85. Trauma

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Pov- Tsunade

"Go back to Konoha?" Tsunade murmurs. 'Do I have the courage to return to the village that holds so many painful memories?'

As Tsunade stood at the crossroads of her past and future, a storm of conflicting emotions churned within her.

The familiar weight of grief pressed heavily on her chest—Nawaki's innocent face, full of hope, and Dan's passionate promise to change the village for the better haunted her every thought.

How could she, of all people, take up the mantle that had brought nothing but loss to those she loved?

Becoming close to her had cost them their lives, and the pain of those memories still lingered like open wounds.

"What good is power if you can't save the ones who matter most?" she had once asked herself, bitterness seeping into her voice.

The village had taken everything from her, and for years, she convinced herself that she didn't owe it anything in return. Konoha could burn for all she cared. She would never go back.

But then, there is that boy—Naruto. The spitting image of her younger brother's reckless passion, one she had tried to bury. At first, it had infuriated her, how stubborn he was, how naive.

But somewhere in those loud declarations and defiant eyes, she saw something else—a glimmer of hope, the same hope she had seen in Nawaki and Dan.

"Is it possible to protect them? To protect the village… without losing anyone else?" The thought gnawed at her, something she had long given up on.

Pov- end

Naruto doesn't act rashly. There's no way to force her back. If he tries, his house might end up either redecorated or outright demolished.

Then, he'd have no choice but to crash at Sasuke's place again, which he's already done more times than he can count. Surely, sleeping over one more time won't hurt, right?

For now, Naruto decides to rely on his "Talk no Jutsu" rather than force. He quips, "Why is Tsunade-nee-san so upset after winning a bet?"

"Naruto, don't say unnecessary things," Jiraiya interrupts, not wanting Tsunade to relive those painful memories.

'Maybe if I sweeten things up and call her 'sis,' she won't kill me,' Naruto thinks. 'As for whether it's appropriate to call her that, well, even if Tsunade is—cough—very experienced in age, it shouldn't be an issue.'

Tsunade looks at Naruto, seeing a glimpse of Nawaki. Back then, Nawaki was about the same age, and he used to call her 'sister' just like that.

This boy reminds her so much of him. No wonder she felt a sense of familiarity when she first saw him.

At his age, Naruto should have never even experienced war, yet he might get caught up in one soon. 'Would his fate end up like Nawaki's...?'

Tsunade tries to calm herself. "There's nothing I can't say. Every time I win a bet, the people around me suffer bad luck, so…"

"Maybe it's just a coincidence," Naruto counters. "Things were fine before, and now you've won. Isn't that just luck?"

"How many coincidences can there be?" Tsunade's voice is strained. "I usually lose every bet, but this time, I won a dozen games in a row!"

"I'll bet with you!" Naruto exclaims. "Maybe the pervy sage just has bad luck. I mean, he got caught peeping at the women's bath even with all his ninja skills."

Sakura, who has been silently watching, takes a few steps back. She silently vows that as long as Jiraiya is in the village, she will never step foot in the bathhouse.

Jiraiya braces himself for a punch but notices that Tsunade isn't moving. Honestly, he thinks it might have been better if she had hit him rather than wallowing in sadness.

Tsunade stares at Naruto for a few seconds, then picks up the money Jiraiya placed in front of her and slaps it on the table. "Alright, let's bet! Where's your wager?"

Naruto digs into his frog wallet, pulling out a few coins and small bills. He's broke. Before the Chunin Exams, he had commissioned a custom kunai and treated Kurama to a feast.

He'd also spent most of his pocket money on snacks for Hinata. This is all he has left.

He pushes the money forward. "I'll bet with these first."

Tsunade doesn't mind and randomly grabs a banknote. "How do you want to bet?"

Naruto pulls out a coin. "I don't know much about other games. How about a coin toss?"

"Fine," Tsunade agrees, thinking the result will be the same no matter what they bet on.

Naruto flicks the coin into the air. "Heads or tails?"

Tsunade watches the coin spin. "Heads."

*Ding, ding, ding.* The coin lands—tails.

Naruto smirks. He's betting on his good fortune. After all, despite everything, the Kyuubi hasn't wiped out his family. Maybe he can counteract Tsunade's bad luck.

Tsunade is stunned. She isn't sure if she should feel relieved or not. She grabs another bill. "Again!"

Naruto gathers up his small change, leaving only the banknotes on the table.

The coin flies up again. "Heads!" Tsunade guesses.

*Ding, ding, ding.* Tails.

"Keep going!"

"Heads!"

"Tails!"

"Heads!"

…

Eight more times, Tsunade guesses wrong. Frustrated, she slams the table. "Are you cheating?!"

Naruto's heart is pounding. The odds of guessing wrong ten times in a row are slim, but he hands the coin to Tsunade. "Wanna toss it yourself?"

Tsunade tosses the coin, and Naruto guesses, "Heads?"

The coin lands—heads.

"Again!"

"Tails"

"Tails"

"Heads"

…

Naruto is enjoying the game. He even considers trying to make the coin stand on its edge just for fun.

After several rounds, Naruto realizes the truth. According to probability theory, each coin toss is an independent event. The odds of guessing correctly are always 50%.

But under his lucky streak and Tsunade's bad luck, it seems almost natural for him to win repeatedly.

Tsunade stares at her last banknote. Normally, losing would leave her feeling miserable, but this time, it feels... easier.

"Jiraiya, your turn!" Tsunade hands the coin to him.

"Huh? Oh." Jiraiya, still surprised at how things are unfolding, guesses, "Tails."

The coin lands—heads.

None of them understand what's happening. Could it be, as Naruto suggested, that Jiraiya just has awful luck?

Tsunade tries betting with Shizune and Jiraiya again but eventually returns to Naruto. In the end, only Naruto can win against her.

'What is this?* Tsunade wonders. 'Why is he the only one who can beat me?'

Naruto places his stack of winnings on the table, flashing his trademark grin. "So, Tsunade-nee-san, maybe luck exists, but you shouldn't be too superstitious. Even if you think your winning streak brings bad luck, didn't you lose to me? Maybe I'm here to break your so-called curse?"

Tsunade looks at Naruto. She hasn't seen such a hopeful smile in a long time. 'Maybe... maybe I should trust this kid?'

"Let's make another bet."

"Huh?"

"I said, let's bet again. If you win, I'll return to Konoha with you. If you lose…"

"I'll give you all this money." Naruto shrugs, unfazed by the idea.

"No. If you lose, you have to call me 'big sister.'"

Naruto meets her eyes with a serious expression. "I'm not Nawaki; I'm Naruto."

Pretending to be Nawaki, playing on her emotions—that's not something Naruto can do in good conscience.

Tsunade smiles. "I know."

Naruto grins back. "Alright, big sister."

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