"From now on, I'll be living with you," Jiraiya said as he returned from the Hokage Tower, dispelling the Shadow Clone Technique. Everything the clone had said to the brothers during his absence—he knew it all now.
Jiraiya coaxed Naruto with a few kind words, and in turn, Naruto told him many things.
Then Jiraiya looked seriously at the two brothers.
"All right, settled then."
During the earlier chat, Naruto had already forgiven Jiraiya. He even found him quite amusing. If Jiraiya moved in, things would surely become more fun.
"No. I don't agree," Menma interrupted firmly.
If Jiraiya moved in, that meant another mouth to feed. Life was already hard enough as it was—adding one more person would only make it worse.
"Why not, Brother? Shishō is a good person!" Naruto pleaded on Jiraiya's behalf.
Jiraiya couldn't help but give Naruto a thumbs up.
Menma lightly tapped Naruto on the head, and Naruto yelped in pain.
"A good person? He scammed us out of money the first time we met!"
Jiraiya: "…"
He suddenly felt like he was looking at a reborn Kushina.
Jiraiya looked at Menma's red hair, then at Naruto's bright blond hair. The resemblance was striking—Menma was a miniature Kushina, and Naruto was just like Minato: simple and a bit naive. A faint smile tugged at the corner of Jiraiya's lips.
But no matter what, staying here needed Menma's approval. In the short time they'd spent together, Jiraiya had figured out that Menma was the one in charge.
"Menma, why don't you want me to stay?" Jiraiya asked curiously. I'm the great Toad Sage, admired by all (or most), and slightly misunderstood!
Looking at the two kids, Jiraiya couldn't help but think of his three former disciples from the Land of Rain. I wonder how they're doing now...
"Because we don't have money. We can't afford to support another person," Menma replied flatly.
Jiraiya's face twitched.
"Excuse me?! I'm Jiraiya of the Legendary Sannin, a jōnin of the Hidden Leaf Village. Any mission I pick can bring in tens of thousands! You think I need you to support me?"
After becoming official shinobi, ninja start as genin and rise through the ranks based on training and mission performance. While strength doesn't always match rank, these ranks still reflect a general level of capability.
Tasks are ranked from D to Super S-Class:
D-Class: Minor personal errands. Rewards: 500–1,000 ryō. C-Class: Low-risk escort or delivery. Rewards: 1,000–5,000 ryō. B-Class: Medium-level threats like guarding against enemy genin/chūnin. Rewards: 5,000–15,000 ryō. A-Class: High-risk missions affecting the village or country. Rewards: 15,000–1,000,000 ryō. S-Class: Top-level confidential missions. Rewards: 1,000,000+ ryō. Super S-Class: Transnational-level missions for top operatives.
Each mission rank is restricted to ninja of the appropriate level.
Among the Five Great Nations, Konoha boasts the strongest shinobi force and receives the most missions. Their success is due to high quality, responsibility, and efficiency.
Wow… tens of thousands of ryō?
How many bowls of Ichiraku Ramen is that? Naruto began counting on his fingers.
"Then pay it back. 180," Menma said, holding out his hand with his palm up.
Jiraiya froze. He was broke. That was actually why he returned to Konoha in the first place—he had no money and planned to take on a few missions to earn rewards. His manuscript royalties hadn't even come through yet.
He definitely hadn't expected to run into Menma and Naruto—and now this mess.
From Jiraiya's reaction, Menma could guess the truth.
"No money, huh? Then sorry, you can't stay here," Menma stood up and pointed toward the door. "It's that way."
Naruto opened his mouth to speak—but a tap on his head reminded him not to. He quickly covered his mouth with his hand, afraid of blurting out something and earning another bop from Menma.
What do I do? Knock out Menma and Naruto? No, no, that's impossible...
Jiraiya cleared his throat. "I might be broke for now, but I can work for my keep! I can beat up Kakashi again, or do housework!"
"Brother! If Shishō does housework, then maybe I won't have to!" Naruto blurted out before he could stop himself.
Menma raised an eyebrow and smirked. "So, Naruto thinks he'll be free from chores if someone else does them?"
Naruto hesitated… then nodded slightly.
"Well then," Menma said smoothly. "With more free time, maybe we can double your homework. What do you say, Naruto?"
Nani?! Double the homework?!
Naruto's face turned pale. He stumbled back a step in shock.
"No! No, Brother!" Naruto shook his head frantically. "Please don't!"
"Then you don't want him to stay?"
"No, no, Master—you should go!" Naruto quickly turned to Jiraiya. If he were stronger, he'd probably throw Jiraiya out himself.
Trying to steal my chores? Dream on! Housework is mine!
Jiraiya watched the whole thing unfold with a wry smile. Menma completely flipped the situation with just a few words. I have to admit—I'm impressed!
He sighed. "Menma, is there any way you'll let me stay?"
Menma pretended to think, then glanced over at the clone at the table who was busy writing. He spoke up suddenly.
"I heard you've published books before."
Jiraiya's eyes lit up. Finally! A fan of my work!
He eagerly pulled out a pen and a copy of his book. The title on the cover: Make-out Paradise.
With a flourish, he signed it and handed it to Menma.
Menma: "…"
"What the hell is this?"
Irritated, he scowled. "Who wants your smutty novels?! What I meant was—I want you to help publish mine."
Clone No. 1 handed over the manuscript.
Jiraiya blinked. "So that's why you've been using shadow clones? You're writing? Let's see what you've got."
Once he started reading… he couldn't stop.
Two hours later, Jiraiya was still engrossed in the manuscript. Finally, he looked up at Menma.
"I kind of want to crack your head open and see how that genius brain works."
Menma shrugged. "I didn't have a choice. Life forced me to grow up fast. If I wasn't smart, we would've starved to death."
At those words, Jiraiya's smile faded.
He looked at Menma seriously and said, "Not anymore. From now on, I'll be your guardian. No one in the village will dare bully you again."
(End Of Chapter)
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