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He laughed heartily, slamming his card down on the table and shouting with pride,
"Hahahaha! Nine o'clock in the sky! The biggest card! Hahahaha! Looks like I'm tonight's biggest winner!"
But the others didn't care how high his card was—because this round, he wasn't the dealer. Tian Yu was.
And in this game, everyone had to compare their cards against the dealer.
If the old man wanted to win, he had to beat Tian Yu.
"Hahaha, little brother! Pay up already!" the old man laughed proudly, his wrinkled face stretched in smug satisfaction.
"Ahem... about that…"
Tian Yu gave a light cough and calmly laid his own cards on the table.
"Sorry. I've also got nine o'clock in the sky. And since the dealer's hand beats all others when equal—this round's a wipeout."
His voice was calm, but the effect was thunderous.
The casino fell into a strange silence.
The old man's face froze in place, while the others' expressions instantly turned ugly.
Nine o'clock in the sky. Wipeout.
When the dealer holds this hand, no other card matters.
This is one of the dealer's few game-breaking advantages—within the rules, it's practically unbeatable.
And just like that, Tian Yu's capital doubled again, soaring to a staggering 3.2 million ryo.
"No way. I'm out—I've got nothing left to bet!"
"Sorry... I've got no more money…"
One by one, the gamblers around the table stood up and left, faces pale. The cash they brought had all vanished—straight into Tian Yu's pocket.
The one who suffered the biggest loss?
The old man sitting directly across from Tian Yu.
"You... You punk! You must be cheating! There's no way you're this lucky!"
The old man leapt up furiously, pointing an accusing finger at Tian Yu and shouting with venom.
"You'd better have proof if you accuse someone," Tian Yu narrowed his eyes coldly. A sharp, dangerous aura filled the air.
"Yeah! What, you planning to start a fight?" Tsunade stood up beside Tian Yu, crossing her arms with a smirk.
"Y-You…"
The old man wanted to say more,
But someone beside him quickly pulled him back.
They didn't recognize Tian Yu, but the person next to him—Tsunade, the Legendary Sucker—was not someone they could afford to cross.
They'd taken Tsunade's money plenty of times in the past, but today, this kid had won it all back. They could only swallow their pride.
The old man's face turned green.
He looked like he'd just swallowed a live bug.
But Tsunade and the casino's authority couldn't be ignored, so he didn't dare say another word.
"Damn it!"
Once Tian Yu, Tsunade, and Tian Tian had left the casino,
The old man finally exploded with a furious roar. He kicked over the tea stand nearby, eyes flashing with spite.
---
"Hahahaha~~"
Laughter rang out loudly on the streets of Konoha, bold and unrestrained.
Tsunade slapped Tian Yu on the shoulder as she laughed so hard she nearly bent over, tears at the corners of her eyes.
Tian Yu spoke with quiet exasperation, "Is it really that funny?"
"Of course!"
Tsunade's face was glowing with delight.
"Didn't you see old Jiang Chuan's face? Like he'd eaten poop! He turned completely green!"
"Hahaha! I've known that geezer forever. It's the first time I've seen him humiliated like that!"
"You know him?" Tian Yu asked casually.
"Yeah, we used to gamble together a lot. That old fox is actually good at poker," Tsunade nodded. "His full name's Shimura Jiang Chuan. He's an elder of the Shimura clan—used to be one of my second grandpa's subordinates when he was young."
Tian Yu's expression twitched.
He thought, If he played poker with you, how could he not be good?
A gambling addict like you who never wins—of course everyone else looks skilled!
But Tian Yu didn't expect the old man to be a Shimura elder.
That made things more... delicate.
His eyes glinted faintly, clearly deep in thought.
Meanwhile, at Tian Yu's side,
Tian Tian, who had finally recovered from seeing her idol earlier, was struck dumb again by what followed.
Tsunade-sama, the icon she had admired since childhood…
Turned out to be a hopeless gambler?
And one with terrible luck?!
This... This was nothing like the noble image of Princess Tsunade she had built in her heart!
Was this what her brother meant by "collapsed house"?
There are collapsed houses every year.
And this year... it's her turn.
Tian Tian's face turned comically complicated.
---
Suddenly, Tsunade turned to Tian Yu, eyes sparkling.
"Tian Yu, why don't you wander the ninja world with me? Don't stay in Konoha!"
Before Tian Yu could respond—
"No way!"
Tian Tian cut in loudly before her brother could speak.
"My brother just got into Anbu! How can he leave Konoha now?!"
Tsunade clicked her tongue. "What's so great about Konoha? So what if he's only a secret division captain—wait, although he's about to be promoted to special ops captain…"
"Eh?"
"???"
Tian Tian and Tian Yu both stared at her in shock.
"Captain of Special Ops?" Tian Yu asked cautiously.
"Oh, it hasn't been officially announced yet."
Tsunade shrugged.
"Didn't that last mission get classified as S-rank?"
"After you left, I chatted with old man Sarutobi, and he's agreed to promote you. The formal notice should come in a few days."
Tian Yu nodded slightly,
Then looked at her and whispered, "Thank you."
He had a hunch this promotion had something to do with Tsunade's influence.
Tsunade didn't deny it. She grinned and replied boldly, "You're welcome!"
"If you really want to thank me, just travel with me when I leave Konoha! With you around, I might actually win a few rounds in the casino!"
Tian Yu's face twitched. "Forget it…"
Off to the side, Tian Tian was still stunned.
"Captain of the dark ops…"
"S-class mission…"
Suddenly, she snapped out of it and roared at Tian Yu,
"Brother! You went on an S-rank mission?!"
"You told me it was just B-rank!"
Even though she was still in the Academy, Tian Tian clearly understood how dangerous S-rank missions were!
---
Tian Tian, shaken by the idea of her brother risking his life on an S-rank mission, exploded in righteous anger.
As a little sister, she was truly terrified of losing her only brother.
"Alright, alright, calm down, Tian Tian—I'm fine!" Tian Yu tried to pacify her, but to little effect.
The night grew deeper.
The three of them wandered the quiet streets of Konoha.
When they arrived at Tian Yu's house, he turned to bid Tsunade farewell.
"Lady Tsunade, I'll take Tian Tian home first."
"Mm…"
"Is something wrong, Lady Tsunade?"
Suddenly, Tsunade's eyes lit up with a thought.
"Tian Yu, why don't I stay at your place for a few days?"
Even Tian Yu couldn't help but be startled by the sudden proposal.
"Welcome!"
"No way!"
Before Tian Yu could reply, Tian Tian, still mad, shut the idea down immediately!
She narrowed her eyes at Tsunade suspiciously, scanning her from head to toe.
She was starting to think this rumored Tsunade-sama... might have designs on her brother!
"Tian Tian, don't be rude." Tian Yu patted her on the head gently, then turned to Tsunade and said,
"Please don't mind her, Lady Tsunade. She's still a kid."
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