Kyoho Casino, the largest gambling venue in all of Dragonfly City, was nothing short of magnificent. How big, you ask? It practically occupied half a street! The decor was opulent and luxurious, the service attentive and meticulous, and the attitude fair and honest—treating all customers equally.
In short, as long as you didn't cheat, you could enjoy the finest service and the ultimate gambling experience.
After all, casinos were never afraid of you winning; they only feared you wouldn't show up. Furthermore, the owner behind Kyoho Casino was none other than the renowned wealthiest man in the Land of Wind and the president of its merchant guild, Kōzaburō Hirai. It was said that his home was a literal mountain of gold and silver, and even the Daimyō of the Land of Wind would tremble if he so much as stomped his foot.
At this moment, a crowd had gathered around a dice table. The one gambling was none other than Tsunade, with her assistant, the Wind Shadow Secretary Pakura, sitting behind her, holding a bag. The dealer at the table was a young, handsome man with a constant smile on his face.
Tsunade grabbed the bottle of sake beside her and took a long swig. After a moment, she shook the bottle.
"Out of sake."
"No problem, I'll arrange it immediately."
The dealer snapped his fingers, and a server promptly brought over a fresh bottle of sake, taking the empty one away in the process.
"You... done shaking?"
Tsunade looked at the dealer with her slightly drunken eyes.
"All set. Just waiting for your bet."
The dealer smiled, showing no sign of impatience.
"Hmm, this round... I'll bet on 'Big' again!"
Tsunade pushed a stack of chips onto the 'Big' side of the table.
The crowd of onlookers gasped.
"If she loses this round, that'll make it thirty-six consecutive rounds of 'Small.' It'll break the casino's all-time record for the longest streak!"
One of the gamblers exclaimed.
"I'm betting on 'Small!' I'll bet on 'Small!'"
A clueless gambler pushed his chips onto the 'Small' side, immediately drawing jeers from the crowd.
"What's so funny?"
The confused gambler looked around, baffled.
"Sir, this table is exclusively reserved by this lady here. Without her permission, you're not allowed to participate. You may take your chips elsewhere."
The dealer explained with a polite smile.
"You... get out of here. Don't mess up my... feng shui."
Tsunade waved him off dismissively.
Blushing, the clueless gambler picked up his chips and disappeared into the crowd, causing another wave of laughter.
"Bets are closed. Let's see the result."
Tsunade stared intently at the dice cup.
"One, one, two—four points, 'Small.'"
The dealer used a stick to collect Tsunade's chips, while the crowd erupted in exclamations again.
"A new record, a new record!"
"What a shame. Such a good streak ruined by this foolish woman."
"Not following the trend—she'll lose everything!"
…
Tsunade paid no mind to the comments. She took another swig of sake, grabbed a handful of chips, and placed them on the 'Big' side once more.
'Big.'
In a corner of the casino, a manager-like old man asked his subordinate, "How much has this woman lost?"
"Five million yesterday, five million the day before, and today..."
The subordinate glanced at his report.
"Four and a half million!"
"Hmm, it's been a while since we've had such a big spender."
The old man nodded in satisfaction.
"For premium customers like her, we need to provide even better service. When she's done gambling today, give her a Supreme VIP card, cover her travel expenses, and throw in a twenty-thousand-ryō rebate."
"Twenty thousand? Isn't that a bit much?"
The subordinate was puzzled.
"What do you know?"
The old man scoffed.
"We not only focus on user experience but also on customer retention. A client like her—do you think she'll stop gambling after today? That twenty thousand will come back to us eventually. Now, go!"
Just as Tsunade was about to run out of chips, a figure sat down beside her. Tsunade glanced over.
"Done with your business?"
"All done."
"Care for a few rounds?"
"Sure. Mind if the two of us join your game?"
Jinghang looked at the dealer.
"As long as this lady agrees, no problem."
The dealer smiled, as polite as ever.
"How much is left?"
