บท 143: Chapter 143: "Shikaku's Unbeatable Strategy, Tsunade Loses It"
As Tsunade and Takuya went back and forth, they seamlessly passed the responsibility onto Shikaku Nara.
By this point, if Shikaku still didn't realize what was happening, he might as well stop being a Nara.
From the moment Takuya and Tsunade began their conversation, Shikaku sensed something was off. It didn't take him long to figure out that he had been reassigned to a new task: he was now part of the negotiations with the Rain Village.
Tsunade was leading the negotiation team, with Takuya as one of the members, and somehow, Shikaku had been roped into it without a choice.
And as Takuya and Tsunade continued to pass the buck, a cold sweat formed on Shikaku's forehead. This wasn't good.
The Nara clan might be known for their intelligence, but they all had one thing in common: they were lazy and hated trouble.
Seeing Tsunade and Takuya throw the problem at him, Shikaku couldn't stay calm anymore. He quickly interrupted them.
"Tsunade-sama, are you sure you want to leave something this important to a kid like me?"
Tsunade glanced over at Shikaku, who had been nearly forgotten in the conversation, and thought for a moment before answering, "No problem. If Takuya says you're up for it, then you're up for it. I trust you."
But Shikaku didn't trust himself!
On the verge of tears, he looked desperately at Takuya for help.
Takuya, however, kept his head down, pretending to be too focused on his food to notice.
This is a trap!
Shikaku had fallen into a pit—one so deep that he didn't know how to climb out. He was torn between wanting to refuse but knowing he couldn't.
Not refusing meant taking on a mountain of trouble. Negotiating with a "demigod" like Hanzo? He'd be lucky if he didn't get sliced in half!
Feeling anxious and defeated, Shikaku barely remembered finishing his meal.
"Perfect, we've got three people now! Let's play some cards. It's been so long—I've been dying for a game!" Tsunade exclaimed after the meal, pushing her dishes aside and pulling a deck of cards from her jacket.
She waved Takuya over. "Come on, kid! This time, I'm gonna wipe the floor with you!"
"With those skills even a dog wouldn't bother looking at?" Takuya teased. "You think you can beat me?"
What's next? Betting clothes off? he thought. And dragging Shikaku into this? You're gonna lose so bad you won't even have a shirt left!
"Come here, Shikaku," Tsunade called, motioning him over.
"By the way, what's your name again…?" Tsunade asked, squinting at him.
"Shikaku Nara..." Shikaku replied, feeling a bit of a stab in his heart.
"Eh, doesn't matter. As long as you can play, we're good. Oh, and no IOUs," she said, slapping the small pile of cash she'd earned recently on the table.
Takuya folded his arms and leaned back, waiting for Tsunade's inevitable downfall.
The rules weren't difficult. As someone from the highly intelligent Nara clan, Shikaku memorized them quickly and was soon pulled into the game.
Takuya played it cool this time, avoiding being the landlord whenever possible and keeping a low profile.
It was time for Shikaku to give Tsunade a lesson.
Tsunade's expression shifted from excitement to confusion, then to frustration, and finally, full-blown anger.
Within an hour, her pile of money was gone, most of it scooped up by Shikaku.
Focused and calculating, Shikaku was too deep into the game to notice Tsunade's growing fury. He meticulously counted every card, leaving Tsunade with no chance.
"This game's pretty interesting," Shikaku mused, playing a pair of twos.
Tsunade likely didn't have anything left to counter it, so…
"Three!" Shikaku declared calmly.
"…"
Tsunade's forehead vein bulged, but Shikaku kept on with his meticulous calculations. He was worse than Takuya—at least Takuya would sometimes go easy on her.
Not Shikaku, though. He was in it to win, oblivious to the rising tension.
Everyone always said the Nara clan was brilliant but had issues with emotional intelligence. This moment was proof.
Unable to take it anymore, Tsunade slammed a joker onto the table. "Take that!"
But Shikaku wasn't fazed. "Bomb."
"And a four."
As the single four hit the table, Takuya burst into laughter.
"I can't... I need a break!" Takuya said, unable to contain his amusement.
"What's so funny?" Shikaku asked, confused as he looked up from his intense card-counting.
BAM!
Tsunade couldn't take it any longer. She slammed her hands on the table, grabbed Shikaku by the collar, and lifted him off the ground.
"You little brat, you're doing this on purpose, aren't you?!" she roared.
After being relentlessly outplayed for an hour straight, Tsunade was at her breaking point. Anyone would be.
Shikaku, still engrossed in his thoughts, had been completely unaware of Tsunade's growing rage. But now, dangling from her grip, it finally dawned on him.
"I swear, Tsunade-sama, I wasn't trying to target you. I was just thinking… about strategy," Shikaku said, scrambling to explain.
Tsunade wasn't buying it.
"Liar! I play a pair of twos, and you throw down a joker! I play a joker, and you bomb me! I play a straight, and then you—what's that phrase again?" Tsunade turned to Takuya.
"Break the bank," Takuya grinned.
Tsunade's eyes lit up. "Yeah, break the bank! Every time I play a straight, you break the bank! You're out to get me, aren't you?"
"What's your deal, kid? Are you trying to drive me insane?" Tsunade fumed.
"But you were the landlord," Shikaku stammered. "I was just following the rules. The farmers are supposed to stop the landlord from winning, right? I wasn't doing it on purpose, I swear!"
"Oh, really?" Tsunade said, narrowing her eyes as she dropped Shikaku back into his chair and planted her hands on her hips.
"Then how come when Takuya was the landlord, you didn't do that to him? I was in the middle of playing, and you just shut me down. What's that about, huh?"
"That was because… uh, your hand was almost empty, so I played to stop you…" Shikaku trailed off, realizing there was no way to win this argument.
"You! Come outside right now!" Tsunade barked, dragging Shikaku out of the tent by his collar. She was determined to give him a piece of her mind.
Poor guy. He might've been a genius, but his emotional intelligence needed some serious work. Tsunade was going to teach him a lesson, no doubt about that.
Takuya could barely contain his laughter. "Better him than me."
Shikaku had dug his own grave by getting so wrapped up in the game. It wasn't Takuya's fault Tsunade was about to lose her mind over it.
Besides, Tsunade wouldn't actually kill him. At worst, he'd take a beating. No big deal.
Consider it a lesson learned.
Ten minutes later, Shikaku returned with a swollen eye. Tsunade was nowhere to be seen, most likely off to the medical unit.
***********
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