Chapter 377: 377. Chapter 369: You Never Know Which Will Come First, Surprises or Accidents

377. Chapter 369: You Never Know Which Will Come First, Surprises or Accidents

Konoha.

In the Hokage's office, where three people usually worked together, only two remained at their posts: Uchiha Madara and Senju Tobirama sat on either side of the Hokage's high seat, with only the main occupant, Senju Hashirama, missing.

Want to know why?

The Hokage needs a vacation too~

"Hey! Even if you're slacking off, be serious. You've been staring at that letter since you came to work. Are you treating me like air?"

Senju Tobirama, who had been watching Uchiha Madara for a long time, saw that he was still frowning and staring blankly, and couldn't help but remind him.

"I'm thinking about serious business."

Uchiha Madara turned his head away and said coldly. With Senju Hashirama gone, he didn't want to share a room with this hateful white-haired man at all.

"Heh~ Serious business? What you're holding in your hand, I'm afraid it's a joint petition from villagers reporting the evil deeds of the Uchiha clan, right?"

Senju Tobirama naturally scoffed at Uchiha Madara's explanation, his scarlet eyes carrying a thick look of mockery as he spoke.

"Hmph~"

"Feeling guilty? Hand it over!"

Seeing that Uchiha Madara actually didn't explain and was about to put the letter away, Senju Tobirama's curiosity was piqued.

"It has nothing to do with you."

Uchiha Madara, holding the black envelope, shook his head. Seeing this, Senju Tobirama curled his lips into a cold sneer and raised his finger slightly.

The next moment, Uchiha Madara only saw a blue light flash before his eyes. He subconsciously narrowed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the letter he was holding had already fallen into Senju Tobirama's hands.

"Are you being polite?"

Senju Tobirama's act of robbery made Uchiha Madara a bit angry. His cold, bone-chilling eyes gradually turned scarlet, and cold, obscure pupil power overflowed the entire office in the blink of an eye.

"In a hurry? Let me see what heaven-defying, earth-destroying things your Uchiha clan has done... Huh???"

Senju Tobirama, who had been looking awkward, froze the moment he opened the envelope, and then his expression turned into deep solemnity.

"The content of this letter..."

"It should be true."

Uchiha Madara, who had no intention of hiding it, didn't hold back either. After dissipating the scarlet in his eyes, he nodded generously.

"You can't go. The Nine-Tails is Konoha's asset."

"Heh~ I didn't intend to go in the first place, but now that you say that, I'm actually a bit interested in going."

The tone of Senju Tobirama's words made Uchiha Madara feel uncomfortable, and he immediately sneered.

This letter had suddenly appeared by Uchiha Madara's pillow last night. He had thought it was a prank played by his nephew, but the content of the letter made him have to take it seriously.

Uchiha Madara had originally intended to take the letter and discuss how to deal with it with Senju Hashirama early this morning, but that guy had left him a pile of messes and gone home on vacation, leaving only the white-haired man who never missed work in the office.

"You dare! I'm going to find Big Brother right now!"

"Are you a 'brother-obsessed' man? Everything is brother, brother, brother~"

Taking advantage of Senju Tobirama's distraction, Uchiha Madara stood up and snatched back the black envelope, full of sarcasm.

"Rest assured, I won't go. I have no interest in those losers. However, I am interested to see if that 'Decade-san' is really as magical as the legends say."

With a flame in his hand, the black envelope was burned to ashes by Uchiha Madara. He couldn't muster any interest in this so-called Knight War. Rather than fighting with those weaklings, he'd rather wait for the organizer to come to his door.

He didn't believe that "Decade-san" could take the Nine-Tails away!

"That's a wish. Aren't you tempted?"

Senju Tobirama, who didn't trust Uchiha Madara, frowned and asked.

"Hmph~ I, Uchiha Madara, will take whatever I want myself!"

"Then why did you shamelessly ask that curly-haired guy for New Year's money?"

