Naruto: The new beginning

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"You... are subordinates of the Akagi gang?" Tsunade hesitates for a moment, then recognizes the two figures, vaguely remembering seeing them before—probably during one of her drinking sprees.

"Exactly." Bunzo pulls out the IOU(I owe you), cutting straight to the point. "We're here to collect the debt."

Jiraiya, already prepared for a massive financial haemorrhage, makes a mental note: if Tsunade tries to run, he'll help her up first.

But Tsunade, crossing her arms, says calmly, "I did owe a debt to the Akagi gang's casino three years ago, but I settled it last year."

"Huh?!" The two debt collectors are stunned, and even Jiraiya makes the same incredulous noise.

"Have you two been away for a year?" Tsunade sighs, looking exasperated. Turning towards the room, she shouts, "Shizune! Bring the bill!"

Shizune quickly brings out the paperwork. After seeing the boss's signature on the bill, the debt collectors turn pale, realizing their mistake. 

They mutter under their breath, confused about their long absence.

Naruto shakes his head at these two hapless debt collectors. "You're debt collectors, not runaways. How do you not check back for a whole year?"

Then, with a sigh, he thinks, "In a world where people mostly rely on walking for transportation and shouting for communication, I guess this kind of thing happens. Not everyone has the Flying Thunder God Jutsu or KCN."

The two unlucky samurai eventually leave, downtrodden. Jiraiya, feeling sorry for them, hands them some money for travel.

Sakura, meanwhile, has a glimmer of hope that her idol, Tsunade, still has some redeeming qualities. "It's not that she never repays her debts," she reasons, "it's just... the timeline for repayment gets a bit stretched."

Despite Tsunade's notorious gambling and debt-dodging, her character isn't so bad that she refuses to pay entirely. 

Otherwise, her reputation would be ruined long ago, and no one would lend her money at all.

"Now that this nonsense is sorted, I'm heading to place some bets," Tsunade says, stretching lazily. Jiraiya's eyes can't help but wonder in a certain place....

"Wait a second, I still need to talk to you!" Jiraiya snaps back to reality, stopping her in her tracks.

"You're annoying, Jiraiya. I don't have time, the games won't wait for anyone," Tsunade huffs and turns to leave.

"Do you even have any money?" Jiraiya smirks, knowing that Shizune told him Tsunade lost all her money yesterday.

Tsunade freezes mid-step. That is... a serious problem.

"I'll just borrow from the casino again," she mutters stubbornly.

Jiraiya grins. "How about this—let's make a bet. I'll gamble with you."

"Oh?" Tsunade perks up, her interest piqued. "What's the wager?"

"If you win, I'll lend you the money to gamble at the casino. If you lose, you hear me out."

Jiraiya is confident. He isn't a gambler by nature, but to beat Tsunade? He doesn't think much skill is necessary—just having a pulse should be enough.

"Deal." Tsunade agrees immediately, pulling a deck of cards from somewhere in her clothes—Naruto has no idea how or where she stores all this stuff. It's in her..ahem.

Inside, Jiraiya and Tsunade sit facing each other, with Naruto and the others watching closely.

Shizune prays silently for Jiraiya to win. Their wallet is already overflowing with IOUs, and Tsunade simply can't afford to lose again.

Naruto, too, hopes Jiraiya will win, worried that if Tsunade wins, things might turn dangerous for everyone in the room.

Tsunade skillfully shuffles and deals the cards. The game itself is unfamiliar to Naruto. 

Each player is dealt five cards, then they discard and draw more according to rules Naruto doesn't understand. After a few rounds, they show their hands.

Jiraiya's mouth hangs open, and Tsunade trembles slightly. Even Sakura and Naruto can't make heads or tails of the cards.

"Eh...?" Shizune makes a strange noise, clearly more familiar with the rules. Even Tonton the pig looks confused.

Naruto has a sinking feeling. No way... did Tsunade win?

Tsunade's expression turns serious as she throws her cards down. "One more game!" she demands.

Jiraiya sighs but agrees, shuffling again. They switch games and play multiple rounds—each time, Tsunade wins.

Dice games, card games, no matter what they play, Tsunade keeps winning.

At last, she crushes the dice cup in frustration, pieces scattering across the floor. She crosses her arms tightly, staring at the floor in silence.

Tsunade knows her luck all too well. Whenever she wins at gambling, something terrible is sure to follow. Who will be in danger this time? Jiraiya? Shizune? Or... Naruto?

Sasuke and Sakura are clueless as to why Tsunade isn't happy about her winning streak.

Naruto, on the other hand, is panicking. He knows Tsunade's luck is ominous—more accurate than even the Great Toad Sage's prophecies. 

Whenever she wins, something bad happens, usually to someone close to her.

"Don't worry," Jiraiya says, trying to comfort her. "It's normal to have good luck once in a while." He then pulls out a stack of bills and places them in front of her. "I lost, so here's the money. Do what you like."

Tsunade glances at the money, bites her lip, and then looks up. "Why did you come to me, Jiraiya?"

Jiraiya's tone becomes serious. "It's about Konoha. The Chunin Exams are happening, and Minato received intel that Suna might be plotting something. They could be working with Orochimaru to attack Konoha, and if they do, it could turn into another war. We need your help as a medical expert."

"Orochimaru?" Tsunade's expression darkens at the name. If it's him, is it revenge for losing the Hokage seat to Minato? 

No, he doesn't seem the type to care about such things. More likely... he wants revenge on the Third Hokage.

"And Suna..." she mutters in disgust. "Another war?"

Tsunade's memories flash—her grandfather, her lover Dan, her younger brother Nawaki... all lost to war. And now it threatens to start again.

"Come back to Konoha with me, Tsunade," Jiraiya urges.

Naruto can already sense it—if anyone is fated to die in this chaos, it might be the Third Hokage. 

While the old man might want to die in battle, Naruto doesn't want that. If he does, it will create a chain reaction of grief and low morale in Konoha, affecting his family and Minato's leadership.

Tsunade has the power to prevent it. But how to convince her? Should Naruto use the Flying Thunder God Jutsu to teleport her back to Konoha by force?

All he needs to do is touch her...

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