Konoha
In an unassuming reception room, the air was filled with a faint scent of ink and the unique smell of paper.
A Middle-aged Man with black-rimmed glasses, looking somewhat rigid, sat upright, his fingers pinching a few pages of manuscript, his gaze intently reading line by line.
His brows would sometimes furrow, sometimes relax, his expression changing richly, clearly deeply engrossed by the content of the manuscript.
And sitting opposite him was Orochimaru.
He leisurely held a steaming cup of tea, his posture relaxed, as if indifferent to the editor's reaction.
This was the fastest and relatively safest way for him to make money after careful consideration.
Utilizing the intellectual wealth of other Worlds to 'plagiarize' in this World.
Given the natural popularity of Ninja-themed content in this World, the work he chose was naturally Yamada Futaro's masterpiece, "The Koga Ninpo Cho."
Of course, to adapt to the Naruto World background, he meticulously localized the era setting, Ninjutsu system, and even character titles, making them more aligned with this World's understanding.
Just like that, time slowly passed in quiet reading.
After a long while, the editor let out a long breath, carefully placing the manuscript in his hand down, as if it were not ordinary paper, but fragile treasure.
"Orochimaru… sir, this work… it’s simply… a work of genius!"
"To contend for the Daimyo's succession, the Iga and Koga Ninja schools each select ten top masters for a life-and-death showdown… This setting alone is captivating enough!
Even more incredible is that the young leaders of the two schools are a pair of ill-fated lovers!
This extreme conflict and sense of tragedy… I, I want to see the next chapter right now!"
The editor's voice carried an almost imperceptible tremor; he took off his glasses, rubbed his somewhat sore eyes, trying to calm the waves within him.
In his decade-plus career, this was the first time he had encountered such a work; this Teacher Orochimaru was definitely a genius.
"Cough~ How about we discuss the contract first?"
Orochimaru coughed lightly; he had done market research before coming, and while Ninja-themed content was popular, the writing was quite primitive.
And his work, having been market-tested in another World with developed entertainment, wasn't it a perfect example of dimensionality reduction?"
"Right, right…"
"Mr. Orochimaru, our magazine is very eager to obtain the exclusive serialization rights for this work!
We are willing to offer… this much!"
The editor took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, put his glasses back on, and held up five fingers.
Five thousand ryo per page of manuscript, which was the top-tier remuneration in the industry.
But he firmly believed that with this "Ninpo Cho," their magazine's circulation would see a leapfrog growth; this investment was absolutely worth it.
Now, the only thing to do was to obtain the serialization rights for this novel at all costs!
"Okay."
Orochimaru thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
Each page of manuscript for the magazine was 400 characters, and each of his serialized installments was between 8,000 and 10,000 characters, meaning he would receive approximately 100,000 ryo in manuscript fees.
This magazine was a weekly, which meant he would gain an additional 400,000 ryo in income each month, not counting the income from future sales of single volumes.
According to his previous research, this manuscript fee should be at the top level in the industry.
The most crucial thing was that it would bring him continuous income without much effort, and if it became popular, he might even be able to sell movie adaptation rights.
Just like that, both parties quickly reached an agreement on the details and signed a formal contract.
Then Orochimaru also received an envelope containing the signing bonus, inside were 20,000 ryo in banknotes.
Although this money wasn't much, it at least solved his immediate problem, temporarily freeing him from the predicament of "eating dirt"; now he could add two more slices of char siu to his ramen.
Leaving the slightly stuffy reception room and breathing the relatively fresh air of the street, Orochimaru was in a good mood.
Money was secondary; the main thing was to bring excellent works from another World here and promote cultural exchange between the two Worlds~
Just as he was about to go straight home and resume his training, the corner of his eye caught a glimpse of a furtive figure.
Tsunade?!
She was dressed in casual clothes, but unlike her usual boisterous self, she was somewhat furtively looking left and right, then quickly slipped into a secluded alley.
Hmm?
