Hurry Back and Read Your Books, Orochimaru

He paused, his tone turning sterner. "Besides, you're the Hokage. You already draw a salary, and serving the village is your duty! You can't expect a reward every time you do something. Have you forgotten what it means to be Hokage?"

Hashirama wilted under the rebuke, muttering under his breath, "Shouldn't everyone be treated equally? The Hokage's only human, too. And spending money stimulates the village economy, doesn't it..."

"Brother!" Tobirama's voice rose another notch as he heard that ridiculous argument.

Just like that, the "God of Shinobi," who'd been cutting a grand figure in Insect King Valley moments ago, tucked his chin and fell silent. He didn't dare mention the reward again.

Seeing him like that, Tobirama didn't say anything more. They were all family here, after all. Everyone knew how Lord Hokage Senju Hashirama acted like a proper gentleman in public and what he was like behind closed doors.

Still, a little dignity had to be preserved.

Hashirama was still sulking when his eyes drifted toward the window, where he spotted that kid Hibari. Would you look at that? The boy had just gotten his hands on a wad of bills and was happily swinging them around as he headed home.

At the sight, a different look crept onto Hashirama's righteous face. He's just a kid. What's he doing with so much money in his hands?

He might spend it recklessly. I should hold on to it for him as his grandfather and give it back when he's older. That'd be much safer.

Once he'd found this new "source of income," Hashirama promptly forgot about the earlier matter. He cleared his throat and hurriedly changed the subject. "Ahem, I was only joking.

"Now, about business. We need to draw up a plan and establish some rules for the village's security and patrols. What do you all think?"

"We can't rush this," Tobirama replied. "We'll need to call in everyone in charge and discuss it thoroughly. But I think the Uchiha Clan would be a good fit for the job."

Sarutobi Sasuke chimed in, "In terms of ability, the Hyuga Clan might be more..."

The bigwigs were deep in discussion at the Hokage Building, while Hibari remained completely unaware that some "kindhearted grandfather" had already set his sights on the fortune he'd just acquired.

As it happened, he spotted a skinny figure standing outside a bookstore, staring longingly at the shelves packed with books.

Hibari grinned and sauntered over, casually patting the person on the shoulder. "Orochimaru, what are you looking at?"

The skinny kid standing outside the bookstore was none other than the future "Shinobi World scientist," Orochimaru. But for now, he was just a little boy who hadn't yet shown what he was capable of.

Hearing Hibari's voice, Orochimaru didn't even turn around. His expression remained calm. "Books."

"What books can you see from out here?" Hibari laughed. "Just the titles?"

"The titles are part of the books," Orochimaru replied softly, still in his usual cool tone. "I'm figuring out which books would suit me and how much they cost."

Hibari rubbed his chin, feeling a little uneasy. Look at Orochimaru. He was about the same age as that crazy girl Tsunade, yet he already had ideas and plans of his own.

Then there was Tsunade, who spent all day messing around and even followed old man Hashirama to gamble now and then. Just thinking about it gave him a headache.

But Orochimaru's words also made Hibari feel a little wistful. Orochimaru came from a civilian family. His parents had only become shinobi after Konoha was founded, and they weren't well off. He had to carefully budget even for a single book.

By comparison, Hibari had never had to worry about money growing up. The contrast left him feeling a little melancholy.

If Orochimaru had had access to the same resources as Tsunade from childhood, he might have soared to great heights already.

At the thought, Hibari squeezed the brand-new bill in his hand, glanced at the skinny kid beside him, and suddenly grinned. "What a coincidence.

"Your big brother Hibari just completed an S-Rank Mission and got a nice payout. I'm in a good mood, and running into you must be fate. How about I get you a little something?"

As he spoke, he reached out and slung an arm around Orochimaru's shoulders. "Don't just stand outside staring. Come on, pick something! Take whatever you like, anything you want to read. Your big brother will pay!"

A flicker of surprise crossed Orochimaru's eyes when Hibari put his arm around him, but he didn't pull away. He let Hibari half push, half lead him into the bookstore.

The Senju Clan had a huge collection of books, so Hibari wasn't interested in the ordinary titles in the shop. He flipped through a couple at random, then sat down to wait.

He was still young and didn't have much say at home, so he couldn't just take Orochimaru to look through the family library. This was about all he could do to help.

Hibari particularly liked this about Orochimaru. The boy acted decisively and didn't bother with insincere pleasantries. As soon as they entered the shop, he started carefully choosing books without the slightest attempt to refuse out of politeness.

Before long, he came tottering over with a stack of books in his arms. The pile was so high it nearly blocked his view. He didn't say a word, but the meaning was obvious.

Hibari grinned. "Just these? Is that enough?"

Orochimaru looked at him calmly. "At my current level, these introductory books will keep me busy for a long time. There's no point in trying to learn too much at once. These are just right."

Hibari smiled and nodded at his well-reasoned answer. "If you think they'll do, then they'll do."

He took the stack from him, dropped the books onto the counter with a clatter, and jerked his chin at the shopkeeper. "What's the total?"

The shopkeeper looked up and immediately broke into a grin. "Well, if it isn't young master Hibari! What a rare sight, seeing you in here buying books... Let's see."

