It feels strange to me.
"Come on, let's go to the casino," Tsunade smiled at me and took my arm.
I don't remember forming a bond with Tsunade, but here she is, taking me to the casino.
"What for?" I replied.
"You'll be my lucky charm. This time, I'll win back all the money I've bet."
I can't do anything but squint my eyes as I'm dragged to the casino with her.
Inside the casino, she puts me on her lap, her large breasts resting on my head while she plays poker and bets big.
The original story didn't exaggerate her bad luck, because even though I didn't detect any cheating, I could see that she was still losing.
I even noticed that the dealer tried to favor her, but she lost anyway.
What a pitiful sight.
I get fed up and take her cards.
"Hey, kid, what are you doing?"
She has an A and a Q, the community cards are K, J, and a 4.
"I call."
I put 20 in the pot as a bet, because Tsunade is famous for always losing no matter what she does, there are about 50 chips.
Others call, so it seems they have a good hand or are underestimating me, thinking I don't know the rules.
Hours later.
In the end, I won many times because I folded when I saw that I had a bad hand and the community cards weren't working in my favor.
At first, Tsunade wanted to take my cards away, but when she saw that I kept winning, she gave up.
In my past life, I didn't gamble, but I ended up studying the rules because of a video game that required it (Red Dead Redemption) and also some Blackjack.
Now that I think about it, I found the so-called high-end casino to be pitiful, so as soon as I'm old enough, I plan to create a real casino similar to the ones I saw on TV, even with slot machines, poker tables, blackjack, craps, and maybe even open a racetrack.
But that's a story for another time.
"Boy, you seem to have a talent for these things. How did you know how to play?"
I turn to look at her as I hand her the money I won, which was in a sealed scroll.
"In a book."
What a convenient excuse. It's like when Timmy Turner had to explain where he got so many things, so he conveniently said, "the internet."
Tsunade just narrows her eyes. It seems she doesn't believe me.
It's not like I care, so I just give her the scroll with the money and try to leave, but she stops me immediately by grabbing my wrist.
"Let's go eat something. It would be irresponsible of me not to pay you for making me win so much, right?"
She looked at me with a playful smile as she dragged me to a restaurant.
The sound of people chatting in the night and the dim lighting remind me that Konoha at this time seemed almost medieval.
Could Kishimoto have based it on the transition between the end of the Sengoku era with Tokugawa Ieyasu's rise to power and the Meiji Restoration? If so, I think it's interesting.
As I recall, it was called the Edo period, and after the Meiji Restoration, it made record progress, skipping several periods of history and arriving almost suddenly at the industrial era.
It could be said that in Naruto, as hokage, it was something like a Meiji Restoration, because from then on, all the villages jumped into the industrial era.
Now in the restaurant, I maintain a cold and uncomfortable gaze... leaving my routine and hobby for this makes me feel anxious.
"Well, order whatever you want, after all, you're the one who earned all this money," she said with a big friendly smile.
My fingers drum on the table, my knee shakes under it, and every laugh in the room makes me want to go back to the workshop.
This seems very suspicious to me, no matter what they say.
But it doesn't matter, I guess she brought me here for a reason, besides, she's not the type to hurt people for no reason, nor is she the type to poison her allies.
Anyway, if she's paying, it doesn't matter what I order, right? So I'll go ahead and order some grilled barbecue.
I'd really like to enjoy this, but I don't know how, because somehow I sense some kind of tension in her.
We place our order, and while we wait for the food to arrive, Tsunade begins to speak.
"From the way you act, think, and also from the many things you know, you don't seem like a child. It's as if you were someone else in that body."
Tsunade became serious, placing her elbows on the table and covering her mouth with her hands in a thoughtful pose as she discreetly placed a barrier around us.
What a convenient world.
Furthermore, I suppose she chose this restaurant thinking that it would not be unusual to place such a barrier, as she appears to be from the Akimichi clan.
The waiters notice the barrier and nod silently as they continue doing their work.
"This barrier is to prevent anyone from understanding us. It will make it so that even if they hear us, it will sound like meaningless conversation, so don't play dumb and say you read it in a book. I don't believe that nonsense."
