Chapter 241. How About Settling the Balance First?
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The weather's nice today.
Spring.
A gentle breeze, bright sunshine.
Winter had already passed.
Although a lot happened during the Winter Festival…
Three films fought for dominance. In the end, Root Studio collapsed. One of the founders—Shimura Danzo—fled overnight. Debt collectors chased down the other founder—Sarutobi Hiruzen—all the way to his family's doorstep. There were even tragic stories online of people at the bottom of society risking their lives to collect what they were owed.
But in the end—
The situation was finally resolved.
Ultimately, it was the Third Hokage, who was past his fifties, that shouldered everything~
Afterward—
To help repay his father's debts, Sarutobi Asuma left Konoha and headed to the big city to look for opportunities to make money. Sarutobi Hiruzen also dragged his old body to work part-time to earn money.
But with a debt that massive… who knows when this old man will be able to pay it back?
Of course—
This matter had nothing to do with most people. Aside from expressing some sympathy, sighing and shaking their heads at the spectacle, and maybe gossiping about it over a drink, life pretty much went on as usual.
As for Hyuga Hanabi… After earning the recognition of the Hyuga clan, she now held a legitimate status within Konoha under the Hyuga name.
That also meant access to more information.
She was still working hard to break the illusion.
Maybe because this ninja world seemed… just a little off, Hanabi was still convinced this was some kind of illusion.
She was determined to find a way to break it and escape.
Yuto stood at the side of the road, watching as the streets came back to life after winter.
With time, Konoha was gradually changing.
At the very least… the village had become much livelier over the past two years. Internet cafes, dance halls, cinemas, and milk tea shops had become popular spots for relaxation.
You could say there was peace.
And when there's peace—
People start looking for ways to unwind.
As a result, the profit turnover was slowly improving across all the shops in the village.
Just then—
"Yuto~"
A voice called out to him.
It was Suzune.
Today, he was supposed to visit the Uchiha compound to check on his younger nephew. As for his older nephew… he was still at school, so he probably wouldn't see him today.
Yuto turned toward Suzune, noticing the complicated expression on her face. "What's wrong?"
But—
Suzune didn't answer. She just shook her head.
Then—
With that same complicated look, she slowly raised her right hand and pointed forward with her index finger. Her eyes reflected both shock and disbelief, but she didn't say a word.
"???"
What's going on?
Did that brat Obito get caught shouting "No! No! No!" under a streetlight again?!
Yuto turned around and followed the direction Suzune was pointing, curiosity growing.
And then—
He fell silent too.
He looked ahead with the same complicated expression as Suzune.
Because ahead of them—
Not too far away—
An old man with white hair—
He was standing at the door of a shop, accepting a takeout order that had already been packed. He smiled faintly, then quickly turned and ran, heading in a specific direction…
This…
The Third Hokage.
He…
He started delivering food now?
…
"Your order has been delivered. Please enjoy your meal! If you don't mind, please leave us a five-star review!"
"Thank you~"
"Enjoy your meal!"
After the door closed, the smile on Sarutobi Hiruzen's face faded. He sighed deeply, patted his face, and gazed at the clear blue sky.
It wasn't raining today, which was good. That made food deliveries much faster.
Then—
With his hands clasped behind his back, he slowly started walking forward.
It was time for a break.
He was getting old.
Not only was his body starting to give out, but even his chakra was wearing thin.
But to repay the debt—
What could he possibly do now?
The studio had collapsed, so there was no income from that anymore. The only silver lining was that the dividends from the first movie at Yuto Cinema hadn't been cut off yet.
As for clan funds…
As the Clan Leader, how could he possibly touch that money?
That was meant to support the next generation. If he used it now and something happened later, what would they do with no funds left?
Take on missions again?
He was already retired as the Third Hokage and living off his village pension. Unless the village faced an emergency and needed his help, he'd have to compete with rookies for missions or follow Kosuke's lead, hiding behind the scenes of the village and carrying out some secret missions.
But he was the Third Hokage!
If he started taking missions, it would only create complications for the village. And besides… the pay for missions was really low.
So, after thinking it over, food delivery seemed like the best option.
The working hours were flexible, and the more deliveries you made, the more you earned. Many Genin would take a few orders when they were free, so it was indeed more suitable for him.
After a while.
He arrived at an open area and looked at the three figures who looked exactly like him, standing opposite him.
Shadow Clone Jutsu!
"How many orders have you delivered today?" Hiruzen took out his tobacco pipe, took a deep drag, and eyed his clones. "If you're slacking off, don't blame me for being rude."
To be fair—
Using the Shadow Clone Jutsu for food delivery was pretty efficient! He could easily handle over a hundred orders a day this way. The only hassle was figuring out which stores had orders available.
He didn't know which stores had orders and when, so he could only rely on his shadow clones to notify him.
"Don't worry, we know what to do now," the clone on the left nodded and sighed helplessly. "With such a huge debt on our shoulders, how can we dare to be lazy? I've delivered nine orders."
After that—
The other two clones reported in:
"That's right! That's right! I just delivered nine orders as well."
"I was a bit luckier—I've received several orders from nearby places, and I've delivered twelve orders so far!"
"Not bad!" Hiruzen nodded in satisfaction. "It looks like this morning was good! Come back and rest quickly; we still have to work hard later!"
"Yes~" ×3
With three consecutive "poof" sounds, the clones disappeared, leaving Hiruzen standing alone.
His face seemed to become tired several times in an instant. He picked up a cup of warm water, blew gently on it, took a small sip, and sat down on a nearby stone bench.
He took another sip, screwed the lid back on, and leaned back, resting his arms on the bench.
His head tilted upward as he calmly gazed at the sky.
After an unknown amount of time, he straightened up, took another deep drag from his pipe, exhaled a long stream of smoke, and shook his head.
"Danzo~ where on earth did you go?"
…
Meanwhile.
Outside Konoha, within the borders of the Land of Fire…
Somewhere in remote woods…
An old man in a gray kimono suddenly stopped, turned his head, and silently gazed into the distance.
After an unknown amount of time passed, at last—
He sighed, shook his head, and then turned back and resumed walking forward.
"Sorry, Hiruzen," Danzo said dimly, a strange light flashing in his eyes as if he was thinking about something.
He didn't really plan to leave Konoha.
But there was really no other way!
He owed too much!
Once everyone came to collect the debt, he would no longer be able to do business. By then, he'd have to use the last bit of money left to pay off the debt, and then he'd be trapped in an endless cycle of debt repayment.
If that happened—
How could he possibly grow his business?
So, no matter what, he had to leave Konoha temporarily and seek other opportunities for development.
Otherwise, he would be dragged to death in Konoha and would never be able to make a fortune!
He.
Shimura Danzo.
Once he set a goal, he would move forward with determination, even if it meant sacrificing everything.
His eyes hardened with resolve, and his tone became serious: "Don't worry, Hiruzen! When I get rich, I will definitely not forget you when I return to the village!"
With that—
He took a firm step forward toward his goal.
Suddenly—
"Ah! Ah!"
A sarcastic, mocking voice echoed from behind him.
"Boss Danzo… How about settling the balance first?"
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