Ways to Make Money

Konoha

In an inconspicuous reception room, the faint scent of ink mingled with the distinctive smell of paper.

A middle-aged man wearing black-rimmed glasses sat upright, looking somewhat stern. He held several pages of manuscript between his fingers and read each line intently.

His brows furrowed and relaxed by turns, his expression shifting with every moment. He was clearly engrossed in the manuscript.

Seated opposite him was Orochimaru.

He leisurely held a cup of steaming tea, his posture relaxed, as if the editor's reaction didn't concern him in the least.

After much careful thought, this was the fastest and relatively safest way he'd chosen to make money.

He would use the wealth of knowledge from another world to "copy" works in this one.

Given the natural popularity of ninja stories in this world, the work he'd selected was none other than Yamada Futaro's masterpiece, Koga Ninja Scrolls.

Of course, to suit the setting of the Naruto world, he'd carefully adapted the era, the system of techniques, and even the characters' titles, making them more familiar to people in this world.

And so, time passed slowly in the quiet room as the editor read.

At long last, the editor let out a deep breath and carefully set down the manuscript, as if it were not ordinary paper but a fragile treasure.

"Orochimaru... sir, this work... it's simply... a stroke of genius!"

"Two great ninja schools, Iga and Koga, each choose ten elite fighters to battle to the death for the daimyo's succession... The premise alone is captivating!

"Even better, the young leaders of the two schools are lovers whose fates are doomed to tragedy!

"Such intense conflict and tragedy... I-I want to read the next chapter right now!"

The editor's voice quivered almost imperceptibly. He took off his glasses and rubbed his tired eyes, trying to calm the storm of emotions inside him.

In more than a decade in the business, he'd never encountered a work like this. This Orochimaru was undoubtedly a genius.

"Ahem. Shouldn't we talk about the contract first?"

Orochimaru cleared his throat. Before coming, he'd researched the market. Ninja stories were all the rage, but their writing was quite primitive.

His story, on the other hand, had been tested by the market in another world with a far more developed entertainment industry. It was a textbook case of a dimensionality reduction strike.

"Right, right..."

"Mr. Orochimaru, our magazine would be thrilled to secure the exclusive serialization rights to this work!

"We're willing to offer... this much!"

The editor took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, put his glasses back on, and held up five fingers.

Five thousand ryo per manuscript page was the highest rate in the industry.

But he was convinced that this Ninja Scrolls would send the magazine's circulation soaring. The investment would be worth every penny.

All that remained was to secure the serialization rights to the novel, whatever it took!

"That works."

Orochimaru thought it over for a moment, then nodded.

Each manuscript page for the magazine held four hundred characters. Each installment of his serialization would be around eight to ten thousand characters, earning him roughly a hundred thousand ryo.

The magazine was a weekly, which meant an extra four hundred thousand ryo in income each month, not counting revenue from any later release of collected volumes.

Based on his research, this was probably the highest rate in the industry.

Most importantly, the work would bring him a steady income without requiring much effort. If it became popular, he might even be able to sell the film adaptation rights.

The two sides quickly agreed on the details and signed a formal contract.

Orochimaru also received an envelope containing his signing bonus: twenty thousand ryo in cash.

It wasn't much, but it helped tide him over and put an end, at least for now, to his "eating dirt" days. He could even afford to add two extra slices of char siu to his ramen.

Leaving the stuffy reception room and breathing the relatively fresh air outside, Orochimaru felt rather pleased.

Money wasn't the point. Bringing excellent works from another world here and promoting cultural exchange between the two worlds was what really mattered~

Just as he was about to head straight home and resume training, the corner of his eye caught a furtive figure.

Tsunade?!

She was dressed casually, but unlike her usual carefree self, she was sneaking around and glancing nervously from side to side. Then she darted into a secluded alley.

Huh?

Orochimaru paused, then followed, curious.

He didn't call out to her. Instead, he quietly trailed behind.

Thanks to his experience in the world of Assassin's Creed, Tsunade had no chance of noticing him as he stayed hidden.

Once inside the alley, Tsunade looked around to make sure no one was there, then formed the hand seals for the Transformation Technique.

"Poof!"

When the cloud of smoke cleared, the blond girl was gone. In her place stood an ordinary-looking, somewhat portly man who appeared to be in his thirties or forties.

The Transformation Technique?

Orochimaru understood at once. There was only one reason Tsunade would disguise herself as a middle-aged man: to enter a place that wasn't appropriate for someone her age.

Considering the young lady's interests, it was obvious where she was going.

Just as he thought...

Watching Tsunade, now transformed, enter a casino, Orochimaru couldn't help but chuckle.

One teammate liked to spy on the women's bathhouse, the other liked to gamble.

So they really had picked up their hobbies young...

Since he'd run into her, he might as well see how things played out.

He used the Transformation Technique as well, changing into a white-haired young man with a stern face and a composed air. Then he strolled into the casino hidden deep within the alley.

