The "Cash Cow Casino" Lived Up to Its Name
The Cash Cow Casino was an instant sensation.
The location itself was terrible, tucked away in the middle of nowhere. Aside from two plain buildings, there was nothing around it. No inns. No hot springs. No entertainment districts.
And yet, none of that mattered.
Gamblers arrived in droves, treating the place like a holy site, all eager to catch a glimpse of the legendary walking jackpot herself, Tsunade.
On opening day, the casino was packed wall to wall. The noise never stopped. People came and went in endless waves.
In short, it was chaos.
Off to one side, Akio stood quietly beside Mito and Hashirama, cradling a small pink pig in his arms.
Since Hashirama and Mito were technically reanimated dead, the signs were obvious. To avoid attention, both wore oversized black cloaks that completely hid their figures. In a casino, that kind of outfit didn't stand out, plenty of people liked to gamble discreetly.
Some dreamed of getting rich in silence.
Most went broke just as quietly.
At the center of the room, Shizune, acting as dealer, shook the dice cup with professional detachment while Tsunade and gamblers from every corner of the continent placed their bets.
Tsunade's grand debut?
A flawless disaster.
Three straight losses.
She was immediately dragged away by a cloaked Mito.
"Grandma, just one more round!" Tsunade whispered desperately. "Just one! I can feel it, I'll win this time!"
Mito ignored her and hauled her straight back to Akio and Hashirama.
Tsunade sighed heavily and finally cooled off.
"…Fine. Three games are up. I'll turn it around tomorrow."
Akio shook his head.
Give it time eventually, she'd learn what true despair felt like.
Hashirama, meanwhile, looked like he was psyching himself up for battle. He trudged toward Shizune.
With Tsunade done for the day, it was his turn.
Two minutes later, Mito returned, dragging another victim.
Akio nearly burst out laughing at Hashirama's stiff, hollow expression.
"Tsunade," Akio said, "do you get it now? Why you and Hashirama used to have wins and losses?"
A bad feeling crept up Tsunade's spine. Memories from when she was three or four, Hashirama teaching her to gamble flooded back.
Still, she stubbornly argued, "We're just unlucky today."
"Exactly," Hashirama agreed, with absolute confidence.
Mito laughed and shook her head.
"Uncle, aren't you going to play a few rounds yourself?"
Akio blinked, then waved it off.
"Not today. Opening day, I'd ruin the experience if I joined."
The four watched for a while longer, but in an environment like this, Tsunade's hands itched. With Mito watching closely, she couldn't gamble, so she took Shizune's place as the dealer instead.
At least that way, she could stay involved.
Seeing this, Hashirama hesitated, then stiffly turned to Akio and Mito, scratching his head.
"I'll… go keep an eye on Tsunade."
Akio chuckled.
"Go ahead."
Hashirama didn't move.
Akio turned to Mito.
"Let him go. Once they lose enough, I'll win it back. This place won't collapse."
Only then did Mito nod.
Once Hashirama left, Akio let out a soft sigh and relaxed, absently shifting the pig in his arms.
"Pork chops… ribs… roast… ham… tail…"
He paused.
"…Wait. No sausage? Oh. Female pig."
"Snort?"
"Great-Granduncle," Mito asked gently, "is something bothering you?"
Akio froze.
"You can tell?"
She could. He was exactly five Witness Points short of maxing out Yang Release and had no idea where to get them.
Today was March 1st, the Ninja Academy's first day of term. Akio had even gone to check, Naruto moving into second year hadn't earned him anything.
"That brat's useless right now… Guess I'll have to wait until graduation…"
Akio paused.
"…Brat?"
Later That Evening, Outside the Ninja Academy
Akio stood quietly by the school gate as students poured out.
"Greetings, Ancestor," Hinata said politely, bowing deeply.
Akio patted her head.
"School's out? Seen Naruto?"
"He's… behind us," Hinata replied softly.
"And Toneri?"
"He's also behind."
"Sasuke…" Akio sighed. "Alright. You can head home."
After Hinata left, Akio waited another half hour. Nearly all the children were gone.
He was starting to think the three of them had vanished
Until Toneri, spotless; Sasuke, battered; and Naruto, bruised and swollen, finally appeared.
"Another duel?" Akio said dryly.
"No...Naruto, did you challenge both of them again?"
"Ancestor?!" Naruto yelped. "What are you doing here?"
Akio waved Toneri and Sasuke away.
"You two head home. Tell Kushina I'm borrowing Naruto."
Once they left, Akio grinned at Naruto.
"Got beaten up again?"
"Hmph!" Naruto turned away. "Why are you looking for me?"
"To do something meaningful."
Shortly After — Hokage Rock
Akio and Naruto climbed the Hokage Rock, each carrying paint buckets.
"Ancestor… what are we doing?" Naruto asked.
Akio smiled.
"You admire the Hokage, right? These faces get repainted regularly. Helping with that, pretty meaningful, don't you think?"
Naruto nodded uncertainly.
"I guess… yeah?"
"Good. I'll handle Hashirama and Tobirama. You paint Hiruzen and your dad. Be careful."
He casually shot a warning glance at nearby ANBU observers.
"No problem!" Naruto said proudly, nearly spilling paint.
Akio murmured, "That enthusiasm is reassuring…"
Inside the Hokage's office, Hiruzen stared out the window, exhausted.
What is Akio doing now…?
Thankfully, it really did look like simple repainting. Naruto was even doing a decent job.
Hiruzen relaxed, then froze.
Naruto had painted his beard bright green.
Hiruzen waited for Akio to stop him.
Instead
Up on Hokage Rock, Akio burst into laughter and gave Naruto a thumbs-up.
"Excellent work, Naruto!"
At the same time, glowing text flashed before his eyes:
Witnessed and slightly altered a key world event:
Naruto's graffiti prank on Hokage Rock.
Witness Points gained: 5 × 2.
Naruto blinked.
"…Ancestor? Don't you like the Third Hokage?"
Akio's expression snapped serious.
"What nonsense are you saying?! Look what you've done! Fix it right now, if you don't finish repainting, you're not going home!"
Naruto: ???
Back in the Hokage's office, Hiruzen calmly stroked his beard again.
"…Elder Akio has been acting strangely lately."
Akio, however, felt fantastic.
He finally had enough points.
Yang Release — MAXED.
"What happens now?" he wondered. "Stronger body? Perfect Sage physique? Maybe a dramatic cloak?"
Curious, he spent the points immediately. If something went wrong, he could always retreat.
A moment passed.
Nothing happened.
"…Nothing?" Akio scratched his head. "Did I just waste them?"
Suddenly, pressure built in his chest.
He stared in disbelief as a black sphere slowly pushed its way out from his torso.
"…Did I just unlock… a ball?"
---
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