The Fugitive Princess of Konoha

Tsunade, full name... Tsunade.

She is the granddaughter of the First Hokage, grandniece of the Second Hokage, disciple of the Third Hokage, and future love interest of the Fourth Hokage's teacher. Eventually, she will become the Fifth Hokage.

Besides Naruto, the future Prince of Konoha, she is arguably Konoha's most well-connected individual.

However, Tsunade is currently in a state of self-abandonment due to the deaths of her younger brother Nawaki and her lover Dan Kato during the Second Great Ninja War. She has been wandering around the gambling dens across the Land of Fire, attempting to numb herself through gambling.

Natsuhiko organised his thoughts on Tsunade.

As for why Lady Mito entrusted him with finding Tsunade, the reason wasn't difficult to guess.

After all, Mito had previously mentioned that she didn't have much time left. It was only natural that she would want to spend as much time as possible with her only remaining family member...

Realising this, Natsuhiko couldn't help but feel a heavy weight in his heart as the reality of his teacher's impending departure became more tangible.

Natsuhiko's expression turned serious, and he earnestly promised Mito:

"Teacher, don't worry. I will bring Lady Tsunade back as soon as possible."

Natsuhiko's demeanour slightly aback Mito, and then he realised that he seemed to have misunderstood something.

With a helpless smile, Mito said:

"Natsuhiko, don't look at me like I'm about to go. I still have some time left."

"The real reason I want you to find Tsunade is something else..."

Seeing Natsuhiko's confused expression, Mito, seemingly suppressing her anger, pulled out a thick stack of papers from her chest and slapped them onto the table.

Natsuhiko casually picked up a few to look through, only to realise that they were all IOUs, and the amounts were substantial!

Could it be...

Mito continued, clearly pained:

"Natsuhiko, you might not know, but Tsunade has been just like her grandfather ever since she was a child—not only is she a terrible gambler, but her luck is just as bad!"

"—I've even heard that gamblers are now calling her a 'sucker'!"

Mito sighed and added:

"But unlike Hashirama, my granddaughter is not only bad at gambling, but she's also not very honourable about it. After racking up a mountain of debt in one place, she just leaves without a word."

"I didn't even know about this until recently, but now that the creditors know her identity, they're all coming to the Senju clan with her IOUs..."

"At this rate, I'm afraid that before I die, Tsunade will have squandered the entire Senju family fortune..."

"Natsuhiko, tell me, how could I not send someone to drag her back?"

...

"Ha... Ha... Achoo!"

Meanwhile, at the entrance of a gambling den somewhere in the Land of Fire.

Tsunade, just walking out through the curtains, suddenly sneezed loudly.

Her messy blonde hair, unkempt appearance, and the heavy dark circles under her eyes clearly showed that she had spent the entire night gambling again.

After wiping her nose with the back of her index finger, she muttered softly:

"Am I catching a cold? That's rare—I've never had a cold in my life."

"But it seems I should find an inn and get some proper sleep first..."

Taking a few significant strides forward in a random direction, she suddenly remembered something and turned back to urge:

"Shizune, what's taking you so long? If you don't hurry up, I'm going to leave you behind."

"Wait for me, Lady Tsunade!"

A petite black-haired girl was dragging a large suitcase behind Tsunade, hurrying anxiously.

She lifted the suitcase with all her strength and sped up to catch up to Tsunade as if afraid that her master might actually leave her behind.

But within a few seconds, her strength ran out, and the suitcase dropped back onto the ground, leaving a trail behind it.

The suitcase was heavy, but Shizune's heart was even heavier.

After all, she knew that the suitcase wasn't filled with money but with piles and piles of IOUs!

Why had the kind and gentle Lady Tsunade from before become like this?

Though Shizune knew that Lady Tsunade had always liked gambling, she had never seen her become so addicted.

It must be because of what happened to her brother and Uncle Dan...

Shizune sighed lightly in her heart.

She was initially so excited when she received a letter from Lady Tsunade saying she would give her some lessons during the break.

But since then, all she had done was carry Lady Tsunade's suitcase and follow her from one gambling den to the next.

She hadn't made much progress in medical ninjutsu, but she had learned a lot about different gambling methods and the workings of various gambling dens.

It felt like... she was gaining more and more useless knowledge.

And she couldn't help but wonder when Lady Tsunade would return to her old self...

With a heavy heart, Shizune struggled to drag the suitcase until she suddenly felt it lighten. Tsunade had come back and effortlessly lifted the heavy bag.

Pretending to be annoyed, Tsunade said:

"Looks like the teaching standards at the Ninja Academy have really fallen."

"You can't even carry luggage properly. When I finally win some money and need you to carry my suitcase full of it, will I be able to count on you?"

Lady Tsunade, that scenario is never going to happen...

Shizune complained in her heart.

After all, during the time they spent together, she witnessed firsthand just how abysmally bad Lady Tsunade's luck was.

But, inwardly, she still felt a little comforted.

Despite how she had changed on the outside, deep down, Lady Tsunade was still the same as before.

"Shizune, you don't have enough strength because you're not eating enough."

"Alright, let's find a restaurant and get a proper meal first!"

Shizune, who was also starving, smiled with delight.

But her smile quickly disappeared as she said with a pained expression:

"But Lady Tsunade, you already lost our last penny just a little while ago..."

"Turns out the teachers at the academy were right—gambling really is terrifying..."

"You don't understand. High risk, high reward—that's the true essence of gambling!"

No, Lady Tsunade, your gambling only comes with high risks and no rewards. It's no different from throwing money into the ocean.

Shizune grumbled inwardly but didn't dare say it out loud.

Who would have guessed that Tsunade would suddenly pull a thick envelope from her chest and wave it with a smug smile, saying:

"Relax, I still have money."

"You must have been asleep earlier, so you didn't see. I borrowed some cash from Uncle Ryoma. We'll be fine for food and lodging for the next few days."

Instead of feeling relieved, Shizune's frown deepened.

"That old man Ryoma again..."

Hesitating, Shizune said, "Lady Tsunade, don't you think it's strange?"

"We keep running into this old man at gambling dens all over the place, and every time, he lends you money without ever asking for it back."

Tsunade casually replied:

"What's strange about that? Uncle Ryoma is probably on a gambling tour across the Land of Fire, and his route just happens to overlap with ours."

"And besides, he says he used to know my grandfather, so it's only natural he'd lend me money."

"As for not asking me to pay it back, that's because he recognises my talent for gambling and knows I'll eventually win back everything I've lost, so he's not worried at all."

Why does Lady Tsunade always have this unshakable confidence when it comes to gambling?

Where does she even get that kind of courage?

Shizune was speechless but kept her thoughts to herself.

"Shizune."

"Yes?"

Shizune responded, still puzzled.

"Shizune!"

"...Yes."

Shizune replied again, a bit exasperated.

Once Shizune finally quieted down, Tsunade breathed a sigh of relief.

She hoisted the suitcase over her shoulder and said:

"Since we have money, let's eat something good today..."

"I heard there's a Chinese restaurant nearby that serves excellent roast suckling pig."

"—Alright, today we're having roast suckling pig!"

(End of Chapter)