Putting aside Team 7's bickering, the Sky Screen emerged again amid the eager anticipation of all.
'It's here!'
People across the various timelines of the Shinobi World instantly focused their attention.
As a cheerful soundtrack began to play, the Sky Screen's voice soon followed.
[As we all know, the Shinobi World isn't just all about fighting and killing—it also has the daily necessities of life. So while strength determines a Shinobi's status, money is absolutely indispensable.]
[For Shinobis, undertaking missions isn't just about protecting the village—it's also their main source of income. Take Konoha as an example: missions are divided into ranks—D, C, B, A, and S—each with varying difficulty and correspondingly increasing rewards.]
[A D-rank mission pays roughly around 5,000 ryō. And a single barbecue meal costs about 300 ryō. So after a Shinobi completes a D-rank mission with a four-person team, the split is barely enough for a few barbecue meals. Meanwhile, an S-rank mission pays at least a million ryō, sometimes reaching ten million—so one big job can make you rich. Therefore, the wealth gap among Shinobis is enormous.]
[So this time, let's rank the five richest Shinobis in the world.]
---
[Konoha, Year 60]
Hearing the Sky Screen's words, Naruto nodded in agreement.
He could only take D-rank missions right now, and the pay was way too low.
"Exactly! D-rank missions pay so little, you can't even afford ramen!" He counted on his fingers. "A bowl of Ichiraku ramen is 60 ryō. A D-rank mission split among four, and Kakashi-sensei takes half—so each of us gets… gets…"
He couldn't calculate it and turned to look at Sakura.
Sakura rolled her eyes. "About 800 ryō."
"Right, 800 ryō! That's enough for a lot of ramen!" Naruto said with a face full of grief and indignation, "But I also want collector's edition instant noodles! After working hard all day, I can't even buy many!"
Sasuke, however, didn't care at all.
"Then don't eat so much if you think it's too little."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Exactly what it sounds like."
---
[Akatsuki Hideout]
Kakuzu's eyes lit up instantly—a dazzling gleam bursting from his otherwise lifeless gaze.
'Excellent!'
This time, the content of the Sky Screen spoke directly to his heart.
Kakuzu's voice rose an octave. "Get to it! Who are they? I'll make them my targets!"
Hidan moved aside in disgust. "Oi, can you not get so excited?"
"What do you know? Rich people offer much higher bounties than poor ones!"
Deidara rolled his eyes. "So your goal is to keep an eye on everyone on that list?"
"Of course." Kakuzu said matter-of-factly. "Knowing who's rich tells you whose contract to take."
"You're almost a hundred years old and still this obsessed with money?"
"Even a hundred-year-old still needs to eat," Kakuzu said without a change in his expression.
---
[Konoha, Year One]
Hearing the content of this broadcast, Madara instantly lost interest.
He stood up, shot a glance at Tobirama, and prepared to head off to continue bothering the Tailed Beasts.
Strangely enough, his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan could control these Tailed Beasts, yet they still couldn't reveal any memories of the Sage of the Six Paths.
He'd have to leave it to Tobirama to figure something out.
---
The ordinary civilians of the Shinobi World, however, were extremely interested in this type of content.
"Finally, something useful!"
An old farmer crouched on a ridge, looked up at the screen. "Compared to all that fighting, I'd rather hear about this."
"Exactly!" A nearby auntie chimed in. "An S-rank mission pays over a million ryō? That's more than we'd make in a lifetime!"
"That's earned with their lives," another middle-aged man sighed. "We can't envy that."
"True. But it's still fun to hear who the richest are, even if just for the thrill."
The civilians chattered among themselves, the atmosphere much lighter than before.
The nobles and Daimyō, however, felt it was somewhat unfair.
"Why only rank Shinobis?"
"Exactly! Why not rank the richest people overall? We'd definitely be at the top…"
"Yes, yes, Daimyō-sama is right. No matter how rich those Shinobis are, they couldn't compare to you."
"Exactly. The screen still isn't comprehensive enough."
[First, in fifth place, we have to mention the Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure, Rasa.]
[As the wielder of the Magnet Release kekkei genkai, he can freely manipulate gold or iron in the natural sand through magnetism. So this kekkei genkai is definitely a highly profitable ability.]
[Moreover, unlike the Third Kazekage, Rasa particularly likes to control gold dust in combat—extracting it from the desert to fight. It's an extremely extravagant approach. Of course, gold dust is heavier than ordinary sand, so with the same volume, it delivers greater power.]
[For Rasa, however, this ability clearly has a better use than fighting. When the Daimyō of the Land of Wind cut Sunagakure's funding, Rasa used his Magnet Release Gold Dust technique to subsidize the village's finances—feeding an entire village by himself. And underground there isn't just gold or iron—Magnet Release, even if it can't directly control other metals, it can manipulate sand or gold dust to extract other minerals from underground. This shows just how indispensable Rasa is to Sunagakure.]
---
[Land of Wind, Sunagakure, Kazekage's Office]
Rasa's face was green.
He did 'not' want to become famous this way! And the Sky Screen was just bringing up painful memories.
Right now, he only rested during the broadcast and at night, while the rest of the day, he spent digging for gold.
Chiyo, on the other hand, remained perfectly calm.
Nonsense, if Rasa didn't have this ability, after his recent disgrace, she wouldn't have even wanted to ransom him back.
"Kazekage-sama," Baki, sensing Rasa's sour mood, said cautiously, "the screen is praising you."
"Praising me?" Rasa's voice squeezed through his teeth. "Is this a compliment?"
"It… it's praising your great contribution to Sunagakure…"
Rasa took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
What the Sky Screen said was true—he did use this ability to keep Sunagakure afloat. But having the entire world know that he spent his days digging for gold was a huge blow to his pride.
"Forget it." He waved his hand. "Let it be."
*****
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