Nothing to Spend It On

Jiraiya took another look at Naruto's empty refrigerator.

Curious, he asked, "Naruto, if you have money, why don't you buy some fresh vegetables?"

Hearing Jiraiya's question, Naruto lowered his head and stammered, "Because... I can't spend it."

"Can't spend it?" Jiraiya didn't understand.

How could anyone in this world turn away business when it came right to their door?

Naruto explained, "Everyone calls me the Demon Fox for no reason. Most shopkeepers tell me to my face that they'd rather pour the milk down the drain than sell it to me."

"Only an old woman at a little store on the edge of the village is willing to sneakily sell me some cheap milk. She even tells me to drink it quickly."

"And Ichiraku Ramen is willing to serve me too, but whenever I go there, everyone refuses to come in and eat. In the end, I felt too embarrassed to go anymore."

Jiraiya fell silent for a long time after hearing Naruto's words.

Suddenly, he felt sickened by the Konoha he had sworn to protect.

Naruto was the child of a hero.

Naruto came over to Jiraiya and gently tugged at his sleeve. "Pervy Sage, why does everyone treat me like this? What did I do wrong?"

"And what were my mom and dad like? Did you know them?"

Jiraiya felt the words stick in his throat.

He lowered his head and remained silent for a long time before replying, "Your mom and dad were incredible ninja."

Naruto's eyes lit up. "Really, Pervy Sage?"

Jiraiya forced a smile, reached out, and ruffled his hair. "Yeah. Get some rest. I'll treat you to barbecue tomorrow."

Naruto stared at Jiraiya in disbelief. "Really, Pervy Sage?"

Jiraiya nodded.

Then he fixed Naruto's window and told him to get some sleep.

Jiraiya had already made up his mind. He was going to take Naruto and leave tomorrow.

The way this village had acted had disappointed him far too much.

Outside the Konoha Military Police Force headquarters.

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu arrived with their trusted aides.

Just as Utatane Koharu was about to walk straight inside, an Uchiha clan member blocked her.

"No unauthorized personnel allowed inside."

"Unauthorized personnel?" Utatane Koharu pointed at herself, unable to believe her ears.

She laughed in fury. "Say that again? I'm unauthorized personnel? Can't you even recognize my face?"

The Uchiha clan member didn't so much as raise his eyelids. "Sorry. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed inside the Konoha Military Police Force."

Utatane Koharu pointed at him. "You'll regret what you've done today!"

The Uchiha clan member slowly looked up and placed a hand on the long sword at his waist.

A flash of crimson glinted in his eyes as he stared at her impassively with his Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

The look sent a shiver through Utatane Koharu, who had long been accustomed to a life of comfort.

A cold wind swept by, and Utatane Koharu muttered to herself, "It's really cold today."

As she spoke, she turned and walked back on her own.

Seeing that force wouldn't work, Mitokado Homura hurried to play the good guy.

He walked over and spoke gently. "Here's the thing: we need to discuss something with Clan Leader Fugaku. Is he here?"

The Uchiha clan member glanced at him and nodded. "That's right. Clan Leader Fugaku is here."

Mitokado Homura immediately replied politely, "Could I trouble you to let him know we're here?"

"No problem. Wait here." The Uchiha clan member agreed readily.

Mitokado Homura was a little surprised, but he still gave his old partner a smug look.

Utatane Koharu understood what he meant, too.

See? The Uchiha clan members respond to courtesy, not force.

But just wait. They'd be in for a surprise.

Half an hour later.

The two advisors, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, were still waiting outside.

Meanwhile, in the Konoha Military Police Force office, Uchiha Fugaku sat with one leg crossed over the other, sipping hot tea.

An Uchiha clan member beside him asked cautiously, "Clan Leader, is it really all right to leave those two advisors waiting outside?"

"All right?" Uchiha Fugaku glanced at him and said coolly, "With the Third Hokage gone, those two are no more than clan heads of minor clans—ordinary jonin. They think they can just open their mouths and demand to see me? What a joke."

"They're a pair of fools who can't even see reality. Leave them waiting another half hour."

"If they can wait, let them. If they can't, they can leave."

Fugaku thought of the way the two had made snide remarks about him at the Konoha High Command meeting. Then he pictured them shivering in the cold below, and felt a wave of satisfaction.

Utatane Koharu leaned close to Mitokado Homura and whispered, "What's going on?"

Mitokado Homura rubbed his hands together and reassured her. "Let's wait a little longer. Just a little longer."

In truth, Mitokado Homura had wanted to leave long ago. But after waiting for who knew how long, the sunk cost of their time had left them with no choice but to keep waiting.

Half an hour later, Uchiha Fugaku said to one of his subordinates, "Let them come up."

"Yes."

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu had been chilled to the point of numbness.

An Uchiha clan member came down and told them, "Come in."

Hearing that, the two hurried inside.

Their trusted aides tried to follow, but the Uchiha clan member stopped them.

"Clan Leader Fugaku only said to let them in. You're not allowed."

When had their aides ever been treated so poorly?

The one at the front was just about to point at the Uchiha clan member and say something.

Then he saw a whole group of Sharingan staring at them.

The advisors' aide grasped the situation in an instant and could only lower his hand. "Thank you for the reminder. I was out of line just now. Sorry."

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu forced their nearly numb legs to climb the stairs of the Konoha Military Police Force building.

The bright lights in the hallway made them feel a little dizzy.

Creak.

As the office door swung open, a wave of warmth washed over them.

Uchiha Fugaku sat comfortably behind his large desk, holding a cup of steaming tea.

When the two entered, Fugaku didn't even bother to get up. He merely set down his teacup at an unhurried pace, a thoroughly insincere, polite smile on his lips.

"Well, if it isn't our two esteemed advisors! What a rare visit. My subordinates were a little thoughtless and took too long to pass on the message. Sorry to keep you waiting. Please, have a seat. Someone, bring the two advisors some hot tea."

The moment Utatane Koharu felt the warm air, the tension drained from her body. Then humiliation and anger surged through her.

The cold had turned her lips blue, but she still mustered her earlier sharp tongue and haughty airs. She slapped Fugaku's desk.

"Uchiha Fugaku! Don't give me that clan-leader attitude! Do you even know who we are? We're Konoha's advisors!

"Even with Hiruzen gone, you, the head of the Military Police Force, have no right to push us around! Deliberately leaving us waiting outside is an open provocation against the village! Do you have any respect for Konoha—or the High Command at all?"