[Here, we also have to praise Jiraiya—even with all that money, he was still very frugal. He always liked to take Naruto's money to go have fun with the ladies.]
[Keep in mind, Naruto's earnings from half a year of missions were only enough for Jiraiya to buy one round of expensive drinks. Naruto could eat his way down an entire street and still have change left over from 300 ryō, but Jiraiya could blow through Naruto's entire wallet in a single morning just by calling over two girls.]
The screen flashed an image of Jiraiya in a tavern, arms around two young beauties, laughing triumphantly—while a dejected Naruto sat beside him with his head hanging low.
---
[Konoha, Year 50. Hokage Office]
Kushina was furious!
She felt her hands go stiff as she clenched her fists so hard her knuckles cracked.
"AAAAHHH!"
She shot up from her chair, sending it sliding backward.
"Jiraiya! Don't you dare show your face in front of me!"
"This is too much! Naruto was already so pitiful, and he actually cheated him out of his money to pick up girls?! And he's so rich himself!"
Seeing that Kushina had even dropped the honorific "sensei," Minato knew she was genuinely angry.
He could only let out an awkward laugh.
He didn't doubt that Jiraiya would provide for Naruto's basic needs. And judging by Naruto's future accomplishments, his education had clearly been successful—after all, the screen had already revealed that Jiraiya was the person who had the greatest influence on Naruto.
Still… Jiraiya-sensei's mischievous streak was indeed a bit troublesome.
"Minato!"
Kushina turned to look at him. "You'd better not learn any of those messy habits from Jiraiya!"
Minato quickly nodded. "Yes, yes. I won't, I won't."
Kushina snorted and sat back down, but her fists were still clenched.
---
[Konoha, Year 60. Training Ground]
Naruto shouted angrily, "Pervy Sage! You're really that awful?!"
"I'm never giving you my money to go pick up girls!"
With that, Naruto shoved his hand into his pocket and patted his wallet protectively. Only after confirming it was still there did he let out a sigh of relief.
Jiraiya was leaning against a tree, looking unbothered. "That's the future. I haven't taken your money now."
"That's still not okay!" Naruto guarded his pocket. "Not now, not ever!"
Jiraiya clicked his tongue. "Tsk, cheapskate."
Sasuke, standing nearby, also decided to be on guard. He would be learning Sage Mode from Jiraiya—he couldn't let his money get conned away.
Of course, if Jiraiya needed money to teach him, that would be one thing. But if he was just doing it for the fun of it, that was a different story.
Sakura, meanwhile, was so disgusted that she physically moved away from Jiraiya and fanned the air in front of her as if he had some strange smell.
Jiraiya looked at the three kids' reactions and rolled his eyes. "What's with those expressions? I haven't done anything yet."
"You will in the future!" the three said in unison.
Jiraiya opened his mouth but found himself unable to argue back.
Kakashi stood off to the side, quietly flipping through Icha Icha Paradise again, pretending not to hear anything.
[Of course, during the three years Jiraiya spent training Naruto, he was quite generous financially. Naruto never had to worry about money—clothes were bought for him, meals were paid for, hot spring inns were arranged, he got to read unpublished best-selling erotic novels, traveled the world, and even exchanged experiences with toads. Truly, he was treated like a beloved grandson.]
[In this regard, Jiraiya was still much better than Kakashi. Kakashi has a good personality and is handsome, but he's way too stingy—even treating Naruto to a bowl of ramen is a struggle for him.]
Sakura turned to look at Kakashi, her gaze meaningful. "Kakashi-sensei, so you're really that stingy, huh?"
Kakashi's hand, turning the page, paused for a moment.
Naruto also looked over. "Kakashi-sensei, so you're really that stingy, huh?"
Sasuke didn't say anything, but he rested his chin on his hand, clearly recalling any memory of Kakashi ever treating them.
Seeing Kakashi getting roasted too, Jiraiya burst out laughing. "Kakashi! You're even less generous than me as a sensei!"
Kakashi said flatly, "Jiraiya-sama, you were just getting scolded for conning a kid out of his money."
Jiraiya's smile froze on his face.
---
[Hokage Office]
Hearing that, Tsunade's anger finally began to subside, her breathing gradually returning to normal.
