"How did your missions go?" Tsunade asked the two Anbu squads in front of her.
The first Anbu Captain reported, "The mission was a success. Iwagakure paid 650 Earth Crystals for the information about the Third Kazekage's death! We aren't sure how they perceived the information, but we can do more transactions if the information satisfies them."
Tsunade smiled and said, "Good, that's 150 crystals over our bottom line. You did well. The next transaction with Iwagakure will be simpler, but you'll have to extract as much as you can from them."
The Anbu Captain nodded, "I'll do the best I can, Lady Fifth."
Tsunade turned her attention towards the other Anbu Captain, who reported, "Our mission hit a snag. Kumogakure showed interest in purchasing the information, but they were very stingy during negotiations. We had to close below our bottom line and got only 440 Lightning Crystals in exchange.
However, we had a different gain. From the way they negotiated, I don't think they were being stingy for the sake of it. I speculate their reserves of elemental crystals are running low. Either they used too many of them while training their ninjas, or something has happened to them.
If we assume they stored their elemental crystals in the Raikage Building, there's a chance they were damaged or stolen when Akuro took over that building and humiliated them. However, it'll be very difficult to confirm this information."
Tsunade was surprised by his analysis. She calculated for a bit before concluding, 'He may be correct. Normally, Kumogakure is one who is willing to pay the highest for critical information. Since they didn't, their reserves must be low. And, I don't think Ay would make the silly mistake of overusing them for training. Could they be stolen by Akuro?'
Tsunade analyzed for a bit but couldn't make any guesses due to the limited information. She decided, 'I need to discuss this with Sensei.'
She looked at the two Anbu Captains and said, "Both of you have done well. As we discussed earlier, you'll now sell them another piece of information. However, this time, the cost will be high. We'll start by asking 4,000 elemental crystals and try to settle them over 2,500 crystals. Their nature doesn't matter. And, if they're running low, they can make up for it by exchanging Ninjutsu or other important resources."
Her words surprised the two Anbu squads. One of them asked, "Will they pay such a high cost for only information?"
Tsunade smirked, "They will. It just depends on how well you can sell it to them."
The two Anbu Captains nodded. They handed Tsunade their scrolls before being briefed about their next mission. When they left, Tsunade thought with a smile, 'Fujin gave me a good gift on becoming Hokage. We'll need more elemental crystals to build a new batch of elites. I have to make them cough up as many crystals as they can!'
——
As the Sun rose higher in the sky, 9 figures lay exhausted on the ground. They barely had any energy to move! Only Guy still stood. There wasn't a hint of exhaustion on his face.
Naruto wondered, 'What the hell happened today? Why did he make the training so difficult?'
Neji sighed internally, 'The new students excited him too much. He went overboard!'
Shoma wondered, 'If we apologize to Sensei for complaining his training was difficult, will he take us back and train us himself? I don't want to be tortured like this daily…'
Guy said as enthusiastically as ever, "Don't let the flames of your youth die down! You need food to fuel your flames! Follow me to Yakiniku!"
Hearing food, the nine kids dug out some energy and followed Guy to the restaurant. To their surprise, they were warmly welcomed as soon as they entered the restaurant and guided to the best seats. Within minutes, they were served.
Naruto, who wasn't used to being treated so well, asked in confusion, "Why are they treating us like special guests?"
Guy chuckled, placed a piece of meat on the grill and said, "Eat up as much as you like!"
Neji suspiciously looked at Guy and wondered, 'He's treating 9 hungry kids to a buffet? Since when did he become so rich?'
Others didn't think too much and dug in. Within a few minutes, they went through a small portion of the hotel's inventory. However, Guy kept on encouraging them to eat more.
Concerned, Lee asked, "Sensei, you're treating us, correct? I can't pay for so much on my own."
Naruto was alarmed as well. His poor wallet was still empty. As for the Kiri orphans, they didn't care much. Even if Guy didn't cover the bill, they could just put it on Fujin's tab.
Guy chuckled, "Don't worry, eat all you can. It's already covered."
