28. Gambling Prodigy

Monday morning.

Hanekawa followed his usual routine: running first, then practicing swordsmanship.

On his way past the Konoha Knowledge Bookstore, he stopped by and received some good news.

Tsuchibashi had found a novelist to start writing The Demon Slayer Ninjas.

According to the storyline, The Demon Slayer Ninjas would be divided into three volumes: upper, middle, and lower.

If things progressed quickly, the first volume might even be published next week.

After completing his training in the Konoha-style swordsmanship, Hanekawa took a shower and headed to school with Kurenai Yuhi.

They arrived relatively early, with only about a third of the classroom's seats occupied.

Among those who were earlier, many were scrambling to finish homework, occasionally sneaking glances to copy from others.

After greeting Kurenai, Hanekawa returned to his seat.

He casually pulled out a medical book and began reading.

"Um... may I bother you for a moment?"

A clear voice rang out.

Hanekawa looked up to see Rin Nohara.

"I'd like to ask you about a question," Rin said, stating her purpose.

Her gaze instinctively shifted to the medical book in Hanekawa's hands.

What is this?

Does the academy even have such a textbook?

"What's the question?" Hanekawa asked, slightly surprised.

Unlike Obito Uchiha, Rin Nohara's grades were excellent.

In the previous three monthly exams, her theoretical scores consistently ranked in the top three.

Hanekawa, being a transfer student, had only participated in one exam and treated it more like a warm-up.

The upcoming monthly exam, the long-awaited final exam, was what truly excited him.

"This one."

Rin bent over and spread her notebook open.

"There are four ways to solve this,"

Hanekawa said, casually picking up a pen. "It's like this, and this, and also this."

Rin's eyes widened in disbelief.

Four different solutions?

"All done. Anything else you don't understand?" Hanekawa tapped the notebook lightly as a closing gesture.

"No... nothing else," Rin replied, regaining her composure. She added earnestly, "Thank you."

With this minor episode over, Hanekawa returned to his medical book.

Rin went back to her seat.

After finishing her homework, she couldn't help but daydream, her gaze unconsciously drifting toward Hanekawa.

Good-looking and a genius... I wonder if I could be friends with him?

And is that book really a medical textbook?

Rin had always dreamed of becoming a medical ninja.

But she never imagined Hanekawa would already be studying medical ninjutsu in his first year.

The bell rang, signaling the start of class.

As expected, Obito Uchiha was late—again.

The morning's lesson was Ninja Code.

As ninjas, one must have an iron will, especially during missions, and avoid all temptations.

Time flew by, and soon it was dusk.

As the school day neared its end, the classroom atmosphere became restless; no one was paying attention to the lecture.

Asuma Sarutobi glanced at Hanekawa and Kurenai and clenched his teeth.

I'll get up at 8 AM!

Though he wanted another duel with Hanekawa, what he desired most was to win, not to lose repeatedly.

He decided to spend this time training under Hiruzen Sarutobi to ensure victory before challenging Hanekawa again.

Until then, he could only endure.

Asuma sighed deeply. Is this the price of growth?

"Rin," Obito nudged Rin with his elbow, whispering, "Where should we hang out after school?"

"Pay attention to class," Rin reminded him softly.

Suddenly, her gaze froze, and her pupils slightly contracted.

"That is..."

Obito Uchiha followed Rin's gaze toward the doorway.

In the dim golden sunlight stood a figure, effortlessly drawing everyone's attention without saying a word.

"It's Lady Tsunade," Kakashi Hatake remarked, briefly stunned.

Rin Nohara instinctively covered her mouth, her heart pounding as though it would leap out of her chest.

She was seeing the legendary Lady Tsunade in person?!

"Tsu... Tsu..."

Shizune, overwhelmed, unconsciously patted Hanekawa's arm but couldn't form a complete sentence.

"Is it really that big a deal?" Hanekawa asked, clearly puzzled.

"That's Lady Tsunade!" Shizune exclaimed, her gaze fixed on the legendary kunoichi.

"The greatest female ninja in the ninja world!"

The greatest? Hanekawa thought to himself.

She is indeed the 'greatest'.

He couldn't bear to tell Shizune the truth.

Tsunade showing up at this time likely meant her gambling itch had flared up again, and she needed his help to deal with it.

The classroom inevitably descended into chaos.

Asuma Sarutobi, however, remained calm.

As the son of the Hokage, he had met the Three Legendary Sannin countless times.

Watching his classmates act so starstruck gave him a sense of superiority.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes slightly, scanning the room until her gaze landed on Hanekawa.

"Lady Tsunade," the teacher, Eichiro, quickly put on a respectful demeanor.

"How long until class ends?" Tsunade asked casually.

"It can end right now," Eichiro replied after a brief pause, then asked, "Is there something you need?"

He quickly reviewed the profiles of all the students in the class but couldn't find anyone with a known connection to Tsunade.

Was she here for Asuma Sarutobi?

"I'm here for Hanekawa," Tsunade said calmly.

Eichiro felt a jolt in his heart.

Hanekawa? He has a connection with Lady Tsunade?

"Hanekawa!" Eichiro called out loudly. "Come outside."

Asuma Sarutobi's expression stiffened.

Why is it always Hanekawa?!

"What's going on?" Obito muttered in confusion.

Kakashi frowned slightly. Could it be that Hanekawa had already started learning medical ninjutsu?

If that were true, then the upcoming final exams would be even more challenging than Kakashi had anticipated.

Even Kakashi, a recognized genius, suddenly felt the pressure mounting.

Rin thought back to the medical book Hanekawa had been reading that morning.

Her initial shock gave way to admiration.

Under everyone's gaze, Hanekawa walked to the door.

"Let's go," Tsunade said simply, turning on her heel.

Hanekawa followed her without hesitation.

The classroom buzzed with chatter after a brief silence.

Eichiro chose not to intervene; there were only a few minutes left until class officially ended.

"Why did Lady Tsunade look for Hanekawa?"

"Could it be to teach him medical ninjutsu?"

"Hanekawa is amazing!"

Thanks to Tsunade's reputation, the students couldn't stop speculating.

"What's the big deal?!" Asuma Sarutobi finally snapped, standing up in frustration.

The students nearby looked at him with amused expressions.

Under their gazes, Asuma's body tensed, filled with indignation.

It's just Tsunade! Next time, I'll bring the Hokage himself to show you all!

Meanwhile, Hanekawa and Tsunade had left the school.

As expected, the direction they were heading was straight toward the gambling hall.

"How does it feel to be the center of attention?" Tsunade asked, a teasing grin on her face. "Feeling on top of the world yet?"

"Not really," Hanekawa replied casually.

A bunch of six-year-old kids wasn't enough to excite him.

Such an arrogance!

Tsunade stopped in her tracks, reached out, and ruffled his hair vigorously. "Stop acting like a grown-up!"

"I'm just telling the truth," Hanekawa said with a resigned tone.

"I lost 500,000 ryo today," Tsunade grumbled, rolling her eyes at him. "If you don't win it back for me, I'll spank you."

"No problem," Hanekawa replied with confidence.

If someone like Chengpeng Zhao could turn 20million into Hundreds of billion, winning back 500,000 was no issue for him. (Founder of Binance crypto exchange)

After all, he wasn't just a gambling prodigy—he was the gambling god.

______

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