Tch
I don't think she knows about my previous life, but her guess isn't wrong, as expected from a Sannin.
I put myself in the same position as her while my knees stop moving on their own, making my body understand that this is a serious moment.
Knowing that there is a barrier, I proceed to tell her everything.
What can I say? I'm not very good at lying, especially when it's someone I know I can trust, because Tsunade was never someone with questionable or corrupt morals.
"Even if I told you, you wouldn't believe me," I pause briefly to gauge her reaction.
Tsunade keeps the same look on her face, waiting for me to continue.
"As such, it's true that this isn't my first life, if I admit that I had a previous life."
She doesn't seem surprised.
What can I say? There are things like the reincarnation of Indra and Ashura, and I also think that in this world people believe in the reincarnation of chakra.
In addition, the second Hokage was someone who created jutsu involving souls.
But she continued talking.
"Do you know where your lineage is from, or have any clues about it? Your chakra is surprisingly dense, closer to the Uzumaki pattern than that of an average Uchiha. But your physiology... doesn't quite match any known bloodline."
She pauses slightly as she rests her cheek on her palm, settling into a more relaxed position and dispelling the tension from before.
"Could you be descended from some lost Uzumaki?
I honestly couldn't say, as my mother died shortly after I was born, so I didn't have much time to notice her facial features or other details.
Anyway, over the years, I didn't care much, so I even ended up forgetting about it, but it also has to do with the fact that I can't recognize faces. It's not like I can recognize my mother even with edo tensei, because I only remember the color of her dark hair and that's it.
"I couldn't really say who I descend from. I only knew that I was adopted by the Uchiha, but I don't know anything about my parents."
Tsunade thinks for a while, but while she's analyzing things, the barbecue arrives at our table.
The barbecue is steaming on the plate in front of me, the smell of the juices and seasonings used flowing into my nose.
I could tell what ingredients they used based on the smell and taste. My tongue and nose are able to separate the components, making it easy for me to get the recipe without having to ask the cook, so if I want to cook this, I just buy the ingredients and that's it.
"Well, let's talk after this meal," exclaimed Tsunade as she separated the chopsticks and proceeded to eat.
I also set aside my chopsticks and eat the grilled meat.
In my past life, I used chopsticks from time to time, as the popularity of otaku culture taught me how to eat with chopsticks, so I have no problem with this.
Having eaten the grilled meat, Tsunade pays the bill with the money I won at the casino, and we continue our conversation elsewhere.
But as we walk, she discreetly looks around to make sure no one is following us or listening to us, and then continues the conversation from before.
Does she suspect that we are being watched... or is it just her habit as a veteran ninja?
"In that 'other life' of yours, were you a doctor or something? Or where did your medical knowledge come from?"
She said as she walked beside me.
"It's true that I read about it in a book, but in my past life I remember having a relative who was a doctor, so when I was bored, I used to read his medical books as well as books on many other subjects.
I pause, feeling a little sleepy, but then continue.
"But I wasn't a medical specialist, as I never studied it as my profession, but I know certain things about it, and by experimenting with the chakra, I was able to understand it better, as I believe it will be very helpful to me in this life."
Tsunade nodded as if she understood what I said, but then she noticed my drowsiness, so she carried me in her arms, lifting me a little higher than her face.
"Look, kid, I don't know what happened in your previous life, but rest assured that I will teach you everything you want to learn." She made a serious face, "Because from the way you say things and the way you act, it seems to me that you were someone who was shut in and unsociable, as if you were some kind of sickly noble who had nothing to do and started reading anything around him."
Tsunade smiled a little as she explained her theory.
Well, while I can say that I was indeed a recluse, it wasn't exactly because I was a nobleman. In my past life, I was a hikikomori, but I spent more time reading and working on the internet than going out with friends and stuff like that.
I also find it funny that Tsunade guessed that I was indeed sickly, as my lungs were weak and I got sick a lot from respiratory problems, but in modern times it wasn't something that kept me in bed all the time.
But the fact that Tsunade noticed me in this way makes me feel comforted, because as such, my mother in my past life was a cold and sometimes violent woman...
