"Hehe..."
Five hundred thousand ryo.
Orochimaru had no idea where Tsunade got the confidence to demand such a hefty commission.
So, taking the scroll, he opened it and read through it.
"Jingyi Hyuga, the disciple you brought along? I remember he suffered from Bloodline Degeneration."
Orochimaru had an excellent memory. The moment he saw the signature, he remembered Jingyi.
"What disciple? I never took him on. I just happened to have time, so I gave him some guidance. Who knew the kid would be so talented? He far exceeded my expectations."
When Jingyi was mentioned, Tsunade could not help feeling a little proud.
Though there was no formal master-disciple relationship between them, Jingyi had still been brought up by her, Tsunade.
He could barely be considered her disciple, and he was someone she acknowledged. He was worth showing off a little.
"He needs a large number of animal corpses. Is it for experiments?"
Upon seeing the mission details, Orochimaru thought he had found a kindred spirit.
But Tsunade shook her head. "No. The kid has recently become obsessed with puppets. He keeps saying he's a weak medical ninja with a Bloodline Disease, so he needs to make some puppets to protect himself."
"These animal corpses are materials for making puppets. Compared to ninja corpses and those expensive components, animal corpses are more suitable."
Puppets?
That was somewhat beyond Orochimaru's expectations.
"What grade does he need?" Orochimaru rolled up the scroll and tucked it into his clothes.
Tsunade was right. He, Orochimaru, was indeed one of the more suitable people for this mission.
It was quick and convenient, and he could make a tidy sum. Even after giving Tsunade a sizable cut, he would still earn plenty. It was a worthwhile deal.
It was far less troublesome than heading out to take high-level missions.
The dense forests of the Land of Fire were full of all kinds of strange and powerful creatures.
Tsunade said, "The stronger, the better. And don't make the types too limited. Don't bring back a pile of random snakes."
"Fine."
Orochimaru agreed, then held up two fingers to Tsunade.
"Two hundred thousand?"
Tsunade said unhappily, "Orochimaru, don't push it. Who bargains like that?"
"Then I'll go find Teacher Sarutobi and take the mission directly from the Hokage Office."
Five hundred thousand?
Impossible. At most, he would give her two hundred thousand and let her get her fix. If she was unwilling, he would just go to the Hokage Office and bypass her.
"You..."
Tsunade was so angry she wanted to hit someone.
"Fine. Two hundred thousand ryo. Pay up now."
Two hundred thousand ryo for a long-term cooperative mission was an absolute steal for Orochimaru.
He did not know how much money Jingyi had saved up, but Jingyi's diligent wages from Konoha Hospital alone would be enough to cover this mission's reward, provided Orochimaru did not go overboard.
If he put in too much effort, Jingyi's income definitely would not be enough.
Orochimaru understood the principle of a steady stream. Owing him money was fine; it could be repaid slowly, as long as the debtor was not Tsunade. Then everything was negotiable.
Making money was secondary. Orochimaru also wanted to get to know Jingyi.
Perhaps the two of them could become like-minded companions.
As long as Jingyi still wanted to cure his Bloodline Disease, he could not avoid the path of experimentation and research. When that time came, Orochimaru's opportunity would arrive.
A fine experimental subject was not easy to find.
The Hyuga Clan's Bloodline Disease was sure to be interesting.
Work had ended, and the patients they had received had already been properly arranged. Jingyi and Tsunade left the hospital together.
Compared to the oppressive Hyuga Clan Grounds and the lively Uchiha compound, the Senju ancestral residence was exceptionally quiet and desolate.
To prevent the clan members who had been assimilated into civilian life from gathering together again, Tobirama Senju, that ruthless man, had directly scattered them throughout every part of the village.
The area around the Senju ancestral residence had also become one of Konoha's heavily guarded districts, cutting off some people's thoughts of restoring the clan.
For the scattered clan members to restore the Senju Clan's glory, they would need leadership from the ancestral residence's branch. But now, the two sides had been completely isolated. Coupled with the complete disappearance of the diehard faction, this finally put a full stop to the Senju Clan's assimilation into civilian life.
"Quiet, isn't it?"
Seeing Jingyi looking around curiously, Tsunade sighed.
"To prevent the Hokage from becoming a privilege exclusive to one clan, my granduncle had no choice but to break up the clan and assimilate its members into civilian life. Only the ancestral residence's branch remained, and even the Senju surname was abandoned."
"No one lives nearby anymore. Only a few members of the main branch are left."
"The Second Hokage was a decisive man."
Although Jingyi also felt that Tobirama Senju had been too ruthless toward his own people, he had to admit that Tobirama Senju was a decisive man.
In all of Konoha, he was the only one who could have done this.
"My granduncle had his reasons too. Grandmother said that if he had not done this, the succession of the Hokage would have lost all fairness. The village would have become a place where the Senju Clan dominated alone, and that would have gone against Grandfather's will."
"When the clan was assimilated into civilian life, too many people opposed it. But Granduncle went through with it anyway."
When she had been young, Tsunade had not understood any of this. She only knew that her stern and rigid-looking granduncle had actually spoiled and adored her. He always let her make trouble, even when he was very impatient.
Back then, Tsunade had also thought her granduncle had gone too far.
Only after growing up did she realize that Tobirama Senju had been right.
The Senju Clan had already reached the height of its prosperity. If it had not changed quickly, all of Konoha would have become the Senju Clan's private village.
Every civilian and ninja clan would have become a subordinate clan of the Senju Clan.
It might even have triggered some terrible disaster.
Naturally, the Senju Clan at the height of its power had hoped to turn the village into its own one-clan domain, with all civilians and ninja clans becoming its subordinates.
Civilians were one thing, but would those ninja clans have agreed?
Everyone had worked together to establish a ninja village, to build an equal home. Yet the Senju Clan wanted them to become servants?
Some small clans might have been unable to resist, but large clans like the Hyuga, Uchiha, Sarutobi, Shimura, and Ino-Shika-Cho certainly would not have accepted it.
Thus, Tobirama Senju had faced a difficult choice.
Either dismantle the clan and use special means to erase the Senju Clan at the peak of its power, or allow it to continue growing until the other ninja clans were forced to unite in resistance.
In the end, Tobirama Senju chose to assimilate the clan into civilian life.
Given the situation at the time, it would have been better if the Second Hokage had come from another clan, as they could have suppressed the Senju Clan's arrogance. But both the First and Second Hokage had been members of the Senju Clan.
It had been inevitable that the Senju Clan's ambitions would begin to swell.
Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju could suppress the clan members while they were alive, but once they were gone, trouble would definitely arise.
Even whether Hiruzen Sarutobi could become the Third Hokage would have been uncertain.
"Grandmother, I'm back."
As soon as she entered the gate, Tsunade called out. Jingyi followed her into the courtyard.
The Anbu ninja responsible for protecting the Senju ancestral residence stared wide-eyed.
Was that Jingyi Hyuga?
Why had he come to the Senju ancestral residence?
"Hurry and report to the Hokage."
Even if he could be considered half one of their own, Jingyi ultimately belonged to the Hyuga Clan. His arrival at the Senju ancestral residence would certainly draw the Hokage Office's attention.
"You're back."
Mito Uzumaki, seated in the courtyard, answered with a warm smile, then began examining Jingyi standing beside Tsunade.
"Lady Mito, I'm Jingyi Hyuga. It's an honor to meet you."
Jingyi greatly admired Mito Uzumaki.
She was an elder worthy of respect.
"Quite handsome. No wonder Tsunade and Kushina are willing to be close to you." Mito Uzumaki smiled as she made the joke.
Before you continue