Naruto: Fate System

A day later, to Shin's surprise, Rai gave in much sooner than expected. Too easy. People don't break this quickly unless there's something else at play.

Just as he was worrying about whether Rai might have some hidden motives, panicked pleas reached his ears.

"Please! Save my sister! She's in danger! I'll do anything you ask, just save her!"

Only then did Shin learn that Nonō was already on her way, pursued by several enemies. The revelation made his earlier suspicions fade—fear for family was one of the few things that could break someone this thoroughly.

"Who's chasing her?" he asked immediately, stepping closer to the cell.

"I don't know. Our summoning beast can't convey such complex information. It doesn't recognize them."

"But they must be strong—my sister can't possibly fight them off! Please, save her!"

At that moment, Rai cast aside everything, falling to his knees before Shin. His forehead touched the cold stone floor, pride completely abandoned in exchange for his sister's safety.

This display of raw emotion moved Shin slightly. After some thought, he decided to take a risk.

He instructed Kakuzu, who stood behind him. "Plant a thread in his body. If he does anything suspicious, take his heart immediately. Can you handle that?"

Kakuzu nodded silently.

Receiving the confirmation, Shin lifted all restrictions on the dungeon.

"Let's go."

Rai hesitated, eyes darting between the open door and Shin. "Where?"

"To save your sister. Didn't you just say she needed help?" Shin asked a bit impatiently. Every moment here was time lost in reaching Nonō.

Cautiously, Rai took a step out of the cell. His legs trembled slightly from days of confinement. Realizing he was truly free, he finally believed it.

His initial hope had only been for Akatsuki to take Nonō in. He hadn't expected such a sudden and overwhelming response.

"This way! The summoning beast's message came from this direction!" Rai pointed urgently.

However, after leaving the dungeon, they unexpectedly encountered a visitor.

And not just any visitor—an unwelcome one.

Tsunade stood outside Shin's courtyard, her green jacket fluttering in the wind. Shizune stood slightly behind her, head wrapped in bloodied bandages, face pale as fresh snow.

It seemed Tsunade's anger was connected to this.

The moment they met, before Shin could even speak, Tsunade leaped high into the air, lifting one leg up.

Then, her raised leg came down like a battle axe, the air itself seeming to split before her attack.

"Heaven Kick of Pain!"

At that moment, Shin was completely dumbfounded.

Making it worse, behind him stood his courtyard—his current home. The building he'd spent weeks making livable, filled with his plans and preparations.

Dodging would mean his house would be destroyed, and he'd worked too hard setting up this base to let that happen.

Reluctantly, he clapped his hands together and used his new move on the spot. As an innate skill of his physique, this technique required no hand signs.

Several chains shot out from behind him, crossing in front of him and blocking Tsunade's kick.

Boom!

The impact sent shockwaves through the courtyard, cracking stone and shattering nearby windows.

Shin's feet were forced deep into the ground, buried up to his knees. The earth cracked and splintered around him like a spider's web. The immense force traveled through the chains, making his entire body shake, his cheeks trembling as if in waves.

Despite his chattering teeth, Shin reacted swiftly, immediately activating a genjutsu. What a violent woman. Redirect anger, seek information.

"What happened? Why are you here?"

Tsunade's sudden attack had not only caught him off guard but also left him feeling quite puzzled.

They had never crossed paths before—in fact, he'd always made it a point to stay clear of the Legendary Sucker.

Then Tsunade's response left him even more confused.

"Do you have to drag others into your declaration of war with Konoha? If you're so determined to kill me, here I am. Face me directly! Stop involving others!"

Involving others? Dragging people in? What the fuck is going on?

Seems like someone's using my name. Who's framing me? Danzo? I was thinking too much about late-game benefits. Should've just killed him even if I have to sacrifice the rewards.

Looking at Shizune's condition, Shin had a rough idea why Tsunade was so furious. 

Just as he was puzzling over this, the culprit revealed himself. And he was right next to him.

Kakuzu took two steps forward, his movement casual as if he wasn't interrupting a potential death match. He snorted, met Tsunade's gaze. "You think you can just refuse to pay your debts?"

For a moment, Tsunade looked stunned. The pressure on Shin's chains lessened slightly as her focus shifted.

"And who are you?" she asked.

"I'm the one who hired people to attack you. If you have a problem, I'm the one you should be dealing with!"

"You have a grudge against Konoha too? Why drag in me and my student?!" Her fist clenched, chakra gathering visibly around it.

"No! Who cares about Konoha's petty affairs? I'm after you! It's time to pay your debt!"

In that moment, Shin saw a visible change on Tsunade's face.

"So... this was just to collect a debt?" she asked, somewhat uncertain. Her killing intent had completely dissipated, replaced by an almost comical discomfort. 

Kakuzu responded decisively, "Of course! Money never disappoints! Pay your debt—it's only right!"

"..."

"..."

The atmosphere grew awkward.

Tsunade's aggression completely dissipated, and she even looked as if she wanted to flee.

Beside her, a pitiful Shizune couldn't help but glance at her teacher with some reproach. "Tsunade-sama... all this over gambling debts? Again?"

She had thought an enemy of Konoha was targeting them out of revenge, only to realize all of this was because Tsunade herself had failed to repay a debt.

I was only collateral damage, Shizune thought helplessly. Her ribs still ached from where one of the debt collectors had landed a particularly nasty hit.

At last, with the misunderstanding resolved, Shin found his chance to speak up.

"Since this misunderstanding is cleared up, why don't we all calm down and come in for some tea?" He gestured toward the door with a smile, carefully positioning himself between Kakuzu and Tsunade.

Feeling guilty for having kicked him since learning of his innocence, Tsunade awkwardly accepted his invitation and, half-pushed by Shizune, followed him into the house.

