Chapter Two: One Gamble Too Many

Not that Naruto went back right away.

For one thing, he saw that doing it would just get the Branch Clan into more trouble. And while it was funny and kind of hot, to see Neji in a dress, humiliating him was not his goal. Besides, that avenue of attack didn't get him a meeting with Hinata anyway.

So, instead, Naruto went to Ichiraku Ramen, walking in his normal form. As he walked, he thought about how Neji had blown him off. Just who did he think he was? "Ugh, what the hell is with Neji anyway? I mean, he basically belongs to me now; why can't I do what I want with him anyway. And Hinata ought to be fine too, but no, they just had to shut me out!

"But I guess he has his reasons.

"I still want to talk with Hinata. No way any of the Hyuga are going to give me the time of day. I guess I could force Neji to give me permission, but that wouldn't be right. Maybe I can get him to open the doors to the Hyuga for me willingly somehow?"

He sat down at the usual place and saw Teuchi cooking ramen, just as if he'd been expected. Ayame was looking nice as always, in her apron with her brown hair tied behind her. Naruto had wanted to make her his for a while. But the last thing he intended to do was cross Teuchi.

"Hey, Teuchi, Ayame, I'd like a pork ramen, please," said Naruto.

"Coming up," said Teuchi.

Naruto mulled things over as Ayame looked at him. "Do you have something on your mind, Naruto?"

Naruto shrugged. "Eh, sort of Ayame.

"See, I've got this person I need to get to help me with something."

"Who could possibly be strong enough for you to need their help?" asked Ayame.

"Well, it's sort of complicated," said Naruto. "I kind of need them to open a door for me and let me in, but I want them to do it willingly. I mean, I own them anyway, but I want to be nice about this."

"Naruto, you didn't..." Ayame paused. "You didn't um... use that technique, did you?"

"Of course not!" said Naruto. "I only did that once, and that was a medical operation! Sort of!

"Look, it's a bit complicated, but I'm not allowed to use that technique. I'm only allowed to use it in response to the other side. Anyway, nothing like that happened.

"All I did this time was knock on the door, and they thought I wanted to eat Hinata. So they dressed up her cousin in a wedding dress and shoved him out. He even had ritual sacrifice markings on him.

"He didn't want me to devour him, though. So I asked him to open the door for me, and he wouldn't."

"Well, I'm not qualified to talk about ritual sacrifices," said Ayame. "But from the sounds of things, you want to be someone's friend. And you can't really force a friendship."

"Well, do you have any advice?" asked Naruto.

"Well, what was it about you that made him not want to open the door for you?" asked Ayame, serving him another bowl. "Why didn't he trust you. Figure out what it was, then change your strategy to account for those facts.

"When you're a restaurant owner, you have to be willing to adapt your strategy. You always have to account for changing markets."

"How do I do that?" asked Naruto.

"Well, you could change the part of yourself that makes him dislike you," said Ayame. "Or make him see that it isn't part of you at all. Maybe if you present yourself to him in a different way, he'll be more willing to talk."

"Hmm, thanks, Ayame. I gotta go and handle this," said Naruto. He quickly wolfed down his food and paid.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Ayame.

But Naruto was already gone.

Naruto chooses his avenue of attack carefully. Waiting for Neji to walk through the street in an isolated area, he appeared before him. Quickly, Naruto took on the form of the world's most beautiful woman into her younger days, stark naked. "Hey, Neji!

"I'm so cold here; care to warm me up?"

Neji halted, stiffening. "...You are a very sick creature, Fox God."

"What?" asked Naruto. "How'd you know it was me? I mean, I'm..."

"I see chakra," said Neji. "You have a unique chakra that is easily discernable. The energies rushing through you are so bright they are like a beacon. You don't really think such pedestrian tactics will work on me, do you?"

He seemed to be trying to convince himself of the fact. Naruto could sense that his heart rate was rising quite a bit. So all Naruto had to do was throw more at him, and he'd be his. "Fine then, let's see how you handle...

"This!"

