A Welcome Gift from the elders.
For adults, this was an unavoidable, somewhat cruel, etiquette-bound tradition that cared not for the thickness of one's wallet.
Thus, Gintoki, who was not yet an adult, chose to ignore this concept entirely, playing dumb as if he had no idea such a custom existed.
For Gintoki, it wasn't about the state of his wallet—though as the eldest son of the Hatake family, he represented their dignity—but the fact that he was still a minor!
After some deliberation, Gintoki decided it was time to make his escape.
Not just because the task was complete, but also because… if he didn't leave now, that old man might drag him into a dispute over spoils!
Worse, he might get roped into the whole 'Ah! Everyone's giving a Welcome Gift!' situation and be forced to cough up something.
But just then…
Jiraiya was the first to bring up the matter of the Welcome Gift for the newborn.
As if struck by sudden inspiration, he smacked his forehead and exclaimed,
"Almost forgot! We should give Mitsuki a Welcome Gift, right, Tsunade?"
Jiraiya began patting himself down, searching for something suitable to present to Orochimaru's child.
Of course, Jiraiya completely failed to notice how his words made Gintoki and Tsunade simultaneously turn their faces away from Orochimaru with displeasure, both muttering under their breath at the same time, 'Shut your big mouth!'
"Oh ho! Found it, found it!"
Jiraiya pulled out a thick stack of heavily revised manuscripts and immediately handed them to Orochimaru, grinning widely with a thumbs-up.
"These are the original drafts of my newly published novel! They're extremely precious! Once the book becomes a hit, in a few hundred years, they'll definitely become your family heirlooms!"
"Worthless heirlooms. Just throw them away."
"What did you say, you brat?!"
Jiraiya feel insulted, pointing at his manuscripts and retorting angrily at Gintoki.
"When my novel becomes a hit one day, these drafts, filled with the creator's blood and sweat, will undoubtedly become something comparable to the Sage of Six Paths Tools in a certain sense!"
Gintoki suddenly became serious, crossing his arms and lecturing him sternly.
"Naive! So naive! Your novel is still far from adequate in certain aspects. Love stories written by someone with no romantic experience? Plus some steamy descriptions?
Do you think it'll sell? No! Only virgins like Kakashi who've never been in love would buy into that! Someone like Gin-san wouldn't even spare it a glance! Let me put it more bluntly—there's nothing in there that would appeal to Gin-san!"
"What nonsense! What does a brat who's barely grown any hair know?! The beauty of love... imagination is more than enough!"
At this, Tsunade's expression turned subtly strange, while Gintoki chuckled and shook his head.
"What a pitiful guy. You're just like a virgin teenager daydreaming about sweet romance. Listen up—if you want your stories to appeal to everyone, don't just cater to people like yourself. Consider other people's... special tastes too!"
Hearing this, Jiraiya's eyes narrowed as if he'd caught onto something.
"Kid, elaborate."
Gintoki didn't hold back, sitting up straight and speaking confidently.
"For example, some people like Netorare, some like widows, others enjoy cosplay, some are into BDSM, and there are even people who love mayonnaise!"
"Wait, kid, did something weird just slip in there? Mayonnaise? Why mayonnaise? What's wrong with mayonnaise?!"
"That's not the point! The point is, everyone has their own preferences, and you've completely overlooked and failed to satisfy them!"
Gintoki declared loudly, then raised his fingers one by one with utmost seriousness, ready to dive into specific examples.
"Anyway, men who want to drape cardigans over their naked bodies! Men who appear righteous on the surface but secretly yearn to be dominated by strong women! Men who love seeing worldly women flustered by the unexpected! And so on! Your novels completely miss all these points!"
Hearing this, Jiraiya felt as if a brand-new door was slowly opening before him.
The light seeping through the crack was not only dazzling but also radiated warmth!
"Kid! Go on!"
In an instant, Jiraiya whipped out paper and pen, his writing flowing like a dragon and snake.
At this moment, Jiraiya couldn't care less about anything else—his sole focus was crossing the bridge before him to step through that new door!
However...
Bam! Thud! Crash! Smack!
After the commotion, Tsunade, her eye twitching uncontrollably, retracted her fist.
"You two... stop spouting dirty jokes in a women's hospital! I'll kill you, believe it or not!"
No one answered because... Gintoki and Jiraiya, shattered along with the hospital wall by Tsunade's fist, had already fallen unconscious!
Tsunade's punch was so powerful that the two didn't even have time to scream before being sent flying to the hospital's lower floors, their fates unknown.
Ignoring the nurses who had been rendered speechless by her punch, Tsunade turned to Orochimaru.
"Indeed, as former comrades, a welcome gift for the child is necessary. Wait a moment."
As she spoke, Tsunade began rummaging through her belongings, but after searching high and low, all she could find was the necklace around her neck.
Touching the necklace, Tsunade fell silent as memories of two certain individuals surfaced.
Misinterpreting her prolonged silence and bowed head as hesitation over gifting the necklace, Orochimaru spoke calmly.
"No need."
"Huh?"
Snapped out of her thoughts, Tsunade blinked before releasing the necklace and placing her hands on her hips with bold confidence.
"Anyway, it's necessary. So, consider the remaining half of the payment as the elder's welcome gift for the child."
Orochimaru pondered for two seconds before nodding.
"...Fine."
Five million ryo was no small sum!
Then, as if remembering something, Tsunade shook her head lightly and sighed, glancing at the nearby hospital room door.
"Still, I never expected you would be the first to settle down. This change is even more fantastical than Jiraiya's delusional novels."
Orochimaru fell silent again for a moment before also looking at the gently closed door.
"Perhaps it's because humans can't resist their instincts. The moment I saw the continuation of my life (the child), something inside me changed."
"So, you've given up your pursuit of immortality?"
Orochimaru didn't answer directly, murmuring softly, "I don't know. But subconsciously, at this stage, it's no longer the most important thing to me."
"I see..." Tsunade didn't say anything more, simply waving her hand before turning to leave.
...
That very night, she departed Konoha once again, this time taking Shizune—now a chunin—with her.
Meanwhile, both Gintoki and Jiraiya ended up hospitalized that same night.
Judging by their injuries, they would need at least a month of recovery treatment before being back on their feet!