---Third POV---
"But…" Shukaku tried to persuade further, seeing its suggestion had been rejected.
"No buts." Its words were forcibly interrupted by Ryouma. "Besides, if you get completely sealed, you won't be able to eat your favorite dried fish anymore, right?"
"That kind of thing isn't important."
Actually, it was quite important, but compared to the safety of its partner, the latter clearly mattered more. Seeing that Ryouma wasn't willing to accept his proposal, Shukaku's eyes shifted, and it came up with another idea.
"Then… how about we form a summoning contract?"
"That's enough." Ryouma heard a noise from downstairs, it was probably Tsunade and the others returning.
He reached out and picked up Shukaku, placing it on top of his head. Then he stood up and walked downstairs, speaking in a tone that brooked no argument. "Whether it's becoming a jinchūriki or signing a summoning contract, those aren't things that should exist between family members. Don't bring this up again."
Shukaku gave a soft "mm" with its mouth shut, looking a bit dejected. But the tail swaying happily behind it betrayed how it really felt.
Who didn't like hearing kind words?
---
Ryouma's footsteps weren't loud, but Tsunade, who hadn't been drinking, had sharp hearing. She turned her head just in time to see him coming down the stairs with Shukaku perched on his head.
"You came back pretty fast this time. How's the situation in Kumo?"
"Of course it's been dealt with." Ryouma sat on the couch, crossing one leg over the other. "With the Gale Blade Flash Spiral Legend Storm Ultra Howling Zero Division on the job, victory was only natural, right?"
At the name of the squad, Tsunade frowned, as if recalling some unpleasant memory.
"But what about Minato-sensei and the others?" Rin asked, clenching her fists. "I haven't heard anything about a triumphant return celebration being planned."
"Oh, them… So it went like this… then that… and then this…" Ryouma gestured dramatically while recounting the events in the Land of Hot Springs, and finally clapped his hands.
"Yup, that's how it went. Got it?"
It had to be said, he did have some storytelling skill. Rin and Shizune sat beside him, listening with their mouths hanging open. Compared to the war with Kumo, they seemed even more curious about the Jashin cult.
"That altar, will it really never be activated again?"
Though Ryouma told the story casually, Rin knew the situation back then must have been extremely tense.
"It won't." Ryouma patted his chest in assurance.
There was no trace of the evil chakra left there. Unless he himself went and recharged it with dark chakra, there was no way it could be activated again.
"A cross-world space-time jutsu? I never expected such a terrifying jutsu could come from a tiny nation's terror cult." Shizune looked shocked. In her view, even the Third Hokage hadn't mastered space-time ninjutsu. Among the people she'd met, only Ryouma and Minato could use space-time techniques, both top-tier talents, even in a great village like Konoha.
Up until this point, everything seemed normal, Rin and Shizune's focus was entirely on the enemy. Only Tsunade suddenly shouted, "150 million ryō!"
Faced with that huge sum, her interest was instantly piqued.
"To be precise, it was 75 million. I took 50% of the reward as team leader."
That was the typical profit split for most Konoha teams.
Kakashi and Obito had strongly objected, saying they had voluntarily come along and shouldn't take that much payment. But he never intended to keep the reward all to himself, when he joked about an 80-20 or 60-40 split, he was only teasing.
Still, even 75 million ryō was a massive fortune. He could practically feel the heat in Tsunade's gaze.
"Haha, Ryouma, I've got a really good… um… well, anyway, how about lending me some money? I'll pay you back as soon as I win!"
At least come up with a better excuse! Ryouma complained inwardly.
"No, you can't go to the casino again," Shizune said urgently, grabbing one of Tsunade's arms to stop her.
Tsunade, however, didn't take it seriously. "It's fine. Worst case, we just run out of Konoha and hide from the debt collectors."
Rin leaned in and whispered into Ryouma's ear, "Recently a new nurse named Nonō has joined the Konoha Hospital. She's excellent at medical ninjutsu. After Lady Tsunade had some free time, she's been…"
She didn't have to finish; Ryouma could guess the rest.
"Alright, just tell me, how much do you owe the casino?"
Tsunade's eyes flicked, and she answered without hesitation, "70 million ryō!"
Shizune immediately exposed her, "Don't listen to her nonsense. The real amount is only 25 million."
Cough cough…
Ryouma thought that number didn't quite go with the word "only."
Keep in mind: in peacetime, an S-rank mission brought in only about a million ryō. Ryouma had been out at the Land of Hot Water battlefield for less than a month, and in that time, Tsunade had already gambled away the equivalent of an Asuma.
And S-rank missions during peace weren't something you could just pick up whenever you wanted.
Sure, during wartime there were more high-level missions, but those were issued directly by the village and usually counted more toward reputation and record than actual money. The cash rewards were often just symbolic.
"Sigh~"
There was nothing he could do. After all, the one in debt was family. He couldn't seriously let her go into hiding outside of Konoha, right? And if she went, would he have to go with her?
He summoned a large suitcase from his private space and pulled out 30 million ryō to hand over to Tsunade so she could pay her debt.
"Gambling a little to relax is fine, but if this happens a few more times, we'll all have to pack up and go on the run."
Back when he read the manga in his past life, he thought her constant gambling losses were funny. Now that he had to deal with them in real life... not so much.
"I get it. Don't worry. If we really can't pay it back, we'll go find Hiruzen-sensei. No way he'll be willing to let you leave Konoha with me. Then… hehe."
Shameless.
Absolutely shameless.
Shizune couldn't take it anymore. She now seriously doubted whether Tsunade would actually use the money to pay off the debt. So she quickly turned to Rin: "Help me hold her! We absolutely can't let her take this money. She'll definitely gamble it away again!"
"Got it!" Rin nodded fiercely. "I'll do my best so we don't have to go into hiding!"
