Ever since Tobirama entrusted him with assisting Hiruzen in forming a special unit directly under the Hokage, Hibari had often been holed up at home writing some kind of planning documents.
From time to time, he'd also secretly go out with Hiruzen to investigate various matters, making everything seem very mysterious.
However, seeing how enthusiastic Hibari was, Tobirama and the others didn't dampen his spirits; they would just occasionally ask him about his progress.
As time passed, Hashirama, who had been seriously injured, gradually recovered. Although his mastery and efficiency in circulating chakra were still very low due to various internal issues, preventing him from using overly powerful ninjutsu, he could still use some simple, minor ninjutsu. He hadn't completely become a 'cripple' and was already able to move freely out of bed.
This made Hibari particularly relieved. For Hibari, this was a huge change. As long as Hashirama was alive, Hibari was happy. It proved that his efforts over the years hadn't been in vain; at least, something had changed.
Early one morning, Hibari tidied his bed, opened his door, and stepped out. He then saw little Tsunade sitting alone in their courtyard, muttering something.
Hibari smiled at the sight, walked over, and asked, "Tsunade, what are you doing here so early?"
"Hibari-nii, aren't I waiting for you?" Tsunade quickly said upon seeing Hibari.
"Waiting for me? For what? Don't you have school today?" Hibari asked curiously.
"Today's a holiday. All the teachers at school are going to attend Ojiisama's speech, and I guessed that Hibari-nii would go too, so I came here early to wait for you," Tsunade said with a giggle.
Hibari also smiled, then reached out and ruffled little Tsunade's head, asking, "Where's that Hiyoko? Why don't I see him?"
"Hiyoko-nii came with me earlier, but he said he finds you annoying and knows very well that you'd make him go to Ojiisan's study to read, so he said he couldn't be bothered talking nonsense with you and just left," Tsunade said, looking at Hibari.
"Hahahahaha, that kid's pretty self-aware, isn't he? But he's been a bit too cocky lately, hasn't he? Isn't he afraid I'll reclaim him?" Hibari burst out laughing.
Although Hiyoko was his shadow clone, Hibari was by no means polite to him, giving him all the dirty and tiring work. Hiyoko, unfortunately, had no means of resistance, which infuriated him. Therefore, on normal days, he was very cold towards Hibari, sometimes not even acknowledging him when they met. Usually, it was a tsundere-like snort, which counted as a greeting.
However, Hibari himself didn't feel anything about it and didn't cause any embarrassing situations.
"You guessed right, I'm going to watch Hashirama-jiisan's speech. This is his first public appearance since that incident... If nothing unexpected happens, today will be a memorable day, and something big is bound to occur," Hibari said with a smile.
Then he took little Tsunade's hand, and the two left the courtyard together.
Leaving the Senju clan's main residence and stepping onto the street, they noticed many people coming and going, all heading in the direction of the Hokage Residence. It seemed everyone wanted to see the Hokage, who hadn't been seen in a long time.
As Hibari walked, he heard someone calling him from the side. He turned to look and saw it was the bookstore owner, and standing beside the owner was Orochimaru, holding a pile of books as he emerged.
"Isn't this Young Master Hibari? It's been a few days," the bookstore owner said with a chuckle.
Hibari smiled back and said, "I've been busy with some family matters recently. How's business, Boss?"
"Hehehe, thanks to you, Young Master, business is still very good. With the Ninja Academy opening, it's certainly brought some sunshine to my business as well..." The bookstore owner nodded.
After speaking, he looked at Orochimaru, then said, "Young Master, it's almost the end of the month, the bill..."
Hibari glanced at Orochimaru. This kid truly wasn't holding back; he wondered how many books he had bought here again. Thinking of the price of those books, Hibari couldn't help but feel a pang of pain in his heart. However, he couldn't just renege on his debt, so he could only put on a brave face.
Hibari feigned a wealthy, unconcerned demeanor and said, "Time truly flies, hasn't it? Is it already the end of the month? Then it's certainly time to settle the accounts. However, I didn't bring any money with me today as I'm going to attend the Hokage's speech. Boss, how about you pick a time and visit the Senju clan's residence? I'll give you the money then?"
When Hibari said this, the owner didn't hesitate at all and immediately replied, "No problem, Young Master. I trust your credit. I'll pick a time and go over in the next couple of days."
Hibari nodded upon hearing this. However, although he had escaped paying cash today, he truly was 'the landlord with no surplus grain.' It seemed he would have to go back and sweet-talk Mito-obaa into 'lending' him some money.
Thinking of this, Hibari raised an eyebrow and asked, "By the way, Boss, what's the total for the bill? Let me know so I can prepare it for you when I get back."
