With 10,000 ryo in hand, Reiji returned home in high spirits.
Money gives people courage—with cash in his pocket, even walking felt like he had the wind at his back.
He had already made arrangements with Hiruzen Sarutobi: in just one week, he'd be heading to the Ninja Academy.
School itself wasn't the main point. What mattered was that once he completed the Academy's training, he would officially become a Konoha shinobi.
Of course, he'd still need to stay cautious, but at least he'd gain the opportunity to take on missions. More importantly, he could use ninjutsu openly, which would make a big difference in what he planned to do next.
During the week that followed, Reiji forged weapons daily, producing a solid number of finished pieces—and just as much leftover scrap.
Following his usual principle of wasting nothing, he melted the scrap down, ground it into iron powder, and stored it inside his body.
This was the same weight training method he had used back at the Jashin cult base. Back then, he'd packed his body with dirt and debris. Now, it was iron powder instead.
Iron powder was way heavier than dirt and much more evenly distributed. As a weight, it was far superior.
So, despite the constant aches throughout his entire body, Reiji never tired of it.
He was lazy by nature and never made time for regular physical training. This kind of 24/7 weight-loading was the only way he could push himself.
In less than a week, he realized the results were unexpectedly impressive.
With around 200 kilograms of iron powder evenly distributed throughout his body, he was constantly in pain—but every movement, whether walking, sitting, or lying down, trained his body.
Looking at his darkened hands, Reiji couldn't help but sigh.
"Hidan doesn't lack power or intelligence—what he really lacks is imagination!"
So many things could synergize with immortality: the Eight Inner Gates, chained explosive tags, the Flying Thunder God Technique...
If he ever got the chance, Reiji even wanted to try out the Dead Demon Consuming Seal—or maybe even get his hands on a Tailed Beast just for fun.
Ever since he became truly immortal, the possibilities were endless. He couldn't even wrap his head around all the things he could pull off.
If he actually managed it all, forget Madara—even Lady Kaguya would be down and crying for mercy.
Of course, there was no way he'd ever go to war. Not in this lifetime. All he planned to do was rake in a few billion and live a good life.
The one he admired most was still Kunihisa, the jeweler's son from the show.
His Money Release, combined with the Protagonist's Verbal Release, Sasuke's Emo Release, and Ichiraku's Ramen Release, were known as the Four Ultimate Jutsu.
...
Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, a week had passed—it was time for Reiji to start school.
"Rie, wake up." Reiji got dressed and gently shook the sprawled-out Rie, who was still fast asleep.
Rie mumbled something, rolled over, and continued snoring away.
"Rie, wake up! Big brother's taking you to the Academy!"
Reiji wasn't in a rush. He kept shaking the chubby little Rie, like he was kneading a round ball of dough.
"Brother! I wanna sleep!" Rie complained, groggily sitting up in frustration.
"Sleep? What kind of decent person sleeps in? Only slackers sleep!" Reiji, who didn't need sleep himself, was especially envious of kids like Rie who could never seem to get enough.
Seeing she wasn't going to win by whining, Rie pouted, plopped back down onto the futon, and rubbed her eyes with her pudgy hands.
"Brother... I wanna go to the festival at Asakusa Temple with Aunt Kyōko today."
"Asakusa Temple? Never heard of it."
"Um... Aunt Kyōko said Asakusa Temple is a branch of the Fire Temple. It's in the village!"
Seeing Rie's eager, expectant look, Reiji sighed.
"You don't wanna see the festival. You just want an excuse to pig out, don't you?"
Still, Reiji didn't stop her.
It was obvious—this was the work of Konoha's higher-ups.
The method was simple, but strangely, Reiji couldn't bring himself to dislike it.
He had plenty of reasons for coming to Konoha—one of them was to give Rie a happy childhood.
Konoha, the strongest of the Five Great Nations, not only had a good climate and environment but also a surprisingly pleasant atmosphere.
In a world where life was as fragile as grass, the Will of Fire truly protected a peaceful sanctuary.