Instantly, Naruto separated into dozens of different, incredibly curvaceous women, all naked. He posed before Neji, sticking out his chest and winking.

"Byakugan," said Neji, face stern.

His heart rate skipped a little, but nothing else. Incredulously, Naruto reformed into his natural form. "What? How are you remaining unaffected by my sexy jutsu?! No one has ever resisted that! Even the Old Man can't!"

"It's based on eyesight," said Naruto. "By activating my Byakugan, I see your various forms purely as chakra, appearing to me only as lights. You cannot tempt me with those bodies because I do not see them. Consequently, your abilities have no effect on me."

"Alright, that's it!" said Naruto, furious. "Fine then, Neji! No more tricks! I'm challenging you to a fight! And if I win, you have to leave Hinata alone! And submit to me."

"Let her spend time with you, you mean?" asked Neji, stiffening visibly.

"Well, um, yeah, if she wants," said Naruto.

"No," said Neji.

Naruto blinked. He'd kind of not banked on that. "No? What do you mean no?"

"I mean no. I refuse your challenge," said Neji. "Even if I were willing to agree to such a fight, I could not make those terms. Lord Hiashi is extremely suspicious of you, and if Hinata met on my watch, it would be on my head. Ko already got thrashed for letting her come in contact with you.

"And I am legally a slave in any case."

"Thrashed? Slave?" asked Naruto. He'd known about those things, but only at the back of his mind. "But he's part of your family."

"Ko is part of the Branch Family," said Neji. "Which makes a great deal of difference. In any case, this is all the moot point since you would inevitably win such a fight."

"What? You're not even going to try and beat me?" asked Naruto, feeling a bit offended. What, was he not good enough for him?

"Is there a point?" asked Neji. "You are a god. I, on the other hand, have only recently become a genin. Any fight with you would be destined to end in complete humiliation for me.

"So I see no incentive to try. Let alone do so with actual stakes."

"Well, that's just depressing!" said Naruto. "Aren't you supposed to want to exceed me or something?"

Neji shrugged. "People can't change.

"Everyone who is born is born to serve a particular role. Any attempt to escape that role leads to utter failure and humiliation."

"Well, you're cheerful," said Neji.

"It doesn't concern me what you think of me, Naruto. I have to train with my team," said Neji, and he walked off. "Go find someone foolish enough to gamble against you; you will not find anyone here."

"Fine! Maybe I will!" said Naruto in a fury.

And he marched off.

This was the real problem. Neji and Hinata were a microcosm of it. Hinata wanted to have a relationship with Naruto but was being held back by her family. And Neji had been rendered so cynical by a culture of fear that he didn't even realize he wanted one. Both of them belonged to Naruto already. But he couldn't actually devour them without wrecking their lives.

Hinata would be pretty easy to fix. All he'd have to do is get her away from her toxic as hell family. But Neji would be a lot more difficult.

What was worse, he'd have to break Neji's pride completely to get him to acknowledge his true feelings. But Neji hadn't actually done anything wrong yet. He'd done the right thing his whole life because he'd had no choice. And Naruto didn't like the idea of breaking someone who hadn't done anything wrong. That would be bullying, even if it was for Neji's own good.

"Ah, screw this. I'm getting out of this town and going to see the world!" said Naruto.

Time to go hunting for someone to devour.

Naruto followed the strands of destiny, seeking someone he wanted. Let's see, they had to be a good person. But they also needed to be engaged in something bad, and they had to be gullible enough to engage with him. Running through the numbers, he found a very, very nice candidate and followed her to the source. Rapidly, he made a plan to get her and made himself forget the plan. His subconscious would run it.

Arriving on top of a rooftop, he looked down at a bank.

Down below, Naruto saw this absolutely gorgeous blonde woman. She had huge breasts and blonde hair. On her forehead was a diamond symbol, and she had these massive hips. And she had this whole tortured backstory. Her personal tragedies had broken her, and she just got away from it all.

