Hurry Back and Read Your Books, Orochimaru

He paused, his tone growing sterner. "Besides, as the Hokage, you already receive a salary. Contributing to the village is your duty! To demand a reward for doing your job—do you have any sense of responsibility as the Hokage?"

Stung by this rebuke, Hashirama wilted instantly, muttering under his breath, "We have to be fair, don't we? The Hokage is human, too. Besides, if the money is spent, doesn't it stimulate the village's economy?"

"Brother!" Upon hearing that twisted logic, Tobirama's voice rose another notch.

That did the trick. The "God of Shinobi," who had been so imposing back at Insect King Valley, shrank his neck and behaved himself, not daring to utter another word about compensation.

Seeing him like this, Tobirama didn't say anything more. After all, they were among their own; who didn't know that while the great Senju Hashirama looked dignified outside, he was a complete mess behind closed doors?

Still, one had to leave him some face.

As Hashirama sulked, his eyes darted toward the window, where he happened to spot that kid, Hibari. The boy, having just received his bank notes, was happily waving them around as he walked home.

Watching this, a strange look crept onto Hashirama's righteous face. He thought to himself, a child shouldn't be holding onto so much money, should he?

It wouldn't be good if he spent it recklessly. It would be much safer if he, as the grandfather, "held it for safekeeping" until the child was older.

Once this "financial path" became clear, Hashirama stopped dwelling on the previous matter. He cleared his throat and quickly changed the subject. "Ahem, that was all just a joke.

Let's talk business. We need to establish a set of rules and regulations for the village's security and patrols. What do you all think?"

"This can't be rushed," Tobirama replied. "We need to call in the heads of the clans and discuss it thoroughly. However, I think the Uchiha Clan would be quite suitable for this."

Sarutobi Sasuke chimed in, "In terms of capability, the Hyuga Clan seems even more..."

While the big shots were having a lively discussion in the Hokage Building, Hibari had no idea that the massive fortune he had just acquired was already being eyed by a certain "well-meaning grandfather."

At that moment, he happened to see a thin figure standing in front of a bookstore, staring longingly at the shelves inside.

Hibari smiled, strolled over, and naturally patted the person on the shoulder. "Orochimaru, what are you looking at?"

The thin boy standing by the bookstore was none other than the future world-renowned "scientist of the ninja world," Orochimaru. But for now, he was just an inconspicuous little kid.

Hearing Hibari's voice, Orochimaru didn't even turn his head, his expression remaining flat. "Reading."

"What can you read here?" Hibari laughed. "Just the titles?"

"Titles are books, too." Orochimaru's voice was soft, maintaining that same cold tone. "I'm calculating which books are suitable for me to read and how much they cost."

Hibari rubbed his chin, feeling a bit unsettled. Look at Orochimaru—he was the same age as that crazy girl Tsunade, yet he already had his own thoughts and plans.

Then look at Tsunade, who only knew how to cause trouble all day and constantly followed old man Hashirama to gamble. Just thinking about it gave him a headache.

However, Orochimaru's words also left Hibari feeling a bit sentimental. Orochimaru was a child from a civilian family; his parents only became ninjas after the founding of Konoha. With limited family resources, he had to be frugal even when buying a book.

In contrast, he had never worried about money since he was small. Comparing the two, he couldn't help but feel a bit of a sigh.

If Orochimaru had the same resources as Tsunade from a young age, he probably would have soared to the sky long ago.

Thinking of this, Hibari squeezed the brand-new bank note in his hand and glanced at the thin boy beside him, suddenly grinning. "What a coincidence.

Your brother Hibari just finished an S-rank mission and got a big payout, and I'm in a great mood. It's fate that I ran into you, so let me give you a welcome gift..."

As he spoke, he reached out and slung his arm around Orochimaru's shoulder. "Stop just staring from the outside. Come on, let's go in and pick! Whatever you like, whatever you want to read, just take it—I'll pay the bill!"

Caught in Hibari's embrace, a flash of surprise crossed Orochimaru's eyes, but he didn't pull away, allowing himself to be half-pushed into the bookstore.

The Senju family had a sea of books, so Hibari had little interest in the common goods here. He flipped through a couple of books and sat to the side to wait.

He was still young and didn't have much say at home, so he couldn't just bring Orochimaru to the family library. Helping out like this was the best he could do for now.

This trait of Orochimaru's made Hibari particularly fond of him: he was decisive and didn't bother with empty, hypocritical pleasantries. Once inside the bookstore, he didn't hesitate at all, burying his head to pick out books seriously without any false modesty toward Hibari.

Before long, he wobbled over carrying a stack of books so high it almost blocked his vision. Although he didn't say a word, his intent was clear.

Hibari was amused and asked, "Just these? Is it enough?"

Orochimaru looked over with calm eyes and said, "With my current level, these introductory books are enough to study for a long time. It's better to digest a few well than to bite off more than I can chew. These are just right."

Hearing him speak so logically, Hibari nodded with a smile. "If you think it's fine, then it's fine."

After saying that, he reached out, took the stack of books, piled them all on the counter, and tilted his chin at the shopkeeper. "Boss, calculate the total."

The boss looked up, his face immediately breaking into a smile. "Oh, isn't this young master Hibari? It's a rare occasion to see you buying books... Let me see."

