Konoha: The thirty-year-old Uchiha is not motivated.

The Land of Rain,
Sandwiched between the three great nations of fire, earth, and wind, the Land of Rain has struggled to survive since the Warring States period. Coupled with its turbulent domestic situation, the overall happiness index of its residents has consistently been lower than the average in the ninja world.
Fortunately, Hanzo the Salamander emerged later. With his formidable strength and political acumen, he forcibly unified the fragmented Land of Rain, establishing the renowned Amegakure (Hidden Rain Village). Amegakure's overall strength surpassed, if not greater than, that of the opportunistic neighbor.

The ambitious Hanzo of the Salamander aimed to transform Amegakure into a force to be reckoned with, on par with the Five Great Shinobi Villages. Unfortunately, the Land of Rain's unique geographical location destined it to never achieve independent and long-term development.
Neither Iwagakure, Sunagakure, nor Konoha want to see Amegakure rise to power. You, the Land of Rain, should just focus on being a strategic buffer zone and stop daydreaming.

Faced with the deliberate suppression from the three major powers, Hanzo of the Salamander showed amazing resilience. He did not yield to any side, nor did he lose the dignity of Amegakure. Instead, he painstakingly built up his reputation over many years, making the entire ninja world remember the existence of Amegakure with outstanding achievements and a solid reputation.

Unfortunately, although Amegakure developed rapidly, it was ultimately no match for the deep foundation of the great ninja villages. In the struggle between Sunagakure and Iwagakure, the Land of Rain inevitably became the center of the vortex of conflict.

Under duress and enticement from the two major ninja villages, the Land of Rain was forced to choose between them. Faced with this humiliating and unequal demand, Hanzo of the Salamander withstood the pressure from both sides and refused to take sides.
Although he didn't make a statement, he didn't skimp on any of the benefits he was entitled to. The Amegakure ninja continued to enjoy the mission subsidies from Sunagakure, and the Amegakure smuggled supplies to Iwagakure never stopped. His main strategy was to take everything, from the plaintiff to the defendant!
It is precisely because of this attitude of disagreement without rejection that the Land of Rain is now a mixed bag, with spies and agents from various ninja villages lurking around.
With a large population comes increased consumption. The Land of Rain was not a major commercial power; besides abundant rainfall, it only had a few mineral resources. This untapped market quickly attracted a large number of foreign businesses.

Hanzo didn't reject these speculators; as long as foreign businesses actively paid taxes and contributed to the development of the Land of Rain, he personally welcomed them wholeheartedly.
Among these waves of foreign businessmen was an acquaintance of Uchiha Gin.

Amegakure Village
The hastily constructed commercial street was bustling with activity, teeming with ninjas wearing headbands of various designs. Most of them were ninjas from small countries who came to take advantage of subsidies and profit from the price difference, buying supplies and expanding their ammunition depots.
"Huh? Why isn't it open yet today?"

A three-person team of genin arrived in front of a tightly closed general store. Seeing the "Temporarily Closed" sign hanging above the door, all three exchanged a grim expression.
They were ninjas from a small town, short of money, and usually bought their supplies from this cheap and good general store in front of them.

The grocery store owner was a red-haired young man who was warm and generous. He not only gave them a discount but also gave them a free bag of expensive military rations after the bill was settled.
Over time, they became regulars at the shop, but since last week, the shop has been closed to customers, and no one knows what happened.

"I hope something has happened to Boss Masahiko."

The three couldn't help but worry about the safety of the overly enthusiastic shopkeeper. After all, Amegakure was now a melting pot of all sorts of people, with many rogue and roguish ninja hiding in their identities. There was no guarantee they wouldn't commit murder and robbery.

"Boss, do you know where Zheng Yan went?"

Feeling increasingly disheartened, the three quickly turned into a nearby shop to inquire about the situation.
"Ugh"

The boss, when asked, sighed slightly, clearly knowing some of the inside story.
"Zhengyan's son has contracted a strange illness and has been seeking medical help everywhere. Today he should be going to see that goddess doctor in the suburbs."

"what!?"

The three men relaxed upon hearing this; at least the boss was alright, but this strange illness...
They remembered that the boss's son was only one year old, with red hair and a chubby face, very cute. How could he have contracted such a strange disease?
"What kind of strange disease is it?"

"High fever, has been running a high fever."

high fever?

That's not exactly a strange disease, is it?
Seeing the confusion on the three people's faces, the shop owner next door shook his head and added,

Have you ever seen a one-year-old baby who can stay awake for seven days and seven nights with a high fever?

"what?"