It's something I'd rather not remember for now, but I may have to face it in order to overcome those traumas from my childhood.
Tsunade seemed to notice something in my expression, so she hugged me and put her hand on my head as she brought my face close to her neck.
I can't help but hug her a little, both to hold myself up and for the comfort of the moment.
Somehow, I can't help but remember my adoptive mother, who, even though I was with her for only a short time, I still loved like a real mother... so I unconsciously shed a few tears.
I miss her so much.
Also, due to my drowsiness, I fall asleep with her carrying me in her arms.
POV Tsunade.
I feel him breathing calmly against my neck. His small, clumsy, and uncertain embrace tells me more than any words could. This boy... No. This man trapped in a child's body carries a burden that doesn't belong to someone his age.
On the outside, he still seems cold, almost apathetic. But I'm not an idiot. I've seen enough orphans and too many soldiers with empty stares not to recognize that gleam in someone who has seen too much.
A reincarnation? An old spirit?
None of that surprises me. There are much stranger things in this world, and besides, if my great-uncle was able to create jutsus involving the soul, I wouldn't be surprised if there were others elsewhere, even if it is very rare.
But what does concern me is the density of his chakra. It's not just a question of potential: it's almost... suffocating. As if there were something dormant inside him, waiting for the moment to awaken.
His previous life also disturbs me, because his behavior tells me that his life was very sad.
But could it be that someone performed a reincarnation technique on him? Or could it be some deity who wanted to give him another chance?
Honestly, I don't know what to think.
"Tsk..." I snort under my breath as I adjust my grip so he doesn't fall. This brat is going to be a problem.
I walk slowly through the quiet streets of Konoha. The night breeze carries the scent of damp earth and cherry blossoms. He stirs a little in his sleep, as if his own thoughts won't leave him alone.
I wonder if anyone ever held him like this in his other life. From the way he clings to my haori, I can almost swear they didn't.
Nawaki... Dan...
They both left too soon. They both left me empty-handed. I can't help but think of them as I carry this boy-man with secrets in my arms.
Every now and then I feel moisture coming from his face; it seems he is crying. Could he be missing someone? Or is he remembering something painful?
I can't say what this brat is dreaming about, but I can tell that his past life was not easy.
"You're an interesting boy, Kenji," I murmur with a smile that I hardly recognize in myself. "I just hope your story doesn't end as tragically as the previous ones."
It almost makes me want to fight so that he can have a childhood, even if it's late.
I arrive at the Uchiha compound and leave him with the servants of his house, who receive him with some worried expressions.
It seems that he doesn't usually go out at this time of night, but after letting go of Kenji's hand, I leave him in the care of a girl who looks to be about 15 years old at most.
Kushina told me that this brat rescues orphans to fill his house with servants... or is it to fill the void inside him?
I can't quite understand what's going on with this boy, as I still have a lot to find out.
How did he come to the conclusion that it was Danzo who planned his mother's death? Or how does he make so many weapons, and what is his base?
The servants carry Kenji in the arms of the 15-year-old girl and enter his house, so I retreat back to my house.
I think again that Kenji is an interesting boy full of mysteries that I want to discover, either out of curiosity or because he reminds me of my younger brother Nawaki.
"Haah," I let out a sigh.
Tomorrow, I will have to train him to become someone capable of surviving in this world, as he seems like a nobleman reincarnated in a violent village full of intrigue, so I will have to guide and protect him so that he can fend for himself.
Kenji, how much will you be able to learn?
A/N
Hello everyone, I'm LeoCreepy.
Although I try to do this work as best I can, I still feel that I lack a lot emotionally, so I add bits and pieces of my own story and some other bits are invented or exaggerated. I do this so that I can do Kenji a decent main character, as my personality doesn't allow me to play an emotional character like Naruto or an ambitious one like Orochimaru.
Also, changing the subject, lately I've wanted to continue my other fanfic work on Girls und Panzer or start a fanfic on My Hero Academia or Bleach. What do you think?
By the way, I use a translator because I'm not a native English speaker and I don't feel confident enough to translate it well on my own, but even so, if there are any mistakes, please let me know in the comments section. Thank you.