He counted them one by one, then looked up with a grin. "It's a little over 140,000 ryo. I'll waive the change; just give me 140,000."

Hibari's eyes widened. 140,000 ryo? This wasn't buying books; it was buying jewelry! That was enough to pay for a B-rank mission—the boss really dared to ask for that much.

Seeing his shocked expression, the boss wasn't in a hurry, explaining slowly, "Young master, you haven't bought these before, so you don't know the market. Books contain knowledge, which is precious!

The ones you picked are all serious, high-quality books, so they naturally cost this much. If it were storybooks or comics, they'd be much cheaper."

Put that way, Hibari thought it made some sense. Besides, given his status, he doubted the boss would dare to overcharge him.

Moreover, he had already made the offer; if he backed out now over a bit of money, would he still have any face left? He couldn't do that.

Gritting his teeth, he pulled out the 1.5 million ryo bank note and handed it over. "Fine, wrap them all up."

Having made such a large sale, the boss was beaming. He took the note, checked it, and laughed, "Such a large amount is rare. Please wait a moment while I get your change."

Before long, the boss returned with the correct change. Hibari counted it, found it perfectly accurate, pocketed the money, and helped Orochimaru wrap the books securely before handing them over.

Then he pointed at Orochimaru and said to the boss, "This little guy is a good friend of my sister Tsunade, and he's like a younger brother to me. From now on, if he comes to the shop for books, just put it on my tab and send them directly to my house. I'll settle the bill."

The boss glanced at Orochimaru, who often wandered outside the shop, then smiled at Hibari. "Understood. I certainly trust your reputation, young master.

I've noted it down. In the future, whatever books this guest needs, just have him come to the shop. Even if I don't have them, I'll find a way to stock them for him."

Hearing the boss speak so smoothly, Hibari nodded with satisfaction. This boss knew how to handle things; no wonder his business was successful.

He reached out and patted Orochimaru on the head. "Did you hear that?"

Orochimaru's eyes remained calm, but he didn't refuse, simply responding faintly, "I heard."

Hibari nodded, said goodbye to the boss, and led Orochimaru out of the bookstore.

Once the door was closed, Hibari grinned. "I can see your mind has already flown back home. You're in a hurry to read, right? I won't hold you up any longer. Go on."

Orochimaru nodded and turned to leave.

But after taking two steps, he stopped, turned back to look at Hibari, and asked, "Why did you buy these books for me?"

Hibari followed his gaze to the book on top of the bundle—Introduction to Chakra Energy Refinement.

He smiled and said, "I think you have potential, and you're bound to become someone important in the future. Besides, just like I said... I consider you like a younger brother."

Orochimaru heard this and repeated in a low voice, "A younger brother... is that so?"

Hibari didn't say anything more, waving his hand. "Hurry back and read your books, Orochimaru."

As he turned to leave, he suddenly heard Orochimaru's voice from behind: "Thank you, brother Hibari."

Hibari was slightly stunned. When he looked back, the kid was already walking home, clutching his books without looking back.

Watching Orochimaru's retreating figure, the corners of Hibari's mouth lifted involuntarily, though he didn't know what he was thinking.

Hibari slapped his forehead and muttered, "Almost forgot, I promised to bring takoyaki for that girl Tsunade... Since I'm already out, I might as well buy some so she doesn't make a scene when I get back."

With money in his pocket and a calm heart, he turned his steps toward the snack street. As he walked, he pondered, surely a portion of takoyaki wouldn't cost another 140,000 ryo, right?

Just as Hibari was thinking about takoyaki, thousands of miles away in Kirigakure, Hozuki Reigetsu stood in the office of the First Mizukage, Byakuren.

Byakuren, who bore an old scar over his left eye, was one of the five Kage who had pacified the chaotic world; Kirigakure had been built under his hand. He was a man of great ability and even greater ambition, or he wouldn't have been secretly plotting to capture the Seven-Tails as a trump card for the village.

"So, the mission was a failure," Byakuren said, his voice low and devoid of emotion.

Hozuki Reigetsu hung his head low. "Lord Mizukage, I am deeply sorry!"

"It's not your fault, Reigetsu." Byakuren waved his hand, appearing quite reasonable. "According to intelligence, this was originally a matter for Takigakure. Who would have expected Konoha to intervene?

Sarutobi Sasuke is not easy to deal with, his son Hiruzen is also a character, and in the end, even Senju Hashirama was alerted... The result would have been the same no matter who went."

Hozuki Reigetsu looked up and continued, "Also, that kid from the Senju family named Hibari is worth noting. I think he has significant potential. He strikes hard, is bold, and has a reckless, death-defying spirit."

He paused, his brows knitting slightly. "But what's strange is that the kid seems to specifically avoid water; he dodged anything related to water during our several clashes."

Byakuren smiled, not taking it too seriously. "The 'fastest in the ninja world' from the Senju family holds countless powerful Water Style techniques. Perhaps the kid suffered a loss in the past and developed a phobia.

You say he has good talent, but he is still young. In this day and age, we can't exactly send people to assassinate a child, can we? Just keep an eye on him; don't cause any trouble."

He changed the subject, his tone softening. "I'm getting old, and I've been thinking about whether I can step down and rest soon. The village is on the right track now, and I've done just about everything I can... Has your brother Gengetsu figured things out yet?"