Looking at the righteous Uchiha Madara, Senju Tobirama was full of confusion.

"Ahem, ahem, ahem..."

Ask the world what can make Uchiha Madara lose his composure; only the cousin who spends money like water~

Senju Clan grounds.

"Grandpa! Where are you taking me to play~"

Two figures, one big and one small, were sneaking along a small alley toward the Konoha commercial street. The smaller figure, full of curiosity, tugged at the black-haired man in front of her who was peeking around.

"Shh~ Little Tsunade, don't let Grandma's eyes find us."

Senju Hashirama made a shushing gesture to his beloved little granddaughter, then poked his head out of the alley, confirmed that there was no one else around, picked up little Tsunade, who was full of confusion, and ran out of the Senju clan's sphere of influence in one breath.

"Phew~ A narrow escape."

Safely arriving at the Konoha commercial street, Senju Hashirama didn't find any signs of being followed. He reached out to wipe the sweat from his forehead, let out a long sigh of relief, and patted his chest.

"Na na~ Grandpa, this isn't the way to the amusement park, right?"

Little Tsunade, held in Senju Hashirama's arms, raised her head and blinked. She discovered that the route her grandfather was taking was a bit unfamiliar.

"Hehe~ It's rare for Grandpa to have free time today, so I'm taking you to a good place to broaden your horizons!"

Having skillfully arranged his work for Uchiha Gin and Senju Tobirama, Senju Hashirama, who was on vacation at home, happened to meet little Tsunade, who was also on vacation.

Unable to resist his granddaughter's soft pleading to go to the amusement park, Senju Hashirama thought that since they were both going to play, he might as well take her to the place he often frequented to broaden her horizons.

"Grandpa will treat you to ice cream~"

Passing by Mixue Bingcheng, the generous Senju Hashirama took out his empty wallet, pulled out a few 100-ryo banknotes, bought two ice cream cones, and turned to give one to little Tsunade.

"I also want to drink boba milk tea!"

Looking at the somewhat shabby ice cream, little Tsunade pouted and pointed to the eye-catching brown sweet water on the sign.

"Tsk... this..."

Senju Hashirama opened his wallet, revealing an embarrassed expression. If he bought the boba milk tea, his important gambling capital would become less and less.

"Wait until Grandpa wins money later, I'll definitely buy it for you!"

Closing his wallet, Senju Hashirama promised little Tsunade seriously.

"Huh?"

Grandpa, what on earth are you going to do?

Finishing the ice cream cone in a few bites, Senju Hashirama took little Tsunade through the alleys of the street for a while. After several turns, they stood in front of a smoky shop.

"Konoha... Gambling... House?"

Little Tsunade, who could already recognize quite a few characters, frowned and said the shop's sign word by word. Although she didn't quite understand the meaning of the four characters put together, she always felt that this shop had an inexplicable attraction, and a voice in her mind was urging her to go in quickly.

"Hehehe~ I'll definitely be able to kill all sides today!"

Unable to resist the itch, Senju Hashirama rubbed his hands excitedly, his face full of fighting spirit. He waved his hand, pushed open the shop door, and led the ignorant little Tsunade inside.

"Place your bets!"

"1, 1, 2, Small!"

"I'm going all-in!"

"Ahem..."

As soon as she entered, little Tsunade was shocked by the noisy sounds in the shop. The air was filled with the smell of smoke and sweat, which made her feel slightly uncomfortable. Out of fear of the strange environment, she tightly gripped Senju Hashirama's clothes and wouldn't let go.

"Ah! Look, it's Konoha's 'Never-Win Man'!"

Senju Hashirama's appearance instantly attracted the attention of all the gamblers in the room. One by one, their eyes flashed red, and they looked over with covetous eyes.

"Hokage-sama, long time no see!"