"About thirty thousand."
Tsunade fiddled with her chip box.
"My fortune is bound to be squandered by you eventually."
Jinghang chuckled, grabbing two chips from Tsunade's box.
The chips at Kyoho Casino were exquisitely designed. The highest denomination was a gold-plated square block, perfectly sized to fit in one hand, worth one million ryō. Next were silver-plated blocks worth half a million, followed by copper-plated blocks worth a hundred thousand. Chips worth ten thousand were small round disks, also adorned with gold, silver, or copper. Thousand-denomination chips were triangular, while hundred-denomination chips were long, rectangular strips.
High-value chips were made from rare black steelwood, priced at ten thousand ryō per block. Lower-value chips were crafted from ordinary wood.
By now, Tsunade's box contained few blocks or disks, mostly triangles and strips. Jinghang took two thousand-denomination copper triangles.
"I'm betting on 'Small.'"
Tsunade switched her bet, placing a hundred-ryō chip on the 'Small' side. Jinghang, meanwhile, tossed his two triangles onto the 'Big' side.
"Hmm?"
The dealer sensed something was off.
"Shake the dice already. What are you waiting for?"
Tsunade urged impatiently.
"Oh, right."
The dealer quickly shook the dice cup.
"Bets are closed. Four, five, six—fifteen points, 'Big.'"
Jinghang's two copper triangles turned into four.
"Not bad. Let's keep going!"
Tsunade tossed another hundred-ryō chip onto 'Small.' Jinghang smiled and pushed his four copper triangles onto 'Big.'
The four turned into eight, then into silver triangles, then gold triangles, then copper disks... By the time Jinghang had won his eighth gold square block, the dealer was pale and sweating profusely.
"Excuse me, but my shift is over. My colleague will take over for me."
The dealer stammered before fleeing in embarrassment.
"No problem. You should've left earlier."
Jinghang smiled.
The replacement was a slightly chubby dealer with a steady gaze, calm demeanor, and strong hands—a seasoned professional.
"Please."
He was a man of few words.
Jinghang glanced at Tsunade, who smiled sweetly and tossed another hundred-ryō chip onto 'Small.'
The eight gold squares turned into sixteen, then thirty-two, then sixty-four.
And then another dealer was replaced.
By the time the fifth dealer took over, Jinghang had seven chip boxes piled up in front of him.
The casino manager, wiping sweat from his brow, urgently ordered his staff, "Quick! Go fetch Mr. Zangetsu! And bring these two to the Supreme Hall. Open my best thirty-year-old Meilan Chun sake. Be polite—hurry!"
From afar, Jinghang's voice rang out.
"Hey, don't you have bigger chips? This pile is blocking my bets."
Jinghang sat with his legs crossed, exuding arrogance. Suddenly, he uncrossed his legs, sensing a powerful presence behind him. His shinobi instincts warned him—a formidable opponent had arrived.
"Of course we do."
A deep, gravelly voice came from behind.
Jinghang turned around, his expression serious.
Standing there was a thin figure clad in white, with a crescent moon mask and flowing white hair.
"Oh? Where?"
The masked man's gaze lingered on Jinghang briefly before settling on Tsunade. After a long pause, he finally spoke.
"In the Supreme Hall. It's too noisy and chaotic here. Only there can we use higher-denomination chips."
"And you are?"
Jinghang clasped his hands in a polite gesture.
"Just an ordinary dealer at Kyoho. People call me Zangetsu."
Zangetsu returned the gesture.
"Zangetsu!"
"Mr. Zangetsu!"
…
The crowd erupted in murmurs, clearly impressed by the man's reputation.
"You've won a lot today, sir. If you wish to cash out, you may leave now. But if you'd like to continue, please follow me to the Supreme Hall. I'll personally oversee your game."
Quite the aura. Jinghang glanced at Tsunade, who was flushed with excitement.
"What are we waiting for? Let's go!"
Jinghang stood up, waving his hand confidently.