Sowhere in the Colosseum
“Tsunade-sama… will Deidara of Iwagakure really win?” Shizune asked with a worried expression. Given the identities and performances of the other three semifinalists, she was feeling increasingly skeptical about Deidara’s chances.
After all, he would be facing opponents like Raijin and Darui, both of whom had a natural advantage over him with their mastery of Lightning Chakra Nature. Raijin, in particular, could summon natural lightning from the heavens, while Darui wielded Storm Release and had unparalleled control over Lightning Chakra. Then there was Naruto, who was sohow tapping into the imnse power of the Nine-Tails, granting him an overwhelming amount of chakra, an exceptional healing factor, and the ability to unleash Tailed Beast Bombs.
No matter how skilled Deidara was, Shizune found it hard to believe he could overco such formidable opponents.
But the real concern wasn’t just Deidara’s chances—it was the fact that they had placed a hefty bet on his victory. If he lost, they would lose a significant amount of money… and that would be a complete disaster.
“You’re right… at this point, Deidara’s chances of erging as the final victor seem pretty low…” Tsunade muttered, biting her thumb in frustration.
When the Joint Chūnin Promotion Exam first began, Tsunade had full confidence in Deidara’s abilities. But after witnessing the performance of so many other skilled ninjas, even she couldn’t help but feel a little skeptical.
“Then… what should we do?” Shizune asked, her eyes brimming with tears.
“We can’t withdraw the money we’ve bet on Deidara… it’s already too late,” Tsunade replied helplessly. At this stage of the tournant, there was no way to get their money back.
“It’s over… it’s over… we’re going to be holess!” Shizune wailed as tears stread down her face. She nearly collapsed to the ground, already picturing a grim future where she and Tsunade were forced to live on the streets, wearing tattered rags and begging for food with malnourished bodies.
Watching Shizune’s dramatic reaction, Tsunade rolled her eyes and sighed. “It’s just a few million Ryō. Why are you acting like it’s the end of the world?”
Shizune gasped, horrified. “Tsunade-sama, what are you saying? It is over for us! That was all the money we had left!”
But instead of panicking, Tsunade smirked and shook her head. “Really, Shizune? You disappoint … Who do you think I am? I am Senju Tsunade, the princess of the Senju Clan. Do you seriously think that little money is all I have?”
But Shizune didn’t react much to Tsunade-hi’s words. Instead, she murmured to herself, “It’s really over… Tsunade-sama is so deep in shock that she’s beco delusional…”
Naturally, she didn’t believe for a second that Tsunade-hi had any money left besides what they had bet on Deidara. After all, she had known her Shishō for almost two decades and was well aware of her reckless spending habits. Over the years, she had sold off nearly everything of value to the village, using the money to fuel her gambling and drinking habits.
Yes, it was a painful truth—Tsunade-hi had squandered the entire generational wealth of the Senju Clan, a fortune built over a millennium, in just a few short decades.
Tsunade-hi’s eyebrow twitched at Shizune’s comnt. With a sigh, she reached into her cleavage and pulled out a small book, holding it up for Shizune to see. “Shizune, look at this…”
“Huh? Look at what?” Shizune mumbled, still teary-eyed and sniffling. She reluctantly turned her attention to the book in Tsunade-hi’s hand. However, the mont she focused on the numbers written inside, her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. She gasped in shock, “Huh?! Th-This… s-so many zeroes?! What?! How?!”
Tsunade-hi smirked mysteriously. “Didn’t I tell you? I am the princess of the Senju Clan…”
Shizune, still skeptical, narrowed her eyes and asked, “Tsunade-sama… you didn’t threaten the Daimyō into giving you this money, did you?”
Tick marks appeared on Tsunade-hi’s forehead before she bonked Shizune on the head. “I didn’t threaten anyone!” she snapped.
Still unconvinced, Shizune rubbed her head and pressed further. “Then where did you get this much money from?”
“That’s… a secret,” Tsunade-hi replied with a smirk, recalling the deal she had made with Kuroto about a month ago to split the profits.
Shizune sighed, realizing she wasn’t going to get a straight answer. “A secret, huh? Oh, well… I suppose it doesn’t matter…” She knew Tsunade well enough to understand that if her master wanted to tell her, she would have done so. Since she didn’t, it was clear she had no intention of revealing it.
But at the end of the day, there was only one thing that truly mattered to Shizune. “We won’t be on the streets now…” she whispered, unable to stop the tears of relief from streaming down her face.
