Naruto: All My Targets Are Ninjutsu

Chapter 144 Tsunade: Who...who put the dice in my hand? (Part 2)

"I know a little."

As the son of Hiruzen Sarutobi and the current "crown prince" of Konoha, Asuma's information network is quite extensive: "After deciding to hold this exam, my father—the Third Hokage—has already sent invitations to all three major ninja villages except Sunagakure. So far, only Iwagakure has said they are considering participating, while the other two haven't replied yet. However, Takigakure, Amegakure, and Kusagakure have all responded and have been sending people over one after another."

"Yeah----"

Yu Mikami was not surprised by what Asuma said.

After all, we're almost at the point of the Great Ninja Wars.

As the war between Konoha and Sunagakure reached a stalemate, the other three great nations became increasingly impatient. Kumogakure was amassing a large army in the Land of Hot Springs, ready to launch a war in the south at any moment; Kirigakure also urgently needed an external war to divert attention from the internal conflicts within the "Village of Blood Mist".

Only Iwagakure, with the cunning Onoki in charge, is currently keeping a relatively calm attitude, which is why they are playing along with Konoha for a while.

As for the likes of Yuyin—

They were either vassal forces of Konoha or opportunists who couldn't control their own destiny. No matter what they thought in their hearts, they could only go along with it on the surface, send some people as a token gesture, and take the opportunity to gather information about Konoha and see if there was a chance to sell themselves to someone else.

As they were talking, Mikami Yu shifted his gaze to the side and noticed several ninjas wearing grass headbands passing by. Their eyes met briefly for a moment before the latter immediately looked away, their eyes revealing obvious wariness and hostility.

"Speaking of which—"

Karin Uzumaki's mother should still be in Kusagakure right now, right?

Mikami Yu suddenly thought of this.

Among the various hidden villages in the ninja world, the Grass Ninja is a rather abstract one, known for being both weak and playful.

Although the Land of Grass is indeed geographically disadvantaged, sandwiched between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth, any Grass Ninja with a modicum of intelligence would not have come up with the idea of ​​using Karin Uzumaki and her daughter as bloodsuckers, ultimately drinking one of them to death.

This kind of "sustainable, short-sighted" approach is no less than gouging out the eyes of an awakened Uchiha and pressing them onto one's own eye sockets after gaining their allegiance.

Judging from Karin's ability to awaken "Kagura's Mind's Eye" and "Adamantine Sealing Technique," her mother's talent was likely also quite high, and she was probably not too old at this time, meaning she would have given birth to Karin a few years later. If this information were shared with Minato Namikaze or Tsunade—

That should be considered a great achievement, right?

I wonder if I could use this opportunity to ask Hiruzen Sarutobi for a few more new techniques, or even take a look at the Book of Seals?

If we also include unofficial historical accounts outside the main text—

There might also be a "Box of Bliss" in Kusagakure.

This thing is even more heavyweight. According to the setting, it is a ninja tool originating from the Sage of Six Paths. Its size is no less than that of a tailed beast, and there is a lot of room for research and utilization.

Yu Mikami secretly made plans in his mind. He said goodbye to Asuma, then to Obito and Kakashi, and returned to the civilian district with Rin Nohara.

At that time, no one was home at the Mikami residence.

That's normal.

After all, both Mikami and his wife have jobs to do; one works at the Konoha Library, while the other is learning to run a business from scratch.

Judging from the popularity of "raw cola", Mikami Tajima must have been quite busy lately, and perhaps Mikami Aoi is also helping out.

So, Mikami Yu put down his luggage and picked out a paper package he had prepared in advance. This was a souvenir he had bought on the southwestern border, containing several local snacks and a scroll he had written himself. With these items, Mikami Yu went to the Nohara family next door.

"Oh, it's You! You're back! I just saw Xiaolin, we're chatting now, come in and have a seat!"

As soon as Hiroshi Nohara saw Yu Mikami, he greeted him loudly and invited him into the house, "You've all worked hard on the front lines these past few days, you can finally rest for a while! Rin's mother went to buy groceries, she'll be back soon. Why don't you have dinner here tonight? It's just a matter of adding an extra pair of chopsticks!"

"Uncle Hiroshi, you're too kind."

Yu Mikami greeted her politely and handed over the souvenirs in her hand, "These are salted cherry blossoms, a specialty of Oborozuki Castle, and rock lizard jerky from Wildfire Castle. They are just a small token of my appreciation, please accept them."

