"What? He took his subordinates to the gambling house?"
"Yes, that is correct, my lord. But according to the spy's report, they haven't gone in yet, and they seem to be discussing something."
The Daimyō furrowed his brow at his subordinate's report.
If Kazuyama had gone to the casino alone, that would have been one thing—but why did he bring his subordinates?
Before he could ponder further, new information arrived, instantly clarifying the situation. Even the Daimyō, upon hearing the details, was momentarily speechless before sighing.
"This man... is truly shameless."
Here's what had happened.
Kazuyama, standing outside the casino, eyed Obito with a sneer before making a proposal that left the boy completely dumbfounded.
"Obito, use the Transformation Technique to turn into a big, stubbly man."
"I'll use the Transparent Escape Technique to follow you in. You gamble, and I'll help you cheat."
"Afterward, we'll split the winnings 7-to-3. Seven for me, three for you!"
Obito froze on the spot.
This guy is seriously making me cheat? And he wasn't even planning to do it himself—he wanted Obito to take the risk while he covered him from behind.
And he's hogging the biggest cut?!
"Kazuyama-sensei, are you serious?"
"This doesn't seem like a good idea..."
"Why don't you go in yourself? I can keep watch outside."
Kazuyama sighed, then promptly smacked Obito on the head before pulling him aside for a "lesson in life."
"Obito, you need to understand—no man can survive without money."
"Think about it. Does food cost money? Does bathing cost money? Does ninja gear cost money?"
"How about getting married in the future? You think that's free? You need to start saving while you're young!"
"Sensei is just trying to help you! With me backing you up, we're guaranteed to make a fortune. After that, you can do whatever you want!"
"Let me put it this way—Rin's birthday is next year. Don't you want to impress her? Don't you need money to buy her a nice present?"
The rapid barrage of questions left Obito speechless.
But when he really thought about it… Kazuyama had a point.
Aside from fighting, what doesn't cost money?
Rin…
That single thought shattered his last bit of resistance. Rin had a crush on Kakashi. She was his goddess.
And if money could help change that… maybe it wasn't such a bad idea after all.
"Don't hesitate! This is the Daimyō's Manor—there's no better place to make easy money!"
"You don't trust my Transparent Escape Technique? I'll be right there, coaching you. I guarantee we'll clean up the place!"
"Oh, are you worried about not having enough money to start? No problem!" Kazuyama patted his chest confidently. "As your teacher, I'll take the lead and contribute 100,000 ryō."
"You just need to match it—100,000 ryō from you, and we'll scrape together the rest!"
Who was Kazuyama?
A man who would rob you blind if you weren't paying attention. And no matter how much money he had, he would never miss a chance to make a profit.
After much deliberation, Obito finally nodded with a grimace.
"Okay! Kazuyama-sensei, I'll do as you say."
"Transformation Technique!"
Boom!
A burst of white smoke flashed, and Obito transformed into a middle-aged man.
Seeing that Obito had fallen for the trap, Kazuyama let out a quiet chuckle and immediately activated the Transparent Escape Technique, vanishing on the spot.
However, no one noticed the subtle glance he cast toward a distant building.
Clearly, all of this was for the Daimyō's benefit.
Obito looked visibly nervous—it was his first time doing something like this, after all.
Kazuyama walked beside him, and when he saw how tense the boy was, he lightly tapped him on the shoulder and whispered in his ear, "Kid, be bold! Don't be afraid!"
Encouraged—or rather, pressured—by the words, Obito took a deep breath and stepped forward, striding into the gambling house.
"Welcome, sir, what would you like to play?"
An attendant quickly approached to greet him. Caught off guard, Obito froze, unsure how to respond.
Kazuyama sighed, shaking his head before grabbing Obito's hand and pointing him toward the dice table.
The attendant, seeing this, immediately beamed.
"Alright, sir, you can exchange chips over here."
Obito walked unsteadily to the counter and exchanged 200,000 ryō for chips.
As he approached the gambling table, Kazuyama, watching nearby, could barely contain his amusement. Obito's awkward demeanor was simply too funny.
Once Obito sat down at the table, panic set in again.
What am I doing?!
But then he remembered—his sensei was right there, ready to help. That thought alone gave him confidence.
Little did he know… Kazuyama had no way of helping him in a dice game.
"Big or small! Place your bets and hands off the table!"
The dealer's voice rang out, and Obito hesitated, unsure of what to choose.
Suddenly, he felt a poke on his left shoulder.
Ah! That means bet on the left!
Without thinking, he placed his bet on large.
"Open!"
The dice cup lifted—large!
Obito's eyes widened before breaking into a huge grin.
"Hahaha! I won! Pay up!"
At that moment, he looked like nothing less than a seasoned gambler.
Kazuyama was dumbfounded. He really hadn't expected Obito to have this kind of potential.
Then, out of nowhere, a notification sounded in his mind.
[Ding! Detected that the host has brought Obito Uchiha to the gambling table and unlocked his hidden attributes! Special reward: +5 Genjutsu.]
...Wait. Did I just awaken a hidden attribute in him?
Uchiha Obito... gambler…
Kazuyama was speechless.
Obito, however, was too immersed in the game to notice.
They stayed until nightfall, and Obito still hadn't left the table. In fact, the more he played, the deeper his obsession grew.
His 200,000 ryo? Gone.
But instead of stopping, he casually pulled out more money from his own pocket and kept playing.
Kazuyama, seeing this, sighed and covered his face.
In the end, he stepped outside to drop his Transparent Escape Technique before walking back in and dragging Obito out of the casino.
Only then did the boy finally snap out of it.
As they left, the attendants inside were practically crying with laughter—Obito had lost nearly 1 million ryo in a single afternoon.
Of that, only 100,000 had come from Kazuyama. The rest? All from Obito's own stash.
"Sensei, I can definitely win it back! Just one more—"
"Ouch! What are you doing?!"
Kazuyama, already prepared, delivered a sharp flick to Obito's forehead.
Dong!
The loud smack echoed as Obito yelped in pain.
"How much did you lose, kid? And you're still thinking of playing?"
"Let's talk about it when I have money…"
Kazuyama was speechless.
For the first time, he truly understood how Tsunade kept falling deeper into gambling—the more she lost, the more she wanted to play.
This kid…
But today's antics at the casino confirmed one thing—the Daimyō had been watching them closely.
It seemed the time had come to put on a grand show for him.
"Sensei, I lost all my money... Can you lend me some?"
"I'll pay you back when we get back to the village."
Kazuyama sighed, looking at Obito's hopeful expression.
This was going to be a long mission.
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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