Tsunade-hi smirked in satisfaction and said, “Anyway… now that we have this money, let’s try our luck again.”
“Wha—? Tsunade-sama… you…” Shizune looked at her in horror, her face pale with disbelief.
“What? Is there a problem?” Tsunade-hi asked, narrowing her eyes.
“No… no, it’s just that…” Shizune stamred, struggling to find the right words.
“Don’t worry about it,” Tsunade-hi said confidently, nodding to herself. “This ti, I’ll make the right choice.” She then grinned and declared, “Let’s bet on Naruto.”
“On Naruto-kun?” Shizune repeated in surprise.
“The boy can harness the power of the Nine-Tails,” Tsunade-hi explained. “Against that kind of power, the other three participants don’t stand a chance.” She turned to Shizune and asked, “Don’t you think so too?”
“Well… that’s true,” Shizune admitted after a mont of thought. “There’s no way any of the other three can win against the power of the Nine-Tails…” She hesitated but ultimately nodded in agreent with Tsunade-hi’s reasoning. Shizune still hesitated. “But… but what if Naruto-kun loses control over the Nine-Tails? Wouldn’t that be dangerous?”
Tsunade-hi shook her head. “I don’t think that will happen.”
“How can you be so sure, Tsunade-sama? Even Mito-sama and Kushina-sama struggled to properly control the Nine-Tails… How could Naruto-kun succeed where they couldn’t?” Shizune murmured her doubts.
“I’m not certain either,” Tsunade-hi admitted, her expression thoughtful. “But I think it probably has sothing to do with the training Kuroto put Naruto through.”
“Huh? Kuroto-kun’s training?” Shizune asked, taken aback.
Tsunade-hi nodded. “Kuroto is able to perfectly control the Ryūmyaku, and that thing is no less powerful than the Eight-Tails. I’m sure there’s a reason for that… There must be so technique that allows him to harness its chakra so easily without losing control. And I believe he’s taught that technique to Naruto, which is why the boy has been able to wield the Nine-Tails’ power without going berserk.”
“Hmm? Really?” Shizune murmured, considering the possibility.
Tsunade-hi nodded again. “Yes, I think that’s the case,” she said, then urged Shizune to think about it. “Look at the pattern—Naruto has been repeatedly using the Nine-Tails’ power, manifesting more tails each ti, yet he hasn’t shown any signs of losing control. That can’t just be a coincidence. I believe it’s because Kuroto has taught him a technique to ta the tailed beast. That’s why I don’t think he’ll lose control.”
“Does such a technique really exist?” Shizune asked, still a bit doubtful.
“It should,” Tsunade-hi replied. “After all, the Uchiha, Uzumaki, and Senju each have their own thods of controlling tailed beasts. It’s possible the Hyūga have one as well—sothing they’ve kept secret until now. Or, there’s also the chance that Kuroto created one himself… I wouldn’t put it past him.”
“I see…” Shizune nodded, finding Tsunade-hi’s reasoning sound.
Seeing that Shizune seed to agree, Tsunade-hi smiled confidently and patted her shoulder. “Since we’re on the sa page, let’s bet on Naruto. This ti, we’re bound to win.”
Shizune, though a little hesitant, was about to agree. “Alright–”
Before she could finish, Iruka suddenly ran up to them. “Tsunade-sama!”
Both won stopped and turned to him. Tsunade-hi raised an eyebrow. “What is it, Iruka?”
“Hokage-sama and Itachi-sama are requesting your presence,” Iruka inford her.
“Kuroto and Uchiha Patriarch?” Tsunade-hi asked, frowning slightly. “What do the two of them need from ?”
“It’s regarding the barrier formation we need to set up around the arena,” Iruka explained. “Your assistance is required. The semi-finals won’t begin until the barrier is properly established.”
“I see…” Tsunade-hi murmured thoughtfully before nodding. “I’m coming.”
She then turned to Shizune, handing her the booklet and giving her a firm pat on the shoulder, as if entrusting her with a critical mission. “You know what to do.”
Shizune accepted the booklet with a resigned sigh. “I know, Tsunade-sama. Don’t worry, I won’t let you down.”
Iruka observed their exchange with a puzzled expression, wondering what sort of responsibility Tsunade-hi was entrusting to Shizune. However, he chose not to ask, assuming it was sothing important—likely beyond the concern of a Chūnin like himself.
With that settled, Tsunade-hi gave Shizune a final nod before turning to Iruka. “Let’s go.”
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