Chapter 130: Lose at Gambling, All Will Be Well
Chapter 130: Lose at Gambling, All Will Be Well
Winning.
For most people, it's a cause for celebration—a moment of pure joy and exhilaration.
But for Tsunade, the idea of winning was deeply unsettling, even frightening.
Her past experiences had drilled a cruel lesson into her heart:
Lose at gambling, and all will be well. Win, and you'll lose even more.
It wasn't just superstition; it was her reality. Her brother, her lover, her comrades—each of their losses had been preceded by her winning streaks.
She gambled not only to escape painful memories but also to seek a twisted form of reassurance. Losing at gambling was her way of keeping the world in balance, ensuring she wouldn't lose anything else she cherished.
And now, for the first time in what felt like forever, she had won.
Was this a harbinger of disaster?
As the implications sank in, Tsunade felt an icy dread creep through her veins. Her face turned pale, and a storm of unease churned within her chest.
The voices around her faded into an indistinct hum, as though she were isolated in a dark void.
"Lady Tsunade, are you alright?"
Shizune's worried voice cut through the haze, snapping Tsunade back to reality.
"Let's go!" Tsunade barked, her voice trembling with urgency.
"We're heading back to Konoha immediately!"
The unsettling clarity in Tsunade's tone left no room for argument. Shizune was stunned but quickly nodded, understanding that something had shaken her master to the core.
Without pausing to explain or address the others, Tsunade abruptly left the Five Kage Summit, taking her entourage with her.
Her sudden departure left the remaining Kage perplexed.
"What on earth was that all about?" Onoki muttered, his brow furrowed in confusion.
But Tsunade had no time to care about their reactions. She couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was about to happen in Konoha.
---
Meanwhile, back in the Fire Nation's New Konoha...
Tsunade's extended absence created a brief leadership vacuum, leaving the village's officials scrambling for direction.
Thankfully, Jiraiya stepped up as acting Hokage, keeping the Chūnin Exam proceedings under control.
The third round of the Chūnin Exams was about to begin, featuring one-on-one matches to showcase the participants' combat abilities.
Each match would be scored by village representatives based on performance, and even those who lost their battles could be promoted if their skills impressed the judges.
Of course, the participants themselves were unaware of this scoring system.
To them, victory was the only path to becoming a Chūnin.
The matchups were as follows:
Match 1: Naruto Uzumaki (Konoha) vs. Ji Iwa (Iwagakure)
Match 2: Sasuke Uchiha (Konoha) vs. Fukuro Shiro (Kumogakure)
Match 3: Shikamaru Nara (Konoha) vs. Temari (Sunagakure)
Match 4: Rock Lee (Konoha) vs. Gaara (Sunagakure)
Match 5: Shino Aburame (Konoha) vs. Kankuro (Sunagakure)
Match 6: Hinata Hyuga (Amegakure) vs. Ni (Kusagakure)
Match 7: Karin Uzumaki (Amegakure) vs. Ichi (Kusagakure)
Match 8: Haku (Amegakure) vs. San (Kusagakure)
The matchups, drawn a month earlier, had clearly been manipulated to favor Konoha.
Watching from the sidelines, Uchiha Yi shook his head in mild disbelief.
"Looks like they're setting Karin and the others up for failure," he muttered to himself.
Pitting Amegakure's young shinobi against opponents with jonin-level strength seemed overly harsh. Still, Yi decided to let them face the challenge—it would be a valuable experience, and he could always intervene if necessary.
With the grandstands filled and all the participants ready, Jiraiya stood up and announced the start of the third round of the Chūnin Exams.
---
Naruto Uzumaki stepped forward for the first match, facing Ji Iwa, an Iwagakure shinobi with a serious and straightforward demeanor.
Looking at his opponent, Naruto scratched his head awkwardly.
"This guy seems pretty weak... Should I go easy on him?"
If the other participants knew what he was thinking, they would have burst out laughing. A mere genin like Naruto, considering going easy on someone?
Thankfully, Naruto kept his thoughts to himself.
When the match began, Naruto's hesitation almost cost him dearly. Ji Iwa wasted no time, coating his fists in earth chakra and launching a heavy punch at Naruto.
Naruto barely dodged in time, the ground shattering where he had been standing.
"Yikes!" Naruto yelped, realizing how close he'd come to losing.
But rather than reflecting on his slow reaction, he scowled at Ji Iwa.
"What a dirty trick, attacking me out of nowhere!"
His indignation didn't stop Ji Iwa from pressing the attack, forcing Naruto to stay on the defensive.
In the stands, the judges from various villages shook their heads in disappointment.
"This kid is hopeless," one of them muttered, jotting down a failing grade.
Naruto's early performance earned him a unanimous score of D—an embarrassing failure.
However, as the fight dragged on, Naruto finally found his rhythm.
Summoning a horde of shadow clones, he overwhelmed Ji Iwa with sheer numbers, pummeling his opponent into submission.
While his brute-force tactics lacked finesse, they did showcase his enormous chakra reserves, leaving the audience impressed despite themselves.
---
The second match featured Sasuke Uchiha against Fukuro Shiro, a talented Kumogakure shinobi known for his mastery of Lightning Release.
Shiro's abilities were impressive, earning him recognition as a rising star among Kumo's younger generation.
"This is perfect," Sasuke muttered under his breath.
The month of training with Orochimaru had pushed his skills to new heights, and now he finally had a worthy opponent to test himself against.
Activating his Sharingan, Sasuke revealed a pair of fully developed three-tomoe eyes—a significant milestone he had reached earlier than expected.
Yi raised an eyebrow in mild surprise as he watched from the stands.
"Well, that's unexpected," he mused.
In the original timeline, Sasuke hadn't unlocked this level of Sharingan mastery until much later.
Yi could only assume that Orochimaru's influence had accelerated Sasuke's progress.
Hidden in the shadows of Konoha, Uchiha Itachi also observed the match, his eyes fixed on his younger brother.
"Three tomoe..." Itachi murmured, a faint smile crossing his lips.
Despite his weakened state, Itachi had made his way to Konoha to witness Sasuke's growth firsthand.
Seeing his brother's progress filled him with a sense of relief, but that relief was short-lived.
The memory of Yi's chilling words loomed over him, a constant reminder of the danger Sasuke faced.
No matter how much Sasuke grew, Itachi knew his brother was still far from Yi's level.
As the match began, Itachi clenched his fists.
"What can I do?" he whispered, his voice tinged with despair.
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