Naruto Card King

"All in," Haruto Saito nodded firmly.

Takaoka Ichio curled his lips subtly, stuffed the money into his robe, and turned to leave. As he walked, he muttered under his breath, "Well, since he's going to die anyway, no point in holding onto money… Might as well gamble it all. Poor kid…"

"Hey! Wait a minute!"

"Hm? What now?"

Takaoka Ichio turned back, looking at Haruto.

"Is there no receipt or proof? If I win, how am I supposed to claim my winnings?" Haruto asked.

"There's no need for a receipt. As long as I've taken your bet, if you win, I will absolutely pay up. My face alone is the guarantee of my credibility!" Takaoka pointed to his own nose, exuding confidence.

"Is that so?" Haruto didn't seem convinced. It wasn't a small amount of money—if he won, he'd walk away with more than 2 million ryo.

"Kid, sit down. Stop embarrassing yourself!" Tsunade couldn't stand it anymore. She yanked Haruto's sleeve with force. "Fatty here is the owner of Konoha's biggest casino—Three Moons Casino. Ever heard of it? That place brings in over 100 million ryo a month! No one ever needs a written receipt to bet there."

"We run our gambling business on credibility. We'd never ruin our reputation over something like this," Takaoka added, a smug grin on his face.

A hundred million a month… An impressive number, but not unreasonable when put into perspective.

For a village with nearly 200,000 residents, a daily gambling turnover of 3 million ryo was quite normal.

"Damn… If only I had more money… A hundredfold return! What a waste…" Haruto sighed as he slurped his noodles, mumbling regretfully.

Aside from a few coins, he had exactly 27,000 ryo left—including what he had looted from the foreign spies and assassins he had taken down.

"Kid, why are you so determined to die? That 27,000 ryo would be much better spent on me. Giving it to the casino is such a waste. If you gave it to me, maybe I'd even consider leaving you a whole corpse." Tsunade smirked with malice.

"Hmph!" Haruto snorted twice and gave her a disgusted glare before continuing his meal.

After the Meal

The sky dimmed, painted red by the sunset.

Returning to the lakeside cabin, only Tsunade and Haruto remained. Jiraiya and Orochimaru had decided not to follow them back. Frankly, they had been bored out of their minds all day. Watching Tsunade teach Haruto wasn't exactly thrilling.

Since Tsunade was doomed to stay up all night, they figured they might as well go home and get some rest.

Back at the cabin, Haruto calculated the remaining time—there was still plenty. So, he took a long, refreshing bath and changed into a clean, comfortable robe.

At 6 PM, as darkness fully settled in, the warm glow of candlelight flickered inside the cabin.

Haruto shook off his drowsiness and focused completely, preparing for another intense round of training.

Midnight Training

Two hours later…

Ding!

 "Host has received Tsunade's dedicated teaching. Gained 'Mighty Strength Card Shard' ×13."

Another two hours later…

Ding!

 "Host has received Tsunade's dedicated teaching. Gained 'Mighty Strength Card Shard' ×12."

As the deep night stretched on, Tsunade was clearly losing patience. But, stubborn as she was, she refused to back down.

Haruto knew exactly how to push her buttons. If Tsunade ever showed the slightest lack of dedication, he would provoke her into giving it her all. He played the victim card, acting as if she wasn't teaching well enough and blaming her for any potential failure.

Frustrated yet determined to prove herself, Tsunade fell into his trap.

Time marched forward.

Ding!

 "Host has received Tsunade's dedicated teaching. Gained 'Mighty Strength Card Shard' ×12."

Ding!

 "Host has received Tsunade's dedicated teaching. Gained 'Mighty Strength Card Shard' ×10."

Ding!

 "Host has received Tsunade's dedicated teaching. Gained 'Mighty Strength Card Shard' ×9."

Ding!

 "Host has received Tsunade's dedicated teaching. Gained 'Mighty Strength Card Shard' ×7."

Dawn Breaks

6 AM.

The new day arrived.

Tsunade's eyes were bloodshot, her face pale with exhaustion. Haruto wasn't doing much better—his eyes were bloodshot, his expression lifeless.

This wasn't just an all-nighter—they had pushed their minds to absolute limits. Their nervous systems were fried.

One moment of relaxation, and they would probably collapse into unconsciousness.

Haruto's focus had declined significantly in the second half of the night, which was why the number of card shards he earned had started to drop.

But it didn't matter anymore—he had done it!

He only needed 100 to guarantee a full Mighty Strength Card!

Final Step: Synthesis

Ding!

 "Synthesis successful. Host has acquired one B-Rank 'Mighty Strength Jutsu' Card."

With a casual flick of his wrist, Haruto absorbed the card.

His plan was complete.