Chapter 116: My Big Sister is Tsunade - The White Eyed Princess of Konoha

Chapter 116: My Big Sister is Tsunade "So this is Tanzaku Town, the famous gambling city!" Walking down the street, Hinata looked around with curious eyes. Gambling halls and game centers lined the streets, along with numerous inns and restaurants. The bustling ambiance was filled with lively chatter. Jiraiya glanced sideways at Hinata and said softly, "Hinata, I'll leave it to you!" "Don't rush! Since we're already here, why don't we play in the gambling hall for a bit first?" During the month of the Chunin Exams, Hinata had put quite an effort into learning a bit of gambling. Although she only familiarized herself with the basic games, being in Tanzaku Town made her itch to try her hand at them. "Narruto, want to join us?" Calling out, Hinata cheerfully ran into one of the game centers. The so-called game center was almost entirely filled with slot machines. "Boss, give me a thousand ryō worth of game coins!" ‘Clink clank clink’ Naruto looked on with envy at the pouch full of game coins in Hinata's hand. Ever since he graduated, any money he had painstakingly saved from missions was swindled away by Jiraiya. Now Naruto didn't even have a single penny on him. "Here! Take this and have some fun!" Hinata generously handed Naruto a single game coin from her stash. Sitting in front of a slot machine, she inserted a game coin. No win! Jiraiya laughed heartily, "That's not how you play it, let me show you!" Unfortunately, Jiraiya's luck was no better; he kept losing despite trying several times. Hinata kept feeding the machine coins, but her losses mounted, and her thousand ryō in game coins quickly vanished. Jiraiya commented nonchalantly, "Little Hinata, your luck isn't much better than Tsunade's." "Sigh!" Hinata felt dejected and looked up at Jiraiya, asking, "Pervy Sage, if I were to gamble against Lady Tsunade, who do you think would have a better chance?" Jiraiya curiously asked, "Why do you want to gamble against Tsunade?" Hinata huffed, "Even though Grandpa Mito promised to promote me to Chunin, I'm still not set for Jonin." Jiraiya looked up at the sky, feeling speechless: Has Konohagakure really fallen to this state where advancing as a ninja depends on gambling with the Hokage rather than ability or mission count? Was it really the right decision to make Tsunade the Hokage? Jiraiya sighed deeply, his face full of despair. "By the way, how did you know the village has decided to appoint Tsunade as the Hokage?" This was supposed to be a confidential matter, only the village's top brass should know about it, not the lower-level ninjas. Hinata proudly tapped her forehead with her finger and said, "A genius, you see?" Jiraiya: "..." Naruto approached a slot machine and inserted the single game coin he had… As they left the game center, Naruto cradled a hefty wallet, grinning and saying, "Haha! A chubby wallet is much cuter!" Jiraiya looked at Hinata and asked, "Little Hinata, have you played enough? Let's hurry and find Tsunade!" "Alright, alright!" Hinata shrugged and teased, "All you think about is your old flame…" In Tanzaku Town, at an izakaya. A small table was cluttered with sake cups and dishes. Tsunade and Shizune sat together, with Jiraiya, Hinata, and Naruto seated opposite them. At the first sight of Tsunade, Hinata had an instinctual feeling that if she were to gamble with Tsunade, she would surely lose, and never win against her in this lifetime. The five sat in silence, eating. Shizune hesitated to speak several times, but with two of the legendary Sannin present, this was not her place to talk. Hinata enjoyed the ambiance, eating heartily by herself. After having enough to drink, Tsunade placed her cup on the table, her cheeks slightly flushed and her eyes hazy, "What's today? Keep running into old friends." Jiraiya asked seriously, "Was it Orochimaru? What happened?" Tsunade shot a warning glance at Shizune, then casually replied, "Nothing, just crossed paths, that's all." "Let's talk about you. Why are you here?" Jiraiya looked earnestly at Tsunade, saying flatly, "I'm not going to mince words. Tsunade, the village wants you to become the Fifth Hokage!" "Wh-Wha…" Naruto almost choked on his food upon hearing this. Hinata quickly stood and bowed deeply, greeting loudly, "Hinata Hyuga, Genin of Konoha, greets the Fifth Hokage!" Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Shizune: "..." Jiraiya glared at Hinata, helplessly saying, "Little Hinata, stop kidding around." Hinata's expression didn't change. She reached into her bag, pulled out a small notebook, and said coolly, “Lady Hokage, here is the information I’ve gathered these past few days about…” “Ahem ahem ahem” Jiraiya suddenly gave a series of heavy coughs, secretly signaling a ‘three’ to Hinata with his fingers. Hinata smirked, holding up five fingers in return. Jiraiya nodded gravely, realizing his wallet was about to thin out: five sumptuous meals, all you can eat. Hinata casually put the notebook back into her bag and continued, "Lady Hokage, from now on in Konoha, I'll rely on you to look after me. Please take me under your wing, big sister!" Tsunade shot Jiraiya a peculiar look. What exactly happened between this old pervert and the young girl? At this point, Naruto jumped onto his chair, pointing angrily at Tsunade, "Why should she be the Fifth Hokage? What is this?" Jiraiya glared at Naruto sternly, "Quiet, Naruto!" Then he turned to Tsunade, asking, "So, what's your decision?" Tsunade ignored Jiraiya, her drunken eyes turning to Hinata with a playful smile, "You're an interesting young girl. Are you Jiraiya's student?" Hinata vehemently shook her head, "Absolutely not!" Tsunade scoffed, giving Jiraiya a disdainful look, "I suspected you wouldn't have such a cute student." She turned her gaze back to Hinata and asked, "Then why are you following Jiraiya?" Hinata blushed and stammered, "I was forced into it! Pervy Sage used the pretense of teaching me jutsu to make me..." "Ahem ahem ahem" Jiraiya began a violent coughing fit. Hinata thought for a moment. Since she already bartered for five meals, perhaps she should let Jiraiya off the hook for now. For someone as wealthy as Jiraiya, it wasn’t wise to fleece everything at once; rather, it was better to take small, periodic cuts to ensure a steady income. "Pervy Sage asked me to help find you because my Byakugan is very useful." By engaging Hinata in conversation, Tsunade mainly wanted to distract herself. Jiraiya pursued the topic, "So, Tsunade, what have you decided?" Tsunade’s voice was cold and carried a hint of disdain, "It's impossible. I refuse!"