In fact, Kagura had always believed that Orochimaru was one of the few hidden tycoons in the Naruto universe.
Although Orochimaru took on many missions and earned a lot of money, those earnings alone couldn't possibly fund his numerous experiments.
While he might have had Danzo' support in Konoha, the bases scattered across the Five Great Nations were definitely not funded by Danzo.
It was known that wherever Orochimaru went, he established a base, almost like running a chain of underground hotels.
These bases were all built underground, requiring significant manpower, and each was equipped with a full set of advanced experimental equipment, all of which was incredibly expensive and not something one person could afford.
This brings us to one of Orochimaru skills—his silver tongue. In Kagura mind, the only person who could rival Naruto' persuasive abilities was Orochimaru.
First, many of his bases across the Five Great Nations were secretly funded by various official forces that Orochimaru had convinced to support him.
The ability to sell grand visions to different factions was not something an ordinary person could achieve. Even pyramid scheme operators would bow to his expertise.
Second, he always knew how to strike a chord with a child's heart. Every time he wanted to lure a child away, it was a masterclass in the art of persuasion. Take Kimimaro, for example.
Back then, Kimimaro, the heir of the Kaguya clan Shikotsumyaku, was a lost little angel brimming with potential. Orochimaru approached him with lines like,
"Life itself has no meaning, but if you keep living, you might encounter interesting people and things, just like how you met that flower, and I met you."
Listen to that! Even a grown woman like Kagura couldn't resist such philosophical and emotionally charged words, let alone a child.
This level of linguistic artistry would make even Madara Uchiha acknowledge it as the strongest!
In the entire ninja world, aside from Naruto, who managed to sway Nagato and save the entire village with his words, no one else had such a talent.
It was known that Orochimaru, obsessed with scientific research, was a hidden tycoon.
Jiraiya, on the other hand, wrote adult novels, peeped into women's hot springs, and enjoyed drinking with ladies, ending up so poor that he had to mooch off Naruto's wallet.
Tsunade wandered around, spending her time in game arcades or casinos, and by the time she was over fifty, she was drowning in debt, relying on her disciples or scam money to get by.
From all this, Kagura concluded a well-worn truth: people should focus on serious pursuits and avoid indulging in messy, unhealthy habits, or else their wealth would decrease drastically as they aged, leaving them in a pitiful state in their later years.
After all, not everyone could encounter a simple-minded kid like Naruto, who would willingly hand over the money he earned through hard work. Nor did everyone have Tsunade ability to return after years of wandering and still hold a high position.
Therefore, focusing on her career and aiming to become a wealthy woman was definitely the most serious thing to do!
Knowing the method to create explosive tags but lacking the skills to make them herself, Kagura calculated how much she would need to borrow from Tobirama to get started.
Building a factory, hiring workers, and sourcing raw materials—just thinking about it was a huge investment.
"Sigh, making money here seems even harder than in the real world. I shouldn't have crossed over to this place; I should have..."
"Time to travel to Monopoly," Kagura sighed as she lay on the counter, looking as if she had just gone through a breakup.
At that moment, a young couple appeared at the shop entrance, beaming with joy.
The wife exclaimed, "Ah, she's here this time! Let's go in!"
"Welcome!" Kagura immediately straightened up, plastering a professional smile on her face. "What can I help you with today?"
It was then that the husband, who had been silent until now, suddenly pointed at Kagura and exclaimed,
"Ah, it's you!"
"Huh? You know me?"
The man's face broke into an exaggerated grin as he turned to his wife.
"It's her! It's her! The criminal I told you about!"
The wife looked utterly confused and bluntly retorted, "You've pointed out at least ten people along the way. How am I supposed to know which one you're talking about?"
"Tsk! The one Lord Tobirama took from the prison cell!"
At his words, the wife's eyes lit up, and her smile grew even more exaggerated than her husband.
"Ah, so it's the one who said Lord Tobirama was... *ahem*... incapable!"
"Yes, yes, that's her!"
-_-||
What's wrong with this couple?
Kagura silently protested while maintaining her forced smile, her lips twitching slightly.
When it came to gossip, women seemed naturally more enthusiastic. The wife immediately leaned in closer to Kagura, eager to dig for details.
"So, tell me, is Lord Tobirama really... *ahem*... Impotent?"
"Huh? How would I know?"
"Don't be so stingy! Didn't he take you home and say he'd personally let you... *ahem*... test it out? Tell me, I promise I won't tell anyone." The woman eyes burned with the fire of gossip.
