Chapter 520: I’ll Show You a Way Out
Chapter 520: I’ll Show You a Way Out
When it came to Tsunade, this "elder" of his, Naruto was truly at a loss. This wasn’t the first time he’d had to clean up her mess.
Back when Mito was still around, Naruto had once asked her to keep an eye on this granddaughter of hers, but what was the result?
He turned his head only to see Tsunade and Senju Hashirama, who had also been brought back via Edo Tensei, with their arms around each other’s shoulders, sneaking out of the house and heading straight for the House of Victory and Defeat outside the village.
Later, when Kato Dan briefly returned and the two were in the midst of a passionate romance, Tsunade did restrain herself for a while; she had eyes only for her lover and couldn’t be bothered to even touch a die.
But good times don’t last forever. Once the honeymoon period passed and the Souls of Kato Dan, Uzumaki Mito, Senju Hashirama, and the others successively returned to the Pure Land, Tsunade went through a period of decadence, drowning her sorrows in alcohol, and then...
Her gambling addiction reignited like wild grass, and it came back even worse than before.
When it came down to it, the root of Tsunade’s gambling addiction lay with her grandfather, Senju Hashirama.
Hashirama himself was a notorious gambler. Back when Tsunade was still just a little tyke, Hashirama would take her along to hang around casinos.
Consequently, at fifty-four years old this year, Tsunade’s gambling career had actually spanned over fifty years!
It had almost become a part of her life, and the difficulty of quitting was self-evident.
What left Naruto even more speechless was Tsunade’s shamelessness when borrowing money.
The first time she approached Naruto—before he had officially become Hokage—she asked for a huge sum of money right off the bat. Seeing Naruto’s hesitant expression, she actually brazenly slapped Shizune on the shoulder and said, "Don’t worry, old lady... ahem, I mean, I’m not borrowing it for free. If I can’t pay you back, I’ll pawn this girl Shizune off to you. She’s great at serving tea, pouring water, doing laundry, and cooking!"
At that time, Shizune didn’t even have a permanent residence and had been wandering around with Tsunade, dodging creditors.
Tsunade’s scheme was incredibly calculating; not only did she want to get something for nothing, but she also wanted to dump the job of raising her apprentice onto Naruto. She wanted to have her cake and eat it too.
During this meeting, Naruto intended to ask this debtor when she would be able to pay him back.
After all, he had a whole family to support. Once he finished collecting the debt from Tsunade, he still had to go to several other countries to demand war reparations.
He had promised the Feudal Lord of the Land of Fire before setting out, and he would distribute the proceeds with the Feudal Lord accordingly once the time came.
However, Tsunade was an old hand at this. Seeing that Naruto didn’t turn around and leave like he usually did, she knew exactly what he was up to.
Before Naruto could even open his mouth, she took the initiative. She grabbed Shizune, who was holding Tonton, and yanked her in front of herself—her movement was so fast that Shizune nearly dropped Tonton.
A shameless, slightly tipsy smile spread across Tsunade’s face as she said to Naruto, "Naruto, let’s be straightforward with each other."
"I don’t have a single cent left right now. I’m broke as a church mouse, and all I have left are these two treasures."
She patted Shizune on the shoulder and pointed at Tonton. "If you really can’t wait and want me to pay you back, then you’ll just have to take Shizune and Tonton away from me."
"You know Shizune, she’s very capable! As for Tonton... well, at least it’s a dish of meat."
"Lady Tsunade!!" Shizune was completely dumbfounded, her cheeks flushing bright red with shame and anger. Tonton, the little pig in her arms, seemed to understand too, snorting and squealing a few times to protest.
"How could you do this!" "Absolutely not!"
Almost simultaneously, Uchiha Hikari, Karin, and Hyuga Hanabi objected in unison. The three girls took a half-step forward, their faces showing obvious displeasure.
What did that mean? They were all still standing right here, and she was just openly trying to pawn people off like that?
Naruto raised his hand, signaling them to calm down. He looked at Tsunade, his tone flat but carrying an unquestionable seriousness: "Alright, Tsunade, let’s not make jokes like that."
He had no other intentions toward Shizune.
Shizune was over a decade older than him; in Naruto’s view, someone like Koyuki Kazahana, who was three or four years older than him, was already the limit for an age gap.
This wasn’t because he had a preference for younger girls, but because the larger the age gap, the shorter the time they could walk side by side and share their lives, and the longer the period of inevitable parting and solitary remembrance in the future might be.
Naruto had never had any desire for "immortality."
He had never even used his Mangekyo Sharingan ability, Amenotajikara, to drain others’ lifespans to extend his own, even though it would have been easy for him to do so.
What he cherished were the sincere emotions and shared experiences within a finite life, not endless, lonely time.
𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦
"If you really don’t have the money to pay me back, I could show you a way out," Naruto said, changing the subject.
"What way?" Tsunade’s eyes lit up, and her drunkenness dissipated a bit. When it came to making money, she was serious.
"Last time I went to the Land of Fire, I bribed the attendant of the Feudal Lord of the Land of Fire. He mentioned to me that the Feudal Lord of the Land of Fire wanted to take another concubine to fill out his harem," Naruto said slowly.
Tsunade’s willow eyebrows instantly shot up, and she spat, "Get lost! That old lecher is my cousin! You want me to go be his concubine? Do you want me to beat you into a pulp?!"
Naruto added unhurriedly, "What’s the rush? I’m saying, last time I went to the capital of the Land of Fire to see him, I noticed his health didn’t seem very good. He was hoping to invite you, the top medical expert of Hidden Leaf Village, to go and treat him."
"Treat him?" Tsunade blinked, her anger turning into contemplation. "That’s actually a good idea... but we’re relatives, I’d feel embarrassed to ask for money!"
Besides, her cousin was extremely stingy. It wasn’t like she hadn’t tried to get money out of him before, but she hadn’t been able to borrow a single cent.
"You are his cousin, blood-related kin," Naruto said, guiding her step by step. "To treat him, you naturally need to use the best medicinal herbs and the most precise treatment plans. Otherwise, wouldn’t it look like we in Hidden Leaf Village are being negligent, or that your medical skills, Tsunade, are lacking?"
"Out of family consideration, you might feel bad about charging him an exorbitant consultation fee, but could he really have the nerve not to reimburse you for those precious medicinal herbs? And aren’t you the one who decides the price of those herbs?"
"The Feudal Lord of the Land of Fire is incredibly rich. As long as you put your conscience aside for a moment and ’touch up’ the bill a little, won’t paying off your gambling debts be a breeze?"
As Tsunade listened, her eyes grew brighter and brighter. She couldn’t help but click her tongue and wagged her right index finger. "Tsk, tsk, tsk... You really know your stuff, kid! You’re dark... no, you’re sharp!"
The two looked at each other, a tacit understanding appearing on both their faces.
"Fine!" Tsunade slapped the stone table, making the cups and saucers rattle. "Once I get the money from my cousin, I’ll pay you back first!"
Shizune stood to the side, holding Tonton, watching her superior and the Sixth Hokage finalize a plan to’scam’ the Feudal Lord in just a few words. She wanted to say something but held back, eventually just sighing helplessly and silently covering Tonton’s ears.
Tsunade was a woman of action; she dragged Shizune off to the Nara Clan to order medicinal herbs, preparing to set off for the capital of the Land of Fire first thing tomorrow morning.
"Well, that gets her out of the way. Hikari, you go back to your own room to rest tonight. I’ll take Hinata, Hanabi, and Otohime to pick out their rooms first."
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