Outside Rain Hidden Village,

Two figures, shrouded in raincoats, walked through the drizzle. The thinner one looked up, revealing a beautiful yet weary face beneath her hood. She looked at her husband, who was carrying their child, and asked, "..."
"Zhengyan, when exactly will the reliable doctor that Grandpa mentioned in his letter arrive?"

“Myoko, we can’t put all our hopes on Grandpa.”

The burly figure ahead turned around, his rugged face also etched with weariness. Masahiko Uzumaki glanced down at his son in his arms, whose eyes were wide open, neither crying nor fussing, and gently shook his head.

"If even this goddess doctor can't cure Nagato, we'll prepare to go back to our hometown to find our father."

Masahiko Uzumaki's father, Hitomi Uzumaki, followed Hanamichi Uzumaki in battles in his early years and now holds a certain position in the Land of Whirlpools. Given his status, he should be able to hire a highly skilled doctor.

"Is that goddess doctor really reliable? Even the chief physician of Amegakure's medical department is helpless with Nagato's illness."

Taeko Uzumaki sighed inwardly. She and her husband had only been in Amegakure for less than half a month, their business was just getting on track, and then their child had an accident.

Just after his first birthday, their son, Nagato, suddenly developed a persistent high fever. At first, the couple thought it was just a case of him not adapting to the new environment.
However, as time went on, the child's high fever not only showed no signs of abating, but other strange symptoms also appeared.

For example, staying up all night and having plenty of energy throughout the day.
The child hasn't eaten anything for a week now, only drinking a little water each day. They haven't had any food to supplement their energy.
This series of strange symptoms terrified the couple, who rushed their child to the hospital. However, after visiting numerous hospitals and clinics, none of them could offer a definitive treatment plan.
Just when they were utterly despondent and ready to abandon their business and return to their hometown, a rumor about a divine doctor rekindled their hope.

Legend has it that a mysterious female doctor lives on the outskirts of Amegakure Village. She traveled there three years ago and has settled there ever since.

She doesn't charge a penny for her medical consultations, but she has a strange rule: as long as you follow it, she will treat you.
No matter how serious the illness, she always had a miraculous cure.

ba da~
Masahiko Uzumaki, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped, splashing water and creating ripples. However, his attention was entirely focused on a small house with smoke rising from its chimney not far away, completely unaware of his soaking wet trousers.
"arrive."

Just as described in the legends, that must be the residence of the goddess healer.

"Let's go, Taeko."

He waved to his anxious wife, then strode through the puddles to the door of the small house.

"Bang Bang Bang~"

Sensing the faint scent of herbs around him, he took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"who?"

An aged voice soon came from inside the room. Uzumaki Masahiko's expression turned serious, and he quickly spoke.

"We came here for treatment, please, miracle doctor, save my son's life."

"Come in."

He tightened his grip on the infant child in his arms, gritted his teeth, and pushed open the door. This was their last hope in Amegakure.
Creak~
The room was small, and the interior was simply decorated. In one corner, there were piles of medicinal herbs of various shapes, and on the other side, a huge glass cabinet was filled with bottles and jars.
At the only table in the room, a hunched figure was bent over, a thick stack of books obscuring the couple's view, preventing them from seeing what the other was fiddling with as they looked down.
blah blah~
"Miracle doctor?"

Masahiko Uzumaki spoke cautiously, afraid of disturbing the goddess doctor's work.

"Tsk!"

Sure enough, his impetuous voice drew a displeased response from the other party.
"Excuse me!"

Realizing his reckless behavior, Masahiko Uzumaki quickly apologized.
"It's nothing, I just encountered some calculation errors."

The figure hunched over the desk slowly rose, revealing an elderly face that exuded authority. Time had etched deep lines on her face, and her silver hair was strikingly bright under the lamplight.
Do you know my rules for treating patients?

The female doctor casually stuffed the three dice in front of her back into the drawer and asked expressionlessly,

"I know~ I know!"

Upon hearing this, Masahiko Uzumaki quickly pulled down his hood, revealing a pale face. When the goddess doctor saw his appearance, her cloudy eyes widened slightly, and her tense expression gradually relaxed.
"Since you know that, let's begin."

She nodded gently, raised her hand to signal, and then, after handing the child in his arms to his wife behind him, Masahiko Uzumaki sat down in front of the female doctor with a serious expression.
With a gleaming gaze fixed on the aged-looking divine physician before him, Masahiko Uzumaki spoke.

"I bet on poker."

As he spoke, his gaze swept across the other man's deeply lined face, lingering for less than a second on the familiar diamond-shaped mark on his forehead.
"Poker? It's been a long time since anyone's played this." The goddess-like doctor nodded, opened the drawer in front of her, and took out a brand-new deck of cards from among the various gambling tools.