The casino was smoky and packed with people. The air reeked of sweat, cheap tobacco, and alcohol, a sharp contrast with the deserted streets outside.

Shouts, dice rattling, and domino tiles clacking against tabletops rose and fell, forming the casino's own raucous symphony.

Orochimaru's keen gaze swept the room. He quickly spotted his target at a poker table.

The middle-aged man Tsunade had transformed into sat with fine beads of sweat on his forehead, his expression anxious and his eyes fixed on the cards in his hand. He was muttering to himself.

Across from him sat a middle-aged man with a pencil mustache and shrewd eyes. A faint smile played on his lips as his fingers danced over the deck. His movements seemed casual, yet carried the ease of a practiced hand.

Orochimaru stood at the edge of the crowd and watched in silence.

After a few hands, the situation was clear.

Tsunade's luck was abysmal. Every hand she got was a worthless combination with no chance of winning.

The mustached man, meanwhile, had been cheating with such subtle, lightning-fast movements that they were almost impossible to see. But Orochimaru's enhanced reflexes and analytical skills let him detect something slightly off.

This guy was cheating...

"Slap! You're cheating! There's no way my luck could be this bad otherwise!"

Tsunade slammed her lousy hand onto the table and pointed angrily at the mustached man across from her.

Money wasn't the issue. Losing over and over was!

"Hey, don't go making accusations.

"My casino runs on its reputation. If you accuse me of cheating without proof, you'll ruin my name if word gets out."

The mustached man's smile didn't waver. He slowly spread his hands.

"How about this? If you don't trust me and think something's wrong with my technique, you can pick anyone here to deal. I don't mind."

When Tsunade didn't respond, the mustached man paused, wearing an expression that seemed to say he was only trying to help.

Tsunade frowned.

She couldn't catch him cheating, but she refused to believe she could possibly be this unlucky.

She looked around at the crowd gathered by the table to watch. Too lazy to choose carefully, she pointed at a middle-aged man standing nearby who looked fairly honest.

"You! You're dealing!"

"Sure, no problem."

When he saw who Tsunade had chosen, a barely perceptible smile flashed in the mustached man's eyes. He nodded readily.

That was his outward reaction. Inside, he sneered. The fool had taken the bait, just as expected.

The "legendary big sucker" certainly lived up to her name: stupid, loaded, and too proud to back down.

He'd planned this big catch well in advance. More than half the people in the casino were his plants. Whoever she picked, they were on his side.

The "honest man" Tsunade had chosen stepped forward and began shuffling and dealing.

The result was no surprise. Tsunade continued to lose hand after hand. Her pile of chips dwindled, and her expression grew uglier by the minute.

Orochimaru watched from the side, shaking his head.

He'd worked hard writing a novel just to earn a twenty-thousand-ryo signing bonus. That reckless woman Tsunade had lost at least three hundred thousand ryo in no time at all, judging by the looks of it!

How could it be so easy to lose money?

"That's not how you play."

Just as Tsunade was about to slap the table and blow up again, Orochimaru finally couldn't stand watching any longer. He parted the crowd, stepped forward, and held down her hand before she could slam it down.

"Who are you? What's it to you?"

Tsunade was already seething. Having someone interrupt her only made her tone sharper.

She snapped her head up and looked at the white-haired young man who had appeared out of nowhere.

"Akagi Shigeru~"

Orochimaru answered. His black pupils instantly turned into golden, vertically slit snake eyes.

Those eyes... Could that be... Orochimaru?!

Oh no. My teammate found out I lost all that money...

Tsunade went rigid, her pupils contracting sharply.

The anger on her face gave way to shock and a hint of embarrassment.

"Are we playing or not? If not, let's call it."

The mustached man across from her urged them impatiently. He didn't want any complications.

Tsunade hesitated, glancing at Orochimaru and then at the few chips left on the table.

"Let me take over.

"I'll teach you how to play while I'm at it."

Orochimaru released her hand and spoke calmly.

"You?"

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. Though she'd recognized Orochimaru, she still wasn't convinced.

At the academy, he'd been a quiet bookworm who seemed interested in nothing but training.

Did he even know how to gamble?

Still, she'd lost so much that she couldn't bear to slink away just like that.

With that thought, Tsunade gritted her teeth and gave up her seat.

"Akagi, my friend, what would you like to play?"

The mustached man asked warily. This unexpected young man gave him a very unpleasant feeling.

"Mm, I'm not very good at poker, but... I can play mahjong."

Orochimaru pulled out a chair and sat down, calmly meeting his gaze.

"Oh? What a coincidence~

"I'm good at mahjong too."

The mustached man relaxed a little at Orochimaru's answer, and smiled again.

"Perfect. Shall we play a round? This man here is my usual partner.

"You can find someone too.

"Only the scores between the two of us will count."

Orochimaru nodded and pointed at the middle-aged man Tsunade had transformed into.

"Sure!"

The mustached man agreed at once. In his view, mahjong was even better.