"Hey! You two traitors, let go of me!" Tsunade clung tightly to the suitcase. Seeing that Shizune wouldn't show mercy, she could only turn her pleading eyes to Ryouma.
"Quick, say something to Rin!"
"Okay, okay~" Ryouma replied halfheartedly but didn't make a single move. Rin's earlier words had reminded him of something, something about the Konoha Orphanage.
Because the number of children taken in far exceeded what the orphanage could handle, the funding provided by Konoha alone was simply not enough to support them.
Nonō could only rely on her medical ninjutsu to earn some extra money to support the orphanage. And during this period, she would often take Kabuto, who had also learned medical ninjutsu from her, out with her to work various part-time jobs to make ends meet.
Actually, if things had continued this way, even though life would have been tight, they could have managed to scrape by. In such chaotic times, asking for too much would only bring trouble.
Rumble~
A clap of thunder rolled across the sky. No one knew exactly when, but suddenly, a heavy rain had begun to fall.
Ryouma walked to the window and looked at the dark, cloud-filled sky. No matter the world, the same rule always applied: the strong prey on the weak.
Rin and Shizune had finally succeeded in their small rebellion, managing to snatch back the cash box, something akin to a Konoha residence permit for them, from Tsunade.
Seeing Ryouma standing alone by the window, Rin tiptoed over and asked softly, "Did something happen?"
"Nothing," Ryouma shook his head, then paused before continuing, "You mentioned a new arrival at Konoha Hospital?"
"Oh, you mean Nonō,"
Rin seemed to recall a fond memory, resting her hands on the window sill as she began telling Ryouma what had happened recently.
"She's really amazing. She understands children's physical conditions even better than Tsunade-sensei. Not long ago, Guy used a very damaging taijutsu during a mission. Thanks to her, he was saved, and without any aftereffects."
Glancing at her somewhat excited expression, Ryouma smiled and said, "I can tell you really like her."
"Yeah. Even Tsunade-sensei praised her medical ninjutsu."
Rin couldn't help but smile as she spoke, then asked Ryouma, "Someone as gentle as Nonō, I don't think anyone would dislike her, right?"
Actually, there were people who did, though it wasn't exactly dislike. It was more about wanting to use her.
Ryouma didn't have the power or energy to change the entire world, but at least within Konoha, as far as his abilities allowed, he wanted to make the village a little brighter.
Having made up his mind, he looked up at the falling raindrops.
---
Rumble~
Another clap of thunder boomed, and a bolt of silver lightning split the darkness over Konoha, briefly illuminating the rooftop of the Konoha orphanage.
"If it isn't the Wandering Miko. You're looking rather worn down."
A man with his right eye bandaged sat at one end of the table, speaking to the nun across from him in the tone of an old acquaintance.
"That name... I've long since abandoned it," Nonō said with downcast eyes. "As for the aid funds, we had already reached an agreement with Konoha. Why are you here now...?"
"Who would've thought that someone like you could become so naive?"
It couldn't be denied, Danzō was a very ambitious man. But his current situation was far from ideal. With Root disbanded and absorbed into the ANBU, the amount of power he could wield had dwindled to almost nothing. If he wanted to push Orochimaru to become the Fourth Hokage, he needed more influence, at the very least, he had to rebuild Root.
To achieve that, he needed to earn significant military merit. And for someone like him, the most valuable bargaining chip to rebuild Root was, naturally, top-level intel from Iwa.
Danzō said, "We didn't come just to talk about aid funds."
Standing to his left, Tatsuma, always quick on the uptake, explained their true purpose. "We've discovered that Iwa is planning a large-scale operation. We need you to infiltrate them and verify whether this intel is true. If it is, you'll continue the mission, find out the specific time, location, and content of the operation, then report back to us. It's likely to be a long-term assignment."
Nonō knew that it would probably be impossible to refuse this man, but she still held out a sliver of hope.
"I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you… I've already—" She tried to come up with a reason to reject this terrifying man before her, but she had none.
"You don't understand how important she is to this orphanage! She's been working herself to the bone just to keep it going!"
"Why don't you Root people do it yourselves? Why force her to risk her life?!"
Hearing the emotional protests from the two ordinary people behind Nonō, Danzō's expression didn't change in the slightest.
"This mission can only be done by her. Root has been disbanded. There is no one else in Konoha now who can carry out long-term infiltration work as well as she can. Such missions often lead to betrayal, but I know she would never betray Konoha."
Nonō clenched her fists tightly, furrowing her brow as she stared at Danzō.
"From the look on your face, I can tell you already know what's going to happen, don't you?" Danzō said. "That's right, if you refuse, this orphanage will no longer receive a single coin of aid."
At that, an overweight nun behind Nonō angrily raised her hand and shouted, "We've already spoken with the Third Hokage! He'd never allow something like this to happen!"
"This orphanage seems to be a common target for thieves," Danzō said dryly.
"To avoid your money being stolen, I'd suggest you hire more bodyguards," Tatsuma added calmly.
"That is, assuming you have the money to hire anyone. And be careful not to let the children get kidnapped. Children with unclear origins can be very useful." On Danzō's right, Orochimaru finally broke his silence, his raspy voice joining in on the threat. Judging by his black cloak, he had clearly returned to Konoha in secret for this.
Back on the battlefield, he had already taken a liking to a particular child in this orphanage. With proper training, that child could become a very useful tool.
A priest behind Nonō couldn't hold back and shouted angrily, "You people are disgusting! Do you even count as Konoha ninjas anymore?"
"You're the ones who don't understand the situation." Danzō said calmly, "As long as it's for the protection of Konoha, none of this matters."
Nonō let out a bitter sigh deep inside. For the children of the orphanage… it seemed she no longer had a choice.
"I understand."