Tsunade may have been gambling, but her heart wasn't in it. She could sense the jitters from Shizune as she clutched Tonton in nervousness.

Ever since they met him, Shizune was a bit shaken up. She tried to remain calm and level headed, but Tsunade could read her like an open-book.

(She knew Shinzune was more shaken up by her own reaction)

Part of Tsunade wanted to live obliviously. She just wanted to gamble all of this blood money away and try not to think of the teachings from her grandfather and his brother. She didn't want to think about how she let them all down. Her grandfather would smile understandingly, but give a sad smile to what happened to their clan and his last descendant.

Her grandfather was strong and so was her granduncle. They were both willing to lay down their lives for their village and its future. Tsunade thought she was strong when she had Jiraiya and Oro-

Well, some memories were better left forgotten. Hopefully they can forgive her. She wasn't as strong as they might have hoped. She was already breaking apart after Dan's death and then their child's. Nawaki's death shattered her beyond repair.

She wasn't strong enough to be like them. She just couldn't take it anymore.

She could only smell the scent of blood and see that bloody necklace. She was cursed. She had to be.

(That isn't what Nawaki said-)

Tsunade could only stare in despair when there were loud cries as she won the game. People were dumbfounded since, after all, she was the Legendary Sucker. How could she win?

It felt cold. It tasted like iron and ash.

This has happened before. She felt too sober for this.

Shizune was giving her concerned glances as Tsunade gulped down the alcohol, before slamming it to the table. Shizune collected the money for her, but Tsunade could see her hands trembling from nerves.

They both had a bad feeling about this. It was Deja Vu.

Tonton gave a sharp whine and Tsunade tensed up. Tonton wasn't warning them about debt collectors.

Tsunade was torn. She knew he was here to collect what she owed. She also knew it was a chance he could confirm her fears and worries.

(There was a chance he might change his mind. There was a chance he might agree to another bet-)

They had to get out of here and fast.

"Shizune, we're leaving!" Tsunade barked as she stood up. Shizune, who was a good kid and she could never understand why Shizune was willing to leave Konoha for her, knew the routine and obediently followed her.

They have escaped many debt collectors before, but this gave her more anxiety than most escapades.

She actually missed Jiraiya. If he was here, she could punch him after he some sort of stupid comment. Though he was an idiot, he was her idiot.

(Oro, for all the genius he had, was also an idiot. She missed those times)

They were hurriedly leaving the streets and ducking alleyways, when someone appeared before them.

It was as-if he appeared from thin air. It reminded her of another technique, but that man was long dead while her teacher and best friend still mourned for him.

However, this man did not use seals. He did not use chakra for his technique. And, despite that eye on his face, he did not use his Sharingan for it either. He chose not to.

She examined his body before. This man… was unnatural for many reasons. She examined him, yes, but only because she wanted answers. She needed them to understand how this Uchiha could wield her grandfather's bloodline.

(She needed to know if Orochimaru was involved in this and if someone desecrated her family's remains)

He threw her off with a revelation she didn't expect. She still didn't know if she wanted to erase it from her mind, or find it comforting instead.

The man was carrying a red-haired child who was asleep.

"No," Tsunade immediately said. Figures her bad luck was catching up with her.

"You lost the bet," Hari said with a raised eyebrow.

"I thought we agreed that I won't be healing anyone," Tsunade hissed. She shifted her body to cover Shizune who was clutching Tonton. She couldn't live with herself if Shizune got hurt. She tensed in anticipation.

"I thought the bet was as long as it doesn't involve blood?" Hari looked amused. His eyes darted from Tsunade to something behind her and back. She wouldn't have caught it if she wasn't watching him so closely.

The answer to a question she didn't even ask made her flinch. She wanted to break something. She clutched her necklace tightly.

"I can smell the blood off of him," Tsunade replied and Hari scowled deeply.

Interesting. This man was an enigma. He was always polite and secretive, but this was the first time she saw a dark look overcome him. Despite having no chakra signature, Tsunade hasn't fought wars and survived to not know someone dangerous when she saw them.

There was a pause of silence as Hari seemed to be in deep thought.

She shouldn't have. She knew it was a lost cause, but in the end, did the Legendary Sucker ever know when to cut her losses?

"Let me see him," she asked with a determined glint in her eyes.

They both knew she wasn't talking about the child Hari was carrying.

Hari just looked at her silently.

"He's my little brother!" Tsunade yelled, her voice cracked, but she was still angry. It was ripping open wounds that never fully healed. "If he's still here and not able to move on… let me see him. Please. I need to talk to him."

"He is still here because he can't move on. I already told you his regrets and what he needs to leave this limbo. He wants the best for his big sister. He wants you to be happy and…" Hari stopped there. He had a strange look on his face. Was it bitterness, anger, disgust, or all three? He took a deep breath. "He wants you to become Hokage. He thinks his big sister would make a great leader and could become even greater than your grandfather. If he had to entrust someone with his dream… it would be you."

Tsunade was shaking her head before he even finished. She was a shinobi. Even when he relayed things from Nawaki's ghost to prove it was him, she would never trust a word out of his mouth. She would only trust it when she saw her brother with her own eyes.

(She just wanted to see her brother one last time and say sorry and express how much she loved him)

"You shouldn't cling to the dead. I did it a few times and watched as their grief consumed them. None wanted to part with the stone. Even if you can talk to him, he won't come back to life. Senju Nawaki is dead. If I let you talk to him, I can't guarantee you will be able to let him go," Hari replied with the same answer he gave before, but the answer wasn't good enough for her.

He had NO right to decide what to do with her life involving her brother!

They were at a stalemate. Tsunade inhaled sharply from frustration. She really was too sober for this.

"What do you want then?" she snapped impatiently. "I agreed to a favor and I am keeping my word. Set the kid down and I'll examine him."

Surprisingly, Hari shook his head.

"I need to see Jiraiya," he explained in a serious tone before looking around. There was no one nearby, before he finished his statement softly. "He's a jinchuriki and he has a flawed seal."

Fuck her life. Even if she wanted to punch the idiot, that didn't mean she wanted to see him anytime soon.

I LEGIT FORGOT THE EMAIL FOR THIS ACCOUNT FOR TWO YEARS GJNDJHDJJDJ Time to speedrun updating all my fics since I'm behind on this website