Chapter 60: As a Ninja from a Small Village, What I Desire Most is Peace!
Kaguya Kimimaro and Haku were somewhat bewildered.
Kisame couldn't help chuckling lightly. It sounded like Uehara was still a superior who greatly valued his subordinates!
Only Zabuza and Mangetsu were somewhat puzzled.
Would Uehara actually go to the trouble of helping treat Kaguya Kimimaro, a young ninja who hadn't even formed combat strength yet and was seriously ill?
Ninjas like them from the Land of Water were generally ruthless. A youth like Kimimaro with a serious illness would usually only be left for dead...
Fourth Mizukage Yagura couldn't wish more for all of them [Kekkei Genkai users?] to die!
However, Mangetsu Hōzuki remembered a rumor and had to dampen Uehara Naraka's thoughts. He said softly, "But I heard that this Lady Tsunade, known as the strongest medical ninja, has already retired. Since the war ended, she hasn't treated anyone..."
"Mm."
Uehara Naraka nodded, looked at the cheerfully laughing blonde female ninja in the distance, and sighed, "Perhaps it's because she has some psychological problems!"
This woman, Tsunade, suffered from hemophobia!
Who would have thought a medical ninja would actually develop hemophobia? And she was even the ninja world's recognized strongest medical ninja.
Uehara Naraka instructed the other members to continue traveling, while he himself took Kaguya Kimimaro towards Tsunade and Shizune.
Tsunade walked towards them, stopped beside Uehara, bent down breathing warmly near his shoulder, tilted her head, "How about it, kid? Still can't forget me? Shall we find a place now..."
"Lady Tsunade!"
Shizune beside her nervously tugged Tsunade's shoulder, "Watch your image! Don't tease him like this, he's still a child!"
Tsunade ignored her, just quietly listening to Uehara's gradually accelerating heartbeat.
Uehara Naraka helplessly pushed Tsunade's head aside, sighed, "...If you're after my money, just say so directly. No need for this, right? Tsunade-senpai."
"Tch, kid who can't take a joke!"
"I have five million Ryō here..."
Uehara Naraka held up the scroll in his hand and said softly, "I can gamble with you, but I have one condition."
The casualness on Tsunade's face instantly retracted. She just looked down at Uehara Naraka, frowning, "What condition?"
"Help examine his body."
Uehara Naraka pointed to Kaguya Kimimaro beside him and said softly, "He is the last Kaguya clansman. Tsunade-senpai should have heard of them, right?"
"The Kaguya clan from the Land of Water?"
Tsunade had not only heard the Kaguya clan's name but also some secrets about this ninja clan, "If I remember correctly, even in peacetime, the Kaguya clan never had long-lived ninjas. Their personalities become violent due to their Kekkei Genkai..."
Tsunade wasn't particularly focused on Kaguya Kimimaro's matter; she was more interested in Uehara Naraka. After briefly mentioning the Kaguya clan, she shifted the topic back to Uehara.
"Kid."
Tsunade's finger flicked the scroll in Uehara's hand, her lips curling, "We clearly came to gamble money, yet you're asking me to help treat an illness?"
Uehara Naraka heard the dissatisfaction in her words, rubbed his forehead, "If you're willing, someone will be willing to give you money... But at the gambling table, you probably haven't won much money, right?"
"..."
A cross-shaped vein visibly popped on Tsunade's forehead, because what Uehara Naraka said was indeed the truth.
The anger on Tsunade's face suddenly dissipated. She softly instructed, "Shizune, you go examine that Kaguya clan kid. This little fellow and I will go play a few rounds!"
"Yes, Lady Tsunade!"
Shizune felt relieved inwardly and nodded respectfully.
Tsunade and Uehara Naraka followed behind them, found a nearby rest area with seats, Tsunade took out dice from her pocket, and Uehara Naraka unsealed the scroll, taking out stack after stack of money.
Examining the body on one side.
Starting a gambling match on the other.
