Chapter 78: What If We Take You Back to Konoha?
"That's… Lady Tsunade…"
Inside the casino, after pocketing his winnings, Haruta returned to Yugao and Shisui's side.
However, Yugao still seemed unable to process what she had just witnessed. Even though she had heard stories of Tsunade's reckless gambling, actually seeing it firsthand was a different experience.
That was the Legendary Sannin? That was no masterful kunoichi—she looked exactly like a hopeless gambling addict!
"What's wrong? Did your idol just get shattered?"
Haruta chuckled as he looked at Yugao before turning to Shisui.
"Thanks, Shisui-senpai. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have even been able to place a bet."
"It's nothing… but I can't help but feel like this wasn't exactly right."
Shisui scratched his cheek, feeling a bit embarrassed. Using genjutsu on a civilian just to help Haruta place his bet—was this really something the Anbu of Konoha should be doing?
"Also, how did you know Lady Tsunade would definitely lose?"
Well, duh. If Tsunade bets one way, you go the opposite direction—instant win!
Haruta pursed his lips. As far as he could remember, Tsunade had only ever won once. And the price for that victory had been Jiraiya's death…
Frankly speaking, Tsunade was a walking, talking case of supernatural bad luck. Betting against her was always a winning strategy.
"Just a feeling," Haruta shrugged with a grin. "I've heard Lady Tsunade has always had terrible luck in gambling."
"I just didn't expect it to be this bad. Maybe next time she gambles, we could—"
"No way! You are not turning into Lady Tsunade!"
Before Haruta could even finish, Yugao cut him off without hesitation, making him blink in surprise.
"Wow, starting to control me already, Senpai?"
"You—!"
Yugao was completely flustered, her face turning slightly red. In the end, Shisui sighed and stepped in to ease the situation.
"We should focus on finding Lady Tsunade. Don't forget our mission."
Finding Tsunade was the reason they had come here in the first place, but unlike Haruta, Shisui didn't seem interested in prolonging their time outside the village.
Haruta could only shrug. Finishing the mission quickly wasn't a bad thing, after all—he might even get a reward.
[New Mission Acquired]
[Find Tsunade]
Following Shisui and Yugao out of the casino, Haruta glanced at his mission panel.
It was such a basic task… but was there a way to turn this into something bigger?
After all, the mission's completion level directly affected the rewards he received.
"Hmm?"
At that moment, he suddenly furrowed his brows. Not just him—Shisui and Yugao had also noticed something off.
Looking ahead, they saw a group of thugs lying limp on the ground.
They weren't injured, but their entire bodies were trembling uncontrollably.
And in the middle of it all stood Tsunade… and—
"The Fourth Raikage?"
Seeing the scene before him, and recalling what Shisui had mentioned earlier about the "Ninja Hunter Group" and the conflicts with Kumogakure, Haruta instantly put the pieces together.
After a brief pause, the corners of his lips curled into a sly smile.
Wasn't this the perfect opportunity to make this mission big?
"We should hurry over. It looks like Lady Tsunade is in trouble."
"Right."
Shisui and Yugao both nodded, picking up their pace.
"Hmph."
The Fourth Raikage noticed the three newcomers and snorted coldly.
He didn't take them seriously. To him, the only real opponent here was Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin.
And even then, he wasn't truly concerned about her.
The only person who had ever made him feel powerless… was Konoha's Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato.
He hadn't forgotten how that man had single-handedly pushed both him and Killer Bee into a corner. He had personally admitted that no one could match Minato's speed.
But Minato was dead.
Killed by the Nine-Tails.
Because of that, the Fourth Raikage didn't see anyone in Konoha as a real threat anymore.
Sure, he had heard that Konoha now had another ninja who could use the Flying Thunder God Technique… but so what?
How many people in the world could actually live up to Minato's legacy?
Tsunade, meanwhile, raised an eyebrow as she watched the three young ninjas approach. One of them stepped forward.
"Lady Tsunade, greetings. We are Konoha shinobi, sent under orders from the Hokage."
"Sensei?"
Tsunade was surprised, though not exactly shocked.
She had already realized that Haruta was a ninja back in the casino. And since he had help, she had figured they were from some village, even if their identities weren't clear at the time.
"The old man sent you to bring me back?"
"Yes, Lady Tsunade."
Shisui nodded. Tsunade sighed.
"You guys sure picked the worst possible time. Can't you see that someone here doesn't want me to leave?"
"I think… we should renegotiate our terms."
At that moment, the Fourth Raikage suddenly chuckled, his chakra flaring up violently.
"I'll let these three Konoha kids go… in exchange for you treating my subordinate. What do you say?"
"You really think you can pull that off?"
Tsunade's worst fear had come true. Even though she had left Konoha, she still carried a deep attachment to it.
She would never allow—never accept—her own comrades falling before her eyes again.
She had seen it happen too many times before.
"Won't know until I try."
The Fourth Raikage's chakra surged to its peak. He wasn't going to hold back—not when his subordinate's life was on the line.
His father had died protecting his own men, holding off Iwagakure's forces for three days until he collapsed from exhaustion.
With a legacy like that, how could he ever let his father down?
"This is such a headache. You three really picked the worst time to show up."
Tsunade knew there was no turning back now. She shot a glare at Haruta's group and quickly issued a command to Shizune.
"Take them and get out of here. Run as far as you can—I'll hold him off!"
"Lady Tsunade!"
Shizune instinctively wanted to refuse, but after seeing the resolute look in Tsunade's eyes, and glancing at Shisui and Haruta, she hesitated.
Then, she nodded.
But before they could move, the Fourth Raikage vanished—his massive frame turning into a streak of lightning as he closed the distance in an instant.
"Did I say you could leave?"
With a powerful swing, he aimed to knock all of them to the ground!
However—
His pupils suddenly shrank.
The next moment, the people who had been right in front of him… were gone.
"What?"
Then, a voice rang out from a distance.
"Who said we were going to run?"
Looking up, he saw Haruta and the others standing far away.
At their feet… a kunai was embedded in the ground.
Then, Haruta's voice came again—colder this time.
"Fourth Raikage… what do you think would happen… if we took you back to Konoha?"