Chapter 46: Call Me Big Sister

Chapter 46: Call Me Big Sister

"Did you two eat enough just now? Want me to treat you to some late-night snacks?"

Toneri, walking confidently as if he owned the place, led Minato and Kushina out of the gambling hall.

They had just divided their winnings.

Today, Tsunade lost a total of 20 million ryo without a hitch—all of it went to the gambling hall.

However, the night wasn't a complete win for the hall; someone had managed to take a small bite of the "big fish."

Aside from the regular gamblers who took a small portion, the biggest winners were Toneri, Minato, and Kushina, who collectively took away 3.2 million ryo!

Had this not been a legitimate gambling hall in Konoha, the three of them probably wouldn't have been able to leave with that much cash.

After returning the 200,000 ryo investment to Minato and Kushina, they split the remaining 3 million equally—1 million each, no argument necessary.

Kushina, with her 1 million ryo, was experienced enough to not be overly surprised, but Minato was still in disbelief. How did their original 30,000 ryo investment turn into 1 million?

This was… awesome!

Minato figured that, for a good while, he could now focus on training and improving his skills without needing to take on low-paying, time-consuming missions just to cover expenses.

If Minato and Kushina hadn't already eaten, they'd probably be insisting Toneri treat them to a big meal.

"Well, since neither of you are hungry, let's leave it here for today. Tomorrow, we'll meet in the grove and…"

By the time he reached the word "meet," his voice was already fading as he dashed away.

Minato: "???"

Kushina: "???"

Minato and Kushina exchanged glances.

They weren't too full to eat a little more, so why did he run off before they could answer?

...

Toneri had only one thought right now:

Get home fast and stash his "fortune" somewhere safe.

This was indeed a fortune—1 million ryo, equivalent to the reward for an S-rank mission. Though it might be the lowest tier of S-rank missions, it was still S-rank.

An S-rank mission could involve opponents on par with jonin.

More importantly, 1 million ryo would buy him 1,000 pork cutlet meals! For Toneri, who spent a massive amount of energy each day in physical training and needed a lot of food to replenish his strength, this would last him quite a while!

But, as things often go, it wasn't going to be that simple.

Toneri found himself blocked again.

To get home faster, he had managed to ignore his tendency to get lost, but someone had already set their sights on him and had been trailing him all along.

A familiar figure.

Tsunade!

Toneri's expression froze. He had run so quickly to avoid being caught by Tsunade because he knew that she'd noticed how he, Minato, and Kushina were the ones winning the most and cheering the loudest.

Even though he toned down his excitement after catching Tsunade's gaze, it hadn't been enough to avoid her attention.

"Kid, you're that student the old man had Orochimaru take on, right?" Tsunade crossed her arms and looked at him with interest.

When she and Orochimaru had returned, Hiruzen Sarutobi had asked if they were interested in taking a promising young boy as a disciple—a smart kid, with extraordinary potential, who also happened to be the Two-Tails' jinchuriki.

Tsunade refused immediately. She wasn't interested in taking on disciples, and after losing her brother Nawaki on the battlefield, she definitely didn't have the heart for it.

Orochimaru also initially had no interest, but he knew Hiruzen was hoping one of them would accept the boy. Out of respect for Tsunade and curiosity about the jinchuriki, he agreed.

Later, Orochimaru found that although Toneri's power wasn't remarkable, he was likable, and the Two-Tails was intriguing.

Toneri had been coming to help in Orochimaru's lab every night since then, proving quite useful.

When Orochimaru and Tsunade had a brief gathering, he mentioned Toneri in passing.

"Tsu… Tsuna… Tsunade-sis…" Toneri had meant to call her "Tsunade-sama," but he figured she might prefer being called "sis" at this age.

Tsunade was briefly surprised, then burst into laughter. "Hahaha—just like Orochimaru said, you're quite the amusing kid."

Toneri laughed along nervously, sensing that if he didn't handle this right, today's big fish might be wasted.

Yet, he soon noticed something strange in Tsunade's laughter—it was as if she was laughing so hard, she was close to tears.

Was it really that funny?

Could it be she didn't like being called "sis" and preferred "ma'am"?

Just as he was about to switch titles, he realized she had disappeared from in front of him.

The next thing he knew, he felt a sharp pain in his temple as his head was suddenly pressed against a soft area, and an arm, smooth as silk, wrapped around his neck.

Toneri's first reaction was…

Darn, I've been caught by fate.

His second reaction was…

So soft…

Tsunade, who had been standing in front of him, had somehow appeared behind him, leaning in close.

Half-crouching behind him, she locked her fist onto his temple.

This was truly "pain and pleasure."

"You little punk, small as you are, you've got quite the nerve. Did Orochimaru tell you about my gambling habit?

But he doesn't seem like the type to share such things, so I guess he must really trust you, huh?"

Tsunade knew Orochimaru well.

He was someone who kept everything close to his heart, someone she could rely on.

Though he never said it aloud, Tsunade could sense that Orochimaru also felt guilty over Nawaki's death, which had caused some changes in his mindset.

Tsunade didn't blame Orochimaru for Nawaki's death; in war, anyone could die. Even they weren't exceptions, let alone Nawaki, who was only at genin level.

"Tsunade-da…" Toneri started to speak, only to feel another sharp pain on his head.

"Don't call me that—call me big sister!" Tsunade demanded, applying pressure to his temple.

"Tsunade… big sister…"

Wasn't this kind of… coercion?

Toneri felt deeply conflicted inside.

Really!

But he couldn't resist; for the sake of his life, he "had" to go along with her wishes.

"Come on! Let's go drinking!" Tsunade declared, grabbing him by the neck and heading toward the nearest tavern.

All Toneri felt was that softness moving away, leaving him with a sense of loss and the realization that he truly had become a cat, being carried around.

With Tsunade's monstrous strength, there was no chance of escape.

So Toneri wisely chose not to resist.

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