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Evening fell, and Shin and his friends emerged from the Yakiniku restaurant, Nawaki patting his full stomach with satisfaction.
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"You sure can pack it away, Nawaki. Looks like I''ll have to drag your sister to the gambling dens again."
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Shin patted his wallet, which was significantly lighter than before.
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"Can I come too? I want to make some money!"
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Nawaki''s eyes lit up.
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"You want to make money? What for? Tsunade will just take it all," Shin said, pitying the boy.
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Having a gambling-addicted sister must be tough.
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"Shin, Kushina, I''ll see you tomorrow," Mikoto said with a smile.
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The Senju and Uchiha compounds were on opposite sides of the village. With the deep-rooted animosity between the two clans, they naturally wouldn''t live close to each other.
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"See you tomorrow," Shin waved.
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Kushina pinched Shin discreetly, then gave Mikoto a bright smile.
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Shin glared at Kushina, who glared right back.
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"What was that for?" Shin grumbled. He hadn''t done anything to deserve a pinch.
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"Hmph, you and Mikoto seem to be getting awfully chummy. A bit too chummy," Kushina huffed, jealousy evident in her voice.
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Shin shook his head at Kushina''s childish jealousy and headed home with her.
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As for Nawaki? He was left behind, forgotten.
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Back at the Senju compound, Nawaki went to his own residence, while Shin and Kushina returned to Tsunade''s courtyard.
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"Oh, Tsunade, you''re back!" Shin''s eyes lit up when he saw her.
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Tsunade glanced at him. Seeing that sparkle in his eyes, she knew he wanted something.
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"Spit it out. What do you need? I''m in a good mood; I might just agree."
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"You''ll definitely agree to this. I''m a bit short on cash. How about we make a trip to the gambling dens?"
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"Hmph, using me to make money again? Do you have no faith in my gambling skills?" Tsunade stood up, grabbed Shin''s face, and started pinching his cheeks.
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"Tsunade, let go of Shin right now!"
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Kushina, the queen of jealousy, couldn''t stand seeing Tsunade manhandle Shin.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
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Tsunade chuckled at Kushina''s outburst.
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After a while, she finally let go. Shin''s cheeks were so soft and squishy; she could pinch them all day.
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"Fine, I''ll help you make some money. But we split the profits fifty-fifty," Tsunade declared.
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"What? Fifty-fifty? That''s not fair!" Shin protested, rubbing his cheeks.
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If it weren''t for the fact that Tsunade had agreed to keep his strength a secret, he would never have agreed to her cheek-pinching condition.
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"Not fair? Don''t forget, you''re relying on me to make the money," Tsunade said with a smirk.
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"Fine."
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Shin might be complaining, but he knew this was a good deal. All he had to do was bet against Tsunade, and he''d make a killing.
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That was his strategy.
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Thankfully, Tsunade wasn''t infamous yet. She wasn''t known as the "Legendary Sucker" yet. Otherwise, this plan wouldn''t work.
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"Let''s go!"
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Tsunade grabbed Shin''s hand, channeled Chakra to her feet, and vanished in a series of leaps, leaving Kushina fuming.
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"That woman! She left me behind again!"
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Kushina wanted to follow, but she didn''t know where they were going. She could only wait at home.
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They returned late at night, both grinning as they counted their winnings.
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"Shin, when are we going to make another killing?"
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Tsunade had earned over ten million Ryo, even after splitting the profits. That was equivalent to the reward for over a dozen S-rank missions.
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"When we run out of money. This should last us a while."
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If they were frugal, ten million Ryo could last them over a decade.
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But being a Shinobi was expensive. Still, this should be enough to last them until graduation.
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"You''re finally back! Shin, did that woman do anything to you?"
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Kushina rushed out, grabbing Shin and glaring at Tsunade.
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"Hey, brat, do you think I''m some kind of pervert?" Tsunade said indignantly.
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"Hmph, you think you''re being subtle? I see right through you, you cougar!!"
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Shin, embarrassed, excused himself and went to his room.
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"You two have fun arguing. I''m going to bed."
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"Little girl, if you weren''t so young, You''d be crying in a corner right now," Tsunade threatened, slamming her fist on a nearby table, shattering it.
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"I''m not scared of you! In a few years, I''ll challenge you to a duel, and we''ll see who''s stronger!"
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Kushina declared, her small fist clenched.
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Tsunade simply chuckled, her dismissive attitude clear.
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Kushina took a deep breath. She wasn''t strong enough to defeat Tsunade yet. She''d have to be patient.
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"I''m warning you, if you pinch Shin''s face again, I won''t forgive you!"
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Kushina left to train, seemingly motivated by her rivalry with Tsunade.
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Tsunade smiled after Kushina left.
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She didn''t mind their bickering. Having Shin and Kushina around had livened up the place.
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Before, she had lived here alone. It had been lonely.
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As for Nawaki, he was terrified of Tsunade, always afraid she''d take his allowance. He usually avoided her.
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In his room, Shin sat on the tatami mat, refining Chakra.
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He didn''t know how much Chakra he had now, but he felt it surpassed that of most Kage.
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Of course, this was just in terms of quantity. The quality of his Chakra was probably inferior to that of a Kage who had been honing their Chakra for decades.
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Having a large amount of Chakra wasn''t enough; quality was also important. For example, a Tailed Beast''s Chakra was undoubtedly superior to that of a human.
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Shin, despite having a Perfect Sage Body, still had to refine his Chakra to improve its quality. There were no shortcuts, unless he became the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki.