Chapter 370: Tsunade's Luck
Chapter 370: Tsunade's Luck
Tsunade, the jonin-sensei known for her peculiar luck in gambling, had set up a bet that heavily favored her opponent. Even before the game began, she had a foreboding sense that she would lose.
Unbeknownst to Tsunade, her luck would never turn in her favor against Mu Yue, for he had a secret advantage. Beneath his glasses, Mu Yue could discreetly activate his Byakugan and see right through the dice, ensuring he always knew the outcome.
"Then I must thank you, Tsunade-sama," Mu Yue said with a smile. "For winning and still having to help me."
Despite his ability to cheat, Mu Yue didn't intend to use his Byakugan. He had already gained quite a bit from Tsunade and didn't want to push his luck further. He understood that without her help, he would simply have to spend more time achieving his goals.
Tsunade felt that Mu Yue was teasing her, but she had no proof. After all, he hadn't accompanied her to the casino, and not many in Konoha were aware of her consistent losing streak when it came to gambling.
Fortunately, Tsunade wasn't one to dwell on logic. She playfully slapped Mu Yue on the back and laughed, "Of course! How else could I be teaching you medical ninjutsu?"
Mu Yue maintained his gentle smile, having been in a constant state of Rock Breath, enhancing his defense. Tsunade, on the other hand, had only exerted playful strength.
"Not bad at all," Tsunade remarked as she felt the firm muscles beneath her palm. She had applied a bit more force than usual.
With mealtime approaching, Tsunade didn't want to waste any more of Mu Yue's time. She quickly called for Shizune to bring the tools they needed.
The sound of rattling filled the room as Tsunade vigorously shook the dice in the container.
"Have you ever been to a casino?" Tsunade asked Mu Yue as she continued to shake the container.
"No," Mu Yue shook his head.
Neither in his previous life nor in the world of ninjas had he ever set foot in a casino. The closest he'd come to gambling was playing dice games with friends at karaoke bars.
"A novice, eh? In that case, let me be the first to congratulate you. Beginners usually have pretty good luck," Tsunade said with a chuckle.
"There are a total of five dice in here. Below seventeen is considered a small number, and above seventeen is a big number. Guessing the size correctly wins the game," Tsunade explained the rules of the game briefly since Mu Yue claimed to be a newcomer.
Bang!
Tsunade slammed the container onto the table and looked at Mu Yue. "Since you're new to this, I'll let you call it first."
Without the use of his Byakugan, Mu Yue didn't have the ability to discern the dice through sound. He didn't overthink it and casually called out, "Big."
"Excellent," Tsunade said as she lifted the container to reveal the five dice. "Then I'll bet on small."
As the container was opened, Tsunade couldn't help but break into a triumphant laugh. She felt she had played this perfectly, taking full advantage of her peculiar gambling luck.
However, as she took in the numbers on the dice, her smile slowly froze, and she looked utterly incredulous.
Mu Yue, too, was slightly surprised by the outcome. The total was exactly sixteen—just a hair's breadth away from being considered a big number.
This turn of events was unexpected for Mu Yue. He had steeled himself for victory, certain that he would win against the infamous big spender of the ninja world, whose visits to casinos were akin to charitable donations.
"Congratulations. It seems Lady Luck is on your side today, Tsunade-sama," Mu Yue offered a warm smile in congratulations.
"What? How is this possible? I actually won!" Tsunade exclaimed, still looking disbelief.
In all her life, she had never won—not in card games, dice, or even the lottery. Not once.
Tsunade rubbed her eyes and leaned in for a closer look at the dice, but no matter how hard she stared, the numbers didn't change; it was still sixteen.
"Impossible. This can't be right," Tsunade muttered, tugging at her hair.
Her unusual behavior caught Shizune's attention as she was washing vegetables. Curious, she asked, "Did you lose again, Tsunade-sama?"
She recalled that Tsunade hadn't shown much of a reaction even when she lost a million ryo.
"I wish I had," Tsunade said with a sigh. "I actually won."
"Is winning bad...?" Shizune trailed off, remembering the unusual wager Tsunade had made.
Winning this bet against Mu Yue was akin to losing and winning at the same time.
"In a way, it seems Tsunade-sama has still lost, just like always," Shizune thought to herself.
