Chapter 84: The Legendary Fat Catfish

When Kato Mikaze arrived at the Konoha Hospital, Tsunade was nowhere to be found.

After asking Koharu, the diligent nurse on duty at the reception desk, Kato Mikaze learned that there wasn’t much that required Tsunade’s attention at the hospital today, and she had taken the afternoon off, leaving early with some excuse.

Not finding Tsunade at the hospital didn’t trouble Kato Mikaze. After leaving the hospital, he remained composed. It was hardly the first time he’d encountered Tsunade slacking off during work hours.

He had long since made peace with the fact that his woman might not always be able to work diligently without cutting corners. When it came to matters of real importance, Tsunade would always treat them seriously. As for the everyday trivialities—well, those could be overlooked.

Besides, in the past couple of days, Tsunade had been without Kato Mikaze’s watchful supervision in the village. He guessed that she’d probably let loose and was having the time of her life.

…

Leaving the hospital behind, Kato Mikaze decided not to rush off in search of Tsunade. Instead, he headed first to the Mission Management Office at the Hokage’s Residence, to report and hand over the tasks he’d completed during this trip outside the village.

It was rather late by the time he arrived at the office. His acquaintance, Kogoya, was only on duty during the day, but it was a minor inconvenience—at worst, the paperwork for the mission handover would take a little longer.

The clerk handling Kato Mikaze’s mission paperwork was a young woman, not yet twenty, with delicate features. From her hairstyle, attire, and the clan crest on her clothing, Kato Mikaze deduced she was a kunoichi from the Nara clan.

This time, Kato Mikaze had a total of nineteen missions to report, ranging from A-rank and B-rank assignments to a couple of C-rank tasks. To complete so many missions in one outing—especially mostly high-level ones—caused quite a stir in the Mission Management Office.

Even the most hardworking shinobi in Konoha usually managed only two or three missions per trip outside the village, if their destinations happened to coincide. Kato Mikaze, however, had accomplished nineteen in one go. The Nara kunoichi handling his paperwork couldn’t help but look at him with a touch of admiration.

…

With the missions handed over, the points in his shinobi system increased dramatically, freeing him from his previous pitiful total of just five. He set aside the points he’d planned to use for developing a fusion of Soul Clone and the B-rank Shadow Clone Technique, plus a reserve of one hundred points, and still had a considerable surplus left.

Now he could consider allocating points to other attributes.

If the fusion of Soul Clone and Shadow Clone went according to plan, Kato Mikaze would finally possess a true, independent clone.

In that case, he could manage affairs at Spring Base without interruption, and also continuously take on missions to accumulate more points for his system.

Looking at his now plentiful points, a flood of ideas sprang to mind.

“Here I am, diligently working every day at Spring Base, pouring my youth and sweat into the service of Konoha. (Or, more accurately, busy every day with sweet dates with Tsunade, pouring my youth and sweat into nurturing our relationship.)

Meanwhile, my clone could be out there constantly doing missions, steadily building up points for my system.

Happiness is just around the corner—am I not about to soar? Speaking of which, Tsunade… that cash cow…”

Thinking of Tsunade reminded him that he hadn’t seen her at the hospital upon his return. She was likely itching for action and had gone to a casino to scratch that itch.

Bidding farewell to the young Nara kunoichi, who looked at him with something like hero-worship, Kato Mikaze left the Mission Management Office.

…

He began his search for Tsunade in the various casinos scattered across Konoha.

While passing near Tsunade’s house, Kato Mikaze expanded his soul sense. As expected, he detected only his brother-in-law, Nawaki, inside.

Incidentally, the nurse at the hospital had said Tsunade’s excuse for leaving early was to teach her younger brother Nawaki the Senju family’s secret techniques.

Nonsense—what could she possibly be teaching him? Wood Release? Or how to roll dice?

Tsunade simply wanted an excuse to skip work and sneak off to the casino.

Not long after, Kato Mikaze finally sensed Tsunade’s soul signature in the city’s largest, most luxurious casino, located in the commercial district.

He pushed open the doors and entered, making his way not toward the upstairs VIP rooms, but straight into the main hall.

“Lord Kato Mikaze!”

…

Along the way, many casino staff greeted him respectfully. He merely nodded in acknowledgment, saying nothing.

“Lord Kato Mikaze, please, come this way.”

The floor manager, having heard of his arrival, came out from his office with some staff to welcome him.

“Very well. Tell me what’s been happening. Lead the way,” Kato Mikaze finally responded.

“As per your instructions, we haven’t allowed Lady Tsunade into the VIP rooms for high-stakes games. She’s been in the main hall, always accompanied by female staff at her side…”

“These past couple of days, she’s only played in the main hall. As for her losses—you know how it is…”

The manager led the way, glancing nervously at Kato Mikaze’s expression as he gave a careful account of Tsunade’s recent visits.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t glean much from Kato Mikaze’s handsome, impassive face.

For the casino manager, having the legendary “cash cow” frequent the establishment was, of course, a blessing. Who in Konoha’s gambling circles didn’t know of Princess Tsunade’s reputation as the ultimate mark? Whenever she came to play, rumors would spread and gamblers would flock to the casino, boosting the day’s revenue by as much as thirty percent.

The legendary cash cow coming to play was always good news. And Tsunade, for all her losses, was fair and accepted defeat with grace—at most, she might grumble a little, but she never relied on her status as a powerful shinobi to cause trouble.

But the man now following behind the manager was different. This Lord Kato, rumored to be Tsunade’s boyfriend, never reneged on paying her gambling debts—whatever she owed, he covered.

However, he did set certain ground rules for casinos Tsunade frequented—not to keep her from gambling, but to impose some order. For instance, she wasn’t to be led into the VIP rooms for high-stakes games; her losses each visit had a strict cap; and no cheating was permitted when playing with her.

Then again, cheating wasn’t necessary. Anyone playing against the “cash cow” could simply bet against her and win as much as they liked.

…

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