After all, there were more variables and more room to maneuver at a mahjong table.

He immediately called over one of his most capable men to fill the fourth seat.

Soon, a mahjong table was brought over, and the four of them sat down.

The game began.

For the first few hanchans, the wind was entirely in Orochimaru's favor.

His movements as he drew and discarded tiles flowed smoothly, almost casual. His score snowballed, and before long he was far ahead.

Fine beads of sweat had begun to appear on the forehead of the mustached man sitting across from him.

This young man who called himself "Akagi Shigeru" was a monster!

It felt as if his hand were transparent to Orochimaru. Whatever hand he tried to build, Orochimaru always seemed to anticipate it and make the perfect play to catch him out on a discard.

Several times, he'd suspected that Orochimaru could see through the tiles. Now he only dared to discard tiles Orochimaru had already played, leaving himself utterly constrained and frustrated.

Tsunade watched with wide eyes, utterly enthralled.

She'd never imagined that Orochimaru, who usually seemed so reserved, could be so... fierce at the table!

He looked like a demon possessed! Was this really the Orochimaru she knew?

Orochimaru himself remained calm and composed, as still as a placid pond.

He wasn't relying on luck or some mysterious "feel for the game."

He was cheating. Before he sat down at the table, he'd sent a Shadow Clone disguised as an ordinary person into the crowd.

Then he used Chakra Threads to relay information to him...

Realizing he had no chance against Orochimaru through ordinary means, the mustached man's gaze hardened. He knew he couldn't wait any longer.

As he shuffled, his fingers moved like a blur, secretly switching out several key tiles.

At last, he seized his chance in that round. He drew the winning tile for a huge hand and clawed back some points.

"Heh, you're cheating, aren't you?"

Orochimaru looked at the man's revealed hand. As he casually pushed his own tiles over and began to shuffle them, he spoke in a nonchalant tone.

"Friend, you can eat whatever you like, but you can't just say whatever you like.

"You're accusing me of cheating. Where's the proof?

In a casino, if they don't catch you in the act, you haven't cheated. That's the rule."

The mustached man paused, then smiled as if nothing had happened.

"Proof? Fair enough."

Orochimaru nodded and picked up the dice.

Just as he rolled them and the next round was about to begin—

"Bzzzt..."

Several ceiling lights in the casino flickered and crackled, then abruptly went dark!

The entire casino plunged into brief darkness and chaos.

"What's going on? Did the power go out?"

"What the hell?!"

Amid the uproar, the lights quickly came back on.

Before everyone had fully adjusted to the sudden change in lighting, Orochimaru had already swept his hand across the wall of tiles in front of him, knocking them down!

"Ron~"

His cool voice rang out, and the tiles were reflected in the astonished gazes of everyone around him.

Full flush, all honors, four concealed triplets with a single wait... No, this wasn't an ordinary hand!

"Tenhou?! Nine... Nine Gates?!"

A knowledgeable gambler cried out, his voice cracking.

A pure Nine Gates! And a Tenhou on top of that! A hand that existed only in legend had actually appeared!

The entire casino fell silent. Everyone's gaze was fixed on Orochimaru's hand, which gleamed with an eerie light, as if they were witnessing a miracle.

"Cheating! You definitely cheated!

You switched the tiles when the lights went out!

There's no way you could've gotten a Tenhou Nine Gates otherwise!!"

The mustached man's face turned deathly pale. He sprang to his feet and shouted at Orochimaru, pointing at him.

This wasn't just switching tiles—he'd have to eat the whole damn table!

"Where's the proof?"

Orochimaru replied, simply returning the exact words the other man had used earlier.

"You..."

The mustached man was left speechless. His face shifted from white to green, then from green to purple, as if he were putting on a changing-face performance.

Of course, he had no proof. The lights had gone out too quickly, and everything had been in chaos. Who knew what had happened?

In the end, as the surrounding gamblers watched with awe and amazement, all the mustached man could do was stare while Orochimaru swept up every last chip piled on the table.

After leaving the casino, they headed into a quiet alley.

"Thud!"

"Here, I'm returning your stake. We'll split the rest fifty-fifty."

Orochimaru dispelled the Transformation Technique and returned to his original appearance.

Then he handed Tsunade a sack full of money, ready to split the winnings.

"No, no! You can have all of it! But...

"You have to teach me how to play! That Tenhou Nine Gates move just now was so cool!!"

Tsunade waved her hands, then leaned closer to Orochimaru. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at him, speaking excitedly.

"Phew..."

Hearing that, Orochimaru couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath.

Including the stake and winnings, there were more than six hundred thousand ryo here, and this woman had handed it all over without batting an eye?

As expected of the First's granddaughter, the legendary Big Fat Sheep... She was ridiculously rich...

Still, this was an incredibly quick way to make money...

And so, from that day on, a legend about "Ghost God Akagi Shigeru" began to spread through casinos across the Ninja World.