'At least that pervert has some sense of being a sensei,' she thought. Otherwise, she would have gone to settle the score with him herself.
She shot a glance at Hiruzen, already scheming in her mind.
Feeling her gaze, Hiruzen stiffened instinctively, his back going straight. "Tsunade… I was always generous with you when you were young. Don't forget that."
"That was only right. You were way richer than us, old man."
"Besides, you're so rich, old man—how about helping me pay off some of my debts?" Tsunade crossed her arms and asked with a sly grin.
Hiruzen let out a dry chuckle. "I've already helped you plenty. You know I have a whole family to support. Konohamaru is still young. Besides, no one dares to come to Konoha to collect debts from you now."
That was a blatant lie.
Not long ago, right after Tsunade had just become the Fifth Hokage, a swarm of creditors had shown up at Konoha's gates demanding payment.
Some even set up camp outside the village, blocking the entrance—causing considerable embarrassment and pressure for Konoha.
The only reason they didn't go too far was because Tsunade was the Hokage. After she paid back part of the debt, most of them let it go.
"Tch. Fine, forget it." Tsunade turned her head away, no longer looking at him.
Hiruze breathed a sigh of relief and secretly wiped the sweat from his brow.
[In Third place we have: Kakuzu of the Akatsuki. Originally an Elite Jōnin of Takigakure, Kakuzu was targeted by the village's higher-ups and assigned the mission to assassinate Senju Hashirama, the God of Shinobi. When the mission failed, he was branded a deserter. Eventually pushed past his limit, Kakuzu killed Takigakure's leaders and defected. From then on, Kakuzu cared only for money, leading a life as a bounty hunter for decades.]
---
[Akatsuki Hideout]
Listening to Kakuzu's backstory, Hidan was somewhat surprised. "You actually went to assassinate the God of Shinobi?! I always thought you were just bragging."
The other Akatsuki members were equally stunned. Even Itachi, who rarely spoke, looked up and glanced at Kakuzu.
That was the God of Shinobi—the man who ended the Warring States era.
He should at least be stronger than Nagato, right? Nagato was said to be Super Kage-level, yet he still holed up in the Land of Rain and needed to build weapons of war to threaten the Shinobi World.
But the God of Shinobi had shaken the entire Shinobi World with his own strength alone.
The difference was quite clear once you thought about it.
Kakuzu really had guts.
Kakuzu, naturally, was extremely proud of it. "Of course! I fought Senju Hashirama for dozens of rounds before barely losing to his Wood Release."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk…" Deidara shook his head, a note of sympathy in his voice. "Then you really got the short end of the stick. With strength like that, you still let Takigakure play you for a fool?"
Kakuzu's face instantly darkened. "So what? In the end, I killed those people anyway."
Deidara shrugged, as if to say, 'Whatever makes you happy.'
---
[Konoha, Year One. Hashirama's Home]
Hashirama's mouth hung open. "A Jōnin… came to assassinate me?!"
Madara sneered, a hint of irritation in his voice. "Hashirama, you must have gone easy on him. Otherwise, how could that man have survived you in the future?"
He paused, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "That said… Takigakure is in the Land of Waterfalls, isn't it? They've got some nerve! They need to be dealt with—and harshly."
Hashirama sighed and waved his hand.
"This Kakuzu… sounds like a pitiful man too. Betrayed by his own village, forced to live as a bounty hunter."
"And, Madara… don't be so quick to anger. None of this has even happened yet."
Tobirama, for once, agreed with Madara. "Brother, even though you're powerful, you can't keep watch against thieves every day. Konoha has only just been founded. If Takigakure dares to send an assassin after the Hokage, we can't let that precedent go unpunished."
Hashirama fell silent for a moment. "Didn't that Kakuzu already kill Takigakure's leaders in the future?"
"That's in the future," Tobirama said calmly. "As of now, Takigakure has yet to face any consequences."
Hashirama thought for a moment, but still shook his head. "Forget it. Kakuzu was forced into it in the future. As for Takigakure… a warning will be enough."
Madara glanced at him but said nothing. He had expected Hashirama to say that.
Tobirama didn't press further either. He knew his brother's character well—there was no point in arguing. But exactly what constituted a "warning" would be up to him to decide.
*****
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