"Place your bets and let it ride—roll it!"
Another loud shout echoed through the private box. As the dice cup was slowly lifted, the entire room went silent, and everyone held their breath!
The very next moment—
"Thank you for your generosity…"
"Awesome! Wahahaha… This feels like picking money up off the ground!"
"Idiot, don't jinx it! This is a blessing from the heavens—a gift from the sucker."
"Well, you're not wrong! Hehehe…"
After a brief pause, the room erupted in cheers once more. Faces beamed with joy and excitement.
Of course, that joy didn't extend to Tsunade, who had just lost Big—or her assistant Shizune and the small piglet, Tonton.
"I'm rich, I'm rich! Just a few all-in bets and I made over 30,000 Ryo! From now on, even at Ichiraku Ramen, I can eat bowl after bowl…" At a quiet corner table, Ishikawa held his winnings tightly, eyes sparkling like stars.
Just thirty minutes ago, he was a pauper with less than 1,000 Ryo to his name. Now, he was a rich man with over 30,000 Ryo worth of chips in his hands.
That's the equivalent of completing at least seventy D-rank missions! How could someone like Ishikawa—whose monthly income barely hit 1,000 Ryo—not be thrilled?
Today really is his lucky day!!
"Alright, that's enough for today." Just as Ishikawa was licking his lips and preparing to push his luck toward 100,000 Ryo, Tsunade suddenly stood up, bored. And the mountain of chips once in front of her was now completely gone.
"W-what? That's it?" Ishikawa's vision darkened. His expression looked as if he had just lost 100 million taels…
He had known Tsunade had limited funds, but he didn't expect her to lose it all this fast. Talk about wasteful!!
"Thanks for the donation~" Amid the gamblers' cheerful and reluctant farewells, Tsunade exited the box with a carefree air, slipping through the parted crowd like a queen.
'As expected… she's lost everything again. Judging by their looks, Lady Tsunade was totally taken advantage of.'
Shizune quickly followed behind, carrying the piglet Tonton. Her mood couldn't have been darker.
"Damn it! Why did I sleep in?! I should've come earlier—after lunch at least—to make money… I mean, gather intelligence!" Watching the two figures walk away, Ishikawa grumbled to himself, heart aching.
If he had arrived earlier, he could've earned more than just 30,000 Ryo…
"But, now's not the time to dwell on that." Shaking off his regrets, Ishikawa remembered Tsunade's value, the night mission, and his intelligence-gathering duty. Without hesitation, he headed straight to the casino's exchange counter.
"I'd like to cash out all these chips." Beating the crowd, Ishikawa proudly slapped down his winnings in front of the staff.
After all, he had risked everything to exchange for those chips!
"Sorry, kid. These chips aren't valid for cashing out," the staff member said suddenly, face twisting into a mocking smirk.
"…What?" Ishikawa's expression turned cold as he narrowed his eyes.
"Tsk. You are a fierce little brat, aren't you?" At that moment, the casino boss and a few of his goons moved in, surrounding him with unfriendly stares.
"My apologies," sneered a man with a pointed chin and monkey-like face, "but that VIP room wasn't open to the public today. Any chips won in there don't count."
"We finally got the legendary sucker. No way we're letting our winnings walk out the door," added the man at the counter.
"I figured you wouldn't even make it in. Didn't expect a brat like you to slip into the VIP room and walk away with over 30,000 Ryo. That's our casino's money!"
"That's right. But I'll be generous—return your original stake, and we'll let you walk." The casino boss flashed a cruel grin, eyes sweeping the crowd.
"Same goes for everyone else. Don't force me to get violent."
If not for the casino's reputation, the boss wouldn't have even considered returning the principal. That box wasn't open to the public to begin with—those gamblers only rushed in after hearing the commotion!
Did they really think he ran a casino for charity? What a joke...
"Damn it, we didn't even get in!"
"Haha, looks like that lucky brat's in trouble now."
In an instant, the watching gamblers began chiming in, their eyes fixed on Ishikawa with complicated expressions, eager to watch the drama unfold.
Only two lucky ones—who had managed to win some money—looked at the casino boss with a mix of anger and fear. Clearly, they didn't want to give up their winnings.
"Brother, what's wrong?"
"Should we fight?"
Sensing things going south fast, Taro and Jiro rushed over and stood on either side of Ishikawa, ready to stand their ground together.
"Heh... I was thinking I was unlucky earlier, but now, not so much," Ishikawa said with a grin, waving his hand to calm the two. His gaze sharpened as he stared down at the casino boss. "Because you're about to be much more unlucky than me."
"So you're not backing down, huh? Then let's get him!" the casino boss growled, understanding Ishikawa's intent.
On cue, the surrounding thugs—all armed with clubs—rushed in with vicious expressions. They were used to roughing up drunks and cheaters, not expecting any trouble from three kids.
"Get them—!" Before the command could echo fully, Ishikawa surged forward with chakra flaring beneath his feet.
His reinforced body crashed into the thugs like a battering ram, knocking down several in a single charge. In a flash, he was standing right in front of the stunned casino boss.
As for Taro and Jiro—though still ordinary Genin—their training in tree climbing and water walking had massively boosted their skills. Against these street-level brawlers, it was like a wolf among sheep.
In a matter of seconds, all the thugs were sprawled across the floor, groaning in pain, as the gamblers watched in awe.
"Now then… it's time to cash in my chips." Ishikawa grabbed the pale-faced casino boss by the collar and locked eyes with him like a blade pressing into flesh.
"By the way, I believe I won 300,000 Ryo. Don't screw up the math."
"Y-you...!" the casino boss stammered, eyes wide in disbelief. But before he could finish, Ishikawa's grip tightened, choking off his words. His face turned ghostly pale.
"Hurry up and give him the money!!" Facing death, the terrified casino boss screamed at the staff, his pride crumbling completely.
"Y-Yes, boss!" The trembling staffer scrambled to count out what was left of Tsunade's losses. He quickly bundled up 300,000 Ryo and shakily handed them over.
"Th-three hundred thousand Ryo!!" Taro gasped as he took the cash box with trembling hands, holding it tight like a sacred treasure.
Jiro, beside him, scanned the crowd with fierce eyes, emotions churning like a tidal wave inside.
"Alright then—let me ask you something," Ishikawa said coolly, finally releasing the boss. "What's the situation with the thieves terrorizing this town?"
As he spoke, he reached into his pocket and slowly pulled out his Konoha forehead protector, tying it around his head in full view.
"Y-You're from Konoha?!!" At that moment, the casino boss's face turned green with fear. His entire body trembled.
Damn it… he had just picked a fight with ninjas—Konoha ninjas, from one of the Five Great Nations.
He was done for. No matter who he turned to—the Hokage or the Daimyo—there was no way out of this one.