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They even tried every means to broaden their sources of income.

He knew very well that ninjas were essentially mercenaries, and those with strong beliefs were ultimately a minority; mere spiritual appeal was far from enough. Sufficient compensation was the most fundamental guarantee for turning his ninjas into his indispensable fighting force.

To this end, the government has introduced a series of economic policies to boost people's livelihoods and businesses.

Driven by policy, Konoha's overall prosperity has steadily increased.

The village's appearance is updated every year, and undergoes a major transformation every three years, with an increasingly strong sense of modernization.

Furthermore, with the subsequent support of Nawaki becoming the Daimyo, Konoha received a continuous influx of resources, propelling the village on its path to becoming the most advanced city in the ninja world, and making it an undisputed beacon of civilization.

With economic development, many large chain gambling dens have emerged in Konoha.

Many casinos were long-established businesses rooted in Tanzaku Street. Hearing of Konoha's prosperity and its open policies, they flocked to open branches there.

In response to these gambling dens, limited control rules were established. Casinos were allowed to operate and profit in Konoha, but the Hokage Building would take the lion's share of the profits as "protection fees."

It's real protection...

Many ninjas lacking self-control, after risking their lives to complete their missions and receive their rewards from the Hokage Building, immediately squandered them in gambling dens, with their money ultimately flowing back to the Hokage Building.

This forms a unique internal circulation of funds within the Konoha (Leaf) system.

What if someone gets so enraged that they cause trouble in the village? Even the weakest genin can kill ordinary people like it's nothing.

In critical moments, we still need Konoha's protection.

On the outskirts of Konoha Village, inside the largest gambling den.

The casino owner and his men watched the center with trepidation.

Inside the VIP room, Tsunade wore a green jacket emblazoned with the word "gambling," her hair styled in two braids that cascaded over her shoulders, and her hands and feet were painted with vibrant red nail polish.

At this moment, she was sitting in the center with a little girl who looked to be only five or six years old.

The little girl sat between Tsunade's legs, her head resting on Tsunade's broad chest.

She had rare purple hair, clear black eyes, wore a robe embroidered with the character "Zen," and a green crystal necklace around her neck. She held a cup of milk tea in her arms and watched quietly.

The dealer wiped the sweat from his brow and finished shaking the dice.

"Please...please place your bet."

The game they were playing was very simple: the dealer would shake a pot to place bets, and after the sum of the three dice was added together, the gamblers would bet on either "D" or "Half," and the pot would be opened to determine the winner.

"Maki, is this a C or a B?"

The little girl named Maki took a sip of her milk tea and said succinctly, "Ding."

"Okay! Let's go with Ding!"

Tsunade waved her hand boldly and pushed all the chips in front of her out.

The dealer opened the lid of the pot and announced the result in a trembling voice: "Three, six, nine, Ding..."

"Hahaha, it's all my money!"

Tsunade was overjoyed; she had earned at least several million taels from this trip.

She stood up, pressing her broad chest completely against Maki's small head, and with a sweep of her large hand, she gathered all the chips in front of the dealer and other gamblers in front of her.

The bookmaker and casino owner standing to the side had bitter expressions on their faces.

Everyone in the gambling world knows that Tsunade from Konoha is a big fat sheep; she can come to a gambling den and easily throw away millions of taels of silver.

But ever since she started taking Maki with her, things have completely reversed; she's won every bet ever since.

The gambling dens, which were originally dens of greed, became their ATMs.

Zenin Maki struggled to push aside the soft obstruction pressing down on her head, correcting her with a dissatisfied expression.

"It's our money."

"Maki, you're too young, you can't handle this."

"I'll save this for you first."

Tsunade probably felt a little bad about it, so she casually pulled out a thousand-tael silver note from the pile of chips and handed it to Maki: "Here, take this, it's enough for you to buy lots of milk tea."

Chapter 208 Shinji no Naka de Zenin Maki

"We have to split it in half, or I'll never come with you again."

Maki stood her ground, her soft, sweet voice paired with her youthful yet serious expression as she solemnly issued a warning.

"Really..."

Tsunade muttered, "What do you need so much money for, you're just a kid?"

Through long-term practice, Tsunade actually knew about her special luck at the gambling table.

She possesses an uncanny ability to win against all odds; in her peaceful daily life, she always loses when gambling, and even when good things happen, she loses even more; but once she is lucky enough to win a bet, it foreshadows that disaster will soon befall her.

In fact, she didn't like gambling at all; she just used it as her own unique way of divination.

But Maki's situation was exactly the opposite of hers. From the moment she brought Maki to the gambling table on her third birthday, Tsunade discovered that the child carried a very pure and positive luck.

Even when faced with their own misfortune, they can still win steadily.

From then on, Tsunade became obsessed with Maki.

What a great excuse to get close to her! Every few days, I would take her out to play from home.