"The rules are simple: it's a contest of size. If you win, I'll treat your child for free."

"What if you lose?"

Lost?

Since she had never encountered a patient who lost to her, the female doctor, who was addicted to being bad at medicine, paused for a moment, and then spoke in a cold tone.

"If we lose, I will be unable to help with your child's illness."

Upon hearing this, Masahiko Uzumaki's heart leaped into his throat.
Is there no room for maneuver?

"Rules are absolute."

After explaining the rules, the goddess doctor began shuffling the cards. The shuffling sound was like heavy hammer blows striking Masahiko Uzumaki's heart.
"and many more!"

Watching the skilled shuffling of the cards by the female doctor, he suddenly spoke up to stop her. With the child's safety at stake, he had to be cautious.

"I need to have my license checked."

"Uh, whatever."

The female doctor spread her hands, placing the playing cards on the table, allowing Masahiko Uzumaki to examine them.
"There's nothing wrong with the cards."

Soon, having finished his inspection, Masahiko Uzumaki pushed the playing cards back with an embarrassed expression.
"Let me begin, draw the cards!"

The shuffled cards were spread out in a fan shape. The female doctor's gaze sharpened, and she drew one card from the fan and moved it in front of her.
"It's your turn."

Gudong~
Masahiko Uzumaki swallowed hard, his hand trembling as he reached out and pulled a card from the deck. Sensing something was wrong, he put it back and drew another card instead. His cautious movements almost made the goddess doctor burst out laughing.
"Look at the cards."

As her powerful voice rang out, the playing cards in front of her flipped over, revealing a three of spades.

You little rascal~
"."

Sure enough, my luck with gambling was still ridiculously bad.

Looking at the incredibly small hand, the female doctor secretly curled her lip. She had been using the guise of practicing medicine to indulge her gambling addiction here for years, and had lost hundreds of matches in a row. Today seemed to be no exception.
"Phew, I admit defeat. Now, take your child, okay?"

She shook her head with a sigh, and the female doctor gestured for the woman holding a child not far away to come forward. However, before she could finish speaking, she noticed that the man sitting in front of her had a livid face, and his trembling eyes were filled with despair.

"you will not?"

"I lost."

With a deathly pale face, Masahiko Uzumaki spread out the cards in his hand, revealing a large two of hearts.
"According to the regulations, I will leave."

"Uh, wait a minute!"

Seeing Masahiko Uzumaki rise dejectedly, the goddess doctor, who had been staring at the cards for a long time, quickly raised her hand, looking as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.
"I know that rules are inflexible."

Seeing that Masahiko had made his point clear, the goddess doctor, who had been hoping to be lenient, was in a real bind. Fortunately, she quickly came up with a solution.
"Actually, I have a daughter whose medical skills are no less than mine. You can gamble with her again."

"Really? Thank you so much, doctor!"

Rekindled hope, Masahiko quickly expressed his gratitude, and color gradually returned to his pale face.
"Wait a moment, I'll go to the inner room and call her."

The divine healer turned and went into the room. A moment later, a middle-aged woman, around fifty years old, gracefully emerged. Her appearance bore a striking resemblance to the previous divine healer.

"I heard from my mother that you lost. That's really funny. I've never seen an unlucky guy lose to my mother."

With a slightly amused look, the middle-aged female doctor sat down opposite him and began to speak with a smile.

"What are you gambling?"

"This time, let's play dice."

After hesitating for a moment, Masahiko Uzumaki, wanting to seize this opportunity, changed his gamble. Whether he could save Nagato depended on this one gamble.

"Just to my liking."

The goddess-like doctor smiled and took out her treasured dice cup, throwing three dice into it right in front of him.

How about we compare points?

"can."

Wow~
The black dice cup spun in the hands of the middle-aged female doctor, creating an illusion. Uzumaki Masahiko's palms sweated with tension.

"Boom!"

"open!"

As the dice cup was lifted, the three upward-facing red dots were particularly striking.

"Tsk tsk tsk, three o'clock, you're in luck~"

The goddess doctor finally breathed a sigh of relief. Surely she couldn't win again now?
"It's my turn."

Feeling much more relaxed with victory assured, Masahiko Uzumaki took the dice cup and casually shook it a few times. He was bound to win no matter what.
"Boom~"

"I've opened it!"

The dice cup was lifted again, and upon seeing two red dots pointing upwards, Masahiko Uzumaki's smile instantly froze.

"Is this okay?"

Because two dice were stacked together, he only managed to roll a mere two dots.
"I shouldn't have come."

A distraught Masahiko Uzumaki staggered to his feet, his face ashen white as a corpse.

"Wait! I also have a daughter." (End of Chapter)