Orochimaru paused, somewhat curious, and followed her.
He didn't greet her directly but quietly followed behind.
With his experience from the assassin's creed World, Tsunade naturally wouldn't discover his stealth.
Upon entering the alley, Tsunade looked left and right, and after confirming no one was around, she formed the hand seal for the Transformation Technique.
"Bang!"
A puff of white smoke dissipated, and standing there was no longer the blonde girl, but a Middle-aged Man who looked about thirty or forty, with an ordinary face and a slightly bloated figure.
Transformation Technique?
Orochimaru was startled, and instantly realized that there could only be one reason for Tsunade to transform into a Middle-aged Man: to enter a place where her age made it inconvenient.
Considering this young lady's hobbies, where she was going was self-evident.
Sure enough…
Watching Tsunade, transformed, enter the casino, Orochimaru couldn't help but chuckle wryly.
His two teammates, one peeping into the women's bathhouse, the other entering a casino.
So their interests were cultivated from a young age, huh…
However, since he had encountered her, he might as well go and watch the fun.
He also performed the Transformation Technique, turning into a stern-faced, composed White-haired youth, and then unhurriedly walked into the casino hidden deep in the alley.
Inside the casino, smoke swirled, voices clamored, and the air was mixed with the smell of sweat, cheap tobacco, and alcohol, forming a stark contrast to the desolate scene on the street outside.
Various shouts, the clatter of dice, and the tapping of Pai Gow on the table rose and fell, forming the casino's unique cacophony.
Orochimaru's sharp gaze swept around, and he quickly found his target at a poker table.
The Middle-aged Man, transformed from Tsunade, sat there, fine beads of sweat on his forehead, his expression anxious, his eyes fixed on the cards in his hand, muttering to himself.
Opposite him sat a Middle-aged Man with a walrus mustache and shrewd eyes. A faint smile played on his lips, and his fingers deftly shuffled through the deck, his movements seemingly casual but showing a seasoned touch.
Orochimaru stood at the edge of the crowd, observing quietly.
After a few rounds of cards, he saw clearly.
Tsunade's luck was extremely bad; every hand she received was a combination of "junk cards," with no chance of winning.
As for the mustached man, although his technique was extremely concealed and dazzlingly fast, with Orochimaru's enhanced dynamic vision and analytical ability, he still vaguely detected a hint of something amiss.
This guy was cheating…
"Bang! You're cheating! Otherwise, my luck couldn't be this bad!"
Tsunade slammed the bad cards in her hand onto the table, pointing at the mustached man opposite her and yelling angrily.
The money didn't matter, but constantly losing did!
"Brother, you can't just throw accusations around.
My casino relies on its reputation. If you accuse me of cheating without proof, and that gets out, my name will be ruined."
The mustached man's smile remained unchanged as he spread his hands unhurriedly.
"How about this, if you don't trust me and think my methods are questionable, you can just find someone nearby to deal the cards; I have no objection."
Seeing Tsunade's lack of reaction, the mustached man paused, an expression of "thinking for your sake" on his face.
Tsunade frowned upon hearing this.
She indeed couldn't catch proof of his cheating, but she just couldn't believe her luck could be this bad.
Looking around, the gambling table was surrounded by onlookers. She was too lazy to pick carefully and casually pointed to a Middle-aged Man standing nearby who looked relatively honest:
"You! You deal the cards!"
"Alright, no problem."
Seeing the person Tsunade pointed to, the mustached man's eyes flashed with an imperceptible smile, and he readily nodded.
On the surface, it was so, but inwardly, he sneered, 'This fool, she fell for it after all.'
This "legendary big fat sheep" truly lived up to its name: foolish, rich, and concerned with appearances.
To catch this big fish today, he had made arrangements long ago; more than half the people in this casino were his shills. Pick anyone, and they were his own people.
The 'honest man' identified by Tsunade stepped forward and began to shuffle and deal the cards.
