The voice from the Sky Screen continued, this time with a hint of mockery.
[So, if you ever come to the Shinobi World and don't know how to get rich, just go find Rasa. Kill him, then revive him using the Edo Tensei, and have him keep digging for gold. Congratulations—you've obtained a perpetual motion golden goose that will make you wealthy beyond your dreams.]
---
[Land of Wind, Sunagakure, Kazekage's Office]
Rasa's face was no longer describable as just green. Now he only felt a bitter taste in his mouth.
If the screen kept talking like this, he'd have to be careful even stepping outside.
Chiyo sat nearby, the corner of her mouth twitching slightly. 'This kid… his life really is hard.'
"Kazekage-sama…" Baki said nervously, "the screen is just joking, right?"
"Joking?" Rasa's voice was hoarse. "Forget it. I just won't be going out to mine for a while. I don't want to be on anyone's radar."
Chiyo glanced at him and, for once, didn't mock him. "You could assign a few ANBU to follow you."
"Sigh… the village does need money." Rasa smiled bitterly. "If I don't go out and earn it, the village won't even function."
Chiyo was silent for a moment and didn't reply. She knew better than anyone the financial state of Sunagakure.
It truly wasn't easy for Rasa to support the entire Village by himself.
---
[Somewhere in the Shinobi World, Orochimaru's base]
Orochimaru looked at the screen and let out a low, sinister laugh. "Heh… looks like I made a mistake earlier. I really should have killed Rasa."
He licked his lips. "If I did it this way, my research funds would be much more plentiful."
Kabuto, standing nearby, pushed up his glasses and nodded thoughtfully. "Orochimaru-sama, shall we… find another opportunity to lure Rasa out and kill him? After all, we're probably the only ones in the world who currently know Edo Tensei."
Orochimaru looked at Kabuto with an amused glint in his golden serpentine eyes. "That's a good point. I'll leave this matter to you. Keep an eye on Rasa, and once he lets his guard down, send him off."
Kabuto smiled and lowered his head. "Yes, Orochimaru-sama."
Orochimaru turned back to look at the pale body in the cultivation tank, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
'That guy is indeed far more valuable than those shinobis who only know how to fight.'
---
[Akatsuki Hideout]
Kakuzu fell into deep thought.
He felt that what the Sky Screen said made a lot of sense.
He spent his days running around completing bounty missions, braving wind and rain, sometimes even fighting Kage-level opponents—and the money he made was just so-so. It wasn't nearly as worthwhile as pulling off this one big thing.
Unfortunately... he didn't know the Edo Tensei, and since that guy Orochimaru had defected, just killing Rasa would be useless.
Hidan noticed Kakuzu's interested expression and perked up. "Kakuzu, how about we go kill the Fourth Kazekage… and sacrifice him to Lord Jashin?"
"What good would a sacrifice do?" Kakuzu cut him off. "It won't bring him back to life to dig for gold."
Hidan scratched his head. "Mm, that's true."
Kakuzu remained silent for a moment, then looked up at Tendo Pain. "Leader, I want to take on the mission to hunt down the traitor Orochimaru."
The Akatsuki members: "..."
Deidara was the first to react, "You just want to capture Orochimaru to learn Edo Tensei, don't you?"
"No," Kakuzu said without changing expression. "I'm doing it to eliminate a traitor for the organization."
"Like hell I believe you."
Pain glanced at him, expressionless. "We'll talk about Orochimaru later."
Kakuzu opened his mouth, but ultimately didn't argue.
---
[Konoha, Year 60. Training Ground]
Naruto listened, wide-eyed and stunned. "Kill… then revive him? Make him keep digging for gold? That's… that's really… quite the idea."
Sasuke added, "It is. But also pretty despicable."
"Right! Despicable!" Naruto slapped his thigh. "That Orochimaru really is no good!"
Jiraiya leaned against a tree and said nothing. 'Orochimaru… he really could do something like that.'
Sakura shrank back. "That Kazekage… he's so pitiful."
Kakashi flipped through his Icha Icha Paradise without looking up. "That's the Shinobi World for you. If you're weak, you can't even rest in peace after death."
A brief silence fell over the area.
Naruto clenched his fists. "Then I'm going to get stronger! Strong enough that no one dares to mess with me!"
---
[Konoha, Year 50. Hokage Office]
Minato watched the screen with a slight frown. "Edo Tensei… used for something like that?"
Kushina leaned on his shoulder. "That Orochimaru… really…"
She didn't finish, but Minato understood.
