"Ei… eight years old?"
"And you already mastered Sage Arts?"
"Are you kidding me?"
The entire place fell silent.
It wasn't just Jiraiya.
Even Tsunade and Shizune, standing nearby, were completely stunned.
As for Karin, who only had a vague understanding of Sage Arts, she stared at Ren's astonishing transformation with disbelief. She became momentarily absent-minded, her eyes fixed on him as she muttered blankly,
"So handsome!!"
Looking at Ren, who had instantly entered Sage Mode, Jiraiya swallowed hard in disbelief and turned toward Tsunade.
"Tsunade… is this real?"
How would I know? Who the hell am I supposed to ask?
Tsunade rolled her eyes internally, shock filling her heart. She nearly cursed out loud.
Her gaze lingered on Ren.
Compared to before, he had changed drastically. His aura seemed perfectly fused with nature itself, giving off an unfathomable feeling.
She looked slightly dazed.
Not to mention… this kid actually looked pretty handsome in this form.
Even someone as mature and experienced as her, who had seen countless men, couldn't help but lose focus for a moment.
An uncontrollable thought even flashed through her mind—
Should this old cow try eating some tender grass?
"Ahem… cough cough…"
A moment later, Tsunade came back to her senses.
She hurriedly suppressed the strange flutter in her heart.
Looking at Ren, whose expression appeared calm on the surface—but who she knew must be secretly feeling smug even with his eyes closed—she felt slightly annoyed.
Eight years old and already mastered Sage Mode, yet he had hidden it from her, his own teacher, for so long.
She barely resisted the urge to give the brat a proper beating.
Pretending nothing was wrong, she crossed her arms and raised her chin proudly.
"Hmph, just look at whose disciple he is!"
"Well? Compared to the Fourth Hokage, my disciple isn't bad, right?"
She shot Jiraiya—who was lying there speechless—a smug glance.
"I'm convinced… I'm convinced…"
Jiraiya's old face flushed red.
A trump card he had always been proud of… and this kid mastered it at eight years old.
He wished he could dig a hole and bury himself.
Utterly embarrassed.
"Alright, enough. Let's take this guy back first."
Tsunade said this while glancing at Ren.
Her eyes clearly conveyed: We'll settle accounts later.
"Let me handle it."
Ren exited Sage Mode.
His hair returned to normal, and the markings around his eyes disappeared.
Shrugging, he created a Wood Clone.
Completely unconcerned about whether Jiraiya's injuries might worsen from rough handling, he acted simply and directly—hoisting Jiraiya over his shoulder.
Like he'd carry him gently like some honored guest?
Dream on!
Besides, he himself was a medical ninja.
As long as Jiraiya didn't die, he could fix him.
"Ah—hey! Be gentle, brat!"
Jiraiya, who had been sulking earlier, suddenly bared his teeth in pain.
"You deserve it," Ren said flatly. "If it weren't for the fact that you and Tsunade-nee were teammates among the Sannin who fought side by side, I'd have castrated a pervert like you who peeps at women bathing."
"..."
Jiraiya immediately shut up.
A chill ran from his head to his toes, making his scalp tingle.
He subconsciously clamped his legs together, feeling an ominous cold breeze.
Back at the inn.
They opened a room for Jiraiya.
Like someone guarding against a wolf, Ren personally treated his injuries.
Then he deliberately wrapped Jiraiya layer after layer with medical bandages, turning him into a giant dumpling.
He couldn't move at all—only his bruised and swollen face was left exposed.
"Alright, that's done. Now you can lie here and rest."
Satisfied with his work, Ren clapped his hands.
Looking at the heavily wrapped Jiraiya, he smiled cheerfully.
"I've already told the landlady to hire an obasan to feed you every day and help you go to the bathroom. Of course, the nursing fee will come out of your own pocket."
"Wait! If I'm paying, can I at least get a prettier nurse?"
Jiraiya shouted immediately.
"No," Ren replied without blinking. "You need to cultivate abstinence these days if you want to recover properly."
Tsunade, Shizune, and Karin couldn't help laughing.
None of them had any intention of speaking up for Jiraiya.
A lecher like him needed to be taught a proper lesson.
"..."
