In Konoha, This Naruto Has Decided To Take It Easy

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"Shizune." Tsunade did not agree immediately, but instead turned to Shizune, as if seeking her opinion.

"Huh?" Shizune, already mentally exhausted, opened her mouth, wanting to refuse. However, when she caught a glimpse of Tsunade’s expression from the corner of her eye, she had to give in, "Tsunade-sama, perhaps we could let him join us."

"Would it delay us?" Tsunade asked, feigning concern.

"No, not at all. We have plenty of time." Shizune ground her teeth in frustration, practically biting through her back molars, "It's boring on the way, so having company to chat with would be nice."

"Well, alright then." Tsunade responded, showing a ‘reluctant’ expression.

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama." Naruto replied very smoothly. Though as soon as the words left his mouth, both Tsunade and Shizune looked at him in surprise.

Tsunade was only caught off guard for a second, but besides noting how quickly he was picking things up, she didn’t think much of it.

"If you like, you can keep calling me that." Tsunade waved her hand dismissively and didn't dwell on the issue any further.

Naruto broke into a slight sweat but quickly masked it with a sheepish grin, covering it up smoothly. Luckily, time travel was such an unprecedented concept that no one would even suspect it. After all, there hadn’t been any prior cases.

The two of them exchanged another smile, and thus, they all embarked on their journey, somewhat oblivious to the deeper motives. As for why Naruto had chosen the Land of Hot Water, he had his reasons.

The Land of Hot Water was close to the Land of Fire, and heading there wouldn’t cause any major delays. Besides, he planned to scout the area, to see if he can find anything.

After all, the belief in Jashin originated from the Land of Hot Water. Even though Naruto still harbored a grudge against the unspeakable Jashin, he wouldn’t mind plundering a few benefits from it.

For Tsunade, it didn’t matter where they went, as traveling anywhere was just a form of entertainment. And with her wealth, she had no concerns.

The Land of Hot Water was known for its hot springs, and she’d gladly soak while luring someone into being her research material.

Thus, a world where only Shizune was anxious was created.

During a break on their journey, Naruto sat on the grass, casually tossing pebbles. His precise throws made them land neatly, sparking Tsunade’s interest.

"Do you know how to play dice?" She asked.

"No." Naruto replied honestly, shaking his head like a shy little lamb.

Seeing this, Tsunade’s playful side took over, and she licked her lips slightly in anticipation.

"How about I teach you?" She offered.

With such a tempting ‘offer’ swaying before him, Naruto found it hard to focus. After a brief moment of consideration, he hesitated before nodding, playing along, "Sure."

Shizune, sitting nearby, didn’t participate. She adopted an attitude of ‘ignorance is bliss’, knowing full well that her opinion wouldn’t change anything.

Besides, she had no reason to stop Tsunade from enjoying herself. Tsunade had lost everything now, and this was all she had left. If Shizune tried to prevent even this, Tsunade’s life would be unbearably bleak.

Others might not understand, but Shizune, who had always been by Tsunade’s side, knew the truth. One by one, her loved ones had died in battle, and Tsunade had developed hemophobia.

This meant Tsunade could no longer have anything to do with medical treatment. Not only has she lost her loved ones, she has also lost the career she had dedicated decades to. Now, she had nothing left.

Even though people occasionally recognized Tsunade on the road and sought her help with medical issues, she would always refuse. If there was a suitable situation, she would let Shizune take on the case for practice.

But Tsunade herself absolutely refused to get involved. And even if she was giving instructions, she wouldn’t even glance at the patient’s wounds. In the beginning, she couldn’t even tolerate the smell of blood, though over the past couple of years, that had improved slightly.

But she still can't see or touch blood.

While Naruto listened to Tsunade’s serious teaching, his mind wandered to her hemophobia. He couldn’t help but wonder, ‘If Tsunade can’t handle blood, what does she do when she gets her period?’

With that thought in mind, his gaze involuntarily lowered.

"Cough cough." Tsunade naturally noticed that Naruto was distracted. She coughed and stared at Naruto with some dissatisfaction.

He snapped back to attention, meeting her gaze without any embarrassment. Instead, he smiled and playfully said, "I roughly understand the rules now, but since it’s my first time playing, don’t go too hard on me, Tsunade-sama."

"Don't worry, I’ll go ea…"

"Tsunade-sama, you lost again." Naruto said.

Tsunade was a little dumbfounded. After ten rounds, she had lost seven. Still, true to her nature as a ‘fat sheep’ gambler, she showed no signs of stopping.

“One more, one more.” She muttered, “Just put my losses on a tab. I’ll pay you back when we get to the Land of Hot Water.”

"Alright." Naruto smiled, not particularly concerned.

He didn't care about money at all. While it might seem outrageous that Tsunade lost seven out of ten rounds, this was actually Naruto going easy on her. If he didn’t deliberately hold back, Tsunade wouldn’t have won a single game with her usual performance.

Tsunade, on the other hand, had her own little scheme. She had no intention of paying him back, ‘Losing was just losing and debts were debts. Anyway, this guy seemed easy to fool.’

Her plan was simple: finish her research on the road and ditch Naruto in the Land of Hot Water. Killing two birds with one stone.

‘Heh!’

But while her plans were beautiful in theory, reality was far less kind.

Every time Tsunade decided to focus on ‘researching’ Naruto, he would find some excuse to trick her into playing another round, like a delinquent student coaxing his classmate into skipping school.

And with each attempt, his persuasion skills only got smoother.

"Tsunade-sama, you must be tired. How about a quick round?" Naruto took advantage of the break and approached her, "I got lucky last time. This time, it’s your turn to make a comeback."

"Oops!! My bad, my bad! You’re amazing, Tsunade-sama! Truly worthy of being a senior!"

Tsunade waved her hand. Now that she was almost thirty, she couldn’t stand flattery anymore.

"Oh, it’s really nothing."

She thought smugly, ‘Hmph, since there’s no need to pay, I’ll just have fun! Play to my heart’s content!’

Grinning, she agreed and sat down with Naruto to continue gambling.

Meanwhile, Shizune coldly observed them from the side, not at all interested in engaging with the two gambling addicts. She sat quietly reading her book, focused on her journey to become the ultimate assistant. The road to becoming a top-tier secretary was long and arduous.

"Another loss." Tsunade muttered in frustration.

She wasn’t really that addicted, but under Naruto’s constant coaxing, she found herself increasingly eager to win. Though she lost frequently, the occasional narrow victory gave her a thrilling sense of satisfaction.

Finally, the three of them arrived at a small town.

As soon as Tsunade spotted a pachinko parlor, she lost all interest in playing with Naruto, waving goodbye before heading inside. Naruto just chuckled and returned to the inn with Shizune.

However, something strange happened. Sitting in front of the pachinko machine, watching the colorful images spin on the screen, Tsunade felt nothing. The sounds of the machine couldn’t stir her emotions, and her mind was completely calm.

This made her a little dumbfounded, as she seemed to have lost her passion for her favorite pastime.

But when Tsunade returned to the inn alone and lost her soul, she hesitated when faced with Naruto's invitation. She wanted to say she wasn’t interested anymore, but seeing the eager look in his eyes, she couldn’t bring herself to refuse.

"I’ll take a bath first. We’ll play after that."

"Sure."

In the bathroom, Tsunade stood under the hot shower as steam filled the air. She felt a little regretful, wondering why she accepted his invitation when she was obviously not interested anymore.