He counted them one by one, then looked up with a smile. "It comes to a little over 140,000 ryo. I'll round it down for you. Just 140,000."

Hibari's eyes widened. 140,000 ryo? Were these books or jewels? That was enough to pay for a B-Rank Mission. The shopkeeper sure wasn't shy about his prices.

Seeing Hibari's astonished expression, the shopkeeper calmly explained, "You haven't bought these kinds of books before, young master, so you're not familiar with the prices. They're full of knowledge, and knowledge is valuable!

"You picked out proper, high-quality books, so they're worth the price. Storybooks and manga are much cheaper."

Hibari considered it. That did make some sense. Besides, with his status, the shopkeeper probably wouldn't dare overcharge him.

And he'd already offered. If he took it back over a little money, what would that do to his reputation? He couldn't bring himself to do that.

He gritted his teeth, pulled out the 1.5-million-ryo bill, and handed it over. "Fine. Wrap them all up."

The shopkeeper was grinning from ear to ear after landing such a big sale. He took the bill, glanced at it, and said, "We don't often see bills this large. Just a moment while I get your change."

It didn't take long for the shopkeeper to bring back the change. Hibari counted it and found it all there, then tucked the money away, bundled the books securely for Orochimaru, and handed them over.

Then he pointed at Orochimaru and told the shopkeeper, "This kid's a good friend of my little sister Tsunade. You could say he's like a little brother to me. From now on, if he comes in looking for a book, put it on my tab and deliver it to my house. I'll settle the bill."

The shopkeeper glanced at Orochimaru, who often hung around outside the bookstore, then smiled at Hibari. "You got it, young master. I know I can trust you to pay.

"I'll remember. From now on, whenever this young customer needs a book, he can come in and ask. If I don't have it, I'll find a way to order it for him."

Hibari nodded, pleased with the shopkeeper's smooth response. The man knew how to handle people. No wonder his business was doing well.

He reached over and patted Orochimaru on the head. "You hear that?"

Orochimaru's expression remained unchanged, but he didn't refuse. "I heard."

Only then did Hibari nod. After saying goodbye to the shopkeeper, he left the bookstore with Orochimaru.

Once they were outside, Hibari grinned. "I can tell your mind's already back home. You're eager to start reading, right? I won't keep you any longer. Go on."

Orochimaru nodded and turned to leave.

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

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

He smiled. "I think you've got potential. You're sure to make something of yourself one day. Besides, like I said... I think of you as half a little brother."

Orochimaru softly repeated, "Half a little brother...?"

Hibari didn't say anything more. He waved him off. "Hurry back and read your books, Orochimaru."

He turned to leave, but just then Orochimaru's voice came from behind him. "Thank you, big brother Hibari."

Hibari paused for a moment. When he turned back, the kid was already walking home with the books in his arms, without so much as looking back.

As he watched Orochimaru's retreating figure, Hibari found himself smiling. He wasn't sure what he was thinking.

Hibari slapped his forehead and muttered, "I almost forgot. I promised to bring Princess Tsunade that girl some takoyaki... Since I'm already out, I might as well pick some up. That'll save me from having her make a fuss when I get home."

With money in his pocket, Hibari felt at ease. He turned toward the food stalls. As he walked, he wondered if a serving of takoyaki could possibly cost another 140,000 ryo.

While Hibari was thinking about takoyaki, far away in Kirigakure, Hozuki Reigetsu stood in the office of Byakuren, the First Mizukage.

Byakuren had an old injury over his left eye. He was one of the Five Kage who had brought the era of chaos to an end, and Kirigakure had been founded under his leadership. He was highly capable and ambitious, too. Otherwise, he wouldn't have secretly set his sights on the Seven-Tails, hoping to bring it back as a trump card.

"Looks like the mission failed," Byakuren said, his voice quiet and giving nothing away.

Hozuki Reigetsu bowed his head. "Mizukage-sama, I'm deeply sorry!"

"It's not your fault, Reigetsu." Byakuren waved a hand, taking it in stride. "According to the intelligence, this was supposed to be Takigakure's problem. Who could've predicted that Konoha would get involved?

"Sarutobi Sasuke is no pushover, and his son Hiruzen is a force to be reckoned with, too. In the end, even Senju Hashirama got involved... Whoever we sent would've met the same outcome."

Hozuki Reigetsu raised his head and continued, "There's also that kid from the Senju Clan named Hibari. He's worth keeping an eye on. I think he has a lot of potential. He's ruthless, bold, and has a reckless streak."

He paused, his brow furrowing slightly. "But what's strange is that he seems to avoid water. In our clashes, he went out of his way to stay away from anything water-related."

Byakuren only smiled, not taking it too seriously. "The 'Fastest Shinobi in the World' from the Senju Clan has countless powerful Water Release techniques in his arsenal. Perhaps that kid got burned before and developed a fear of water.

"You say he's talented, but he's still young. In times like these, we can't exactly send someone to assassinate a child, can we? Just keep an eye on him. Don't cause trouble."

Then his tone softened. "I'm getting old, and I keep wondering if I can retire and rest a little sooner. The village is on the right track now, and I've done just about everything I needed to do... Has your brother Gengetsu still not made up his mind?"