Jiraiya stared blankly at the ceiling.
Life suddenly felt meaningless.
He ground his teeth in frustration toward the brat who was obviously messing with him.
"Oh, right. Once you're better, remember to pay the medical fee. My services are expensive."
"Not much—thirty million ryo will do."
Ren felt he was already being quite reasonable.
After all, the fee wasn't even as high as one Asuma.
"What!?"
Jiraiya nearly jumped up.
If he could move, he would've pointed at Ren's nose and started yelling.
For injuries like his, even staying in the best VIP ward at Konoha Hospital with the prettiest nurses wouldn't cost more than a hundred thousand ryo.
Not to mention his status as one of the Sannin—he could practically stay there for free like it was his own home.
Bah bah bah!
He had been so angry he started thinking nonsense.
That place wasn't somewhere you wanted to stay often.
Glancing at Tsunade, who was standing nearby smirking and clearly not planning to interfere, Jiraiya's mouth twitched.
He regretted everything.
Of all places to go, why did he have to come to the Land of Hot Water to gather material?
Glaring at Ren, he said angrily,
"Kid, don't you think that's a bit too ruthless? I'm one of your own, you know."
"You're not satisfied?"
Ren glanced at him.
"I already gave you a 50% discount out of respect for the fact that you used to be Tsunade-nee's teammate."
"And if I remember correctly, you said you're a famous bestselling author in the ninja world. Your royalties should be pretty generous, so it's impossible that you don't have money."
"I think my price is already very reasonable."
"You call that reasonable? If you have a conscience, it's definitely a black one!"
Jiraiya rolled his eyes angrily.
He decided to go all-in.
"No money. If you want my life, take it!"
As a bestselling writer who had signed contracts with publishers, he received generous royalties every year.
On top of that, while traveling the ninja world, merchants and nobles often recognized him and paid well for his help in resolving trouble.
Although Sage Jiraiya lived a carefree and flamboyant lifestyle—
spending money recklessly in bars and pleasure houses—
he earned money even faster.
Over the years, he had indeed accumulated quite a bit of savings.
But money didn't fall from the sky.
Why should he just let himself be slaughtered like this?
"Really? You said that yourself…"
Ren smiled.
The sight made Jiraiya's heart tighten with unease.
"Oh right… how much is your bounty on the black market again?"
As he spoke, Ren somehow produced a small booklet and started flipping through it.
"Let's see… one, two, three…"
He had taken it two years ago while traveling, after defeating a wandering ninja who had come looking for trouble.
Inside was a list of people with black market bounties.
It included famous ninjas from major villages, rogue ninjas, and even influential nobles and political elites from various countries.
Even Tsunade, the legendary medical master, was listed.
Naturally, Jiraiya—also one of the Legendary Sannin—was there too.
"Wow… a nine-digit bounty. As expected of one of the Legendary Sannin."
Ren flipped through the bounty book, his eyes gleaming as he looked at Jiraiya.
"I remember Sarutobi Asuma, one of the former Twelve Guardian Ninja of the Land of Fire, was only worth thirty-five million ryo."
To Ren right now—
the giant dumpling lying on the bed didn't look like a person at all.
It looked like a mountain of gold.
"..."
Jiraiya's eyelids twitched violently.
He looked at Tsunade, who was pretending to admire the scenery in the distance, clearly indicating she would not intervene.
With a miserable expression, he grit his teeth.
"Fine! You win! I'll pay!!!"
"I knew it," Ren said with a satisfied smile. "I, Akira Ren, am a healer with a benevolent heart. I always act with conscience and convince people with virtue. My prices could never be unfair."
"..."
Jiraiya felt numb.
Benevolent healer?
More like a black-hearted one!
He couldn't help turning to Tsunade with a forced smile.
"Tsunade, you really did take in a 'good disciple.'"
"Hm? What did you say?" Tsunade's brows shot up.
"Ahem—I mean you have a great eye for talent. Achieving such strength at such a young age—his future must be limitless!"
Thinking about the outrageous medical bill he had just been extorted for,
Even Jiraiya's teeth began to ache.
So young, yet already so good at fleecing people…
This kid definitely has a bright financial future ahead of him.
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