The Rock ninja launched another sudden attack, and this time the invading force was particularly strong. Although they managed to repel the attackers, Konoha suffered heavy losses.
Originally there had been only about thirty Konoha ninja at this location. Now every single one of them was injured—half of them severely—and five or six had lost their lives.
Even Orochimaru sustained minor injuries.
Given Orochimaru's reputation, the Rock ninja concentrated most of their attacks on him.
The good news was that Konoha reinforcements had arrived; the bad news was that with so many locations needing defense, Konoha couldn't spare many troops for this area.
Another thirty combat ninja had arrived as reinforcements, but only seven medical ninja had joined them, alongside staff from the Konoha orphanage who came to assist with supply station duties.
Among them were Nonou Yakushi and Kabuto Yakushi.
Shindai sat next to Orochimaru, waiting for his turn to be healed. Since their injuries weren't serious, they waited while the medics treated those with more severe wounds first.
Nonou and Kabuto knew Medical Ninjutsu, so they started using it to heal the wounded.
Kabuto walked up to Orochimaru and Shindai cheerfully and said, "Let me treat the two of you."
Shindai replied cheerfully, "Sure~"
Orochimaru remained silent but simply rolled up his left sleeve, exposing a deep wound.
Kabuto's hands began emitting a bright green glow as he started treating Orochimaru's injury.
Nonou asked, "Are you okay?"
Kabuto answered energetically, "Yes, Director, I'm fine!"
One of the orphanage staff assisting nearby grumbled, "I know we're here for the orphanage, but why do we have to help heal the ninja too? We're supposed to be supply station support."
Kabuto maturely replied, "Because money doesn't come easily if you don't work for it. Ah Qi, can you hand me some bandages?"
"Okay."
Ah Qi, the orphanage staff member who Kabuto called out to, went off to fetch bandages.
Orochimaru looked at Kabuto with slight admiration in his eyes: "You're not even a ninja, yet your medical skills are quite impressive."
Shindai chimed in beside him: "Yeah, [Mystical Palm Technique] is not basic Medical Ninjutsu—it's a high-level medical technique."
Kabuto proudly said, "It was taught to me by the Director!"
Orochimaru developed a sense of appreciation for Kabuto's talent and said to him, "Your name is Kabuto, right? How about becoming a ninja? You'd make an outstanding one—I believe in you."
Kabuto smiled and replied, "I don't have that intention. I just want to keep helping the orphanage get by, staying by the Director's side. She has done so much for me, yet all I can do is give her a new set of glasses."
"I see…"
"That's too bad."
Shindai pointed at himself and asked, "Kabuto, do you remember me?"
Kabuto carefully examined Shindai's face and replied under Shindai's expectant gaze, "I don't recognize you."
"You're being pretty rude, you know?" Shindai said discontentedly. "I was there when they found you after the battle!"
Kabuto apologized, "Sorry, my eyesight isn't great. Back then I wasn't wearing glasses, so I couldn't see people clearly. Plus, my head was a bit fuzzy, so I was just spacing out."
Shindai inquired, "Short on funds, huh?"
Kabuto sighed, "Yes, funding has always been a big issue for the orphanage. Since the village itself seems to be facing financial strains lately, capable kids like us try to earn some money by doing what we can to ease the burden on Headmaster."
After thinking for a moment, Shindai said, "Lacking cash, huh? Actually, that's a small problem. I've got lots of ways to make money. Want to hear my plans?"
Kabuto had already finished treating Orochimaru's wounds and started attending to Shindai's arm wound, curiously asking, "Hmm? What kind of plans?"
Shindai proposed, "I'll tell you, but from now on you become my little bro, how about that?"
Although Kabuto had taken a wrong turn somewhere, Shindai felt that if properly trained and guided, he might become a very capable trainee.
When his adult human puppet shop opens up in the future, having a capable assistant would be especially important if business becomes really busy.
Without hesitation, Kabuto nodded firmly, "As long as it can provide funds for the orphanage, I'm willing to be your little bro!"
Shindai began enthusiastically explaining, "Then it's settled. Now let me, your Aniki, show you the ropes, little bro. First of all, we need to get donations from compassionate individuals. You should throw a charity event in Konoha for your orphanage and really pull on people's heartstrings about how tough things have been..."
Kabuto frowned in confusion, "But although our life is a bit tough, we aren't living miserably at all. In fact, we're quite happy, and the headmaster treats us really well!"
Shindai tapped Kabuto's head lightly, "You fool! The idea is to act pitiful and evoke sympathy! If you want donations, you need to give them a reason to give, right?
You say your life is a bit tough? Then tell them you never have enough to eat or wear properly every day, and that you're constantly being bullied. As parentless children, no one cares for you, and you desperately yearn for love.
Plus, since you obviously respect your headmaster so much, tell them how exhausted he gets trying his hardest for you children, how he devotes every ounce of energy selflessly to the kids in the orphanage.
Bottom line? Play it up as much as you can. Make it super emotional so those soft-hearted donors will dig deep into their pockets and help your orphanage out."
"Think about it yourself. If a poor, pitiful kid begged you for a bite to eat, wouldn't you give it to them? You definitely would if it's within your means, right?"
Kabuto Yakushi mused with a nod.
"It actually makes sense."
Shindai continued, "However, this trick shouldn't be used too often or it'll lose its effect. That's why you need a stable source of income. The best way is to open a shop using the orphanage's name.
"For example, you could open a handicraft shop and give each item a cause—every purchase helps improve an orphan's life.
"Or how about a snack shop? Give it a deeper meaning: every snack sold feeds an orphan one meal. I believe plenty of kind people will be happy to pay for that—for such a small price anyway.
"You can use donation money to start the business. This way, you'll have a steady income. Then improving lives won't just be a dream—you might even hit the jackpot someday!"
Kabuto's heart raced, his face reddening. This wasn't just smart—it was genius!
"Aniki! That's spot on! Why don't you bring it up with the Headmaster later?"
"Sure thing—who else deserves to be your Aniki if not me? I'll talk to your Headmaster later and let me invest a share too!"
The more Shindai spoke, the more enthusiastic he became, eventually becoming completely energized by how profitable this scheme could be.
Orochimaru gave Shindai a strange look.
"Acting pitiful to raise charity funds, then opening shops and adding a feel-good twist to the products so customers willingly spend money—the whole process flows surprisingly smoothly. Needless to say, it really is a brilliant money-making method."
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