The gambling den fell into an eerie silence.
Tsunade's expression froze.
Ito's face darkened slightly.
Egawa, the elderly gambler, placed his cards face down, his eyelids twitching as he stared at Haruto.
Nine points. A total sweep!
When the dealer gets nine points, everyone else automatically loses.
The dealer always had the half-point advantage—meaning they couldn't lose under the rules.
"You… little… brat…"
Tsunade gritted her teeth so hard they nearly cracked.
She had been so sure she was about to win, only to have ice-cold reality dumped on her.
Losing money?
That wasn't the issue.
What pissed her off was the humiliation.
"Hahaha! Kid, you have some amazing luck!"
Ito laughed loudly, trying to break the tension.
"Come on, let's go again!"
"Truly incredible luck!"
Egawa, the old man, chimed in.
But this time, his eyes showed caution.
The Suspicion Grows
With years of gambling experience, Egawa knew—
The odds of a Nine-Point Tie happening naturally were almost zero.
In 99% of cases, it meant the other person was cheating.
But…
Egawa was confident in his own skills.
And he hadn't seen Haruto do anything suspicious.
That was the scary part.
This one hand had doubled Haruto's dealer money.
Now, he had 11,000 ryo.
The Gambling Den Turns Cold
Two more hours passed.
The sun outside had already begun to set.
The atmosphere inside the casino grew colder.
Because—
Everyone except Haruto was losing.
Badly.
Out of seven gamblers, six had been losing to just one person.
Haruto had now won nearly 130,000 ryo.
At this point, they all understood the truth.
They had been played.
This kid—
He had pretended to be an innocent beginner.
He had acted careful with his bets at first.
But it was all an act.
He was a gambling master.
A terrifying one.
The Final Game
"Cut the deck."
After Haruto shuffled the cards again, Ito coldly spoke.
He reached over, cut the deck himself, then gestured for Haruto to deal.
Haruto raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly.
His expression was so smug it made people want to punch him.
One by one, he dealt the cards.
Then, without even looking at them—
Haruto picked up his four cards, yawned lazily, and flipped them over.
"Oops. Looks like it's another Nine-Point Total Sweep. Sorry about that."
The Casino Erupts
"WHAT?!"
"DAMN IT, YOU LITTLE BASTARD!"
"YOU'RE CHEATING!"
Unlike before—
This time, everyone except Tsunade jumped to their feet, furious.
Ito's face twisted with barely contained rage.
"Listen, kid—don't think you can just do whatever you want because you're a ninja."
His voice was thick with menace.
"You're just a Genin. Let me tell you something—"
He suddenly leaned in.
"I'm good friends with 'White Kai' from the Konoha Police Force.
If you don't want trouble, be smart about this…"
Haruto Calls Him Out
"So you're just going to rob me?"
Haruto interrupted him.
"You're the one who cheated!"
"Where's your proof?"
"You think you can just lie your way out of this?!" Ito shouted.
Then, he turned to Tsunade.
"Tsunade-sama, tell me—doesn't this brat seem suspicious to you?"
His plan was obvious.
Tsunade had lost the most money tonight.
If she sided with them, they could force Haruto to give back everything he won.
And Tsunade's glare was already making Haruto nervous.
Damn it.
She was probably thinking the same thing.
Haruto's Bribe
Haruto's mind spun quickly.
Without hesitation—
He grabbed five 10,000 ryo notes, flicked his wrist, and tossed them onto the table in front of Tsunade.
"Tsunade-sama, you lost everything tonight, right?
Consider this a loan. Pay me back whenever you want."
He flashed her the biggest, friendliest grin.
It wasn't about bribing her.
Haruto just suddenly felt bad about winning money from Tsunade.
Those other five bastards?
No guilt whatsoever.
Tsunade Accepts the Bribe
Tsunade's expression softened.
Faster than Haruto expected.
She picked up the money, examined it, and then—
She grinned at him.
"Kid, I'll pay you back."
Haruto pretended to believe her.
Tsunade stuffed the cash into her pocket and stood up to leave.
She was done here.
As an experienced gambler, she obviously knew about cheating.
And she understood what had happened tonight.
But in reality—
She had always wanted to learn those tricks herself.
She just never managed to figure them out.
Haruto Makes His Escape
"Tsunade-sama, let's go together."
Haruto quickly suggested.
Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed his winnings, shoved them into his jacket, and stood up to follow her.
Ito's face turned green.
Normally, he acted tough around civilians.
But when it came to ninja…
He didn't dare push his luck.
If he attacked a Konoha shinobi, it would be a serious crime.
Haruto and Tsunade put on their sandals and walked out one after the other.
As soon as the casino doors shut behind them—
"DAMN IT!"
Ito finally exploded in rage.
He kicked over a small tea table, sending it flying.
"We'll deal with him later."
Egawa stepped up beside him, his eyes filled with malice.
"Tsunade doesn't actually care about him. If we bring in Uchiha White Kai…
This brat is dead."
Walking in the Sunset
The golden evening light cast long shadows in the alley.
Tsunade walked ahead.
Haruto followed three meters behind her.
Neither of them spoke.
There was no interaction.
Haruto wasn't trying to befriend her—he just wanted to avoid trouble.
At an intersection—
Tsunade continued straight.
Haruto turned left.
"Hey, kid! Where are you going?"
Tsunade stopped and glanced back.
"Uh… going home?"
Haruto answered.
"No. Walk with me."
Tsunade tilted her head slightly, her tone leaving no room for argument.
"Uh… okay."
Haruto sighed and reluctantly followed.
They left the streets and entered a small forest path.
The woods were quiet.
Neither spoke.
Haruto was thinking about how to slip away.
Then—
Suddenly—
Something tightened around his neck!
Tsunade had hooked her arm around him, pulling him in.
A wave of floral perfume filled his senses.
She leaned in close and whispered—
"Kid… how did you do it?"
"D-Do what?!"
Haruto shivered.
"I mean… cheating—no, gambling tricks. Can you teach me?"