"Salary? If there's a salary, then you're welcome to take it, Kakuzu-sama."
Mu didn't think much of it and agreed immediately. After all, he had been forcibly taken away, and he considered himself lucky if he wasn't being exploited like a workhorse. As for the salary, even if there was one, how high could it possibly be?
A hint of a triumphant smile finally appeared on Kakuzu's face, though his tone remained cold as he snorted.
"Hmph! In that case, let's consider the past grievances settled."
After saying that, Kakuzu turned his head away, so that people could not see the expression on his face.
Orochimaru, witnessing this scene, narrowed his eyes slightly, but his gaze quickly dimmed again. As everyone knew, scientific research for Ninja didn't require much manpower but was extremely costly. Back in Konoha, all his research funding had been provided by Root, and whenever Root ran out of money, Danzo would pester Hiruzen for more. So, during that time, he had never truly realized the importance of funding.
It wasn't until after he defected that he understood how crucial funding was. Advanced, precise, and practical equipment was often prohibitively expensive, which was why, even after defecting for so many years, he only had that shabby research base in the Land of Rice Fields.
He had been poor for too long, so he had initially considered trying to swindle some of Mu's future salary. But then he remembered that Naruto had said they would never lack funding, so he gave up on the idea.
Meanwhile, Mui couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. He couldn't imagine how terrifying the strength of a Ninja from his father's era would be if they were still so vigorous now be.
'But for now, the issue seemed resolved.' After letting out a long breath, he turned his attention to Karin and Kaho, who had been quietly standing to the side.
"Kaho-san, about the past..."
Mui opened his mouth to explain, but after a long pause, he couldn't find the right words.
If he were to talk about the things Kusagakure had done in the past, it had nothing to do with him. After all, Hozuki Castle had long since separated from Kusagakure.
Mu had been at Hozuki Castle for decades and had never even met Karin and Kaho. He had only heard in passing that Kusagakure relied on biting a woman to heal injuries.
But if he said there was no connection, Hozuki Castle had always claimed to be the true successor of Kusagakure. If they were to hold a grudge against him, there was nothing he could do.
Moreover, when he saw the dense bite marks on Kaho's exposed skin, he couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt.
In the end, it was Kaho who broke the silence.
"Warden Mui, there's no need to worry. I understand that Hozuki Castle and Kusagakure have long been separate entities. I won't hold any grudges against you because of what happened in Kusagakure. You can rest assured."
"Besides, your two children are quite adorable."
Kaho's face broke into a warm, mature smile, though her pale complexion, a result of her drained vitality, made her appear fragile.
"Thank you for your understanding, Kaho-san."
Mui naturally understood that Kaho was giving him an out, and he couldn't help but feel a wave of admiration. He felt that Kaho was truly a reasonable and magnanimous woman.
Kaho is indeed reasonable, but magnanimous? Not at all.
She harbored deep hatred for Kusagakure. Life here had been like hell for her and her daughter. Although she knew that Hozuki Castle and Kusagakure were no longer connected, she couldn't help but feel a trace of resentment.
But she was well aware of who had saved them. If it weren't for Naruto, she would likely have died today, and her daughter, Karin, would have inherited her fate. She couldn't imagine the despair her seven-year-old daughter would have faced.
It was Naruto had saved them, taking them away from hell. Since Naruto needed Mui, she couldn't make things difficult for him.
For a moment, everyone was thinking of something pleasant, and smiles appeared on their faces.
Only the three children were still confused. They wondered why had the adults been so serious earlier, only to suddenly start smiling?
At that moment, Naruto's voice rang out appropriately.
"Are you all done chatting?"
"If you're done, then it's time to set off."
"..."
Everyone stood on the Flying Thunder Formation Technique, with the three captives in tow.
In the blink of an eye, they appeared on the other side of the Ninja World.
——
Konoha, Hokage's Office.
Tsunade was frowning deeply as she read the latest intelligence report from the Sunagakure battlefield.
But before she could even put down the report, the door was slammed open.
A white-haired, wretched man walked in.
"Tsunade, I heard Naruto has appeared!"
Seeing the flustered Jiraiya, Tsunade's frown deepened.
"Jiraiya, where did you get this information?"
Jiraiya was stunned for a moment, not knowing why Tsunade asked this question, but he didn't think much about it and answered quickly.
"Just now, an Anbu told me. Anyway, that's not important. I need to find Naruto!"
'An Anbu?'
Tsunade suddenly felt something was wrong, 'Why would an Anbu tell Jiraiya this information?'
'Was it a spy, or was Danzo up to his old tricks again?'
'That old fossil, all he does is bring trouble to Konoha!'
"Tsunade? Tsunade?"
Tsunade was still cursing Danzo in her mind when she heard Jiraiya's voice again.
She couldn't help but glare at him and said unhappily: "What do you want?"
Jiraiya's face once again showed an expression of urgency as he exclaimed, "I need to go find Naruto!"
"No!"
Tsunade rejected him outright without even thinking. She hadn't planned to tell Jiraiya about this intelligence in the first place, but she hadn't expected him to find out on his own.
"Why?"
Jiraiya was taken aback by how decisively Tsunade had refused. He had thought that after informing her, he could just set off immediately.
"Then why do you want to go find Naruto?"
"I need to bring Naruto back!"
"You--!" Tsunade was almost choked to death by the other party's words.
"Do you really think you can bring him back?"
Jiraiya hesitated for a moment but then said, "I'm Minato's teacher. If I explain things to him properly, he..."
"Enough, Jiraiya!"
Tsunade shouted, glaring at him. "Why are you still so naive now?"
"Can't you see the situation Konoha is in right now? Even if Naruto were willing to come back with you, what about the villagers who have suffered? What would we do about them?"
"..."
Jiraiya's expression instantly turned bitter, and his entire demeanor slumped. Of course, he had thought about it, but he had always avoided dwelling on it.
'Minato's child should have been the village's hero...'
Seeing Jiraiya like this, Tsunade's anger subsided a little. In a serious tone, she said, "Since you're already here, there's a mission I need to assign to you."
"But, Tsunade, I still want to see Naruto."
Bang!
Tsunade's right hand slammed directly on the desk, and the terrifying force caused a lot of cracks on the desk.
"Jiraiya, I am the Hokage now!"
"I... fine. What's the mission?"
For some reason, when Jiraiya heard Tsunade's words, he seemed to shrink a little.
"Represent Konoha in negotiations with Kirigakure. We need an ally!"
"Jiraiya, stop being so stubborn. This mission concerns the future of all of Konoha!"
"Understood!"