Chapter 158: Ambition to Seize Land from the Wealthy in Hidden Sand Village [Part 1] (Patreon)

Chapter List: Naruto: Sakura Blizzard

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After hearing Ayame's words, the trio from the Hidden Sand Village were left speechless, their hearts aching even more. The world had become unbearable. After all the years of hard work and countless life-threatening situations, the little money they had earned from missions couldn't even cover a meal.

"Let's go eat somewhere else..." Gaara's face darkened as he spoke after a long silence. Without wasting a moment, he turned to leave, not wanting to linger there any longer.

Sensing Gaara's increasingly icy aura, Temari and Kankuro didn't dare say much either. They quickly turned to follow him.

"Well, it's been a while, you three!"

Before Gaara could take more than a few steps, a slightly mocking voice reached them.

"Leaving right after entering? Didn't you like the food?"

"..." Gaara remained silent, but some fine sand drifted quietly from behind his gourd. His expression was dark.

"Hmph, you people from Konoha are really crafty, demanding a million ryo for a meal. Do you think we're fools?" Temari snorted indignantly.

"You're overthinking it!" Sakura activated her Byakugan (lit. rolled her eyes) and retorted, "Just by your appearance, it's obvious you don't have much money. We wouldn't even think to target you!"

"Who do you think doesn't have money!" Kankuro huffed, pulling out a stack of bills. "We're the children of the Fourth Kazekage. Do you think we're broke?"

"You dare show such a pitiful amount? Aren't you afraid of embarrassment?" Sakura snapped her fingers. "Naruto, show them the pocket money we brought, let these folks from the Hidden Sand Village see how it's done!"

"Sure thing!" Naruto took out a sealing scroll, opened it, and retrieved a small leather box, then opened it in front of the trio from the Hidden Sand Village.

"You've got to be kidding."

"No way."

"..."

Temari and Kankuro's faces were filled with astonishment. This box of bills was pocket money? What kind of parents would be so generous as to give their children this much pocket money? Although Gaara didn't speak, the sand around him seemed to increase.

"Oh, don't look so surprised. It's just some small change for everyday shopping, leisure money. It's not that much!" Sakura smiled in a 'modest' way. "Basic, everyone sit, no 6!"

"Are you kidding? Could this be counterfeit money?!" Temari stared at the box of money, her heart aching. Despite her years of life experience, she had never seen so much money. Deep down, she still hoped it was fake money, so she blurted out her suspicion.

"A bunch of people from a little village have no experience!" Hinata sneered disdainfully. She took out a sealing scroll, opened it, and retrieved a small box, revealing a box full of bills. The sight momentarily dazzled Temari and Kankuro, although Gaara managed to maintain some composure. "If you don't have some pocket money with you, what will you do when you see something you want to buy while shopping?"

"..." Their hearts were in pain!

This was the shared sentiment between Kankuro and Temari right now. As for Gaara, his face was now indistinguishable from the bottom of a pot.

"Hey, you're late!" Neji and a few others emerged from Ichiraku Ramen shop. When they saw the scene, they wore extremely 'friendly' smiles. "Showing off your pocket money, huh?"

Having witnessed everything from inside the shop, Neji smiled while taking out a sealing scroll, opening it, and presenting a small box. Inside was a box full of bills.

Shikamaru, Ino, and the others who followed didn't say a word but expressed their attitude through similar actions. They took out sealing scrolls, opened them, and presented small boxes, then opened these boxes to reveal stacks of bills.

"My heart..."

Temari and Kankuro clutched their chests, nearly falling to their knees. Especially Kankuro. Looking at the stack of bills in his hand, his face immediately flushed hot. He discreetly tucked the hand holding the money back into his sleeve—so embarrassing.

Gaara said nothing, closing his eyes silently. He really wanted to just kill this whole group of people!

"Well, in a short time, we've run into each other twice. Why not have a meal together?" Sakura extended an invitation to the trio from the Hidden Sand Village. Her gaze lingered on Gaara for a moment. She sensed a strong determination concentrated in the gourd behind him. That was probably the will of Gaara's mother, Karura, the wife of the Fourth Kazekage. Even though she had passed away, she still wished to protect her child from harm. Sadly, Gaara's spirit was already full of wounds.

"Are you really this kind?" Temari doubted the intentions of Sakura and the others. She couldn't shake the feeling that the motives for coming to Konoha were impure. She always felt that there was some hidden agenda.

"Stop looking at everything like it's a conspiracy. I just want to make friends with you!" Sakura smiled and said, "Plus, we're eating at our own establishment, so no charge!"

"Are you sure?" Temari still couldn't shake her unease. After all, their arrival in Konoha might not have been entirely innocent. She always felt like there was a hidden motive behind everything they did.

"Come on in!" Sakura invited the trio from the Hidden Sand Village into Ichiraku Ramen.

"Wait, this is your establishment?" Temari suddenly recalled Sakura's words. Her mind went blank for a moment.

"That's right, one of my businesses. I have a stake in it!" Sakura spoke naturally, but Temari felt a desire to scream.

"..." She was busy working for a few hundred or thousand ryo per mission every day, while someone younger than her already had such a huge business. And from what Sakura had said, it seemed like this was just one of her businesses?

The thought of the one million ryo price for a meal at Ichiraku Ramen gave Temari a sour feeling. She couldn't help but think that these damned capitalists were infuriating. They only served the rich, sucking the life out of ordinary people. Their plan to collapse Konoha was correct, all for the greater good of the common people. Yes, that was it.

Temari hypnotized herself with these thoughts, finding a reason for her upcoming plans. She couldn't be deceived by these capitalists. The only solution was to destroy Konoha, to liberate the many oppressed commoners.

However, as soon as she stepped inside and caught a whiff of the food, all those thoughts were thrown out the window.

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Next Chapter >>Chapter 159: Ambition to Seize Land from the Wealthy in Hidden Sand Village [Part 2]