"Now, where to go first?" asked Naruto. "Let's see, I think I'll take on a more adult form for this. No way am I appearing like a little kid outside the Leaf. Hmm, let's see if I can sense some powerful people. There ought to be something interesting in there." Aging up his present form, he took on the role of a lean, blonde adult in orange.

Then he considered how to make his approach. However, as he did, Naruto noticed that Tsunade, her name was Tsunade, was entering a bank. And she was really, really, powerful. "Huh?

"A bank. What is someone near the Old Man's level doing in a bank?"

Pretty soon, a really pretty, brown-haired woman met Tsunade outside the bank. As Tsunade came out, she was carrying a huge case of money. What were they planning on using it for, Naruto wondered? Of course, he already knew what they wanted to use it for, but that was on a higher level. This form didn't.

"Lady Tsunade, are you really sure about this?" asked the brown-haired woman.

"Of course, Shizune," said Tsunade. "I'm feeling lucky tonight."

Naruto licked his lips. "Wow, they're both really hot. Especially the blonde one. I think I...

"Nah, not yet.

"Let's wait and see what happens."

"But this is wrong, don't you think? We can't pay this kind of debt off," said Shizune.

"Nonsense. We'll pay it off with our winnings," said Tsunade.

"Shouldn't we pay off some of the debts we already have, though?" asked Shizune.

"We'll pay off those with our winnings too," said Tsunade.

"But..." Shizune sighed and leaned forward. "Ugh, she never listens to me."

Naruto sighed.

Well, these two looked like the perfect targets to devour. He already knew how he'd get both of them. But he had to make it something special for both of them. Raising a hand, he went back in time to when Tsunade was entering the bank.

She'd taken on a subtly different form, a henge, and was leaning forward over the counter. Across from her was a gobsmacked clerk. "Excuse me, I'd like to take a loan, if you don't mind?"

"I... well, how much did you have in mind?" asked the clerk.

"Oh, I was thinking... this much," said Tsunade, slipping a piece of paper forward.

"I... I can't in good faith give out this kind of money," said the clerk. "Not without some more assurances you can make it back."

"Oh, please," said Tsunade.

"Right, I..." the clerk shifted. "I'll see to it."

That was pretty damn low.

"Hmm, using her feminine wiles to trick people into giving her money she can't pay back at all," said Naruto. "I mean, the economy is doing well now, but what happens when something bad closes them up. And she's not afraid of the consequences. Because she knows that nobody strong enough to capture her works for banks.

"Well, I think it's time I put the fear of God back in her. Heheheh.

"First off, though, I need some new clothes."

Returning to the present, Naruto took on a violet robe and conjured into existence a pavilion. Setting it up outside a gambling den, he hid it from the sight of everyone around. Then he watched as Tsunade entered the den. Shizune seemed really worried, though.

Tsunade entered the den and began to play.

Naruto looked through the minds and thoughts of the gamblers and the people in charge. They were a bunch of cheats. Anytime somebody began to win, they accused them of cheating and threw them out. And the whole system was rigged, so the house always won.

So, since the house wouldn't follow its own rules, why should Naruto.

And Tsunade was telling herself she was going to pay back her debts with it. So, Naruto decided to throw her a bone. He manipulated events, so Tsunade won.

She won a lot.

Every dice roll gave her the victory. Every hand of cards was perfectly timed to give her a win. Tsunade began to find this boring, so Naruto spiced things up. He'd make it so she'd draw the wrong card now and then, make her feel tenser and tenser. And then, just as everyone thought she was done, she won.

Of course, the gamblers didn't dare try to kick her out or accuse her of cheating.

So the game just went on and on, and Tsunade kept playing for higher and higher stakes. And, eventually, the house lost. Oh, they tried several tricks to cut their losses, but none of them panned out. The cheat who'd made his money destroying the livelihoods of working men. Not to mention turning them into scoundrels was made a pauper.

It was really for his own good.

The gambling business was not good for the soul.

Tsunade, of course, didn't think of any of this. She just left the gambling den in a bit of a daze. She'd never won this consistently before. Usually, she'd gamble a huge amount of money, win big, but then keep playing. Tsunade gambled to forget, after all and getting the money she'd wanted to remind her she was in debt.