Rattle rattle...
The dice cup rattled.
"Odd."
"Even."
"I win."
Tsunade's face instantly beamed. After taking a stack of money from in front of Uehara, she asked, "Kid, what's your name?"
"Uehara Naraka."
The boy was silent for a moment, not hiding his name.
Tsunade raised an eyebrow, continuing to shake the dice cup, "I don't think I've heard of any Uehara ninja clan or big figures in Kirigakure (Village Hidden by Mist)..."
"Very normal."
Uehara Naraka shook his head and sighed, "A village as big as Kirigakure, how could there possibly be a small ninja like me? Mr. Kisame and the others are just helping me complete a mission..."
These words weren't exactly wrong.
It's just that the mission Uehara completed was pulling Kisame Hoshigaki and the others into Akatsuki.
"Heh..."
Tsunade suddenly held down the dice cup, looked up at Uehara Naraka, a trace of amusement flashing across her face, "Clearly saying such words, yet harboring unspeakable pride in your heart. Even the villages of the Five Great Nations aren't regarded by you, kid..."
"Tsunade-senpai."
Uehara Naraka looked back at her, unwilling to show weakness, "I heard Konoha's Third Hokage is very old. You clearly could succeed the Hokage position if you returned, yet you're still wandering outside... Not caring about the position of the strongest hidden village's Kage, Your Excellency is the proudest person, right?"
But Tsunade indeed had the capital to be proud!
Whether it was her family background, appearance, strength, or abilities, any one of these traits appearing on any other woman would make one proud.
"Hokage?"
A trace of confusion flashed in Tsunade's eyes.
The two spoke no more and continued their gambling match.
Uehara Naraka's luck at the gambling table truly seemed worse than Tsunade's.
No matter what he guessed, he never guessed correctly once. The side quest on the system panel to win against Tsunade seemed indefinitely far away...
Forget it, just pretend that quest doesn't exist.
Uehara Naraka forcefully comforted himself internally. Based on otaku's knowledge of Tsunade's luck, the reward for winning against Tsunade definitely wouldn't be too generous anyway!
Tsunade picked up another stack of money from in front of Uehara and said softly, "Kid, I haven't won many times in my life. Every time I win at gambling, something bad happens. Yet these past two days, I've just kept winning your money..."
"Oh?"
Uehara Naraka knew this curse.
He was also a bit curious now that Tsunade had won against him so many times, would there be a major earthquake over in Konoha village...
Or had Jiraiya or Orochimaru encountered danger?
Uehara Naraka thought again of his own identity.
Maybe his magnificent cheater's luck suppressed Tsunade's curse?
As an Akatsuki intern, as the final nesting doll among the ninja world's masterminds, perhaps Tsunade encountering him now and not eliminating this threat...
Was actually her greatest misfortune and regret!
Of course, Tsunade wanting to kill him now was also unlikely...
Even Tsunade wouldn't imagine that the boy sitting before her possessed Kage-level power within his body.
Tsunade's mind was quite active. She suddenly chuckled, "Hey, kid, you won't end up becoming a member of some evil organization in the future, will you? Your identity seems rather complex..."
"How could that be possible?"
Uehara Naraka flatly denied Tsunade's accusation and said softly, "As a ninja like me from a small village, I desire peace in the ninja world more than anyone... This round, I guess Odd!"
"Then I'll guess Even!"
Tsunade dazedly uncovered the dice cup, took another stack of money from in front of Uehara, "Peace... that's something more precious than money and life..."
"Lady Tsunade!"
Shizune, wearing white gloves on her hands, appeared before them. She had finished examining Kaguya Kimimaro's condition.
Shizune glanced at Kimimaro standing beside her, her face full of apology and exhaustion, "Sorry, his condition is very complex. Forgive my inability to help..."
(End of Chapter)
---
Read up to 20 chapter ahead of time on patreon.com/Legendryweeb
{please give this novel 5 Star review and power stone}
*Thank you*