"Nono, go ahead and finish up at the hospital. I'll keep an eye on Hanekawa."

  Tsunade waved a dismissive hand after dinner, her tone casual.

  Yakushi Nonō eyed her with obvious suspicion. "You can't take him to the casino."

  "I won't," Tsunade replied, crossing her arms.

  She won't, Hanekawa thought, but I absolutely will if given the chance.

  Nonō sighed. "That would be... troublesome, Lady Tsunade."

  The hospital director wasn't as carefree as Tsunade. She had responsibilities—actual ones—that required her personal attention. After a moment's consideration, she relented.

  "Hanekawa." Nonō held three empty lunch boxes as she prepared to leave. "Remember to be respectful and don't talk back to Lady Tsunade."

  "Yes, ma'am," Hanekawa replied obediently.

  "One more thing." Nonō paused at the doorway, her expression growing serious. "Don't leave the village recently."

  Hanekawa's curiosity piqued. "Why?"

  "There have been several cases of missing children around Konoha. Mostly infants." Nonō didn't sugarcoat it. "The ANBU are investigating, but we haven't found answers yet."

  Missing babies.

  Hanekawa's mind immediately connected the dots—the surgery Tsunade had performed that morning, Inoichi's strange behavior, the timing. Wood Style experiments. Hashirama's cells. Human trials.

  Of course. Danzo and Orochimaru's little secret project.

  "In any case, stay inside the village," Nonō continued softly. "There are plenty of ninja around. No one would dare cause trouble here."

  "Understood," Hanekawa said, suppressing the urge to make a sarcastic comment.

  Nonō left, and Hanekawa turned to find Tsunade already watching him with an expectant expression.

  "Shall we begin?" he asked, settling into position with his hands positioned over the training scroll.

  "Mm." Tsunade glanced at him. "If something's off, I'll correct it."

  Hanekawa took a deep breath. Chakra flowed from his palms in a warm, steady glow.

  Tsunade tapped her fingers against her thigh rhythmically, her mind clearly elsewhere. Where could I borrow money this time? Her reputation as one of the Legendary Sannin and a medical genius made her creditworthy—in a world where injuries were inevitable and good medical ninjas were invaluable.

  "I'm going out," she announced abruptly.

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  "Okay," Hanekawa nodded, continuing his practice.

  He expected her to be gone for hours. Instead, she returned in less than ten minutes, her expression bright and satisfied.

  Found some money, then.

  "Your posture's wrong," Tsunade said, stepping in front of him. She lifted his arm higher with a gentle but firm hand.

  Hanekawa looked up instinctively, only to find his view completely blocked by... well, he decided not to think about it too hard.

  "Focus," Tsunade reminded him.

  He adjusted his concentration and continued, this time with her guidance making a noticeable difference. Two hours later, his progress bar had climbed to 15%.

  Personal instruction from a Legendary Sannin. Yeah, this is definitely worth the head-pats.

  "You're running low on chakra," Tsunade observed, studying him carefully.

  "Almost empty," Hanekawa confirmed, rolling up the scroll. "So... casino?"

  Tsunade's entire face lit up. "Yes."

  Oh no. I've created a monster.

  The casino was unlike anything Hanekawa had experienced in either lifetime. It was part gambling hall, part arcade—rows of mechanical betting machines on one side, crowded gaming tables on the other. No glamorous dealers, unfortunately, but the energy was unmistakable.

  The young man at the entrance took one look at Tsunade and Hanekawa and started to speak. "Lady Tsunade, children aren't—"

  Tsunade's hand clenched.

  The air itself seemed to vibrate.

  The young man's face went pale. "P-please, come right in, Lady Tsunade."

  Thirty years of combat experience. One threatening fist. Problem solved.

  As Tsunade entered, every head turned. The collective gaze of the casino shifted to her like she was a beacon of hope—or rather, a beacon of easy money.

  "The legendary big fat sheep," someone muttered.

  Hanekawa was completely ignored, which suited him fine.

  "Make room for Lady Tsunade!" the dealer called out cheerfully.

  Everyone at the nearest table scrambled to accommodate her. Hanekawa tried to position himself to see the board, but his height was a problem. He was about to look for a stool when he felt himself lifted effortlessly.

  A familiar fragrance surrounded him.

  He blinked, suddenly finding himself sitting on Tsunade's lap.

  Well. This is happening.

  "Alright, let's begin," Tsunade said, leaning forward with intense focus, one arm casually holding Hanekawa in place.

  The betting board was more complex than he'd expected—thirty-seven squares with various betting options. Single numbers paid the highest odds, but required pure luck. Red or black, odd or even, big or small—each with different multipliers.

  Hanekawa studied the board as Tsunade reached for the red square.

  "Black," he said quickly.

  Tsunade paused, then moved her chips to black instead.

  "Buy and leave," the dealer announced, spinning the wheel.

  The ball landed on black.

  Tsunade froze for a split second before hugging him with sudden, enthusiastic force. "I won! I actually won!"

  Can't... breathe...

  "Again!" Tsunade released him, her confidence soaring. "I'm going to win big today!"

  Oh, she has no idea. Her luck isn't good—it's just finally normal. And normal beats her usual catastrophic streak by a landslide.

  For the next three hours, Hanekawa served as both human seat and lucky charm. He couldn't predict every outcome, but by eliminating the obviously wrong choices, the odds improved dramatically. By the time they left, they'd accumulated 300,000 ryō—not a fortune by S-Rank mission standards, but unprecedented for Tsunade.

  She'd actually won.

  "Come on!" Tsunade patted his shoulder as they stepped outside. "My treat. Let's get barbecue chicken!"

  Hanekawa grinned. Best tutoring session ever.