And that reminder made her want to forget.

But she'd won this time.

"Lady Tsunade, how are you going to spend all of that?" asked Shizune.

"...We can think about that later," said Tsunade. "We're on an absolute roll tonight, Shizune! We've got to make the most of our luck!"

"What if our luck runs out?" asked Shizune.

"It's a bank," said Tsunade. "Who cares if some bankers starve. A lot of them fed off the Third Shinobi World War anyway."

"But... what if there's a run or something. People won't get their money back," said Shizune.

But Tsunade wasn't listening.

She never listened; Shizune had been following her since she was a little girl. And Tsunade had taken advantage of her. So, now was Naruto's cue. He made himself visible to them and tipped a broadbrimmed hat. "Hello, ladies."

Tsunade looked at him oddly but smiled slightly. "...Why hello?

"Who are you?"

"A traveling gambler if you must know," said Naruto. "I've heard you have a reputation for taking big risks to win big."

"You heard right," said Tsunade.

"Lady Tsunade, I've never heard any reputation like that," said Shizune. "They call you the Legendary Sucker-"

"Shizune," growled Tsunade.

"I'm sorry, Lady Tsunade, I just-" Shizune shifted.

"Would you care to throw dice with me a few times, Tsunade?" asked Naruto.

It was exactly what Tsunade had wanted to hear. All the money she'd won was only reminding her of her debts. Debts that the money she had now wouldn't even scratch. "Why not?"

"Lady Tsunade is this really wise?" asked Shizune. "He doesn't seem... normal."

"What's the harm, Shizune? We have the money," said Tsunade.

"Yes, but... there's something not right about him," said Shizune.

"I'd prefer to think that there's something not wrong about me, and that puts people off," said Naruto. "So, why don't we play in my tent?"

And he led them into his pavilion, which, of course, was actually much larger on the inside. He'd set up vast troves of treasure all around and sat down at a table of fine wood. Tsunade sat down across from him. "...Is this place for real? Some sort of optical illusion?"

"Oh, I used a few tricks to make a tent that is a lot larger inside than out," said Naruto. "Now, why don't we play a game of dice?"

"And what are you wagering?" asked Tsunade.

"Tell you what, Tsunade," said Naruto. "You put up a wager, and I'll match it no matter how high."

Tsunade smiled, feeling young again as she drew out her entire winnings and threw them down. "Alright then!

"Match this!"

"As you wish," said Naruto. With a motion, an amount of money equal to Tsunade's appeared. It was in the form of gold and jewels.

Tsunade paused. "...Hold on a moment. I want to confirm this is real. " She took several different coins and used a jutsu. "Pure gold." She did the same for several more coins. Eventually, she took one from one of the other chests and tested it.

This put her out of sorts.

"...Genjutsu release," said Tsunade after a moment. She was performing the ritual to break illusions.

"Lady Tsunade, where has he gotten all this money?" asked Shizune.

"I'm a very rich man," said Naruto. "Do you need to know more?"

"...This just seems a little convenient," said Tsunade.

"If this is a genjutsu," said Naruto. "Then I've probably already taken the money off you. And since you're not capable of breaking it, if it is, you may as well play the game."

Tsunade shrugged. "Fair enough.

"Throw the dice."

And they did throw the dice.

As it landed, Naruto's roll was high. But Tsunade's was better still.

"Hah! I win!" said Tsunade. "You see, Shizune, I told you my luck would be good today!"

"Care to make another wager, then?" asked Naruto.

"Why not? Same?" asked Tsunade.

"Actually, no, I never go down in wagers or keep them as is. I only go up," said Naruto. "You raise the stakes, or we call it a night."

Tsunade smirked, now beginning to enjoy herself. "I like the way you think.

"Fine then, I'll bet everything I won again."

"As you wish," said Naruto.

The dice rolled again, and Tsunade won again. Naruto provided her with still more money. Two more boxes of gold landed on either side.