Naruto, Lee and Tenten relaxed. However, Neji noticed something odd. He asked, "Covered? Do you mean someone other than you covered it?"
Neji's words surprised the rest. They looked at Guy curiously. Guy answered, "Yes, Fujin will cover all our meal costs here as a thank you since I agreed to train his students. And he'll continue doing so until I'm done training you. That is why they are treating us so well. So, don't worry and eat until you're full so that you can train even more!"
His last words worried all except Lee. Lee asked with some concern, "If we keep eating like this daily, won't Fujin-san become poor?"
Guy thought for a bit and said, "Fujin is quite rich. He would have said something if that was the case."
Neji said thoughtfully, "I heard from Hiashi-sama that Fujin rarely goes on missions. How is he so much richer than you?"
Guy shrugged. He had no idea nor did he care much. Besides, it wasn't as if Guy was poor. He simply didn't care about privacy and other matters as much as Fujin did.
Naruto looked at Sayaka and asked, "Say, do you know how rich big brother Fujin is?"
Everyone looked at her with curiosity. Sayaka answered, "I'm not sure. I overheard Hoka-sensei once saying that Sensei is very rich. I have never seen Sensei complain about money, nor has he ever been stingy when it comes to food or weapons. So, he must be very wealthy. I'm not sure how though. He is an orphan just like us and rarely goes out to do missions nowadays."
Takeshi added, "Even though he doesn't go on missions now, he likely went on many, considering the rumors of his time in the Anbu. That may be why…"
Yuji giggled mischievously, "Perhaps. Or maybe there's a gold mine under Sensei's house. Why else would he protect it so much?"
The gazes moved to Yuji, some deadpan while some imagined a gold mine under Fujin's house. Guy coughed and said, "Focus on eating. You can discuss that later. There's something else Fujin has done for everyone, which will allow us to train harder!"
Everyone except Lee shuddered at Guy's words. After they were done eating, Guy took them to Konoha's hospital. Tenten asked curiously, "Why are we here?"
Guy answered, "In order to help everyone train harder, Fujin has paid for weekly checkups and massages to deal with any hidden injuries. This wi…"
The eyes of Fujin's students and Naruto lit up. Naruto loudly exclaimed, "These are the best! Come on! Let's go in!"
Without waiting for Guy to complete his words, he rushed in, followed by Sayaka and the rest. Guy's three students experienced the pleasures of having the best medical ninjas in the village for the first time. Needless to say, all the pleasures were forgotten when Guy began their after lunch training session!
——
Life went on as usual in Konoha. Tsunade seamlessly settled into her role as the Fifth Hokage, replacing her Sensei. Though many remembered Hiruzen due to how long he sat in that chair, no one missed him as things stayed similar.
With no more attacks on or by Konoha, peace returned to the village. The crowd in and around the Guidance Hall kept increasing as it finally started showing effect. Several old or retired ninjas took over the role of mentors to countless young ninjas.
The Academy was slightly chaotic as the council wanted several changes implemented during the vacation. As a result, the teachers were very busy changing the syllabus and the administration was busy recruiting additional teachers and trainers. Several new constructions happened as well to construct spaces for clubs.
The negotiations with Iwagakure and Kumogakure were happening in the background. Neither village wanted to make such a huge payment to Konoha. However, the disturbing image Konoha painted was too important to ignore.
Konoha's negotiators mentioned the information was crucial for the safety of their Jinchurikis and might shed light on Han's disappearance. The fact that Konoha refused to lower the cost made them even more certain about the validity of the information. Even so, the cost was truly astronomical and they were suspicious of Konoha's intentions. After all, why would Konoha be worried about their Jinchuriki? Hence, they continued bargaining with Konoha.
Unbothered by all these developments, Fujin completely immersed himself into his training. His chakra control reached his previous levels within a week. He spent another week improving his mastery of hair-based Ninjutsus. Though he still couldn't perform them without hand seals, he improved them substantially, taking them to a level that could be used during battles.
Finally, Fujin turned his attention to the magnet release.
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