"At least Naruto won't turn out like that." Kushina paused. "Right?"
Minato smiled: "Yeah. Our son won't become like that."
---
[Konoha, Year 20]
Tobirama looked at the screen with a sour expression.
"Edo Tensei…"
A Jutsu he had invented for warfare. Not for digging gold.
Hiruzen walked beside his teacher and asked cautiously, "Sensei, then what do you think this Jutsu should be used for?"
Tobirama was silent for a moment, "During times of war, to increase combat power. In times of peace, it should be sealed away."
Hiruzen nodded, thinking to himself that the future Orochimaru had completely violated his teacher's original intent. Still, he couldn't help but think that way of using it wasn't bad.
---
[Konoha, Year 60. Hokage Office]
Tsunade looked at the screen, her lip twitching. "That Orochimaru… he really will do anything."
Hiruzen smoked his pipe, his expression complicated. "He wasn't always like this."
"People change." Tsunade's voice turned cold. "Especially people like him."
Hiruzen sighed and didn't argue.
Tsunade also fell silent for a moment. "Should we warn Rasa?"
Hiruzen thought for a moment. "The Sky Screen already broadcasted it. He definitely knows. Warning him or not won't make a difference."
Tsunade nodded and said no more.
Meanwhile, the scene on the screen shifted, and an image of Jiraiya appeared.
[Fourth place: Jiraiya of Konoha. Though Jiraiya appears laid-back, a middle-aged sleazy uncle type, he completed an enormous number of missions during his lifetime: 158 D-rank, 425 C-rank, 485 B-rank, 614 A-rank, and 231 S-rank.]
---
[Konoha, Year 60]
Naruto's eyes went wide. "Pervy Sage, you've done that many missions?"
Jiraiya crossed his arms and lifted his chin proudly. "Of course! Did you think the title of Sannin was just for show?"
Sakura counted on her fingers. "158 D-rank, 425 C-rank, 485 B-rank, 614 A-rank, 231 S-rank… Isn't that way too many?"
Sasuke didn't speak, but a flicker of surprise passed through his eyes.
Kakashi again flipped through Icha Icha Paradise without looking up. "Jiraiya-sama is a veteran. Those numbers are normal."
Naruto leaned in close to Jiraiya. "Pervy Sage, how much money did you make?"
Jiraiya smiled mysteriously: "Guess."
[This is the mission record Jiraiya left behind. Now let's calculate how much he earned just from missions alone. D-rank average 5,000 ryō each, C-rank average 20,000 ryō, B-rank average 100,000 ryō, A-rank average 500,000 ryō, and S-rank average 1,000,000 ryō. After careful calculation, Jiraiya earned nearly 595 million ryō from missions alone.]
Naruto's jaw nearly dropped: "595 million?!"
Sakura was stunned too: "That much?!"
Sasuke's lip twitched slightly.
Kakashi's hand, turning the page, paused for a moment.
Jiraiya crossed his arms, looking smug. "Keep it down. Stay low-key."
Naruto looked at him with admiration. "Pervy Sage, you're so rich!"
"Of course!" Jiraiya laughed heartily. "But that was all in the past. I don't have that much saved up now."
Sakura asked curiously, "So where did it all go?"
Jiraiya's smile stiffened a little: "…I spent it."
"On what?"
"Food, drinks, inns, materials…" Jiraiya grew more evasive as he spoke. "And the cost of writing books is high too!"
Naruto looked at him suspiciously. "You didn't spend it all at bathhouses, did you?"
Jiraiya smacked him on the head. "You brat! What are you saying?!"
---
[Konoha, Year 60. Hokage Office]
Tsunade looked at the number on the screen, a slight smile on her face. "595 million. That guy sure earned a lot."
Hiruzen puffed on his pipe. "He also spends it fast."
"That's true." Tsunade coughed, a bit guiltily. "But at least he's not in debt."
Hiruzen nodded, saying nothing.
Shizune, holding Tonton, asked quietly, "Tsunade-sama, did Jiraiya-sama make more money from writing books or from missions?"
Tsunade thought for a moment. "Probably about the same. The screen hasn't finished yet—let's keep listening."
---
[Konoha, Year 50. Hokage Office]
Kushina held up her fingers. "595 million ryō… Jiraiya-sensei is so rich!"
Minato nodded with a smile, "Yeah. Jiraiya-sensei is indeed amazing."
"Then why is he still so poor now?"
Minato fell silent, then said, "Maybe… he spent it all on 'research'?"
Kushina was stunned for a moment, then blushed. "Minato! You've learned bad things!"