"Yes! I win again!" said Tsunade. "My luck is finally changing!"

"Lady Tsunade... something is wrong here," said Shizune.

"Care to raise the stakes again, handsome?" asked Tsunade, who was taking a liking to him.

"As you wish," said Naruto. "All or nothing again?"

"Fair enough. I'll be winning lucky tonight," said Tsunade.

"And paying off a lot of debts, I guess," said Naruto.

"I... what?" said Tsunade.

"Well, I overheard you have a great many I.O.U's. So I presume a beautiful, honest woman like yourself will want to pay them off ASAP," said Naruto, smiling. "You are increasing the stakes over and over so you can fulfill your obligations, aren't you? There's no way you're going to blow all of this on alcohol, is there?"

Tsunade shifted. "...Yes, yes, of course. I'll um... I'll pay them off with my winnings..." She looked around at the boxes of money piling high around her. She looked a little imprisoned by them.

"He's got you there, Lady Tsunade," said Shizune.

"Well, who knows," said Naruto. "Maybe if you keep winning, you'll actually make a net profit."

"You'll regret having that smart mouth after I clean you out!" said Tsunade.

"I think you'll find that difficult," said Naruto.

"All or nothing again!" said Tsunade.

And once again, she won.

"Yes! I've won again!" said Tsunade, though now she was flanked by boxes of money on all sides. She was trying to force herself to be triumphant.

"Lady Tsunade, this doesn't make any sense!" said Shizune. "Your luck is never this good! No one's luck is ever this good! And he shouldn't just have this kind of money lying around! There has got to be some kind of foul play here!"

"...A genjutsu, perhaps," said Tsunade.

"If this were a genjutsu," said Naruto. "Why would I be having Shizune point out all the ways it makes no sense? Also, why would a genjutsu wielder powerful enough to ensnare you bother? Aren't you affiliated with the Leaf anymore?

"Maybe they were hired by the banks."

"Alright, so maybe you're just stupid and have too much time on your hands," said Tsunade. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. I've cleaned you out."

"Oh, have you?" asked Naruto.

Tsunade stared at him and looked to the room. All of the boxes of gold were now all around her, and she looked hemmed in. "...You mean to say you have more?"

"A lot more," said Naruto. "I'm not exaggerating when I say that I have more money than I know what to do with. The amount you have right now is a tiny fraction of it."

"What's going on here?!" said Tsunade. "What's the catch to all of this?"

"Oh, nothing is going on at all," said Naruto simply. "I'd just like to play another game. I'll wager... ten times what you have right now."

"And what do you want in return?" asked Tsunade.

"You," said Naruto. "You, Tsunade, will become mine."

Tsunade stood up in anger. "You've got a lot of guts making that kind of demand. Come on, Shizune, we're done here." She started trying to extract herself from the piles of money she'd won.

"Hmm, and here I thought you were one to gamble on the impossible," said Naruto. "I guess you're getting cold feet now, huh?"

It wasn't just the taunt.

Tsunade enjoyed the looks on her enemy's faces when they realized they'd lost it all. When some smug jerk who thought he could beat her flipped out. And she also enjoyed being fawned over by sycophants, even if she'd never admitted it.

As a result, Naruto had more or less denied her what she actually wanted. She'd completely won over and over again but hadn't been given any kind of admission of defeat. It had never been about the money.

It had been about her pride.

"...Get your dice ready, and prepare to lose!" said Tsunade.

"Lady Tsunade, don't do it! This entire thing is completely rigged!" said Shizune. "He's only luring you into this trap! That's what this entire thing has been about!"

"Quiet! I'm not going to let him get away with that kind of talk. I'll wipe that smirk off your face," said Tsunade. "But, I'm using my own dice for this."

"I promise you," said Naruto. "I'll won't rig the game on your behalf."

Naruto mentally nudged the dice, so they landed the way he wanted them to land. Because, of course, he did.

The dice fell as hard as Itachi Uchiha had fallen upon his clan. They make as well have shaken the foundations of the earth. Naruto smiled. "Wow, looks like you rolled snakes' eyes.

