likely. The Rain Country battlefield couldn't function without her, and if she were pushed too far, Konoha's chances of winning the war would diminish drastically.
Tsunade was not one to be trifled with; if she felt cornered, she might very well walk away, and no one could accuse her of being a traitor for it. Doing so would be like shooting themselves in the foot, humiliating both the Hokage and the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.
"Take your time considering it. I'm exhausted, so I'm leaving now," Tsunade said, ignoring Koharu as she waved and turned to leave. She had realized that no matter what, the Third Hokage wouldn't replace Danzo. Given that, there was no point in arguing further. Whatever problems arose from their decision, they could deal with it themselves.
After Tsunade left, Koharu inevitably began complaining again. But, as always, the Third Hokage diffused the situation, smoothing things over, leaving Koharu with no outlet for her frustration. While her position as an elder commanded authority over most, it was utterly disregarded by Tsunade.
Finally, some time to relax.
Leaving the Hokage's office, Tsunade hurried toward the casino. But when she arrived, she was stunned. The casino was closed!
A notice was posted on the door, stating that due to the war, the casino would be closed temporarily to avoid causing trouble for the village.
Seeing this, Tsunade nearly spat out blood. She had prepared her money, only to find that there was nowhere to lose it. This is absurd!
At that moment, Tsunade felt an overwhelming urge to drag the casino owner out and beat them up. Of all times to close, why now? Are you doing this on purpose? The casino was open just yesterday!
What Tsunade didn't know was that to prevent her from staying in the village too long, the Third Hokage had ordered the Anbu to inform all casinos in Konoha to close until she left the village. With the Anbu delivering such a warning, no casino owner dared to defy the order.
"Aren't you supposed to be back late?" Takuya asked as he returned home after training, fresh from a bath and lounging on the sofa with a book. He saw Tsunade return with a scowl on her face, clearly displeased.
"The casino's closed," Tsunade grumbled, feeling as if the world was conspiring against her. She slumped next to Takuya, forcing her way into a comfortable spot beside him.
...
Takuya thought she had been heartbroken or that a surgery had gone wrong, but no, she was upset because the casino had closed.
Will you die if you don't give your money away?
Wait!
Giving away money?
If you're so eager to give it away, why not give it to me? You're already freeloading at my place, eating my food, and even sleeping in my bed! You don't even want to sleep in the guest room and insist on taking over my bedroom.
Takuya raised his hand, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Ever played Landlord?"
"What's Landlord?" Tsunade asked weakly, glancing at Takuya. He shrugged and replied, "A gambling game."
"How do you play?" Tsunade's interest was piqued. She immediately perked up, sitting cross-legged and waving her hand excitedly. "Come on, let's play! I've been dying to gamble. Let's play this Landlord game you mentioned."
Whether it was cards or a game machine, it didn't matter to her. As long as she could gamble, that was enough.
"But we don't have any cards, and we need three people to play Landlord," Takuya pointed out.
"Leave the cards to me, and I'll find us another player," Tsunade said, already burning with excitement. Takuya told her what kind of cards they needed, and without even bothering to use the door, Tsunade jumped out of the window and disappeared.
Less than half an hour later, Tsunade returned, dragging a bewildered Kushina with one hand and holding a freshly printed deck of cards with the other. The cards were hastily printed after Tsunade stormed into a print shop and demanded the owner work overtime to produce them. As for the designs, she didn't care—numbers and letters were enough.
Kushina, meanwhile, had been in her kitchen preparing a special dinner for Takuya when Tsunade suddenly barged in, grabbed her without a word, and carried her off. She hadn't even had a chance to protest before Tsunade hoisted her over her shoulder and ran.
Now sitting in Takuya's house, Kushina was still dazed.
Wasn't I cooking at home?
How did I end up here?
"Here are the cards. Let's start; I can't wait any longer!" Tsunade said, tossing Kushina onto the sofa and rubbing her hands together eagerly, urging Takuya to begin.
...
"Do you both understand the rules?" After explaining for quite some time, Takuya finally made sure Tsunade and Kushina understood how to play Landlord. Tsunade was easy enough; despite her terrible luck, she had a good memory. But Kushina was a bit confused.
"Landlord!" As soon as the cards were dealt, the big sheep couldn't wait to shout, eager to be the Landlord. Without even waiting for Takuya and Kushina to agree, she grabbed the bottom cards and added them to her hand.
...
Kushina bit her lip and began organizing her cards. Takuya shot a look at Tsunade, Where did you get the confidence to grab the Landlord role? She didn't even bother with the bidding process.
Glancing at his hand with two Jokers and three twos, Takuya silently prepared to fleece this big sheep. As long as Kushina didn't mess things up, Takuya was confident he could strip Tsunade of everything she had.
How should I play this?
Tsunade's inexperience and overeagerness were painfully evident.
"Three!"
"Two..."
"No can do."
"Straight."
"No can do."
"Triple with an extra."
"I want this one! I've got this one!"
"Joker Bomb..."
Are you cheating? Why are all the big cards in your hand?!
Note: Nara Shikashige is Nara Shikaku father
Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 118 at patreon.com/Emik01.