"Oh dear, look at you, you came all this way, but why did you bring anything? It's making you seem so distant—"

Hiroshi Nohara said a few more words before noticing the scroll in the "souvenir": "This is—"

"Oh, it's 'Water Formation Wall'. I was very grateful for the scrolls of 'Water Split' and 'Water Chaos' that you gave me before, they were of great help to me. So I specially prepared this, and I hope you will accept it."

"?!"

Hiroshi Nohara was startled.

"Water Wall" is no ordinary technique; it's a genuine B-rank ninjutsu.

Although it's a defensive ninjutsu, it's still quite powerful. Ordinary Chunin, unless they achieve some significant feat, rarely have the opportunity to access this level of technique through normal channels. Therefore, Hiroshi Nohara's surprise was palpable, and he repeatedly declined.

but----

For Mikami Yu, this was simply a way of repaying the kindness shown to him in his time of need.

"—This is far too valuable. Those two basic ninjutsu scrolls are nothing. How can I accept such a heavy return gift from you?"

Hiroshi Nohara was still a little hesitant.

But Mikami Yu's tone was sincere: "It's just a ninjutsu, nothing special. If it weren't for those two scrolls of yours, I wouldn't have mastered the basics of Water Release so quickly. Now the situation outside is getting more and more chaotic, and who knows, a new war might break out one day, and you might also be on the battlefield, so—"

"Oh well."

Hiroshi Nohara was persuaded.

After putting away the scroll, Hiroshi Nohara turned his gaze back to Yu Mikami and exclaimed, "Yu, your progress these days is remarkable. I just heard from Rin that you encountered Chiyo at the border, and you even personally captured a Jonin from Sunagakure. That's truly amazing!"

"At this rate, maybe in two years I'll be calling you the Third Jonin, haha."

"And that Konoha-style cola," I heard you made that too? Tajima and Aoi have been incredibly busy lately, delivering goods every day and barely keeping up. Recently, even Ichiraku Ramen and Yakiniku Q have launched cola sets, which have been rave about by many villagers!"

Hearing Hiroshi Nohara's praise, Yu Mikami said modestly, "Uncle Hiroshi, you flatter me. As for the cola, it was mainly thanks to Lady Tsunade's help in improving the formula and my father's hard work in running the business. I only came up with an idea, and I really don't dare to take credit."

"Haha, it's good that young people know how to be humble. Alright, I'll accept these gifts. Tomorrow night, I'll treat everyone to barbecue at Q. Our two families will get together to celebrate your safe return! Be sure to invite your parents too!"

"Okay, I will definitely tell them."

Mikami Yu agreed.

Afterwards, Mikami Yu looked at Nohara Rin: "Rin, I'm planning to visit Lady Tsunade, would you like to come along?"

"OK!"

Rin Nohara readily agreed, "I also bought a souvenir for Lady Tsunade, let's send it over together!"

present.

Yu Mikami and Rin Nohara went out together, each carrying some things, and headed to Konoha Hospital.

Tsunade is not here.

However, Lake Biwa, Sarutobi, is still there.

The latter was also a lecturer in the advanced medical class, and she and Mikami Yu had a teacher-student relationship. Moreover, she also held the title of "Hokage's wife," so the two of them made a special trip to visit her, bringing back souvenirs from the border as a token of their appreciation.

Upon learning that Mikami Yu and Nohara Rin were planning to visit Tsunade, Sarutobi Biwako coughed and said somewhat awkwardly, "Tsunade—she's been busy these past few days and might not have time to see you. You don't need to make a wasted trip to the Senju clan's territory. Go home and rest first. If I run into her, I'll mention your situation to her."

"Um?"

Yu Mikami was slightly taken aback, but then realized what was happening.

His next destination was indeed the territory of the Thousand Hands Clan.

After all, Tsunade is the strongest ally he's currently clinging to. It was one thing that she hadn't returned before, but now that she's back, he definitely needs to reconnect with her.

Furthermore, Yu Mikami has several things he needs Tsunade's help with, such as the research on "Scorch Release" and the follow-up promotion of "Raw Cola".

Since Tsunade is neither at Konoha Hospital nor at the Senju clan compound—

"Forehead----"

Mikami Yu probably guessed where Tsunade was.

"Lin, you should go home first."

After leaving Konoha Hospital, Mikami Yu said to Nohara Rin beside him.

"Wrong? What about you, Yu?"

"I'm going to see some acquaintances, I'll be back later."