"Appropriate, given who you used to be on a team with. And you now belong to me."

Tsunade flinched back, then raised a hand. "Feel free to try and make me-"

Naruto, however, didn't wait to seize his prey. Shizune's baggage flew open, and out of it flew Tsunade's I.O.U's. Each one stretches and warps, tying around Tsunade and pulling her toward Naruto. Her eyes widened in this adorable fashion. Her legendary strength was rendered futile, and her legendary bosom was accentuated. Her squirming was just great.

Naruto wanted to devour her here and now, but he'd wait on that.

"What? What is... what is this?!" said Tsunade, trussed up on the gambling table by the proof of her old debts.

Shizune drew out a wrist-mounted crossbow and fired, only for the arrows to evaporate in moments. Naruto took the opportunity to put a hand on Tsunade's head, feeling her hair.

"Lady Tsunade, let her go!" said Shizune.

"Wow, Tsunade, you look even better tied up?" said Naruto. "Like the ropes. I made them out of the I.O.U's you kept in your case and infused them with chakra. Sometimes you've just got to put the extra work in to show you care."

"Release me!" said Tsunade.

"Hmm, let me think about that," said Naruto. "No.

"Funny, isn't it?

"That's the problem with gambling. Every time you win, you get more confident. So you gamble more and more, and eventually, you bust.

"I guess this means I own you now."

"Now hold on, you can't do this!" said Shizune. "You've been manipulating those dice rolls. You made Tsunade win over and over again until she lost at the last minute."

"You didn't have a problem with me cheating when it was in your favor," said Naruto. "And I won fair and square."

"You didn't win fairly!" said Tsunade. "You cheated!"

"Oh, oh did I?" asked Naruto. "You mean like you cheated all those money lenders and banks so you could gamble away their finances? I'm not sure you're one to be challenging me here, Tsunade."

"Well... you exploited Lady Tsunade's flaws to trick her into this," said Shizune. "It wasn't fair!"

"I didn't trick her into anything!" said Naruto. "I made it obvious that I was rigging the game in her favor! You told her as much, and she ignored you! Hell, I even said that I wouldn't rig the game in her favor for this round! I couldn't have made it plainer what I was going to do if I tried!

"It's not my fault if she decided to be stupid and bet herself for more money she didn't need! If you'd just taken the cash, you could have paid off all your debts and been done with it! And what's more, after you lost, you immediately tried to use brute force to go back on your end of the bargain!

"So yeah, I own Tsunade now. Slavery is legal in the Land of Fire, and I'm a god anyway."

"No, so fast! I challenge you for ownership of Lady Tsunade!" said Shizune.

"Shizune, no!?" said Tsunade. "Get out of here?!"

Naruto, however, was actually intrigued. "What exactly are you going to gamble in return?"

"I... if you win, I'll be your slave as well," said Shizune.

Naruto kind of liked the idea of enslaving Shizune; she was very nice in a hot librarian sort of way. "Alright, fair enough.

"But... I don't think that's an even wager. I mean, your soul is probably a lot more valuable than Lady Tsunade's."

"What?!" said Tsunade in outrage.

"Well, I mean, you've been lying and cheating your way across the lands for years," said Naruto. "Shizune, meanwhile, has remained completely loyal to you. The worst thing she's done is fail to stop you physically. Which isn't really in her power.

"I guess she could have abandoned you, but where else is she supposed to go?"

"Why you... I'll have you know that I am a Princess of the Senju Clan!" said Tsunade. "You have no right to act like I'm less valuable than Shizune!

"I mean... obviously Shizune is an excellent ninja in her own right, but... well... there's no comparison."

Naruto looked at Shizune, who seemed a little offended. "...Anyways.

"So, I'll tell you what. I'll wager Tsunade against you. And I'll match your value by providing all the money necessary to pay off her debts."

"Where are you getting all this money from?" asked Tsunade.

