Chapter 45: Easy Money?
"You're the kid! Your whole family are kids!"
Hearing the guard call them kids, Toneri immediately jumped up in defiance. Admitting he was a child would ruin any chance of getting into the gambling den.
Using the Transformation Jutsu to appear older? Forget it.
Clumsily tying a red tie and slicking his hair back to look mature wasn't going to fool anyone. This wasn't an ordinary gambling den—it was in the heart of Konoha's bustling streets. Places like this wouldn't operate without powerful backers or strict rules.
A sign at the entrance made things clear:
"No use of ninjutsu inside the gambling den. Violators will be severely punished."
Places like this were bound to have at least chūnin-level ninja on guard. Tsunade could afford to ignore such restrictions, but Toneri and his companions? They weren't even full-fledged genin yet.
When Toneri snapped back, the guard glared and rolled up his sleeves, ready to teach the little brat a lesson. Guards in gambling dens weren't as strong as ninja, but they could handle ordinary kids with ease.
But Toneri and his friends weren't ordinary kids.
Without hesitation, Toneri grabbed Minato and shoved him to the front, pointing to his Konoha forehead protector. "Go ahead! I dare you to try!"
The guard's face froze. The sight of a forehead protector made him hesitate. Picking on civilians was one thing, but provoking ninja—no matter how young—was a different story.
Seeing the hesitation, Toneri smirked, yanking Minato back behind him. "You better think twice! Don't judge us by our size—we're fully trained ninja! I'm 18 years old! He's 17! We're adults! If the drinking laws don't apply to us, why should we be banned from gambling, huh?"
The guard's eyes widened in disbelief. He stared at Toneri, the shortest of the three, whose head barely reached his waist. Eighteen?
Toneri leaned forward, his gaze sharp. "What? Don't believe me? Are you questioning a ninja's words? Maybe you've never met short people like us before, but don't let your ignorance make you look foolish!"
The guard blinked, confused. Short people? Was that some kind of special clan?
Feeling overwhelmed, he stepped aside and waved them through. "Fine. Go ahead."
As the three walked in, Toneri grinned triumphantly. "See? No problem!"
Inside the gambling den, Minato and Kushina were wide-eyed. It was their first time in a place like this, and the smoky, chaotic atmosphere overwhelmed their senses.
Toneri, however, quickly zeroed in on his target: the loudest, most crowded part of the den.
There she was—Tsunade—sitting confidently at a table, piles of cash stacked in front of her. The den's managers sat opposite her, their faces plastered with polite but strained smiles.
The three squeezed to the front of the crowd. Toneri stared at the stacks of cash in front of Tsunade—each stack worth 1 million ryō.
His eyes sparkled. Is this her entire war earnings? This is a jackpot!
He swallowed hard, already imagining the feast he could afford with this money. This could fund my meals for six months!
Tsunade was immersed in the game, her excitement palpable. Though her gambling skills were atrocious, her pure enthusiasm and lack of pretense were admirable. She didn't rely on her strength to cheat. She simply rolled the dice like everyone else, savoring the thrill of the game.
The rules were simple: Odd or Even. A 50-50 chance, with a 1:1 payout ratio.
Toneri didn't hesitate. He slapped down their pooled savings—20,000 ryō—and bet against Tsunade.
"Toneri, are you seriously betting everything at once?" Kushina whispered, tugging at his sleeve. The scene felt surreal, like they were witnessing Tsunade take on the world.
"Relax," Toneri said confidently. "Trust me."
The dice rolled. The results came in.
Tsunade lost.
As expected.
Toneri smirked, scooping up 40,000 ryō in winnings.
Minato and Kushina stared in shock. Minato, especially, looked like his entire worldview was collapsing. His wide-eyed expression seemed to say, "What kind of sorcery is this?"
"Is… is this how money works?" Minato muttered, bewildered. He suddenly began questioning all the hard work he'd put into low-paying missions.
Toneri grinned, already planning his next move. "You can't just do this with anyone. It has to be someone like Tsunade—a legendary golden goose."
As the game continued, Toneri's stack of winnings grew. Minato and Kushina, meanwhile, were undergoing a kind of moral crisis. They had always been taught that hard work and perseverance were the path to success. But here, in this smoky den of chaos, Toneri was casually doubling their money like it was child's play.
It was a night of revelation—not just for Toneri, who reveled in the thrill of easy money, but also for Minato and Kushina, who realized that not all rules were as rigid as they'd thought.
For Tsunade, though, it was just another night. No matter how much she bet, she never seemed to win. By the end of the evening, she was sure to walk out empty-handed, leaving behind her mountain of cash.
And for Toneri? It was the easiest money he'd ever made.
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