[T/N: That number is Canon.]
***
Hearing that, the people of the Shinobi World couldn't help but swallow hard.
If the second richest shinobi was already this wealthy, then the richest must be on an entirely different level.
The screen didn't keep them waiting. Soon, the image of the richest shinobi appeared.
She had purple hair, a white flower pinned to the side, and wore the Akatsuki's black cloak with red clouds—a uniform now familiar to many.
Sharp-eyed viewers immediately recognized her as Konan, who had appeared before.
[That's right, there may be a debate about who's the strongest in the Shinobi World—Naruto, Sasuke, the Sage of Six Paths, Kaguya, Boruto, and others—but when it comes to the richest, it's undoubtedly our Konan-senpai.]
[600 billion explosive tags are no joke!]
[In the Shinobi World, explosive tags are very expensive—not something ordinary shinobi can use freely. When Shikamaru was promoted to Chūnin, even after completing multiple missions, he only chose to buy two tags.]
[One explosive tag costs about 300 ryō. 600 billion tags would cost 600 billion × 300 = 180 trillion ryō. And since Konan mentioned she had practiced the Jutsu several times, even using a conservative estimate of three practice runs, that totals 540 trillion ryō.]
[What does that mean? It means if Konan wanted to, she could buy the entire Shinobi World.]
The screen showed a scene of a certain ocean.
But to the astonishment of everyone watching, this ocean let out a thunderous roar.
It was as if a giant axe had split the sea in two, with the water rolling back violently on both sides.
But what shocked the people across all the timelines even more was, that when they looked closely, they realized—
This "ocean" was not actually an ocean!
Or rather, the "seawater" was made of an endless, densely packed sea of explosive tags.
They were simply gathered together, creating the visual effect of an ocean!
Boundless!
Staggering!
---
The people of the Shinobi World were stunned speechless.
What was this thing on the Sky Screen?
Was this something a human could even come up with?
With a Ninjutsu like this, who even needed to kill people themselves?
[Furthermore, Konan's 600 billion explosive tags are also known as "The Jutsu That Makes Kakuzu Cry." Of course, as one of the Shinobi World's unsolved mysteries, whether Kakuzu's assets were used to fund these tags—or how much he contributed—only she knows.]
---
[Akatsuki Hideout]
"MY MONEY!!!!"
Hearing the Sky Screen, Kakuzu, who was already feeling heartache, felt his heart twitch even more.
He watched helplessly as the mountain of wealth he had spent a lifetime amassing turned into towering flames before his eyes, detonated into nothing in an instant.
This bone-deep agony and despair made the ninety-year-old veteran rogue-nin completely break down.
Everything else was thrown to the back of his mind at this moment.
The only thing that remained right now was that pile of priceless 600 billion explosive tags—burning to cinders before his very eyes.
That wasn't just paper burning; it was clearly Kakuzu's lifeblood from a lifetime.
He unconsciously clutched his chest, his body swaying as if he might collapse at any moment.
After a long while, he barely managed to compose himself—but tears were already streaming uncontrollably from the corners of his eyes.
"Stop blowing them up! Please, Konan!!"
"Give that money to me, give those explosive tags to me! Who's the enemy? I'll take care of them for you! Just leave it to me!"
"Don't blow them up! Not now and not in the future!!"
Deidara stared at Kakuzu, his mouth hanging open.
He had never seen Kakuzu like this. The old miser who always kept a cold face and cared only about money—was actually crying?
Hidan, holding his scythe, moved a few steps to the side, as if afraid that Kakuzu's tears might splash onto him.
Kisame hugged Samehada. His shark-like face betrayed no emotion, but the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
Zetsu rose half out of the ground, looked at the screen, then at Kakuzu, and silently sank back down.
Pain remained expressionless.
But Konan herself, standing in the corner, had an extremely complicated expression on her face.
Those 600 billion explosive tags—that was still a Jutsu she was only conceptualizing.
Looking at Kakuzu's tear-streaked face, Konan opened her mouth, wanting to explain, but she didn't even know where to begin.
She turned to look at the sea of tags on the screen—reduced to ashes—and silently did the math in her head.
600 billion explosive tags. Even at cost price… never mind. The screen had already done the calculation. Best not to think about it.
"Kakuzu," she finally spoke.
Kakuzu snapped his head up, his eyes bloodshot. "Give me back my money!"
Konan paused for a moment. "I didn't touch your money. Isn't the organization's funds under your management?"
"Then where did those explosive tags come from?!"
"They were created using my Ninjutsu."
Kakuzu froze for a moment—then his expression turned even more worse.
"No, that's not right."
"The screen said earlier that my inheritance would be squandered after my death… It's definitely you!"
"Damnit! And I actually thought about having you help me manage the money!!"
Kakuzu's face turned pale, filled with immense regret over his earlier idea.
He gritted his teeth. "Against who? What kind of enemy is worth 600 billion explosive tags?"
"I don't know yet. But I promise—unless absolutely necessary, I won't use this Jutsu lightly."
"Even so, you shouldn't have blown them all up," he muttered. "Could've saved a few at least..."
Deidara finally couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing. Hidan laughed too. Kisame's lips curled upward. And even Sasori's puppet eyes gleamed with a hint of amusement.
Kakuzu glared at them all: "What are you laughing at?! That's money! Not paper!"
Deidara shrugged. "It's not my money anyway."
Kakuzu nearly fainted from anger.
---
[Konoha, Year 60. Training Ground]
Naruto's mouth hung open, his jaw nearly hitting the ground. "S-six… six hundred billion explosive tags?"
Sakura was dumbfounded too. "How much money would that even be?"
Sasuke didn't speak, but his eyelid twitched.
Jiraiya leaning against a tree, had a troubled look on his face. "Konan is Nagato's companion. One of the founders of the Akatsuki."
"But why is she so rich?" Naruto pressed.
"Saved it up, I guess," Jiraiya thought for a moment. "Or maybe it's just her Jutsu."
Kakashi flipped through the Icha Icha Paradise, but his eyes remained fixed on the screen.
600 billion explosive tags. Enough to level Konoha hundreds of times over.
That woman was far more terrifying than Kakuzu.
Naruto suddenly turned to Sakura. "Sakura, you should save up some money too."
Sakura looked at him. "What for?"
"To buy explosive tags!"
"I'm not a rich woman like Tenten!"
The two bickered while Sasuke remained silent.
---
[Hokage Office]
Tsunade stared at the sea of explosive tags on the screen, her eyes fixated.
"600 billion..." she murmured. "How long would that last me in gambling?"
Shizune, holding Tonton, whispered, "Tsunade-sama, that's someone else's money."
"I know," Tsunade sighed. "I'm just envious."
Hiruzen puffed on his pipe, his expression complicated.
600 billion explosive tags. That girl was richer than all the Five Great Nations combined. If she wanted to, she really could buy the entire Shinobi World.
"Old man," Tsunade suddenly spoke.
"Hm?"
"Say, do you think she needs a Hokage as a bodyguard?"
Hiruzen choked on his smoke and started coughing.
Tsunade curled her lip: "Just kidding."
*****
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