[In addition, Sarutobi Asuma a Jōnin of Konoha, one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja and the Third Hokage's son, has a bounty of 35 million ryō. So by calculation, Jiraiya's mission earnings alone could buy 17 of Asuma's heads.]
Asuma, who was smoking a cigarette, and looking at the Screen almost choked on his smoke.
"Why are you bringing me into this?" His lip twitched.
Kurenai covered her mouth and chuckled beside him. "Asuma, your price isn't very high."
Asuma smiled wryly. "That's when I'm alive. Dead, it'd be different."
"Dead, it's still 35 million."
"…Kurenai, could you not say it like that?"
Ino leaned in. "Asuma-sensei, your head is so cheap."
Asuma flicked her forehead. "Is this really the time to be teasing me?"
Ino rubbed her head and muttered, "But it's true…"
---
Naruto asked curiously, "Asuma-sensei is worth that much?"
Kakashi flipped through his book. "The Third Hokage's son, a Konoha Jōnin. His status is no small thing."
"So he's worth 35 million?" Naruto counted on his fingers. "And Pervy Sage's mission earnings could buy that many of him?"
Jiraiya lifted his chin smugly. "Of course! I'm one of the best!"
Naruto: "But that's mission earnings, not your savings. You spent it all."
Jiraiya's smile froze on his face. "Naruto, do you have to ruin the moment?"
Naruto grinned. "Just telling the truth."
Jiraiya took a deep breath and decided to ignore the brat.
[In addition, Jiraiya also had another source of income: writing. His works were bestsellers across the Shinobi World. Just from Kakashi's obsession with Icha Icha Paradise, it's clear how popular Jiraiya's books were.]
[The revenue from these works must have been a fortune too. If we only consider the income from Icha Icha Paradise alone, buying 20 of Asuma's heads should be possible.]
Kakashi's hand, turning the page, came to a complete stop.
He felt three pairs of eyes fixed on him.
Naruto leaned over, eyes sparkling. "Kakashi-sensei, you like Pervy Sage's books that much?"
Kakashi's face beneath his mask felt slightly hot. "…More or less."
"What do you mean, 'more or less'?" Jiraiya walked over proudly. "Kakashi is my most devoted reader! He buys every volume, reads every book!"
Kakashi turned his head away, "Jiraiya-sama, could we not talk about this?"
"What's there to be shy about!" Jiraiya laughed heartily. "Loving to read is a good thing!"
Sasuke coldly interjected, "What kind of book is 'Icha Icha Paradise'?"
A brief silence fell over the training ground.
Naruto looked completely innocent. "Yeah, what kind of book? I want to read it too!"
Jiraiya smacked him on the head again. "Kids can't read it!"
"Why not?!"
"Because you're not an adult yet!"
Kakashi silently slipped the Icha Icha Paradise into his pocket and pretended like nothing had happened.
---
[Hokage's Office]
Tsunade's lip twitched as she looked at the screen. "Icha Icha Paradise… that book actually made that much money?"
Hiruzen puffed on his pipe, his expression complicated. "Jiraiya does have a talent in that regard."
"Talent?" Tsunade sneered, "Talent for writing erotica?"
Hiruzen smiled helplessly and said nothing.
Shizune, holding Tonton, quietly asked, "Tsunade-sama, have you ever read one of Jiraiya-sama's books?"
Tsunade's face instantly went red. "Wh-What? Who would read that kind of thing!"
Shizune wisely shut her mouth.
---
[Konoha, Year 50. Hokage Office]
Kushina looked at Minato curiously, "Have you ever read one of Jiraiya-sensei's books?"
Minato's expression was subtle. "I probably… haven't. It's a bit hard to talk about."
"What's so hard to talk about?"
"It's probably just that Jiraiya-sensei has corrupted you."
Minato let out a sigh. 'Jiraiya-sensei, I just can not defend you.'
---
[Konoha, Year 20]
Tobirama looked at the screen with an expressionless face.
Hiruzen was a bit puzzled, wondering to himself. 'So one of my future students turns out like this?'
Meanwhile, Danzō's single eye gleamed with disdain. 'Hmph. A disciple of Hiruzen—making money writing smut. How shameful.'
---
[Back in Year 60, on the training ground]
Naruto kept pestering Jiraiya about Icha Icha Paradise.
Kakashi pretended like nothing was happening.
Sakura's face was red as an apple.
While, Sasuke looked utterly disgusted.
"Pervy Sage! Just tell me!"
*****
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