Chapter 127 : Healing Jutsu In One Hand, Chakra Scalpel In The Other Hand
Jiraiya froze for a moment, then smiled. "Are you afraid of her?"
Riku shook his head calmly. "Why would I be?"
He had never been afraid of Tsunade, or her temper.
Right now, Tsunade wasn’t even close to being his match. Not her—and not Jiraiya either. So naturally, he had no reason to fear her.
It was just that her mood lately hadn’t been good, and Riku didn’t feel like getting involved at a time like this.
Jiraiya turned and looked at him seriously. "Tsunade’s probably thinking about Orochimaru. But we can’t let her actually go through with healing him."
Riku nodded. "Yeah. If she really does decide to help Orochimaru, there’s nothing we can do."
Jiraiya sighed. "If she actually does that... then I’ll kill her."
Hearing that, Riku gave him a sidelong glance and smiled. "I believe you could do it—but honestly, I still trust Lady Tsunade. She’s not that kind of person."
Jiraiya frowned. "I just hope she makes the right decision."
Riku believed that even if Tsunade did try to help Orochimaru, it was unlikely that Jiraiya would actually raise a hand against her. At worst, he’d be disappointed in her.
Over the next few days, Tsunade spent all her time at the casino.
Whenever something troubled her, she drowned it in gambling.
It was a bad habit—one she clearly hadn’t shaken.
But Riku didn’t stay holed up in his room the whole time. The reason he was indoors so often was because he had already explored most of the interesting places nearby.
That said, he never set foot in the casino district, which meant he rarely ran into Tsunade.
During this time, Naruto had been training in the back mountains for an entire week. Jiraiya was still holed up in the inn.
Riku had stayed in for two or three days, but finally decided to head out and enjoy himself.
While strolling through town, Riku was on his way to check out the old castle ruins in the back mountain. As he passed by a casino, he suddenly heard a familiar voice call out.
"Riku!"
He turned and saw Tsunade standing at the entrance of the casino, looking directly at him.
He nodded politely. "Lady Tsunade. Something wrong?"
She walked over and stopped in front of him. "What are you doing here?"
"I was heading to the back mountain," Riku replied with a smile. "Wanted to check out the castle ruins."
But before he could take another step, Tsunade grabbed his hand and tugged him toward the casino. "What’s so interesting about a pile of stones? Come in and play with me."
"I don’t like gambling," Riku said plainly, trying to refuse.
Tsunade laughed. "I’m not asking you to gamble! Just sit and watch."
He hesitated. "You’ve been hanging around here all by yourself these past few days?"
Still holding his wrist, Tsunade smiled and pulled him inside. "Mhm."
Riku sighed inwardly. So the rumors were true. Seeing it for myself really confirms it—she’s got nothing but time.
Tsunade had clearly inherited more than just her grandfather Hashirama’s medical expertise—she’d picked up his love for gambling too.
Inside, the casino floor was crowded with shady-looking men who gave off the vibe of small-time gang leaders. When they saw Tsunade dragging Riku in, their gazes instantly turned calculating—like they were sizing up a fat, easy target.
And that’s exactly what they assumed Riku was.
Anyone brought in by Tsunade was usually a big spender, and easily parted with their money.
Riku took a seat beside Tsunade and watched as she boldly placed bet after bet, exuding the confidence of a battle-hardened general.
He, on the other hand, was utterly bored.
But for some reason, the moment Riku sat down next to her, Tsunade started winning.
And not just once—again and again, her luck kept holding.
Within less than an hour, the chips and bills in front of Tsunade had piled up into a small mountain. She burst out laughing.
"Riku, you’re my lucky charm! Since you sat down, I’ve won so much! When we leave, I’ll give you half."
Tsunade had never been this lucky before.
She was convinced it was all thanks to Riku.
Riku noticed the faces of the gamblers nearby growing darker and more unfriendly by the minute. But none of them dared make any moves. As much as they viewed Tsunade as a sucker, they also knew who she really was—one of the Legendary Sannin. No one dared cross her openly.
Still, while they wouldn’t touch Tsunade, they weren’t above trying to intimidate Riku.
A few of them started glaring at him with increasingly hostile intent.
Tsunade, caught up in the thrill of her win streak, didn’t notice any of it.
Riku just smiled calmly. "This has nothing to do with me. It’s all your gameplay, Lady Tsunade."
He wasn’t the least bit rattled by the stares. He just sat there, drinking tea and watching the games unfold.
He didn’t enjoy gambling, but watching Tsunade clean the place out was oddly satisfying.
Two hours later, the gamblers around them had lost everything. Three large crates were filled with winnings, and Tsunade was giddy with excitement.
In her joy, she suddenly grabbed Riku’s face and hugged it.
He sighed. "Winning a little money doesn’t mean you have to lose all self-control."
Tsunade handed him the three boxes of cash, then grabbed his hand and led him out of the casino.
If they didn’t leave soon, the people inside might actually snap.
Once outside, Riku chuckled. "You don’t usually win, huh? You seem really happy about today."
Tsunade beamed as she walked. Clearly, she was in an excellent mood.
She turned to him and smiled. "I’m feeling lucky today. Dinner’s on me!"
Without waiting for his reply, she dragged him toward an izakaya.
Once they arrived, Tsunade ordered a few dishes and several jugs of sake, then began to drink freely.
In truth, Riku and Tsunade weren’t close. They’d only met once in an izakaya before, and exchanged a few words. That was the extent of their relationship.
Now sitting across from her, Riku didn’t quite know what to say.
Between sips of sake, Tsunade finally broke the silence. "That fool Jiraiya told me you wanted to ask about medical ninjutsu."
She looked at him. "How’s your progress? You mastered Healing Jutsu and the Chakra Scalpel yet?"
Riku nodded. "Yeah, I’ve got them down."
Tsunade paused mid-drink and stared at him. "You what?"
"I’ve mastered them," he repeated.
Tsunade looked stunned. "Those are advanced medical techniques. You’re saying you’ve actually learned them?"
"I wouldn’t lie," Riku said simply.
"I don’t believe it. Show me."
Without another word, Riku activated Chakra Scalpel with one hand, and Healing Jutsu with the other.
Tsunade blinked. Her expression shifted from skeptical to utterly astonished.
"Your Chakra Scalpel... it’s so sharp—and your chakra control is incredibly precise. And that Healing Jutsu... the density of your medical chakra is insane."
She sat back, speechless.
"I guess Jiraiya wasn’t exaggerating for once. Your medical ninjutsu is legit. If there’s anything you don’t understand, feel free to ask—I’ll teach you."
She was clearly impressed—and starting to genuinely warm up to him.
In fact, based on what she just saw, Riku’s control over Healing Jutsu and Chakra Scalpel might even surpass Shizune’s.
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