"—It's okay, I don't have anything to do anyway, let's just walk around together! I'll wait outside while you do your work, I promise I won't bother you, okay?"

Nohara Rin clasped her hands together, blinked, and asked softly.

"That works too."

Mikami Yu's original intention was to worry that the place he went to was not good and might corrupt Nohara Rin, and that his judgment might not be accurate, and if he guessed wrong, he would have made a wasted trip. However, since Nohara Rin had said so, he no longer insisted.

present.

The two turned and walked in another direction from the village.

This area is located in a corner of Konoha, far from the residential area. As they got closer, they heard noisy voices around them, and the air was filled with the smell of alcohol and a restless atmosphere. They could vaguely see a gambling sign in their field of vision.

Nohara Rin was initially somewhat bewildered.

But when she saw Mikami Yu heading directly towards a casino with guards standing at the entrance, she slowed her pace, a look of surprise and uncertainty on her face: "Yu-kun—are we going to—a casino?"

here----

This doesn't seem like a place for people their age.

Just then.

The voices of a few passersby who had just come out of the casino drifted over: "Tsk tsk, Lady Tsunade's luck is really bad today—"

"Who says otherwise? I've been betting on those tables, and she's lost every single round! How many rounds has it been now?"

"You've lost at least that much, haven't you?" A passerby made a "five" gesture. "Judging from her attitude, she won't stop until she's completely wiped out—"

"Sigh, otherwise why would everyone secretly call her 'Big Fat Sheep'?"

"!"

"

Nohara Rin froze on the spot, her eyes wide open and her mouth slightly agape, completely dumbfounded.

Wait a minute—Lady Tsunade? Gambling? And she lost a lot??

How are these words put together?

Nohara Rin glanced at Mikami Yu instinctively, only to find that his face showed little surprise, but rather a knowing "I knew it" expression: "Looks like this is it. Let's go in, Rin."

"Hey, you two wait a minute, kids aren't allowed in here—"

The guard at the casino entrance shouted.

Mikami Yu casually used a transformation spell, turning himself into someone in his early twenties: "Is this okay?"

"Oh, he's a ninja—that's alright then."

Although the ninja world has rules against alcohol and gambling during the 20-year-old age of adulthood and the underage period, these are only in principle. Especially for ninjas, as long as the situation isn't too serious, everyone turns a blind eye and isn't overly strict. Otherwise, Asuma wouldn't have learned to smoke so early.

Of course, the guard still reminded Mikami Yu not to go to the tables recklessly, lest he lose all his pocket money and be scolded by his parents every day when he got home.

Yu Mikami pushed open the door, which was carved with dice and dominoes patterns.

The casino was dimly lit, but noisy. The sounds of various gambling devices clashing, gamblers shouting and cursing or screaming with ecstasy, all intertwined with the pervasive smell of tobacco and the glint of coins, creating a unique atmosphere that sent adrenaline soaring.

Yu Mikami's gaze swept around the room and quickly settled on a large round table.

Tsunade, completely unconcerned about her image, rolled up her sleeves, one hand on her hip, the other slamming onto the gambling table. Leaning slightly forward, her fair and beautiful face etched with the bitter resentment of a humiliated loser: "Open! I refuse to believe it! This time it's definitely a big win!"

The dealer, expressionless, lifted the dice cup: "Two, three, four—nine points, small!"

"Tsk! Lost again!"

Tsunade slammed her fist on the table in frustration, making a dull thud that startled the small chips next to her.

Seeing the Leaf Village princess's furrowed brows and oppressive aura, the other gamblers instinctively took a half-step back. "One, two, three—just a few thousand taels left! One more round! Lose it all!"

Seeing Tsunade throw out her last card, ready to go all in.

Mikami Yu, who had squeezed to the side, coughed lightly and said, "Lady Tsunade."

"?!"

Tsunade was startled and turned around abruptly. Seeing Mikami Yu and Nohara Rin, she froze for a moment: "Huh, it's you two? When did you come back to the village? How did you find your way here?"

'

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Mikami Yu's expression remained normal.

But Nohara Rin's expression was more complicated: Was the woman in front of her really the dignified, powerful, and life-saving medical expert in her mind?

Tsunade seemed to catch Nohara Rin's disappointment and immediately reacted by throwing the dice in her hand away, trying to maintain her dignity as a senior: "Oh dear, who put the dice in my hand?"

"Um—Lin, You, don't misunderstand, I don't usually come to places like this, it was just a coincidence today—"

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