Chapter 270: Message Secured

"Everyone, you've won enough today. Why don't you go home and rest first?" The dealer suppressed his displeasure, addressing the group politely.

"Are you saying a gambling house can't handle losing? This is nothing," one of the large men replied arrogantly, his tone dripping with nonchalance.

"It's better for everyone if we stop now," the dealer continued. "Leaving a way out for each other allows for future encounters."

This gambling den, at least, adhered to a certain code of conduct. If it had been a rougher establishment, a fight would likely have broken out by now.

Nonō and Nagato remained silent, quietly observing the situation unfold.

"I'm sorry, my brother has drunk too much," a slightly delicate-looking man interjected, nudging his companion and apologizing to the dealer.

The group clearly understood that starting a conflict here would only risk exposing their identities. They likely believed they had gone unnoticed so far.

"What drunk..." the burly man muttered, still unwilling to back down. To him, there was nothing intimidating about a small gambling den—this wasn't Konohagakure, after all.

"Don't cause trouble. We're leaving tomorrow. Don't forget Big Brother's warning," the handsome man whispered to his companion, leaning in close. "You can cause as much trouble as you like once we leave the Land of Fire."

Nonō and Nagato listened intently, catching every word. It seemed the mission was progressing with unexpected ease.

"Fine, I get it," the burly man grumbled. "What bad luck. We can't even have fun." He reluctantly shook off his companion and began gathering his chips.

"We're leaving now," the handsome man said with a sigh of relief, smiling at the dealer as he motioned for the others to follow him out.

Nonō and Nagato chose not to pursue them immediately. Instead, they stayed behind, pretending to play at the table for a while after the group had left.

"Do you want to place a bet?"

Nonō's luck had been poor, and her remaining chips were few.

"Forget it, you play by yourself," Nagato replied, finding the whole thing uninteresting. Even without trying to use his skills, the dice cup's points were as clear to him as if there were no cover. It was hard to stay engaged.

"Come on, help your sister turn her luck around," Nonō coaxed, using a playful tone and her sisterly status to persuade him.

"Okay, then," Nagato relented, unable to resist her attitude. Girls really were a fickle species.

"Here." Nonō handed him all her remaining chips, resigned to the idea of leaving if she lost them all.

Nagato glanced at the dice cup and, without any hesitation, bet all his chips on triple sixes.

The dealer's expression immediately darkened. He had just gotten rid of a few troublemakers, and now another one had appeared. Fortunately, Nagato didn't have many chips, so the dealer's mood slowly began to ease.

"Wow, how did you guess that?" Nonō exclaimed excitedly when the dice cup was opened to reveal triple sixes.

Her face lit up with joy—this single win not only recovered all her losses but even left her with extra. Since it was all coming out of her own pocket, winning it back was naturally a relief!

"I just guessed randomly," Nagato said casually, showing no sign of pride in his abilities.

"One more hand, one more hand," Nonō urged, eagerly gathering the chips back in front of her, thinking about winning more.

People were naturally greedy, and while Nagato understood, he wasn't entirely willing to indulge it.

"No more, let's go. Everyone's waiting."

Nagato wasn't particularly concerned about money. Most of his earnings were stored in a piggy bank in his room—a gift from Konan that he rarely thought about, left sitting in his drawer.

There wasn't much risk of theft in the Hatake Clan. Even if there were a thief, they wouldn't bother taking anything from him.

"Okay," Nonō agreed without hesitation. She wasn't addicted to gambling and was easily persuaded by Nagato. If it had been Tsunade, however, dragging her away before she'd lost everything would have been a challenge.

After collecting their chips, the two exchanged them for money and left the gambling house.

"Are we going back now? Or should we buy something for everyone to eat?" Nonō asked. She didn't mind treating the group to a good meal, especially since they had just won some money.

"Sounds good," Nagato replied, seeing no reason to object. Most of the group were relatives, after all.

"What do you like to eat?" Nonō asked, planning to buy Nagato's favorite food first since he had helped win the money. She found it amusing that he didn't seem to care about keeping any of it for himself.

"Anything is fine. You go ahead and get your favorite food," Nagato said, showing a hint of gentlemanly consideration.

"You're actually quite nice," Nonō said with a laugh, covering her mouth as she walked toward the food street.

Nagato scratched his head, puzzled by her reaction. Women's thoughts seemed like bottomless wells, and he didn't have the energy to guess them.

By the time they finished exploring the food street, their arms were filled with various snacks and dishes. This outing was a success—they had gathered crucial information and brought back plenty of food.

When they returned to the group, everyone assumed they had just been shopping.

"Why did you buy so much? You spent a fortune," Nawaki said, eyeing the numerous bags. His instincts as a cheapskate immediately kicked in.

"Don't worry, Pain won it," Nonō explained. With that, Nawaki could eat without feeling guilty.

Thanks to Nagato, they had bought everyone's favorite foods, which was a thoughtful gesture. Nonō's impression of Nagato deepened—he truly was a gentle and considerate boy, able to remember so many preferences.

After everyone had finished eating, Nawaki began outlining the plan for the next day. There wasn't much to arrange. The town had only one entrance and exit, making it an ideal location for an ambush.

As for defeating the targets, that wasn't a concern for Nawaki. Since joining the Anbu, the teams led by him and Minato had maintained a 100% mission completion rate. It was a testament to their hard work and skill.

"I won't go into much detail about this mission. Once they're a little ways outside of town, just finish them off. This mission doesn't require any survivors. Any questions?"

With those few simple words, Nawaki set the mission's tone—cold but necessary. These bandits had committed countless atrocities in the Land of Fire. Were it not for the Daimyō's orders, Konoha wouldn't have been involved at all.

"No problem," the group responded without hesitation. The mission wasn't particularly difficult, the only challenge being the sheer number of targets and ensuring none escaped. Their team was large enough, and with the preparation done, the mission was already more than halfway complete.

"Well, then get some rest. After we finish the mission tomorrow, we can head back to the village," Nawaki concluded.

As the group settled in to rest, Nonō reflected on how well she was getting to know Nagato. She took the initiative to strike up a conversation with him. The two found common ground in discussing Medical Ninjutsu, and under Nonō's guidance, their conversation flowed naturally.

The others were considerate enough not to interrupt, and from time to time, Nonō's laughter could be heard.