Never mind whether Snake Auntie would tamper with the Hashirama Cells she gave Qiuyang.
The Konoha Crush Plan, launched by Orochimaru in alliance with Sunagakure, had inflicted immeasurable losses on Konoha.
Worst of all, the Third Hokage, the spiritual leader of the entire village, had died in the attack.
Countless other Jonin, Chunin, and other pillars of the village had fallen as well.
Fortunately, the generation that was still growing up had been less affected. Naruto, Shikamaru, and Shino had even grown through the attack.
After completing his deal with Orochimaru, Qiuyang hurried back to Konoha the very next day. After getting a sound beating from his teacher, he was now walking with Jiraiya along a street that was being rebuilt.
Everywhere they looked, they saw ruined walls and rubble. Now and then, children who had lost family members wailed in grief, while the villagers wore nothing but dejected expressions...
Seeing the once-bustling streets reduced to such a desolate state, Qiuyang couldn't help sighing.
It seemed that no matter the world or the era, every feudal regime had to prove the old saying: "When it flourishes, the people suffer; when it falls, the people suffer."
"The ninja world is just like this. People keep stirring up new conflicts and friction for their own interests. Even former allies can stab you in the back at a crucial moment."
Jiraiya lectured his student solemnly. It was quite rare for him to show not even a hint of lust toward the women passing by.
Jiraiya had never expected the old Third Hokage to die in this battle. Even now, he still blamed himself for not dealing with the intruders at the front gate quickly enough to go help him.
Maybe then he could have stopped Orochimaru from killing his teacher...
Sigh, the world wasn't full of maybes. There was no point thinking about it now.
Jiraiya let out a deep sigh, worried about the village's future.
Without the Third Hokage, what would the village do next? Would Danzo...
It was all too much of a headache. He put on an easygoing air and patted his student on the shoulder, praising him:
"I've heard all about what happened on your side this time. Aside from going after the enemy, you did an excellent job. People in the village are already calling you the 'Black Flash of Konoha,' the new generation's rising star."
So some busybody had already given me a nickname? And it had spread this fast?
Black Flash of Konoha. Oh, that's pretty good.
While Qiuyang approved of whoever had come up with such a flashy nickname, he couldn't help feeling a little smug and puffed up:
"That was the resolve I made when I became your student, Jiraiya-sensei. I wouldn't bring shame on you."
Jiraiya nodded, feeling quite gratified. But then he thought of his other bargain-bin student, Naruto, and got another headache.
"The village will probably make major personnel changes soon. You contributed so much to resisting the invasion this time, so I'll try to get you..."
"Don't, don't, Jiraiya-sensei. I don't want anything like that tying me down. I prefer living like you do."
As well as gathering intelligence, Jiraiya traveled all over the Ninja World. That was something Qiuyang envied immensely.
Once he evolved into an invincible Otsutsuki, Qiuyang planned to cast everything aside, travel the Ninja World, and broaden his horizons.
But when Jiraiya heard his student's unambitious words, he got so angry that he punched him:
"What do you know? You think I'm out there having fun? I'm gathering intel... gathering material for my novels, haha..."
Damn, he had almost let it slip. It was better not to tell Qiuyang yet that he was secretly collecting all kinds of intelligence for the village.
Seeing Qiuyang clutch his head in pain, Jiraiya gave him another knock:
"Would your teacher ever lead you astray? You should understand how the Fourth Hokage rose through the ranks. He kept completing missions, and eventually got the position through personnel changes."
That's why Minato died so young.
Qiuyang silently added that to himself. He didn't think he'd inherited the Will of Fire yet. He just wanted to be a laid-back ninja; he had no interest at all in the high-risk job of Hokage.
Still, he'd made a bit of a name for himself this time and helped the village repel its enemies. It couldn't hurt to get some benefits out of it.
So Qiuyang looked up and cautiously chose his words:
"...Sensei, if possible, the place I used to live was damaged in the attack. Could you talk to the village leadership and help me find a nicer place?"
The mercenary twist of his mouth made Jiraiya question the Great Toad Sage's prophecy all over again.
He seriously suspected that the Great Toad Sage had been too sleepy to think straight, or that Jiraiya had found the wrong person from the prophecy.
After all, what person capable of influencing the fate of the Ninja World would choose to slack off instead of striving for a place among the leadership?
Seeing Jiraiya stare at him with eyes full of confusion and reproach, Qiuyang felt a chill run down his back. He hurriedly said, awkwardly, that he had only been making an offhand remark.
In response, Jiraiya reached into his robes and rummaged around:
"Your request is so minor, I almost feel embarrassed bringing it up. I have a few houses in good locations around the village. I'm sure there's something you'd like..."
Then he pulled out a small stack of papers that looked like property deeds. Qiuyang stared in surprise for a moment, then snatched them out of his teacher's hands and began looking through them:
There was a detached house with a garden barely a dozen meters from the Hokage Building, a "school district home" a hundred meters from the Ninja Academy, and several other properties in excellent locations...
The list went on and on. Every one of them was in a prime, expensive area.
Qiuyang's eyes lit up like light bulbs. He kept making appreciative clicking sounds, amazed that his bargain-bin teacher had been hiding his wealth so well.
Neither in the anime nor in real life had Jiraiya ever flaunted his wealth.
It turned out he was a genuine tycoon.
But when you thought about it, it made sense. Jiraiya was known as one of the "Legendary Sannin." There was no way someone with a title like that was just an average earner.
Some might say:
"Come on, Jiraiya's always traveling around. He sees a pretty woman, buys her a drink, or spends a night with her. How could he have any money?"
Well, why do you think Jiraiya traveled all over the place? He was on village missions. That meant his trips counted as work travel, with expenses and allowances covered by the village!
The drinking and flirting were all necessary for his missions. He could even expense the receipts...
Ahem, that was getting a little off track.
Anyway, Qiuyang was now experiencing the bliss of having a wealthy teacher. After some deliberation, he picked out two deeds.
One was for a secluded home near the village wall. The other was on a central street elsewhere in Konoha, where it was convenient to eat and have fun.
When Jiraiya saw how unreserved his student was, the corner of his mouth twitched. Just as Qiuyang was about to put the deeds away, Jiraiya snatched them back with lightning speed.
After comparing them several times, he handed Qiuyang the one for the place near the wall:
"Having this much property so young won't do you any good. Come back and ask me for it when you're as strong as I am."
With that, he vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving Qiuyang standing there, dumbfounded, holding the deed as the wind blew forlornly around him.
Good grief, why were there elders everywhere who pressured you to work hard instead of letting you take it easy?
Before you continue