"Something's not right. Something's not right at all. Could your gambling luck be even worse than mine?" Tsunade wondered aloud, feeling unsettled by her sudden victory after a lifetime of losses.
"Let's go again. This time, the outcome won't affect our previous agreement," Tsunade said, regaining her composure.
"No problem," Muyue agreed with a nod.
He was also intrigued by the situation, wondering if his luck was worse than Tsunade's.
As soon as Muyue finished speaking, Tsunade began shaking the dice and quickly placed them on the table.
"I'll go first this time. I bet it's a big number," Tsunade said.
"Then I'll guess small," Muyue said.
Tsunade then swiftly lifted the container, revealing the five dice within.
"Perhaps there really is such a thing as beginner's luck," Muyue commented as he looked at the numbers on the dice.
This time, the total was ten, and Muyue had won.
Tsunade felt a sense of melancholy that she couldn't quite explain. Had she won this time, she might have felt a little happier.
Not one to be deterred, Tsunade insisted on another round, but once again, Muyue won.
This time, Tsunade understood. Muyue's gambling luck was normal, unlike hers. The first win had simply been a coincidence.
"Oh well, at least I won once. But I've been losing for so long, and now I've suddenly won. I hope nothing bad happens because of it," Tsunade said casually.
This comment caught Muyue's attention, and he turned to look at her.
While Tsunade always lost when she gambled, she did occasionally win a few times. However, something unfortunate always seemed to happen after she won.
[...]
Might Guy stood before a five-meter-tall boulder, slowly pulling out the nunchaku that Muyue had given him. He held the handle with his left hand and the single-section chain with his right, his legs slightly apart and his body turned to the right.
"Milong Legend: Blade-Cutting Sword, Golden Skyline!"
Might Guy brought his left hand in front of him and his right hand to his waist, extending his index and middle fingers. With a mighty roar, he charged towards the boulder. As he rushed forward, he moved his left hand in a pulling motion, bringing his right hand forward in a slicing motion, ultimately tracing a golden line in the air.
BOOM!!!
A dazzling golden light flashed, and the huge rock exploded, splitting cleanly in two.
After using the Golden Skyline, Might Guy's fingers trembled uncontrollably.
He paid no heed to the pain in his fingers, his face lit up with excitement. Finally, he could execute the Golden Skyline, albeit with the aid of the Eight Inner Gates.
Might Guy knew he couldn't compare to Muyue, who could use the Golden Skyline in his normal state. Nonetheless, he was satisfied because the technique was incredibly powerful. With that single strike, he had effortlessly cleaved a five-meter boulder.
"That's an incredibly powerful taijutsu!" Hibiki Uchiha, who was watching, exclaimed.
To him, an ordinary ninja, Might Guy's display was terrifying. He had just destroyed a boulder as big as a small house with a single strike.
Ebisu nodded in agreement.
"Is this the taijutsu that Muyue taught you?" Chen, their teacher, walked up to Might Guy and examined the destroyed boulder before asking.
In his opinion, the technique was impressive, and its power seemed to surpass that of the Wood Style: Leaf Dragon God Technique.
Of course, the two techniques served different purposes. The Leaf Dragon God Technique was designed for large-scale attacks and had its own advantages.
"Yes, but Muyue didn't develop this taijutsu himself," Might Guy replied excitedly, nodding. He then proceeded to share the story behind the technique with Chen.
He found the story fascinating and wanted to share it with others.
"Milong? A taijutsu from before the era of ninja villages... I can't seem to recall anything about it," Chen said, trying to remember.
However, he didn't dwell on it too much. He wasn't an expert in historical research, and it was understandable if he didn't know about something from the distant past.
"I didn't expect that kid Muyue to have held back during our previous spar. I need to find him and ask for another lesson," Chen said, eager to witness Muyue's demonstration of the Golden Skyline.
Chen had lost his motivation to cultivate taijutsu, believing that he had reached his peak.
It wasn't that he thought he was invincible, as he knew he couldn't defeat the Hokage or the Sannin. However, he attributed his shortcomings to his other ninja skills rather than his taijutsu.
Meeting Muyue changed that. Their previous battle had ended in a draw, but Chen knew that Muyue had the upper hand.
Perhaps it was the pressure from Muyue's taijutsu, but Chen found that his taijutsu, which he thought couldn't improve further, had made a slight progress. Although the improvement was minor, Chen was delighted as it had been a long time since he had experienced any progress.