Once seated and with some warm tea, they finally clarified the situation. Shin made sure to keep Kakuzu and Tsunade separated by the width of the table.

It all started a few days ago.

At the time, Shin had rushed back to the base to rescue Yahiko, leaving the siege operation to Kakuzu.

Kakuzu did an excellent job—so excellent, in fact, that it was almost too good. The merchants were quite cooperative once they understood their position. Especially after he showed them what would happen to those who weren't.

He thoroughly looted the city, leaving the wealthy nobles and merchants with no choice but to hand over everything they had.

For those who truly couldn't produce money, they even dug up old IOUs that had been stored away for years and handed them over. Dusty boxes were emptied, secret compartments revealed, all to appease the terrifying man who valued money above all else.

One of these IOUs caught his attention—it was signed by none other than Tsunade, and the debt was no small amount.

For someone as loyal to money as Kakuzu, the idea of someone owing him money and not paying was simply intolerable.

The previous holders of the IOUs had never bothered to chase the debt for two main reasons.

First, everyone knew that Tsunade was powerful and had extensive experience avoiding debts—any attempts to collect were likely futile.

Second, Tsunade had another widely recognized identity: the greatest medical ninja in the world. No one wanted to offend her, as her skills could mean the difference between life and death.

In fact, many merchants kept the IOUs not to reclaim the money but as a life-saving token, hoping that they might one day trade the debt for a chance at survival.

But Kakuzu couldn't care less about such things.

Saving lives? He didn't need it. He only cared about money!

So, armed with the IOUs the merchants had handed over, he organized a team to start collecting debts—by any means necessary.

This, of course, caused great trouble for Tsunade—or more accurately, for Shizune. The young medic unconsciously rubbed her bruised ribs, drawing a guilty look from her mentor.

Tsunade slammed her fist on the table in anger, causing the tea cups to rattle dangerously. She was seemingly trying to mask her guilt with outrage. "Is that how you collect debts? You hired a bunch of thugs! Shizune almost got killed by them!"

"Tsunade-sama," Shizune added quietly, still nursing her side, "they weren't just thugs. They were trained killers. That last one used Lightning Release..."

The debt collectors this time were so ruthless that Tsunade initially didn't even realize they were after money.

She mistook them for assassins sent by Akatsuki, who had just declared war on Konoha.

Kakuzu snorted, looking down at her. "How else was I supposed to get you to pay up? Pay your debt already! The total amount on these IOUs is—"

Before Kakuzu could finish, Tsunade was already thinking about escaping. Her eyes darted between the door and window, measuring distances.

This whole mess had gotten too big, and all she wanted now was to get away as quickly as possible.

Inwardly, she swore to herself that she would never set foot in the Land of Rain again.

But before Kakuzu could reveal the shocking sum, Shin interrupted him, stopping him from saying the number out loud.

He didn't want to hear it either—he was afraid the sheer amount might shake his resolve.

"I think there's still room for negotiation here." He raised a hand to silence Kakuzu, who glowered but complied.

"Your debt is now under the ownership of Akatsuki. If you can't pay in cash, we're open to alternative forms of repayment. For instance, how about conducting lectures and teaching medical skills here?"

"Would that work for you?"

Tsunade instinctively wanted to refuse. She thought they were trying to rope her into fighting again—a shinobi's life was something she was already sick of.

Especially when these people were dangerous individuals who had just declared war on her village.

But when she heard the end of his suggestion, she was taken aback. "Lectures? You mean me?"

"Of course. You are the greatest medical ninja of this era. Rest assured, we'll compensate you with a fee worthy of your expertise."

Tsunade, who had faced resistance even within her own village when trying to reform medical ninja training, now found herself unexpectedly respected in a foreign land.

The feeling was... rather strange.

"You're not tricking me, are you, kid?" Her eyes narrowed, but there was less hostility now, more careful consideration.

"How could I? I'm always sincere." Shin's smile remained steady and warm. Her medical expertise could be invaluable for what's coming.

Kakuzu glanced at him out of the corner of his eye but said nothing. His fingers drummed silently on the stack of IOUs, but he seemed willing to let this play out.

Shin stood up. "But I have urgent matters to handle right now. Let's discuss the details when I return. Is that alright?" Better end this before Kakuzu loses patience entirely. I wasted too much time, I hope Nonō is still alive.

With the misunderstanding resolved, Tsunade had calmed down. The Sannin sat back in her chair, one hand absently playing with her necklace.

Shin didn't want to stay any longer.

Tsunade hesitated, still weighing her options, but when she heard that he was leaving, she suddenly grew anxious.

"I'll need to think more about the lectures." She stood up, pushing back her chair. "But do you need any help with what's next? I might be able to assist—for a fee, of course, deducted from my debt."

Shizune's eyes widened slightly at her mentor's offer. It had been a long time since she'd seen Tsunade willingly offer her services, especially to potential enemies.

She didn't want to get too entangled with the Land of Rain, but she also knew she was at fault today.

She wanted to resolve the matter quickly and cleanly. A debt was a debt, after all.

Even in the original story, Tsunade, despite becoming Hokage, never tried to shirk her gambling debts. Her reputation in this regard had always been solid.

Of course, this was also because she didn't yet know what Shin was about to face.

Shin thought for a moment and nodded. "Alright. I'd appreciate your help."

Kakuzu watched the exchange silently. The IOUs remained clutched in his hand, but for now, at least, money would have to wait. Sometimes even he understood that there were investments worth more than immediate payment.

As they prepared to leave, Shizune gathered their few belongings, her movements still careful around her injuries. She caught Tsunade's eye and gave a small nod of approval.

Perhaps this unexpected turn of events would lead to something worthwhile after all.

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