"You probably should have asked that question before you challenged me," said Naruto. "But to be honest, I'm taking the gold from undiscovered mining sites. Since I found it, it belongs to me. I am a law-abiding citizen, Tsunade.

"Honestly, I don't even care about the money. I'd use it for paving streets if there was enough of it." He paused.

"Oh, and one more thing," said Shizune. "You've predicted which way any dice I throw will land. So I don't want to play you in a game of chance. We'll play shogi instead."

"As you wish," said Naruto. "You know, I think I love you, Shizune."

The words affected her, and she blushed. "I uh... you won't distract me."

"Wait! Shizune! Don't do this! Back out now before-" began Tsunade.

Naruto had had enough.

Levitating Tsunade up, he kissed her pull on the lips. As he did, he poured his chakra into her body. Tsunade's eyes widened as her head sprouted a pair of yellow fox ears. The fake youth that she maintained with her henge faded and became real youth. Then Naruto broke the kiss and put an I.O.U in her mouth.

"I think I've heard just about enough from you for the moment, Tsunade," said Naruto, before tossing her to one side.

"MMPH!" screamed Tsunade, a foxtail sprouting from her back.

"Now, why don't we play," said Naruto.

Shizune was way nicer than Tsunade. She was a trained medical ninja who had grown up admiring Tsunade. When Tsunade had abandoned the village, Shizune had dropped a promising career. All to follow her. Since then, she'd spent years as Tsunade's keeper, trying and failing to keep her out of trouble.

The girl had given up a lot of her own identity in the process, and she was aware of the fact as she sat down at the table. She knew full well that Naruto could more or less do whatever he wanted, no matter what happened. She was gambling her life for Tsunade.

"You can take the money and leave if you want," said Naruto. "I didn't actually win all that back. So you are arguably the rightful owner. You don't have to put this kind of risk in.

"I mean, you completely warned Tsunade. She has no one to blame for this situation but herself. Are you really willing to cross a god just to save her?"

Shizune wasn't.

Naruto could tell by the way she was shaking that she was terrified out of her mind. She'd seen exactly how dangerous Naruto was from the beginning and didn't want to end up like Tsunade. Years of ceaselessly trying to curb her efforts were weighing on her.

Shizune wanted to run.

To flee back to the Leaf or anywhere and seek work as a medical ninja. No one could say she could have done anything else. But she was still going to fight him. "I... I can't... I have to win, for Lady Tsunade's sake!"

Except it wasn't for Tsunade's sake. Tsunade wasn't worth this, and Shizune knew it. She was doing it purely because it was the right thing to do. Shizune had never been more beautiful than now.

Naruto smiled. "I forfeit."

Shizune shuddered. "...What?"

"I forfeit the game," said Naruto. "Lady Tsunade is now yours to do with as you will. You can have her as a slaver, or a lover, or whatever you want."

"I want Lady Tsunade to be free," said Shizune.

"Done," said Naruto. "You keep the ears and tail, though. Let's call it a reminder."

The I.O.U's unwound themselves around Tsunade, who pulled herself up. She looked at Naruto warily, tail downturned. "...You're just letting us go."

"No I'm letting you go because I love Shizune," said Naruto. "She's impressed me. You now have more money than anyone could reasonably spend. And all those debts can be paid off.

"But you don't have to pay them off; you don't want to. Though, I'd argue the money could belong to Shizune. Either way, you can decide that between yourselves."

"What was the point of all this?!" said Tsunade. "To give me a handout?!"

"If you want to interpret it that way, go ahead," said Naruto. "All I can say was that I was bored, and I figured I'd go after someone in need of karma. But, you don't have to change or anything if you don't want to, I'll still love you.

"You can feel free to be the same hedonistic, overly indulgent brute that walked into this tent. That's your choice. But I'm hoping you'll be a little bit smarter about taking bets."

Then he kissed Shizune and Tsunade on the lips before they could move. A moment later, he and the pavilion vanished, and he was heading back to the Leaf.

He'd devour them soon enough, and they'd love every minute of it. But for now, that had been an excellent vacation.