The Fire Country!
In a mountain village.
Blood soaked the ground, staining it dark red.
The strong smell of blood hit my nose, making me feel sick.
One by one, cold corpses fell to the ground, their faces frozen in fear. Each had been killed by a single, precise blow to the neck.
In the stronghold's hall, a young man rummaged through things hastily. Beside him, a man who looked like the village leader slumped in a chair, eyes wide open.
An hour later, the young man finished searching the village and muttered to himself.
"It's so little. What can I do with 500,000 ryo? I'm so broke!"
If the village chief could hear him, he would be furious beyond belief.
These were just ordinary villagers, not shinobi. This was all they had — the savings of several years.
This young man was none other than Kaito.
Two months had passed since Kaito began training Hinata and the other girl. Under his guidance, their strength had improved dramatically.
As for himself, Kaito had already mastered all the elemental ninjutsu brought by the Uchiha clan — wind, thunder, fire — and now only needed to refine his proficiency.
The same went for the Root, They had been defeated twice. Since then, Kaito hadn't been bothered again.
The reason he was here now was simple — he was broke and had to resort to robbery.
Originally, Kaito thought the money his father left him would last at least three years. But as his strength grew, so did his expenses.
Most of it was spent on heavy equipment, especially his latest 200-ryo full-body weighted vest, which alone cost him 2 million ryo — explaining why he was broke.
(Dumbass...)
Now he understood the saying: the poor are good at studying, and the rich are good at fighting.
Just today, after leaving several shadow clones in Konoha, he transformed into lightning and slipped out secretly, looking to make some money.
The easiest way was robbery. Though Konoha was the most prosperous of the five great shinobi villages, bandits and thieves still ran rampant.
Kaito naturally targeted them.
Who would have guessed that after a whole morning of work, he was still broke, with a total profit of just over one million ryo.
What could one million ryo buy? In the past, it was enough for a while.
Now, with Hinata — who ate like a horse — joining his group, one million ryo barely covered a month's food.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
With his hands forming seals, flames like cannonballs erupted throughout the village. In the blink of an eye, the wooden village was engulfed in a sea of fire.
"Since you gave me money, I'll repay you with fire this time!"
Turning around, he identified his next target and moved on.
"The path to making money is long and arduous!"
On a remote road in the Fire Country.
Two women stood leisurely, as if waiting for someone. One held a piglet.
The leading woman was very beautiful, with blond hair and two ponytails draping her back.
She wore a green kimono, and her figure was stunning, especially her ample chest, which looked almost too perfect to be natural.
The word "Gambling" was emblazoned on the back of her clothes, marking her identity.
These two were none other than Tsunade and Shizune, who had left the village.
"Tsunade-sama, what are we doing here? It's been three days!" Shizune couldn't help but ask.
They had been gambling on Tansho Street when suddenly Tsunade seemed to remember something and hurriedly left, returning to the Land of Fire to come here.
They had stayed for three days.
During that time, Shizune asked Tsunade what they were waiting for.
Tsunade just replied, "Waiting for someone! Don't ask more."
"Really! I'm sure it's here! The time is right! Why haven't you come yet?" Tsunade frowned with impatience, then looked toward the majestic mountain village nearby.
"No matter! I've waited this long. If it doesn't come, I'll leave!"
Just as she decided, a figure appeared at great speed.
Tsunade's eyes lit up. "Finally!"
"Hey! Over here! Over here!" Tsunade waved excitedly and shouted.
Beside her, Shizune was filled with suspicion.
She had followed Tsunade for some time but had never seen her so eager for a young companion.
Could it be that Tsunade likes young… No, that's a bad idea, she thought.
Kaito was running, seeing the woman waving excitedly in the distance, his mind full of question marks.
Anyone could tell who she was by the tall, strong figure in front of her, not to mention Shizune holding a piglet behind her.
"Stop!" Kaito pointed to himself. "Are you calling me?"
"Nonsense! Who else would I be calling out here in the middle of nowhere?"
Tsunade suddenly appeared before Kaito and pulled him into her arms.
Kaito's first feeling was softness, followed quickly by suffocation.
Nearby, Shizune watched Tsunade's actions and confirmed her earlier suspicions: Tsunade-sama did indeed have a preference for young companions. No wonder she'd always ignored Jiraiya-sama's advances.
"Boy! I didn't expect you to be so young!" Letting go of Kaito, Tsunade examined him carefully.
"You! You know me?"
Kaito was still confused. He didn't know Tsunade.
Had he understood her temper, he might have reacted differently.
"Oh! That's right! You don't recognize me now! Then you will soon!" Tsunade frowned briefly before relaxing.
Her carefree personality was unmistakable.
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