The outcome was without suspense; Tsunade continued to lose repeatedly. The chips on the table belonging to her dwindled, and her face grew uglier and uglier.
Orochimaru watched from the side, shaking his head.
He had worked hard writing novels, only to earn twenty thousand Ryo in signing fees after all that effort. Tsunade, that wasteful woman, had lost at least three hundred thousand Ryo in just this short amount of time, by his estimation!
Was it really that easy to lose money?
“That’s not how you play.”
Seeing Tsunade about to slam the table and throw a tantrum again, Orochimaru finally couldn't bear it anymore. He parted the crowd and stepped forward, pressing down on Tsunade’s hand, which was about to strike, and said indifferently.
“Who are you? Is it any of your business?”
Tsunade was seething with anger, and being interrupted, her tone was naturally very sharp.
She suddenly looked up at the white-haired young man who had appeared out of nowhere.
“Akagi Shigeru~”
Orochimaru replied, his originally pitch-black pupils instantly transforming into vertical golden snake eyes.
These eyes… are… Orochimaru?!
Oh no, my teammate found out I lost money…
Tsunade’s body stiffened, her pupils suddenly constricting.
The anger on her face turned into astonishment and a hint of imperceptible embarrassment.
“Are you still playing? If not, let’s break up.”
The mustached man opposite, seeing the situation, urged somewhat impatiently. He didn't want any unexpected complications.
Tsunade hesitated for a moment, looking at Orochimaru, then at the few chips left on the table.
“Next, let me play.
Perfect, I’ll also teach you how to play.”
Orochimaru released her hand and said calmly.
“You?”
Hearing Orochimaru say this, Tsunade raised an eyebrow. Although she recognized Orochimaru, she still felt a bit unconvinced.
This guy was a quiet one in school; besides training, she never saw him interested in anything else.
He gambles too?
However, having lost so much, she was unwilling to just walk away dejectedly.
Thinking of this, Tsunade gritted her teeth and gave up her seat.
“Brother Akagi, what do you want to play?”
The mustached man asked cautiously. This young man who suddenly appeared gave him a very uncomfortable feeling.
“Hmm, I’m not very good at poker, but… Mahjong is alright.”
Orochimaru pulled out a chair and sat down, meeting the other party’s gaze calmly.
“Oh? What a coincidence~
I’m also very good at Mahjong.”
The mustached man’s tense nerves relaxed slightly upon hearing this, and a smile reappeared on his face:
“That’s perfect, how about a round? My partner is this one.
You can find one too.
The points will only be calculated between the two of us.”
Orochimaru nodded, a subtle curve forming at the corner of his mouth, and pointed to the Middle-aged Man Tsunade had transformed into, saying.
“No problem!”
The mustached man immediately agreed. In his opinion, switching to Mahjong was better.
After all, there were more variables and room for manipulation at the Mahjong table.
He immediately called over one of his most capable subordinates to join the game.
Soon, a Mahjong table was brought over, and the four people took their seats.
The game began.
In the first few half-rounds, the momentum completely shifted towards Orochimaru.
His movements in drawing and discarding tiles were fluid and seemingly casual, yet his points accumulated rapidly like a snowball, quickly taking a commanding lead.
The mustached man sitting opposite him had already started to break out in a fine cold sweat on his forehead.
This young man calling himself “Akagi Shigeru” was simply like a monster!
He felt as if his hand was transparent in front of the other party. No matter what kind of hand he tried to build, the other party could always make targeted arrangements one step ahead, accurately catching his discards.
Several times he suspected the other party could see through things, forcing him now to only dare to discard tiles the other party had already discarded, playing defensively and feeling utterly frustrated.
Tsunade, watching from the side, was filled with admiration, her eyes wide.
She had never imagined that the usually reserved Orochimaru could be so… fierce… at the card table!
It was as if he was possessed by a demon! Was this really the Orochimaru she knew?
Orochimaru himself remained composed, his expression unruffled.
