Trees Chapter 294 Bastard! Don’t Underestimate the Hokage’s Power!

When it comes to the Cult Mechanicus, we have to talk about Team 10’s first trip to Sunagakure.

At that time, Shikamaru had no good feelings towards this cult full of hulking giants and cybernetic limb modifications.

Moreover, the other party’s missionary method is extremely weird.

Shikamaru originally had a big prejudice against this evil cult, but Temari had assured him that the Cult Mechanicus had changed and that there was no need to view the church with the same disdain as before.

Initially, Shikamaru remained skeptical.

But as time goes by...

He increasingly felt that there was something wrong with the Cult Mechanicus!

Things like manufacturing communication devices, the Shinobi World’s chakra network, developing games, virtual currency, creating puppets to replace labor...

All of it pointed to the Cult Mechanicus playing a grand game.

Especially since half of the home appliances in his house are from the Cult Mechanicus or the Scientific Truth Society.

Just thinking about it now sent shivers down Shikamaru’s spine.

The two cults seemed to have changed tactics, stopping their outward propaganda of sinister ideologies and instead infiltrating people’s daily lives...

It was terrifying!

And that wasn’t even what worried Shikamaru the most.

The most important thing...

The original dispute between the two cults seemed to have stopped.

This was not a good sign at all...

So, he decided to throw himself into the lion’s den to see what these two cults were really planning.

Well...of course, part of the reason was to rescue Temari and find a way to one-up her.

Naruto leaned back, his eyes wide with shock, while sucking in a sharp breath through his teeth.

‘Hiss…’

‘I didn't expect that...’

‘Shikamaru, who seemed like such a straight-laced guy, actually has many tricks up his sleeve.’

‘Just thinking about Temari’s usual attitude toward Shikamaru was enough to show that this guy was no stranger to domestic abuse.’

‘And he asked me, the Cult Leader, for a high position, obviously hoping to use his authority to make Temari submit...’

‘Wow, Shikamaru, you’re something else.’

Not only was Naruto looking at Shikamaru with a smirk, but even Tsunade beside him was constantly giving him a meaningful smile.

"Weren’t you super against it before?"

Naruto’s expression carried a hint of mockery, which made Shikamaru feel a little embarrassed.

"That was then..."

"This is now."

"Besides, the Cult Mechanicus has changed a lot now... hahahahahaha."

Shikamaru scratched his head and laughed very reluctantly.

There is something in his mind that he has not said...

‘The changes in the Cult Mechanicus were probably for the worse.’

Looking at the yellow-haired guy in front of him, Shikamaru suspected that this guy likely didn’t see anything wrong with the Cult Mechanicus.

‘Or maybe he was just that confident in his own strength?’

Shikamaru wasn’t sure which it was, but he felt he needed to infiltrate the cult to get to the bottom of things.

After all...

He really didn’t want a repeat of the time his whole family being sent to the Pure Land during a reunion dinner.

If it wasn't for the leader of Akatsuki, they wouldn’t even have known how they died.

Shikamaru didn't want his future children to live in constant fear like this, so he wanted to join the cult to gather information, and then handed it over to the Shodaime and Nidaime Hokage to deal with.

"Go find Kankuro and Gaara yourself."

"Just tell them I sent you."

Naruto patted Shikamaru on the shoulder, and his expression became more serious than ever before.

"Shikamaru, with you joining the Cult Mechanicus, it’s like adding wings to a tiger."

"Go for it! Then you and Temari can play out some workplace games."

"Who... who the hell cares about that kind of thing?!"

Hearing the last line, Shikamaru’s face turned bright red, and his words came out stuttered.

He looked like a flustered high school boy.

Naruto ignored this hypocritical guy and continued to lead Tsunade into the store with his hands in his pockets.

"Oh, right."

"Remember to bring us the fruit platters and snacks."

"Otherwise, I will complain to Temari."

Before even officially joining the Cult Mechanicus, Shikamaru had experienced its dark side firsthand.

Shikamaru was speechless at the behavior of this yellow-haired delinquent, who used his high status to bully his subordinate.

“So troublesome…!”

Shikamaru muttered under his breath, his head unconsciously looking in Temari's direction.

After triple-checking that she hadn’t heard anything, he turned around and went to the Akimichi Clan's retail store next door to buy the requested items.

Naruto walked inside the store and discovered that although it looked like just a small store from the outside, the interior was a whole different world.

The place was lined with a full hundred arcade cabinets for guests to play ‘Shinobi Battles’.

Standing at the entrance, Naruto watched as every single person there played until their faces were flushed with excitement, and realized that after their in-game duels...

They’d probably move on to real-life brawls.

Aside from the arcade machines, there are also several slot machines tucked in the corner for Shinobi who got too heated during matches to cool off with some gambling.

‘Huh?’

‘Slot machines???’

Naruto was stunned for a few seconds, feeling something was wrong.

When he turned around, he found that Tsunade, who was standing behind him just now, had already disappeared.

"Sigh..."

Naruto covered his face and sighed deeply.

Those slot machines were like a trap specifically designed to lure Tsunade in!

For some reason, ever since Tsunade stepped down as Hokage, Naruto felt that she had become increasingly unreliable.

Every time he thought about it, Naruto couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for Hiruzen.

Looking around the corner, he found Tsunade was now completely absorbed in front of a slot machine.

She was kneeling on the chair, legs slightly bent, her face practically pressed against the screen as she shouted excitedly, “Hit! Hit! Hit!”

Shikamaru had changed into a suit from who knows when.

He was holding a tray in his left hand and a white towel draped over his right arm.

If not for his utterly dead-eyed expression, he actually looked quite sharp.

"Tsunade-sama......."

"You guys came here for actual business, right?"

"Is it really okay for you to be playing alone like this?"

Shikamaru looked at the yellow-haired man not far away, who is now walking towards them step by step with a dark face, and carefully reminded Tsunade.

"Business my ass!"

"What’s wrong with me relaxing a little?!"

Tsunade, who hadn't gambled for many years, forgot everything the moment she saw the slot machine.

Right now, all she wanted was to enjoy a few rounds...

Everything else could wait.

When Naruto finally reached Tsunade’s side, he didn’t say a word.

He was not going to say anything to Tsunade, nor was he going to take Tsunade away by force.

Because...

He knew that this ‘Goddess of Gamblers’ would lose everything in just a few minutes.

Before this, Naruto had asked the white-haired old man to keep a close eye on Konoha Entertainment Company’s accounts, just in case a certain gambling addict lost her entire fortune in a fit of rage.

Beep, beep, beep…

The slot machine stopped again, and when Tsunade saw the result, she instantly slumped back into her chair.

"Damn it! One more try!”

"I refuse to believe my luck is this bad!!"

After a three-second mental pep talk, the defeated Tsunade rallied herself for another attempt.

Naruto, who is standing on the side, crossed his arms, his eyes full of sarcasm and his expression full of disdain.

"Don’t bother with 'one more try’."

"I’ve only been standing here for a bit, and I’ve already watched you lose twelve times in a row."

Tsunade turned her head and glared fiercely at this annoying brat. Just as she was about to open her mouth to retort, a familiar voice suddenly erupted from nearby.

"BASTARD! DON’T UNDERESTIMATE THE HOKAGE’S POWER!!"