"A wise choice," Sakura said approvingly, turning to Haku. "He's all yours now. Consider him your assistant from today on—just keep him out of trouble. And whenever there's a medical dispute, let him handle it!"
"There are no medical disputes at Konoha Hospital!" The Third reminded Sakura. Everyone in Konoha was kind-hearted—how could such things happen?!
"Last month alone, Konoha Hospital had three cases of medical disputes. The month before that, one doctor cheated on his wife and got beaten half to death by her whole family. Six months ago—"
"Stop! Those were just accidents!" The Third interrupted, clearly feeling a headache coming on. With Konoha being so big, there would always be a few bad apples. And there was no way he could control everyone's personality.
"Now that Zabuza's here, the doctors at Konoha Hospital should feel a bit safer too. Whether it's throwing punches or taking hits like a sandbag, Zabuza is a solid choice!" As Sakura listed off Zabuza's advantages, The Third nodded with increasing satisfaction.
Zabuza: "...Why do I feel like I'm just being sent over to take the blame? Since when did doctors need to withstand beatings as part of their job?!"
"As for housing, I'll arrange a place for them later. It'll be near Kakashi's residence—for surveillance purposes, of course." The Third took out a document, stamped it, and passed it to Haku. He knew exactly who called the shots here—the old man saw through everything clearly enough.
"Thank you very much, Lord Third!" Haku accepted the paper and glanced at it. It was a temporary residency permit for Konoha. "May I ask, Lord Third, will you join us for the housewarming celebration later?"
"Cough cough... No need for that. An old man like me prefers quietness. Too much hustle and bustle isn't suited for me." Although unsure why Haku had invited him, The Third instinctively declined. A chill crept up his spine—he felt like this girl was plotting something.
"What a shame," Haku sighed softly. "I was really hoping to get some gift money. After all, even a Hokage wouldn't be so tightfisted as to skip giving a generous gift on an occasion like this, right?"
The Third: "...I heard everything. Every single word. So that whole 'generous' invitation was just about my money? How deeply it wounds my elderly heart."
"Don't worry, I'll cover your gift money for you, Grandpa," Sakura chimed in with a smile, speaking barely above a whisper—but somehow her voice came dangerously close to shattering the window glass. "Though as a kid, my contribution might not amount to much, but it's the thought that counts. Considering your age, it's natural for you to be a bit tightfisted. Think of mine as a small bribe."
"Do I really have to go?!" The Third groaned under the weight of her words, his wrinkles deepening by the second. If he didn't stop her now, his reputation would soon be ruined. With that volume, rumors of how cheap and miserly he was—going as far as squeezing red envelopes out of children—might spread across Konoha in no time.
"In that case, we'll look forward to your presence, Lord Third!" Haku replied cheerfully, her smile brightening once more.
"That Third is so busy, I'm sure he doesn't have time to stay for dinner with us, right?"
Third: "They're even making me 'eat' with them—this was just an excuse to get me to hand over cash from the old man!"
"I'm not hungry yet, not hungry at all," Third laughed bitterly. He should've known—it was weird for Sakura to actually respect him in the first place.
"Here, take this contribution for now. Later I still need to handle paperwork, so I won't join you!" To stop these guys from causing more trouble, Third directly pulled out the money and hurriedly shoved everyone out.
"Speaking of it, are we going too far?" Zabuza and Kakashi looked visibly uneasy. "After all, that's the Third. If we pressured him into handing over money like this, wouldn't he seek personal revenge?!"
"What do you know? Those who don't manage a household don't understand how hard daily life can be. All these years I've been wandering around, I haven't saved a thing. Now that I'm in Konoha, I can only take minor D-rank missions, barely earning enough to avoid starving. If we want a better life, of course we have to find ways to squeeze some cash!"
Haku counted the money with a pale-faced, greedy expression. He spoke confidently, without a shred of shame. "Besides, as the leader of a whole village, helping impoverished villagers is his duty! And someone like the Third? Just by looking at him, I can tell—he's exactly the type who indulges in food, wine, women, and gambling. His wealth probably comes from exploiting ordinary villagers' sweat and tears! Taking some money away from him is actually doing good for the masses!"
Inside the room, overhearing their conversation clearly, Third silently thought: "MMP, since when did I become addicted to food, alcohol, women, and gambling?! My fortune has been honestly earned—not once did I extort money from commoners! How could you slander me like this? Don't you feel any guilt in your hearts?!"
"Aside from other things, I'm certain Grandpa Third definitely has many bad habits!" Sakura spoke matter-of-factly. "Look, the Third's three apprentices are Jiraiya, Tsunade Senju, and Orochimaru. Among them, Jiraiya writes smut novels, Tsunade Senju loves gambling the most, while Orochimaru is a typical drug addict particularly fond of kidnapping children. The three of them perfectly represent pornography, gambling, and drugs—the three great evils. As their teacher, Grandpa Third must surely indulge in all three vices as well; otherwise, how could he have trained such outstanding apprentices?"
"Sakura… talking behind Grandpa Third's back like this really isn't appropriate," Kakashi scratched his nose uncomfortably. Who knew what kind of petty revenge the Third might seek if he ever found out?
"This isn't gossiping; I'm just stating facts!" Sakura stood tall, like she was ready to go down in history. "Even if I have to bear unfair punishment or political retaliation, I accept my fate! Truth shouldn't remain hidden! Even if I sacrifice myself, my will shall never perish—it'll continue passing down through generations! As the saying goes, 'A single spark can start a prairie fire.' One single me might not reveal the truth to the whole world, but when thousands and millions of 'me' rise together, even the Third cannot stop our collective will from spreading the truth to every soul!"
Third: "MMP, where's my nitroglycerin pills?! These brats, who indulged in all three vices—pornography, gambling, and drugs—together? Who said I'd retaliate politically? Show some conscience, will you?! My heart can't take much more of this!"
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