(A nonsensical chapter, simply describing the current state of the village and updating the lives of various characters. Truly, the end of the story!)
"What's wrong, Kurotsuchi? Why do you look so upset?" Deidara asked the pouting Kurotsuchi beside him.
Kurotsuchi huffed, "You keep sending your Clay Clones to deal with me every day. It's driving me crazy!"
Deidara sighed helplessly and handed her a snack he had just bought from a nearby stall. "There's no other choice. You know that Itachi's been tailing me non-stop lately."
"He even used Kotoamatsukami! If my real body gets exposed, it'll be disastrous."
Ever since Sasuke and Narubou became a massive hit, Itachi's patience with Deidara seemed to have reached its limit. He was now constantly searching for Deidara's whereabouts.
"Itachi-san is so unreasonable. That movie was amazing, and Sasuke has become a big star. What's so bad about that?" Kurotsuchi complained.
"Exactly! Exactly!" Deidara nodded in agreement.
The two continued walking aimlessly until they turned a corner and ran into a silver-haired man wearing a mask, leaning against the wall with a melancholic air, reading a book at a leisurely pace.
"Well, if it isn't Coward Kakashi," Deidara teased.
Because ninjas from all over the ninja world had gathered in this village, Kakashi's nemesis had naturally shown up as well: Hana Rei from Lock Ninja Village.
Kakashi, despite always clutching a certain adult novel, would hesitate and falter when faced with real situations. Not only did he rely on a girl's initiative, but he also trembled and avoided people whenever possible.
Thus, he earned a new nickname: Coward Kakashi.
Kakashi scratched his head awkwardly. After being ridiculed daily for so long, he had grown used to it.
"Brother Deidara, don't ever turn into someone like Uncle Kakashi. Reading books like that will rot your brain," Kurotsuchi quipped, making Kakashi break out in a cold sweat again.
Deidara nodded righteously, "I would never read books like that!"
After all, Jiraiya's writing skills were far inferior to Deidara's own artistic creations.
"Big news! Big news! The cash cow is out today, carrying a suitcase! Everyone, hurry up and follow!"
Suddenly, a man ran down the street, waving his arms and shouting excitedly.
Upon hearing his announcement, a swarm of people immediately rushed out, eagerly following him into the distance.
This was understandable—if you followed, you could pick up money. Who wouldn't be excited?
"Lady Tsunade actually managed to hold back for ten whole days before coming out to give away money again. It seems Lord Jiraiya's private stash has truly been drained dry recently," Kakashi remarked.
"Why don't we join in the fun too?" Kurotsuchi suggested.
"Sure!"
The two headed to a casino in the southern part of the village, only to find it packed with people. Forget playing—there wasn't even room to squeeze in.
Over time, as Tsunade's money-giving sessions increased, people developed strategies. They formed orderly lines, taking turns gambling with Tsunade. After one round, they had to let the next group take over. If they wanted another turn, they'd have to queue up again.
So why would anyone loudly advertise such events, increasing the number of people in line?
Because they didn't queue—they sold snacks, drinks, and other items specifically to those waiting in line.
It had become an entire industry chain.
"Lord Jiraiya, finding a wife isn't easy, huh?" Deidara suddenly spotted a lonely, tearful figure in the corner. It was none other than Jiraiya, looking utterly desolate.
"Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!" Jiraiya sobbed into his hands. "Do you think it's easy for me? I'm writing novels like a mule every single day, without a moment's rest! I haven't even been to the bathhouse in half a month!"
"Today, I just received my royalties… Ugh!"
"Hey! Lord Jiraiya! Youth doesn't allow for tears!" A loud, energetic voice rang out as Guy and Lee, dressed in green jumpsuits, sped past the trio, carrying a mountain of lunch boxes.
Well, since they ran laps around the village every day anyway, they figured they might as well deliver food while running and earn some extra cash.
After handing the lunch boxes to their customers, Guy struck a thumbs-up pose, his signature move. "Yosh! Today's delivery of 500 orders took one minute less than yesterday—a huge improvement!"
"As expected of you, Guy-sensei!"
"But Lee! Youth doesn't permit complacency! Next, open the Eight Gates! We'll deliver another 500 orders, and this time we must finish within an hour!"
"Yes, Guy-sensei!"
"Eight Gates Formation! Open!"
Watching the master and student duo rush off at lightning speed, Deidara could only marvel. No wonder they were the newly crowned gods of food delivery. The Eight Gates Delivery truly offered customers an unparalleled experience of speed.
"Wait a minute! Isn't that Hidan?"
"Hidan, what are you doing here in line? Since when did you get interested in gambling?" Deidara asked curiously as he approached.
Hidan replied irritably, "It's all because of Kakuzu. That guy loves money more than anything and wouldn't pass up an opportunity like this."
"Then why doesn't Kakuzu just use his Shadow Clones to line up himself?"
Hidan pointed ahead with annoyance. "See those over there? That one, that one, and that one… They're all Kakuzu's Shadow Clones."
Well… Deidara admitted he had underestimated Kakuzu's ingenuity.
"By the way, I ran into Kisame earlier. He asked me to tell you to settle the bills for the fish market and tavern."
"Why does Brother Deidara have to pay Uncle Kisame's bills?" Kurotsuchi protested.
"Kisame said if Deidara doesn't pay, he won't provide any updates on Itachi's movements in the future."
"Fine," Deidara sighed, reluctantly agreeing. He was about to take Kurotsuchi somewhere else to hang out when a small snake slithered out of nowhere.
"Deidara, come to Nagato's office," it hissed in Orochimaru's voice.
Under Kurotsuchi's annoyed glare, Deidara went to the office, where he found a despairing Nagato and a cold, elegant Konan.
"Leader, what's wrong? You need to take care of your health!" Deidara exclaimed in shock.
Nagato grasped Deidara's hands tightly as soon as he entered. "Deidara, I see in you the makings of a Heavenly Shadow. Why don't you take over as leader?"
Deidara's mind flashed back to that one afternoon long ago when he temporarily served as leader for half a day. The feeling of despair still haunted him.
"Leader, I'm unworthy of such a position. The Heavenly Shadow role is meant for you!"
Before Nagato could respond, Deidara turned to Orochimaru and Sasori, who were standing quietly nearby. "Orochimaru, why did you call me here?"
Orochimaru licked his lips. "Deidara, I want to build a space battleship to see if we can find the planet of the Ōtsutsuki Clan."
Deidara scratched his head. "What does that have to do with me? I can make Clay Battleships, but interstellar travel is definitely out of the question."
"No! What I mean is, constructing a space battleship requires a lot of funding. You've been making so much money lately—can't you spare some support?"
"In your dreams! Do you think money falls from the sky?"
"Hehehe," Orochimaru chuckled darkly. "Then I'll just have to tell Itachi your real location."
"Shame on you!"
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