Chapter 203. High-Stakes Mahjong

Chapter 203. High-Stakes Mahjong

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"Little girl, these guys are all pros!"

"Want me to take over?"

"Hmph! No need! They might be tough for you, but for me… Ha! Everyone here is just a bunch of trash!" Nine-Tails sneered from inside Kushina. "You should know… I never take more than five minutes to win a game these days. This low-level match? Piece of cake!"

"They just called Pung!"

Kushina rolled her eyes in disdain.

This was just a battle of noobs.

She had watched before—even that so-called "Gambling God of Konoha" was a wimp!

At that moment, the four-player match had begun.

The clacking of mahjong tiles echoed continuously.

To the left—Kumo ninja.

To the right—Suna ninja.

Across the table—Kiri ninja.

It looked like a battle between the four great ninja villages. Maybe that was why Konoha had set up the match like this.

And how could the players chosen to participate in the competition be simple?

The situation was becoming intense.

"Hmph! Seems I underestimated them!" Nine-Tails, who had been completely relaxed, suddenly tensed up. "To think they could last this long against me… Alright, I acknowledge their skill!"

"…" Kushina had no words.

Meanwhile, Nine-Tails was thrilled—did anyone have any idea what he had been through since getting captured in Konoha?

Those had been miserable days!

But now…

What a rare moment of joy!

"Still, I'm the strongest here!"

As soon as he declared this—

Kushina's head ached. "They called Pung again!"

"Let them have this round!"

"They just called Kong!"

"It's all within my master plan!"

"Can you stop bragging?"

"I'm a Tailed Beast. I don't brag—I state facts!"

"Ha. Ha."

"Damn it! It's time to let you see my true strength!"

The moment Nine-Tails finished speaking, something changed.

Under the watchful eyes of the entire audience—

Kushina's aura suddenly shifted.

A terrifying pressure radiated from her body. It was as if she had become a completely different person.

Even the sound of her mahjong tiles slamming onto the table grew sharper!

Aura.

A terrifying aura!

"Stop her! Right now!" Tsunade grabbed Minato by the collar. "Are you trying to let the Nine-Tails loose?!"

"Tsun—"

"Call me Slug-sama!"

Before Minato could finish—

"Calm yourself, Tsunade."

A steady voice drifted over.

"I told you not to call me tha—"

Tsunade whirled around, ready to snap. But when she saw the hunched-over old man, staring at the match with deep focus, she paused. "…Old man?"

"Hmph. You came back but didn't even bother visiting me."

"Sorry, we're not close. I don't recognize an old man who embezzled public funds."

"…"

Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed, ignoring her sharp tongue, and turned his attention back to the match. "Kushina hasn't lost control of herself."

"…Huh. You're right." Tsunade turned around and looked at Kushina, slightly surprised. "…Wait. Is she… controlling the Nine-Tails' chakra?"

"That's right." Hiruzen nodded, his clouded eyes tinged with nostalgia. "Mito-sama was right. Kushina has truly mastered the Nine-Tails' chakra."

He gazed at the battlefield.

That overwhelming aura.

Those sharp, decisive movements.

Every tiles she played carried unstoppable force, crushing her opponents with sheer presence.

You could see it.

The enemy was already terrified!

They were completely paralyzed with fear.

And behind her—

A faint fox-shaped silhouette loomed in the air.

The shadow of the Nine-Tails!

It was still a bit blurry, but…

Hiruzen let out a deep sigh, shaking his pipe. "Kushina has already won. I never expected her to develop such terrifying tile skills."

"Indeed!" Tsunade nodded in agreement. "She's handling the Nine-Tails' power—without losing herself!" She exhaled, still somewhat in disbelief. "For a moment, it was like she became a completely different person. Just that aura alone… was terrifying!"

"..."

Yuto, standing nearby, watched with a face full of stomach pain.

His mouth twitched uncontrollably.

Are they seriously filming a "Mahjong Soul" live-action?!

Why does it feel like they're not even talking about mahjong anymore?!

He turned his head to look at Kushina, now cloaked in Nine-Tails' chakra, and shook his head helplessly. [Did she seriously master the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode just from playing mahjong?!]

At that moment—

"Damn it! We, Sunagakure, will never lose!" A furious roar erupted from the Suna ninja. He abruptly stood up from his seat, and in the next moment—a puppet appeared in his place. "This 10 million ryo... belongs to Sunagakure! No one can take it from us!"

Sunagakure.

Poor.

And him?

A puppeteer?

Even poorer!

So losing was not an option!