Because of Maki's background, and the fact that they are sisters fighting side-by-side in the casino, Tsunade and Maki, though not mother and daughter, have a relationship that is closer than sisters.

On Maki's fifth birthday, Tsunade gave her the Wood Release necklace that Hashirama had left for her.

What appears to be a spur-of-the-moment birthday gift was actually an idea Tsunade had long ago. The proof is that she didn't even give the necklace to her younger brother, Nawaki, when he went to the capital to take up his post.

Oh, so dear!

“Half it is.” Tsunade agreed. “But one trip isn’t enough. We need at least ten trips, and I’ll give you half each time.”

Ten times?!

The casino owner's expression changed slightly.

Every time they come, he loses millions of taels of silver. If they come ten more times, his casino simply won't be able to survive.

If it were any ordinary guest, he would have already sent his thugs to teach them a lesson. But the two people in front of him were a princess of the Land of Fire and a princess of Konoha, neither of whom he could afford to offend.

It's alright if we can't beat them.

If they win, I'm afraid his entire clan in the capital will be reduced to ashes.

He could only manage a forced smile as he stepped forward, rubbing his hands together, and tentatively began, "Gentlemen... our small shop has very little profit and really can't withstand this kind of strain. In the future, please find another place to relax."

Tsunade's expression was unfriendly: "What? You welcomed me when I lost before, but now that I'm winning, you won't let me play? Do you look down on the Will of Fire?"

"No, absolutely not!"

Being branded with such a serious accusation, the casino owner's smile was more like a grimace: "My boss has given me a death order, strictly forbidding you two from gambling in the shop again, or my whole family will suffer the consequences."

"Gentlemen, please have pity on me. The Will of Fire wouldn't want the villagers of Konoha to suffer, would it?"

"Tsk, forget it, I'm not some kind of demon, I won't come again."

Tsunade waved her hand dismissively, put the money into the sealing scroll, and took Maki's hand as they walked out.

But after walking only a few steps to a secluded spot, she looked down and met Maki's gaze, a slight smile playing on her lips, and asked in a low voice, "Little Maki, how's your transformation technique coming along?"

Maki rolled her eyes in exasperation: "Tsunade-neechan, you just said you were never coming again."

“That’s what you don’t understand.” Tsunade explained in a serious tone, “He only said that the two of us shouldn’t come. If we change our identities, it naturally doesn’t count.”

“I have no problem with the transformation technique.” Maki glanced at Tsunade, “but aren’t the difference in size a bit too obvious to be easily recognized?”

"Big sister can shrink!"

Tsunade chuckled, formed a hand seal, and activated the Transformation Technique in conjunction with the Yin Seal, causing her body and clothing to shrink in sync.

Originally a mature and sophisticated woman in her twenties, she transformed into a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl in the blink of an eye. Standing next to Maki, they looked like sisters, without any sense of incongruity.

"..."

Maki had a bit of a headache.

Of all the elders she knew, Tsunade was definitely the most difficult to deal with and the least respectable of all. Not only did she call a six-year-old girl "sister," but she also called her mother "sister," completely messing up their relationships.

As the two walked out of the casino, Maki suddenly sensed something unusual and stopped in her tracks.

Tsunade was immediately puzzled. Following her gaze, she froze. There, under a telephone pole not far away, Shen and Jiri stood quietly, smiling at the two of them.

"Mom!" Maki immediately shoved Tsunade aside and ran into Chiri's arms.

Past experience had taught her that when caught gambling in the act, the most difficult person to deal with was never her father, Shen'er, but her mother, Zhili.

The Shinji couple have a very clear place in Maki's eyes.

A loving father and a strict mother.

Her father was the most forgiving of her, and she was easily forgiven no matter what mistakes she made.

Her mother was usually the one who disciplined her, and she still remembers the most profound lesson she learned.

On the same day, when she encountered an arrogant etiquette teacher, Maki beat him up so badly that he never dared to come to her house again; when she took her Uchiha and Senju clan friends out to eat and encountered a restaurant with terrible food but high prices, she simply chose not to pay.

The news reached the Hokage Building.

Chiri immediately dropped everything and personally came to bring Maki home.

then……

Maki was fortunate enough to see Chiri's kaleidoscope, but she was under a spell and severely punished. In the end, it was Shinji who rescued her. That day, little Maki cried herself to sleep in Shinji's arms until she was exhausted.

Before Chiri could even make a move, Maki immediately betrayed her teammate: "Mom, I originally wanted to practice ninjutsu at home, but Tsunade forced me to come here."

"..."

Tsunade opened her mouth subconsciously. "That's not what you said when you were collecting the bet money. Your body was clearly behaving itself."

When Tsunade was little, Jiri was always a gentle and considerate older sister. But now that she's grown up, she can't be the same as when she was a child.

Tsunade immediately pretended to be aggrieved, her eyes slightly reddening, and looked at Shen with pleading eyes: "Daddy, look, they're bullying me."

"...?"