The village leaders' plan was simple: influence Rie, and through her, influence him.
But they were overthinking it. Even without Rie, Reiji would've gone along with Konoha.
So what if Rie became a Konoha ninja and inherited the Will of Fire? Would that make her unhappy? Like they'd know anything!
With that thought, Reiji gave up worrying about it.
Let her be. Life's easier when you're carefree.
"Then you'd better get up too! If you stay in bed any longer, I'll beat you!"
Rie completely ignored Reiji's threat. She tugged excitedly at his sleeve, her big round eyes sparkling.
"Brother! You agreed!"
Reiji nodded, and the little girl started squirming around in the blankets like a happy, chubby worm.
"Alright, get dressed."
Rie nodded obediently.
...
A short while later, Reiji led Rie into the dining room.
Old man Ippongi sat at the low table, yawning groggily. When he saw Reiji walk in, he pouted like a child, turned his back, and wiggled his hips.
He was still sulking about Reiji enrolling in the Ninja Academy. In his eyes, ninja were nothing but trouble—only making money counted as proper business.
Aunt Kyōko, busy setting out food, gave him a playful swat, then turned with a smile and waved at Reiji and Rie.
"Reiji-kun, Rie-chan, come on over—breakfast today is tomato omurice~"
Rie's eyes lit up, and she eagerly pulled Reiji toward the table.
Once seated, everything settled into the usual routine: Old man Ippongi sipped his tea leisurely, Aunt Kyōko lifted Rie onto her lap, and the little rascal Dan Katō devoured his food in silence.
Reiji didn't even glance at the delicious omurice. Instead, he pulled an envelope from his pocket and placed it on the table.
"Aunt Kyōko, I'm starting at the Ninja Academy today. Rie told me you're taking her to the Asakusa Temple festival—this is for her expenses."
As he spoke, he pushed the envelope toward her.
Seeing his serious expression, Kyōko instinctively shifted to polite speech. She shook her head quickly and tried to refuse.
"No, no, Reiji-kun, I really adore Rie. It's just a festival outing, nothing extravagant—it won't cost much at all."
Reiji shook his head slightly and firmly pushed the envelope forward again.
Despite his age, when he furrowed his brow, he gave off an air of mature authority that made it hard to meet his eyes.
He might not realize it himself, but his past experiences had left a mark—his words and demeanor carried a calm, seasoned weight that made people forget he was only seven.
Unable to argue with him, Kyōko gave a soft sigh and accepted the envelope.
It wasn't thick, but it felt solid.
Being someone who handled money often, Kyōko could tell immediately—
The envelope contained bills, probably eight to ten notes of one-thousand ryo each.
She couldn't help but feel touched. Reiji truly cared for Rie. Just like that, he handed over ten thousand ryo without hesitation.
To her, it wasn't a lot. But to a kid who'd just arrived in the village with his little sister, ten thousand ryo was a fortune.
What a remarkable child.
...
After breakfast, Reiji brought Rie back to their room.
"Rie, take this. You remember how to read, right?"
Rie blinked as she accepted the scroll he handed over, then shook her head.
"I haven't forgotten, Brother."
"Good." Reiji patted her on the head, satisfied, and went on.
"This scroll contains the chakra extraction technique. You're a big girl now, so study it when you've got time. Don't wait around for me to push you into learning."
Rie nodded seriously.
"Brother, does having chakra make you a ninja?"
"No, but chakra is the foundation. It's all written in the scroll—you'll understand when you read it."
He gave her chubby cheek a gentle pinch.
Rie hugged the scroll tightly to her chest, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Don't worry, Brother! I'll train hard and become your right-hand girl in no time!"
Looking at her glowing expression, Reiji gave a helpless shake of his head.
"Rie, I don't need a helper. I'm only giving you the scroll to give you more choices for your future. Being a ninja isn't the only path in this world."
Rie shook her head.
"Brother, I don't really get it—but I'll do my best!"
"Fine, whatever makes you happy." Reiji sighed, gave her cheek another pinch, and headed off to school.