The shop owner glanced at the new books Orochimaru was holding and chuckled, "Including today's, it's just over 800,000 ryo. Same old rule, I'll round down for you, Young Master, so 800,000 ryo will be fine."
'800,000 ryo??? How many books did that scoundrel Orochimaru buy? Didn't he say before that those few books would last him for ages? How did it multiply several times in less than a month?'
Orochimaru, standing nearby, heard this conversation. A touch of shyness unknowingly appeared on his usually calm face. He knew somewhat that Hibari was putting on a brave face, especially since Hibari had almost been unable to pay when he treated him to yakiniku before.
However, he genuinely couldn't control his thirst for knowledge. He had initially thought the books would last a long time, but he had devoured them over several consecutive days, rereading them repeatedly, understanding everything at an incredibly fast pace. Afterward, he came here to buy books several more times, leading to the sum of 800,000 ryo.
Though it felt like his heart was bleeding, Hibari outwardly feigned nonchalance and said, "800,000 ryo, you say? Alright, I've noted it. I'll prepare it for you, Boss. You can pick it up any time in the next two days, or I'll bring it to you if I pass by again."
Hearing Hibari's seemingly generous words, the shop owner didn't suspect anything at all. How could the vast Senju clan possibly care about a mere 800,000 ryo? They were certainly trustworthy.
If he knew that his respected Hokage was willing to secretly discard his integrity and dignity to mess with his own grandson for over a million ryo, he might not think that way.
Hibari was currently quite short on money. While shinobi missions brought in money quickly, generally, there was nothing for him to do. He wasn't willing to take on mundane tasks like finding lost cats and dogs, and major missions weren't always available.
Additionally, he was actually very busy himself, learning from Tobirama and helping Hiruzen form a team. It was thanks to Hiyoko, who helped him with half of his tasks, that he wasn't completely swamped.
But this couldn't go on forever. He felt like ever since he started 'supporting' Orochimaru, money was flowing out like water. He thought that if he wanted to accomplish anything significant in the future, it would inevitably require massive funds.
Therefore, he needed to find a proper source of income; he couldn't always rely on being a shinobi to make money. It would take forever to get rich that way.
Thinking for a moment, Hibari raised an eyebrow and looked at the shop owner, asking, "By the way, Boss, does your bookstore offer any publishing services?"
"Publishing? Does Young Master want to publish a book?" The shop owner asked with some surprise.
Hibari smiled, then said, "It's nothing too serious, just some small stories I'd like to share with everyone..."
"Hahaha, really? I never thought Young Master had such refined tastes. While I don't do book publishing myself, those of us in this line of work often deal with such people. I do have some connections. If Young Master truly wants to publish some stories, just come find me! I guarantee I'll arrange everything perfectly for you!" The shop owner patted his chest confidently.
"Really? That's truly wonderful, thank you. I'll come and discuss it properly with you when I have time," Hibari said with a chuckle.
Hibari, having lived two lives, has read countless stories. Many excellent ones could be borrowed and adapted. Perhaps the people of this world would enjoy them too?
What? Plagiarism? Are you kidding? Can a cultured person's work be called plagiarism? This is called promotion! I'm already promoting it to another world for you. It's good enough that I'm not charging you; you want me to pay you? Dream on! If you're so capable, break through the world barrier and come to Konohagakure to ask me for money!
He hadn't thought about making money before, so he hadn't paid attention to these things. Now, thinking about it, the Five Great Nations had only recently returned to peace. This was precisely when the economy should begin to pick up. As such, many industries would usher in new changes and developments...
'If I can truly earn my first pot of gold by publishing some books, maybe I really can get rich and become an impressive tycoon in the future? There's some potential here...' Hibari thought to himself, stroking his chin.
He didn't linger to chat further with the shop owner. After agreeing on a time, Hibari left with little Tsunade, now accompanied by Orochimaru.
He didn't blame Orochimaru for spending so much money. Hibari looked at Orochimaru, who was clutching a stack of books, chuckled, and asked, "Aren't you going to attend the Hokage's speech?"
Orochimaru replied softly without raising his head, "The entire village can hear it over the loudspeakers. The Hokage Residence must be packed with people right now, so there's no need to squeeze in."
"Is that so? Are you rushing back to read?" Hibari asked, thinking for a moment.
"Yes, although school's on holiday, I still want to learn more..." Orochimaru said without hesitation.
"It seems I've said some wrong things before. You're not just a genius, you're a diligent genius!" Hibari said with a smile, looking at the industrious Orochimaru, and patting his head.
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