At this time, the manager of the gambling house also skillfully hurried over and bowed to Senju Hashirama neither humbly nor arrogantly, not showing too much fear because of the other's status.

"I'm here to play a few rounds. Please help me exchange this money for chips~"

Facing ordinary people, Senju Hashirama didn't have any Hokage airs. He smiled, took out his wallet, and handed the thin stack of money inside to the gambling house manager.

"Uh... just this much?"

Feeling the weightless banknotes in his hand, the gambling house manager didn't believe it and asked. You're a Hokage-sama, after all; you only brought this little money when you went out?

"Haha! A small gamble is for pleasure~ A small gamble is for pleasure~"

Senju Hashirama scratched the back of his head and laughed a few times to cover up the embarrassment in his heart.

"Alright, please wait a moment."

The gambling house manager's eyes twitched a few times. He turned and handed the less than 10,000 ryo of banknotes in his hand to a staff member nearby. The staff member was stunned.

"This is... a tip?"

A bit too little, right?

"Why aren't you exchanging it for chips for the Hokage-sama yet!"

The gambling house manager glared at the stunned staff member with some annoyance.

"Ah? Yes!"

Before long, a few chips fell into the hands of the smiling Senju Hashirama. The gamblers who had been coveting him for a long time saw such shabby gambling capital and sighed one after another, turning their heads away.

Today's "fat sheep" is a bit thin. It can be slaughtered, but there's no need.

"Let's go, Little Tsunade~"

The happy Senju Hashirama patted his frowning little granddaughter and walked toward his favorite dice table.

"Grandpa, is this... gambling?"

Walking on the small path of the gambling house, Tsunade was attracted by the dazzling array of gambling tools on both sides. Her big eyes blinked, filled with thick curiosity.

"That's right. You just watch Grandpa kill all sides from behind. When I win a full pot later, I'll take you to eat a big meal!"

Spinning the chips in his hand, Senju Hashirama looked incomparably arrogant. He flicked his large sleeves as if he were possessed by a gambling god.

"Big!"

After watching at the table for a while, Senju Hashirama, who had spotted the right timing, placed the chips in his hand on "Big" without hesitation. According to his calculations, this table had just opened "Small" four times; it was time for a "Big."

The gamblers at the table saw Senju Hashirama place his chips on "Big" and switched to "Small" one after another.

"Place your bets!"

"1, 3, 1, Small!"

As the dealer lifted the cup, the red dots on the three dice, symbolizing the smallest, made Senju Hashirama feel like he had been hit hard.

"Impossible, impossible..."

"I don't believe it! Keep betting on Big!"

"2, 1, 2, Small!"

"Come again. If it's Small again, I'll eat this table!"

"1, 2, 3, Small!"

"Thump!"

Before he had played a few rounds, Senju Hashirama's already meager chips were instantly reduced to the last one. Looking at the sole survivor in his hand, his eyes were full of defeat.

Could it be that he really had no luck in gambling?

Just as Senju Hashirama was about to give up, little Tsunade, who had been watching the battle, tugged at his clothes.

"Na na~ Grandpa, can you let me play a round?"

Senju Hashirama looked down and saw little Tsunade's eyes glowing with gold, her little face full of anticipation.

"Uh... sorry, Little Tsunade. Next time, Grandpa will definitely treat you to milk tea."

The extremely guilty Senju Hashirama couldn't bear to let his little granddaughter down again, so he handed over the last chip.

"Wow~"

The moment she touched the chip, little Tsunade felt a sense of compatibility from her soul. Holding this significant chip in her small hands, she stood on tiptoe and placed it on the "6, 6, 6" leopard spot.

"Hahaha..."

This action drew the mockery of the surrounding gamblers. After laughing, they didn't continue to pay attention. Without Senju Hashirama, the "causality-law gambling god," the gamblers at the table began to bet on both sides, and the piled-up chips were several times more than before.

After all, if they won after betting just now, they wouldn't earn much, so most people were betting privately on whether Senju Hashirama was as magical as the legends said.