Of course, he wasn’t relying on luck or some kind of “card sense.”
Instead, he relied on cheating. Before entering the card table, he had his Shadow Clone transform into a passerby and blend into the crowd.
Then, he transmitted information to him via Chakra threads…
Seeing that conventional methods were completely ineffective against him, the mustached man’s eyes hardened. He knew he couldn’t wait any longer.
During the shuffling process, his fingers moved with phantom-like speed, and several key cards were subtly switched by him.
In this round, he finally seized the opportunity and drew a big hand by himself, recovering some points.
“Heh, you cheated, didn’t you?”
Orochimaru looked at the cards the other party revealed, casually pushed his own tiles down to shuffle, and spoke indifferently,
“Friend, you can eat whatever you want, but you can’t just say anything.
You say I cheated, where’s the evidence?
In a casino, if you’re not caught in the act, it means you didn’t cheat. That’s the rule.”
The mustached man paused, then laughed as if nothing had happened.
“Evidence? You’re right.”
Orochimaru nodded, picked up the dice,
Just as he threw the dice, and a new round was about to begin—
“Zzzzz…”
Several electric lights on the casino ceiling suddenly flickered a few times, emitting a harsh electrical buzzing sound, and then abruptly went dark!
The entire casino plunged into a brief period of darkness and chaos.
“What’s going on? Power outage?”
“What the hell!”
Amidst a cacophony of noise, the lights quickly came back on.
Just as everyone hadn’t fully adjusted to the change in lighting, Orochimaru abruptly pushed down the wall of tiles in front of him!
“Ron~”
A clear voice rang out, and the tiles were reflected in everyone’s astonished gazes.
All Simples, All Honors, Four Concealed Pongs Single Wait… No, this isn’t a normal hand!
“Heavenly Hand?! Nine… Nine Gates?!”
A knowledgeable gambler gasped in surprise, his voice changing pitch.
Pure Nine Gates! And it’s a Heavenly Hand! This kind of hand, which only existed in legends, actually appeared!
The entire casino instantly fell silent. Everyone’s gaze was focused on Orochimaru’s hand, which glowed with an eerie light, as if they had witnessed a miracle.
“Cheater! You absolutely cheated!
You definitely switched cards when the power went out just now!
Otherwise, a Heavenly Hand Nine Gates wouldn’t be possible!!”
The mustached man’s face turned pale. He suddenly stood up and shouted, pointing at Orochimaru.
This isn’t just switching cards, he’s going to take this whole table!
“Where’s the evidence?”
Orochimaru retorted, simply using the other party’s own words, returning them verbatim.
“You…”
The mustached man was choked into silence, his face turning from white to green, then from green to purple, as if he were performing a face-changing act.
Of course, he couldn't produce any evidence. The lights went out too quickly just now, and it was chaotic; who knew what happened.
Ultimately, under the awestruck and amazed gazes of the surrounding gamblers, the mustached man could only watch helplessly as Orochimaru swept away all the chips piled high on the table.
Walking out of the casino, they arrived in a secluded alley.
“Bang!”
“Here, your capital. We’ll split the rest fifty-fifty.”
Orochimaru released his Transformation Technique, returning to his original appearance.
Then, he handed the bag full of money to Tsunade, preparing to divide the spoils.
“No, no! All of this is yours! But…
You must teach me how to play cards! That Heavenly Hand Nine Gates just now was too cool!!”
Tsunade waved her hand, then leaned closer to Orochimaru, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him, speaking with some excitement.
“Hiss~”
Hearing this, Orochimaru couldn't help but gasp.
Counting the capital and winnings, there was over 600,000 Ryo here. This woman actually gave it all to him without batting an eye?
As expected of the First Hokage’s granddaughter, the legendary big spender… simply inhumanly rich…
But this way of making money really is fast…
And so, from that day on, a legend about “Akagi Shigeru, the God of Gamblers” began to circulate in casinos across the Ninja World.