His face twisted into a snarl as he controlled the puppet from a distance. With the reduced pressure of facing Kushina's aura directly, he regained his composure and resumed the match!

Meanwhile—

The Kiri ninja and Kumo ninja exchanged glances.

They suddenly understood.

This was no longer just a mahjong tournament.

"Lightning Release: Invigorating Shock Jutsu!"

The Kumo ninja growled in a deep voice.

In an instant, lightning chakra surged around his body, stimulating his nerves, making him sharper, faster, and more focused!

Was this... Professor Yang's electrotherapy?!

And the Kiri ninja?

"Water Release: Face Wash Jutsu!"

Water splashed continuously over her face, keeping her alert and preventing her from being bewitched by the Nine-Tails' chakra!

The match had reached a critical point.

A large crowd had gathered, witnessing this legendary mahjong battle unfold!

"I must admit, I underestimated them." Sarutobi Hiruzen, temporarily acting as the host, commented. "Despite the immense pressure of the Nine-Tails' chakra, they have not surrendered. Instead, they've devised strategies to maintain peak concentration!"

"Who do you think will win?"

"It's too close to call! Too close to call! Even I don't know!"

"…Wait, don't you all think they're breaking the rules?!" Yuto twitched violently, clutching his stomach in frustration. "This isn't the mahjong tournament I mentioned! Using ninjutsu in a match is against the rules!"

"They're not cheating. There's no violation here." Hiruzen shook his head solemnly. "Besides, this is a ninja match! Ninjas use their strengths to secure victory—it's nothing unusual. Take your Uchiha clan's genius, for example—Obito Uchiha. He's a ninja who knows exactly how to use his advantages, and you're just a businessman."

He sighed with deep wisdom. "You simply don't understand ninjas."

"The old man's right!" Tsunade nodded in firm agreement. "This is what being a ninja is all about!"

"…"

Excuse me?!

Yuto was speechless.

You're the last person who should be talking—you used cheats and still lost!

His gaze shifted to Suzune, who had already won her match and was now watching with a shocked expression.

At least... there's still a normal person here.

This kind of gameplay had to be an exception, right?

Yuto sighed helplessly.

This… this is no longer the mahjong tournament I am familiar with!

Just as he was processing this—

"Kushina lost!" Hiruzen's announcement echoed through the air.

"So, you're the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki." The Kumo ninja finally saw through Kushina's situation and let out a cold sneer. "But with such terrifying chakra… how much longer can you even hold on?"

"That's right! If this continues, you'll only lose yourself!" the Suna puppeteer added indifferently. "Give up. Perhaps in a one-on-one fight, none of us could beat you. But here, in this game—you've lost."

"Her eyes are getting cloudy! She still refuses to give up?" The Kiri ninja frowned. "Her skin is cracking… what insane perseverance! But… as he said, if this were a real battle, we'd be dead by now. However, in this match…"

Her voice suddenly sharpened. "It's over!" With a heavy slam, she placed her tiles on the table. "Three Dots!"

At that moment—

The intensity of the match shattered Yuto's mental defenses.

He—

Just couldn't accept it!

And yet—

With Kushina's identity as the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki exposed, fear began spreading across the Konoha spectators. Though Konoha hadn't yet experienced the Nine-Tails' attack, the mere presence of that chakra was enough to make many uneasy.

But despite their fear, none of them left. They had all watched this far—they had to see how it would end!

The power of mahjong.

It had fully erupted at this moment.

...Though it wasn't quite the mahjong experience Yuto had envisioned.

Seriously, these people are absolute talents.

Meanwhile, beside him, Minato clenched his fists, his gaze locked onto Kushina, his expression filled with tension. He murmured under his breath, "Kushina… Nine-Tails…"

There was hesitation in his voice.

But—

"We have to stop this, Minato." Hiruzen sighed deeply. "The Nine-Tails' cloak is getting thicker. It's already damaging her body. She… has lost."

"That's right." Tsunade let out a sigh as well. "Without the fear factor, Kushina still isn't skilled enough to match…."

Before she could finish her sentence—

"I haven't lost yet!" 

Kushina roared, and her once-cloudy eyes suddenly cleared, as if she had become a different person. "From here on, I'm taking over! Now stop messing around!" She glared at them. "Continue!"

An unmatched aura exploded from her body.

The already terrifying chakra became even more fearsome!

And then—

A trembling voice suddenly pointed toward her—

"T-T-Three Tails! She has three tails now!"

Everyone turned—eyes widening in shock.

And sure enough—

Three massive, distinct tails swayed behind her.

Three-Tails Mode?!

Yuto's mouth twitched again.

This mahjong game... could lead to someone's death!

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