Chen nodded his agreement without hesitation.
After their training session, Might Guy headed straight to Muyue's house to inquire about his availability, as the afternoon training in the Southern Border Forest had also concluded.
"About a month and a half from now," Muyue replied after some thought.
While he was willing to spar, he wouldn't have much free time in the next month and a half.
"It's almost dinnertime anyway. Why don't you stay and have a meal before you leave?" Muyue offered.
A glint of longing flashed across Might Guy's face. It had been a while since he'd tasted Muyue's culinary creations.
However, concerned that his father would be waiting for him to return home for dinner, Might Guy first rushed back home to inform his father before hurrying back to Muyue's house for the meal.
After dinner, Might Guy didn't return home. Instead, he made his way directly toward Kakashi's residence.
Now that he could not only open the fourth gate of the Eight Inner Gates but also perform the Golden Skyline, he believed he could defeat Kakashi.
"Yo, Kakashi, let's have a passionate youth battle!" Might Guy, with his knowledge of Kakashi's habits, quickly located him and extended the invitation.
Kakashi looked at him with a black line across his forehead, wondering, "Don't you think it's odd to issue a challenge here?"
Kakashi then turned away, his expression one of exasperation. This was a bathroom, for crying out loud!
Although Might Guy's actions left him speechless, Kakashi had grown somewhat accustomed to his friend's lack of awareness of appropriate timing and setting.
After washing his hands, Kakashi led Might Guy into the courtyard to commence their battle.
With prolonged practice, Kakashi had finally mastered the Transparent World, allowing him not only to perfectly control his body but also to see through the movements of others.
"My dear friend, I've been training relentlessly since the Chunin Exams just to defeat you. So, prepare yourself to taste the bitterness of defeat!" Might Guy said with a confident smile.
Back then, he had narrowly lost to Kakashi with the three gates and the Wood Leaf Dragon God technique. Now, with the ability to open the fourth gate and his mastery of the Golden Skyline, he was determined not to lose again.
"Oh? But I haven't been slacking off either. We'll see who tastes defeat," Kakashi replied calmly.
His consecutive victories over Obito, Might Guy, and Itachi had restored his confidence as a genius. As long as his opponent was of the same age, he felt assured of victory.
"Hahaha!" Might Guy burst out laughing upon hearing Kakashi's equally confident assertion. He then gave Kakashi a thumbs-up.
"As expected of my best friend. Let's count down from three, and the battle will begin!"
Kakashi nodded.
"Three, two, one, begin!"
"Breath of Stone, full concentration! Eight Inner Gates, Gate of Life, open!"
As soon as the battle commenced, Might Guy focused his breathing intensely and opened the third gate of the Eight Inner Gates.
"Breath of Lightning, full concentration!"
Kakashi, too, concentrated his breathing and gathered chakra, performing a chakra nature transformation to imbue his body with lightning-based chakra.
Whoosh!
Both their figures blurred as they dashed towards each other.
The prolonged training had made Might Guy's body even stronger. Even with just three gates opened, his punches and kicks packed a formidable power.
Although Kakashi could activate his cells by using lightning-based chakra to enhance his strength, it was a chakra-intensive technique. Thus, instead of meeting Might Guy's attacks head-on, Kakashi opted to use the Transparent World to enhance his perception.
With the aid of the Transparent World, Kakashi could see through all of Might Guy's movements.
This made the battle extremely challenging for Might Guy. He couldn't land a hit on Kakashi, while Kakashi could strike him at will.
Despite the defense boost provided by the Breath of Stone, Kakashi's punches and kicks, empowered by the Transparent World, were still formidable. Might Guy soon found himself at a disadvantage.
However, Might Guy didn't panic. Instead, his smile only widened.
The stronger Kakashi was, the more excited he became, as victory would be all the sweeter.
"My dear friend, this is a technique I've been saving just for you. I haven't used it against anyone else yet."
Since Might Guy had first opened the Gate of Injury at home, only Muyue and Might Dai knew of this information, aside from himself.
"Eight Inner Gates, Gate of Injury, open!"
PS: Sorry, it's quite late, and I'm struggling to continue. This isn't intentional; I just can't write any more today. The update for today is 8k words.
(End of Chapter)
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