"I'm going out, Veldora, pay up!"
Rimuru excitedly snatched a one-bamboo tile Veldora had discarded and placed it among the tiles in front of him.
"What? No way! How could you have a one-bamboo? Are you cheating?!"
Upon hearing Rimuru's words, Veldora instantly stood up in shock, pointing his right index finger at Rimuru, his face full of disbelief.
This guy Rimuru had already won ten rounds in a row; his secret stash was about to be completely depleted.
"Veldora, you need evidence when you make accusations!"
Rimuru also stood up, his face filled with indignation, as if he had suffered a great insult.
[Analysis: Broadly speaking, Master, you are indeed cheating.]
[Teacher Ciel, you and I are one, so this doesn't count as cheating!]
"Hehe, three winners, one loser. I'm not playing anymore; I'm going to buy cupcakes!"
Milim collected the lime coins in front of her and was about to make a happy escape.
"Master, sorry about this, but I'm also going to buy manga! Milim, wait for me!"
Ramiris, seeing Milim's eyes darting around, quickly flapped her small wings and chased after her.
"Darn it! Why am I always the one getting hurt?"
Watching Milim and Ramiris flee, Veldora, on the verge of tears, took out his last five hundred lime coins from his pocket and handed them to Rimuru.
Then, without looking back, he walked in the direction of Kanao Tsuyuri's residence.
No need to guess; he must be going to beg her for some of her latest works again.
Meanwhile, Rimuru, having received the money, counted the thick stack of lime coins in his hand, smiling so widely his eyes could barely stay open.
"Lord Rimuru, I heard that Sakazuki, the Fleet Admiral of the Mobile Force, has taken a legion to the Shinobi World."
Diablo, dressed in a butler's uniform, respectfully spoke as he watched Rimuru count his money.
"Sakazuki? What is he doing in the Shinobi World?"
Hearing Diablo's words, Rimuru stopped counting money and looked at Diablo with a puzzled expression.
"I heard he was afraid that Lord Zhong Chen would abduct his younger sister, so he took an army to keep an eye on Lord Zhong Chen."
"Eh? Hahahahaha!!! A Chen really is a handful, isn't he?"
Upon hearing Diablo's reply, Rimuru clutched his stomach, laughing breathlessly.
"Haha... hahaha... So... what is A Chen doing now?"
After catching his breath slightly, Rimuru, still smiling, continued to ask.
Zhong Chen had not mentioned his intention to conquer the Shinobi World to Rimuru and the others.
After all, for the entire Monster Country Federation, this was truly not a big deal; they could easily wipe out the Shinobi World by sending just a few people.
"According to intelligence from the Intelligence Bureau, Lord Zhong Chen is currently planning to launch the Fourth Shinobi World War."
Diablo walked up to Rimuru with a tray, picked up a cup of black tea from the tray, placed it in front of Rimuru, and explained softly.
Rimuru's eyes lit up upon hearing this. The Fourth Shinobi World War sounded like a lot of fun. No, he couldn't miss out on something so entertaining.
Without delay, Rimuru picked up the teacup, took a sip of black tea, then set it down and commanded Diablo:
"Diablo, take the Royal Knights and come with me. And Ranga..."
With a whoosh, Ranga emerged from Rimuru's shadow.
"Master!!!"
"Ranga, assemble the Imperial Guard Legion and come with me to the Shinobi World for a stroll."
"Yes, Master!"
Whoosh... Ranga's figure instantly vanished. At the same time, the Imperial Guard Legion, having received the order, quickly assembled.
"Hehe, A Chen, you want to be the big boss? Sorry, I'm the real big boss!"
..."First match, Uzumaki Naruto versus Hyuga Neji! The match officially begins!"
As Genma Shiranui's right hand swung down heavily, Naruto's figure quickly retreated, directly creating distance between him and Hyuga Neji.
Having been taught by Namikaze Minato, Naruto's combat awareness was significantly stronger than in the original storyline.
"He's created distance from me... Byakugan... Activate!"
As the Byakugan activated, veins popped around Hyuga Neji's eyes, making him look slightly menacing.
"Is this the Byakugan of the Hyuga Clan...? Lord Hokage, the many bloodline families in your village are truly enviable."
"It's a pity that only one Uchiha remains in Konoha, which is truly regrettable."
Hearing Rasa's taunt, a sharp glint flashed in Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes. This guy really knew how to rub salt in a wound.
Although ordinary ninja were unaware, the high-ranking officials of all major ninja villages knew about the Uchiha Clan's mass migration to Rainbow Ninja Village.
Rasa bringing it up now was deliberately to annoy Sarutobi Hiruzen and incidentally stir up trouble between Rainbow Ninja Village and Konoha.
Even though the two ninja villages already had a strained relationship, it was just a matter of words, so why not do it?
"Heh heh, the Uchiha Clan has its own choices. As Hokage, I cannot interfere with their freedom."
"Besides, our Konoha is vast and prosperous; a few more or a few less people don't make much difference. Don't you agree, Lord Kazekage?"
"Hahahaha, Lord Hokage makes a good point."
Rasa smiled broadly on the outside but was cursing internally, 'Who are you subtly mocking, you bastard?'
Our Sunagakure might be a bit poor and lack resources, but isn't that because you Konoha refuse to cede some land to us?
Konoha, just you wait, I, the Kazekage, will definitely bite you when I get the chance.
Leaving aside the hidden skirmish between Sarutobi Hiruzen and Rasa, on the arena, the battle between Naruto and Hyuga Neji had already reached a fever pitch.
Naruto's right hand suddenly produced a constantly rotating ball of chakra. Upon seeing this ninjutsu, Sarutobi Hiruzen's pupils instantly constricted.
"Rasengan!"
Hyuga Neji, with his Byakugan open, watched Naruto appear before him in an instant, a hint of solemnity flashing in his eyes.
He absolutely couldn't get hit; he had to defend.
"Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven!"
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle... The Rasengan struck the rapidly rotating Revolving Heaven, emitting a rather piercing sound.
Finally, with a loud bang, the Revolving Heaven was still broken through by the Rasengan. The weakened Rasengan directly imprinted itself on Hyuga Neji's abdomen, sending him flying several meters away.
"Ugh... Pfft!"
Hyuga Neji felt a sweetness in his throat, and a mist of blood directly sprayed out.
"Neji!!!"
Seeing Hyuga Neji spit blood, Tenten on the stands immediately stood up, her face filled with worry.
And Rock Lee, sitting next to Tenten, also had a solemn expression in his eyes.
"Cough, cough... I didn't expect you to have such a powerful ninjutsu."
Hyuga Neji endured the severe pain in his abdomen and stood up, raising his right hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, a look of acknowledgment on his face.
At the same time, a hint of envy flashed in his eyes.
As a member of the Hyuga branch family, no matter how outstanding he was, he was still just a caged bird, unable to fly to freedom no matter how hard he tried.
"Uzumaki Naruto, people truly are different. No matter how hard I try, I cannot break free from my destiny."
Hyuga Neji, talking to himself, did not notice a figure shrouded in a black cloak on the stands tremble...