For ordinary villagers, the secrets of someone as godlike as Lord Tobirama in Konoha were as fascinating as celebrity scandals in the entertainment industry.
Pfft,
Kagura didn't believe her promise for a second. Everyone who said that would inevitably spill the beans to someone else.
Don't ask how Kagura knew.
'Why should I tell you? Ugh, I didn't even try it, how would I know!'
She screamed internally.
"What if I told you I didn't try it? Would you believe me?"
The couple shook their heads in unison, their faces clearly showing disbelief.
How should she answer this question?
If she said he was capable, it would directly prove that she and Tobirama had indeed done what adults do, which would ruin his reputation.
But if she said he wasn't capable... well, the thought of Tobirama's murderous glare made Kagura's skin crawl.
After much deliberation, Kagura decided that preserving the reputation of a real person was more important than that of a fictional character. So, she chose to give a response that was self-serving but damaging to Tobirama.
"Just as you thought, he's completely impotent. So, I have nothing to do with him. Please don't ask me such pointless questions again."
Wait, why were they looking at her with such pity?
Kagura was practically traumatized by that look. Ever since she had transmigrated, countless people had given her that same sympathetic gaze, as if she were some tragic figure.
"Ah, although I feel sorry for you, you should try to look on the bright side. Apart from that... *ahem*... issue, Lord Tobirama is one of Konoha's most outstanding men. The village can't function without him. All the villagers love and respect him. Isn't that enough to make up for it?"
"Wait," Kagura interrupted her wife, who was about to continue, "the more you talk, the more confused I get. What am I supposed to do? I'm not the one with issues here. Whether he's capable or not has nothing to do with me!"
The look directed at Kagura remained one of pity.
"Staying by the side of a man who's incapable must have been hard on you. I understand!"
Damn it, it seemed even this answer wasn't acceptable.
This was like a Schrödinger's problem—whether he was capable or not, they'd only know after the fact. In other words, no matter what, they were convinced that something had happened between her and Tobirama, right?
Kagura was utterly fried by this realization, her anger boiling over. She was a young, unmarried woman, not some conservative relic from the past, but being labeled as having some shady relationship with an "old man" was infuriating.
If there had been something real between them, fine, but she hadn't even so much as held Tobirama hand! How had it come to this?
"I'm warning you, if you keep spreading rumors, I'll kill you!" She raised her fist threateningly.
"Eh?!" The couple was so scared their expressions turned comically exaggerated.
"Don't go around talking nonsense, or I'll haunt you as a ghost, watching everything you do from the foot of your bed."
Thinking about it, the image was too horrifying to even imagine, sending shivers down their spines.
So, they nodded like crazy.
"Alright, let's get to the point. What did you come here to ask me?"
At this, the younger wife became noticeably more animated and quickly replied, "Can you tell us if he'll end up back in prison?"
What kind of ridiculous question was this? Whether he'd end up back in jail depended entirely on the man's character. How was she supposed to predict that?
This guy was such a minor character he hadn't even shown his face in 720 episodes of the story. How could she possibly know?
Kagura pulled out a crystal ball and pretended to ponder deeply, trying to figure out how to bluff her way through this.
If she couldn't come up with an answer, she could at least scare them.
With a solemn expression, Kagura pushed the crystal ball aside and spoke in a grave tone
"Your husband, well, he's not exactly the most honest man. There will be conflicts. I've seen the next ten years, and it's best if he stays on the straight and narrow path as a ninja. If he messes around, he'll end up back in prison and die there."
Death was the thing people feared most. Sure enough, the mention of it made the man face pale. He immediately started promising his wife that he'd never cause trouble again, that he'd be the perfect husband, and that he'd stay out of trouble—anything to avoid dying in prison.
Not satisfied yet, Kagura added more fuel to the fire
"And if you do end up back in prison, your wife will remarry in a heartbeat. That's just her fate. So, you'd better behave. But if you stay by her side and treat her well, your relationship will be strong, and your family will be happy and harmonious."
"You can ignore what I'm saying, but just think about it—another man taking your place, marrying your wife, living in your house, and your children calling someone else 'Dad'..."
The imagination is the most uncontrollable thing.
Sure enough, just the thought of it made the man face turn ashen, as if he'd just eaten something vile.
Seeing this, Kagura mood finally improved, filled with the satisfaction of revenge.
Moreover, she had received a payment of twenty thousand ryo, which was indeed a hefty sum.
This was far more profitable than drawing art assignments for elementary school students!