War had reignited.
Unlike the Third Shinobi World War, this conflict was limited to Konoha and Kumogakure—more of a probing skirmish than all-out war.
Kumo's last invasion had failed because of one man: Minato Namikaze, who single-handedly halted the A-B Combo (the Fourth Raikage, A, and the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, Killer B).
But now, Minato was dead.
Kumo had seized the opportunity to strike.
If Konoha—bereft of its Yellow Flash—couldn't hold them off, Kumo stood to gain immensely.
Even if they failed to take a bite out of Konoha, they could simply retreat and negotiate.
After all, the current Konoha lacked the resolve to fight Kumo to the bitter end.
In the original timeline, this war would drag on for two to three years.
Sasame remembered it clearly because of one incident:
During peace talks, Kumo operatives attempted to kidnap Hinata Hyūga, only to be killed by her father, Hiashi.
Kumo then demanded Konoha hand over the "murderer," threatening renewed war.
In the end, Hizashi Hyūga (Hiashi's twin, the branch family sacrifice) died in his brother's place to appease Kumo.
Tanzaku Town
A den of vice just outside Konoha.
Eight words summed it up: Drinking, eating, whoring, gambling—everything was here.
A place that never disappointed.
Sasame wandered the bustling streets, taking in the sights.
Compared to Konoha, still rebuilding from the Nine-Tails' attack, Tanzaku Town thrived.
Merchants, izakayas, gambling dens—and women in revealing attire standing at doorways, braving the cold, inviting warmth in more ways than one.
Tsunade paid them no mind.
In one hand, she carried a red lacquered case; in the other, she held Sasame's.
With practiced ease, she stopped before a grand casino.
"Sasame, use a Transformation Jutsu to change your appearance."
She released his hand. "They won't let a child gamble."
Nodding, Sasame weaved hand signs—and in a puff of smoke, became a thirty-something man.
"Not bad." Tsunade eyed him. "Who's this?"
"No one."
Sasame shrugged. "Just some stranger I saw earlier."
In truth, he'd modeled it after Chow Yun-fat—the God of Gamblers.
(Cue the iconic God of Gamblers theme.)
"Let's go."
Tsunade pushed open the doors.
Every eye in the room snapped to her.
The casino boss spotted her necklace—and his face twitched.
"Could it be… her?"
"Who?" A cheongsam-clad dealer blinked.
"Idiot!" The boss hissed. "How can you work here and not know her? She's the Legendary 'Big Fat Sheep'!"
By the end, he was grinning, unable to contain his glee.
Tsunade ignored the whispers, slamming her case open—revealing stacks of cash.
"Change it all into chips!"
"Right away!" The boss nearly salivated.
Every gambler knew the Big Fat Sheep's curse: She never won.
Free money incoming!
Soon, 150,000 ryō worth of chips sat before them.
Not a fortune, but not trivial either—roughly equivalent to a B-rank mission's payout.
(After the village and team cuts, a ninja would need three or four B-ranks to pocket this much.)
But Tsunade was a Sannin. Missions were effortless for her.
If not for her gambling, she'd live like royalty—just look at Jiraiya (traveling the world) or Orochimaru (funding mad science).
"Give half to my disciple. Let him play too."
Tsunade waved dismissively.
The boss eyed Sasame—and smiled wider.
The Sheep's disciple? Another Sheep!
Double the profits!
Sasame took his 80,000 ryō and settled at a table.
The casino offered countless games, but at Sasame's suggestion, Tsunade stuck to simple bets—like dice odds.
The rules were straightforward:
Win? Double your bet.
Lose? Kiss it goodbye.
In theory, the odds were 50-50—if you played infinitely.
Over dozens (or even hundreds) of rounds, the house always skewed the math.
Plus, they took 5% of all winnings.
Losing was harder than winning.
The dealer shook the dice cup—then slammed it onto the table.
"Place your bets."
Tsunade hesitated, then tossed three chips (3,000 ryō) on "Small."
Sasame pushed eight chips (8,000 ryō) onto "Big."
(He didn't go all-in—he wanted to test if Tsunade's curse was real.)
The cup lifted: 6-5-5.
"Congratulations to 'Big' bettors." The dealer's smile was polite.
Tsunade beamed.
She'd lost 3,000—but Sasame had won 16,000.
For her, gambling was:
A hobby.
An escape from painful memories.
Losing money never bothered her.
But Sasame?
She'd come to see him as a little brother—which was why she'd humored his scheme.
And honestly? It was fun.
But her joy meant someone else's misery:
The casino boss.
Are these two exploiting a glitch in my system?!
Sasame's strategy wasn't subtle. Soon, other gamblers copied him.
The boss's face darkened.
He wasn't losing money—just making less than usual.
And watching others profit? Worse than death.
"Yes!"
Tsunade counted their winnings: +100,000 ryō in just hours.
Unprecedented.
Money meant little to her—but the thrill of winning? Addictive.
"Come on! Next casino!"
She dragged Sasame off, already hunting their next target.
By dusk, Sasame's bankbook showed a +1,000,000 ryō balance.
Equivalent to a high-risk, time-consuming S-rank mission.
"Sasame, you're still young. Should I… hold onto this for you?"
Tsunade's fingers itched toward the bankbook.
Wait, why does this sound familiar?
Sasame recalled his mother saying the same thing—about his New Year's money.
"I'll keep it myself." He clutched the book.
This was organizational funding. No compromises.
Tsunade laughed, ruffling his hair. "Fine, you win."
Most kids couldn't be trusted with money—but Sasame was sharp and responsible.
Besides, today's haul was his doing.
"Let's do this again tomorrow."
She hadn't grasped the flaw in her plan.
But no matter—they could use Transformations.
(Tsunade always gambled as herself. Otherwise, her "Big Fat Sheep" reputation wouldn't be so universal.)
Back in Konoha, after dinner and three hours of Wood Release training, Sasame finally had time to plan.
With 1,000,000 ryō, he could rent a safehouse—a temporary base.
But he lacked personnel.
Kabuto Yakushi was still too weak (give him 2-3 years).
Then it hit him:
Karin and her mother.
Two Uzumaki kunoichi. Too valuable to pass up.