"Oh my~ Little Tsunade, you should have bought Big!"

Senju Hashirama was so anxious he was scratching his head. He couldn't just watch his little granddaughter give away money~

"But I feel these three numbers are very auspicious~"

Little Tsunade shook her head, looking at the three 6s with eyes like torches. She had a premonition that with the blessing of a "newbie halo," she would definitely be invincible.

"Place your bets!"

The expressionless dealer tapped the cup and, after looking around, slowly opened it.

"6, 6, 6!"

"Ah?"

"Wow~ Grandpa! So many chips!"

In the gambling house, little Tsunade, holding a large bucket of chips in both hands, narrowed her eyes into small slits with happiness. As she walked, she didn't forget to show off to Senju Hashirama behind her.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

The dejected Senju Hashirama made an unbelievable sound. Looking at little Tsunade, who had earned so many chips in one go, he pinched his thigh hard.

"Ouch!"

There was pain; this was real.

Could it be that his granddaughter was also a reincarnation of a gambling god?

If that were the case, whose reincarnation was he?

"This is quite interesting. I bet..."

"Clatter, clatter~"

"This one too..."

"Clatter, clatter~"

"This..."

"Clatter, clatter~ clatter, clatter~ clatter, clatter~"

As little Tsunade killed all sides, the chips that had only been one bucket just now instantly doubled and doubled again. Senju Hashirama saw this and his eyes went black. He had roamed the casino for most of his life and had never won so much money.

He had lost quite a bit, though.

"Grandpa! Hurry up, I haven't played enough yet~"

Little Tsunade, who was in an invincible "newbie protection period," had already been overwhelmed by victory. Her fair little face was flushed red with excitement, and she urged Senju Hashirama, who was carrying the chips behind her, with a sweet voice.

"Truly worthy of being my good granddaughter~"

Senju Hashirama, carrying the chips, shook his head and quickened his pace. In his heart, he was still marveling at his granddaughter's invincible gambling luck.

"Huh?"

However, before he had walked a few steps, Senju Hashirama suddenly felt a tightness in his chest and blinked in surprise.

"Grandpa!"

"Oh! Coming!"

Just thinking it was chest tightness caused by poor air circulation in the gambling house, Senju Hashirama didn't pay attention to this inexplicable discomfort.

"Dice are still more interesting~"

After playing a round, little Tsunade finally returned to the initial dice table. The three exquisite little dice seemed to have a magical attraction. She licked her lips and made a shocking decision.

"Grandpa, put all the chips on 6, 6, 6!"

"Huh?"

Senju Hashirama was stunned. The discomfort in his chest became more and more obvious. However, looking at little Tsunade's incredibly serious expression, he still chose to believe her. He raised his hand and placed the mountain-like chips on the gambling table.

The onlookers, who had all been blinded by greed, looked at the mountain of chips, gritted their teeth, and placed their own family fortunes on other options.

"Damn it! I don't believe it!"

"How can there be consecutive leopards? I bet on Small!"

"All-in!"

"Place... place your bets!"

The dealer, who had been expressionless just now, was now sweating profusely. This kind of tense and exciting gambling game was something he hadn't encountered since he started his career.

"Ding~"

As the cup was slowly lifted, everyone stretched their necks to get a peek.

"6!"

"6!!"

"Still... 6!!"

"Yay!"

Little Tsunade jumped up excitedly. Just as she wanted to share the joy of victory with her grandfather, she turned her head and saw Senju Hashirama, who was usually rosy-faced, looking deathly pale.

"Congratulations..."

"Thump!"

Before the words were finished, Senju Hashirama, feeling that he was gradually losing something in his body, finally couldn't resist this sudden weakness. His legs went soft, and he fell straight backward.

"Grandpa, don't pretend to be dead. If you want chips, I'll lend them to you~" (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 378 =====