I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 203 Some people like to save money, while others like to spend it.

"Isn't that too much?"

Outside the Konoha Orphanage, Nonou looked at the briefcase Tatsuma handed her. Although she didn't know how much money Tatsuma had taken, the weight seemed to be quite substantial.

"You said there have been quite a few more children, so the original beds and even rooms must not be enough. This little bit of money can only help a little. You can take it back. I said I was going back to eat, so I'll be leaving now."

Tatsuma smiled, waved, and turned to leave. Nono carried her suitcase with both hands, clutching the pull tab tightly. She watched Tatsuma's back until he completely disappeared from her sight before she came back to her senses.

Only then did Nono feel hungry and tired. She turned around and walked towards the orphanage. After entering the orphanage, there was a small playground where many children were playing.

After greeting many children, Nono headed toward the building where the director was located. Halfway there, she saw a woodworking table with a lot of wood around it.

Upon seeing this, Nono suddenly smiled, quickened her pace, and walked inside.

"The Dean of Pharmacy!"

Upon entering the dean's office, Nonoyu greeted everyone happily, then looked at a young man of about twenty years old, her expression turning somewhat guilty, and said, "Big brother."

The headmistress was a woman around fifty years old, with a slightly sallow complexion. She was dressed in a nun's habit and was very kind and gentle. She beckoned to Nono and said, "Come and eat."

The young man then said, "Why don't you keep calling her 'Mom'?"

As he spoke, he pointed at the dean, whose expression changed. The dean slapped the young man's hand and said, "Hongda, what nonsense are you talking about?"

"I'm sorry, Brother Hongda, it's so good that you're back."

Nono lowered her head. Ever since she could remember, the director and pharmacist Hirota had been taking care of her. She also learned to call the director "Mom" like Hirota, but Hirota always got angry.

At that time, she didn't know why, she only knew that once, because of the name on the enrollment file, Hongda had a big fight with the director, and then Hongda left the orphanage and never came back for a long time. She heard that he went to another town and became a carpentry apprentice.

It was only later that Nono learned that Hirota was the director's son, his only son, while the other children in the orphanage were just children adopted by the director.

After Nonou truly understood, she never called the headmistress "Mom" again, and even corrected other children who made mistakes in their speech. However, Pharmacist Hirota never came back.

Until recently, I heard that Yakushi Hirota had come to Konoha with his company, Jisho Company, to undertake the reconstruction of some Konoha buildings.

Nono had been trying to invite Hongda back, but after asking around several times, Hongda hadn't responded. She never expected him to come back today.

At this moment, Hirota looked at Nono, but he couldn't vent the resentment he had accumulated over the years.

He used to hate Nono because Nono stole his mother, and his mother sided with her. Later, his mother even gave their family name to this girl, so he left. At that time, he was only a child of about ten years old.

Hongda thought that his departure would make his mother understand his dissatisfaction, but in the few letters they exchanged over the years, his mother always said that after he left, it was Nonou who helped support the orphanage.

Hongda felt that his mother was complaining about him while praising Nono, which made him even more dissatisfied.

He had only recently returned to Konoha and inquired about the welfare home from the villagers, learning many things he didn't know while he was away. That's why he decided to come back after finishing his work at the company.

Hongda originally thought he would hate this girl, but he just couldn't get angry at her, and he didn't know why.

Seeing that the two had fallen silent, the director forced a smile again and said, "Your older brother knew that the orphanage was short of rooms, so he came back to help after his work was finished."

Upon hearing this, Hongda wanted to say that he wasn't Nono's older brother, but after opening his mouth, he chose to eat instead.

Anyway, he won't be staying here for long. He's used all the money he's saved over the years to buy timber. Once the house is finished, he'll leave.

Watching her son eat silently but with great effort, the hospital director felt guilty, but she didn't know how to explain it to him.

Nonou nodded happily, brought the suitcase to the dean, and said, "That's great, Dean. Do you still remember Sakamoto Tatsuma?"

"Tatsuma Sakamoto?"

The dean looked thoughtful. She had taken care of too many children for varying lengths of time, and it was difficult for her to remember every single one.

Occasionally, on the road, some villagers who have grown up, or even started their own families, would gratefully call her "Dean," which was enough to excite her.

Hongda then looked up and said, "That white-haired brat who likes to sleep with a wooden stick and has beaten up quite a few children?"

Nono nodded instinctively. When Hongda spoke, she suddenly remembered her childhood memories, things that she herself couldn't remember, but Hongda actually remembered.

But she quickly shook her head, though she didn't say it, but it felt like she was disparaging Sakamoto.

Nonou held up her suitcase and said, "Sakamoto-kun is a very skilled ninja now. I haven't even graduated yet, but he's already a Chunin. This is the money he asked me to bring back."

Why don't we use this money and ask Brother Hongda to build houses for the welfare home?

The dean seemed to recall something at this moment, frowned, and said, "How old is he? About your age, right? How could you take his money?"

Hongda's expression also looked a little off. Although he knew that Nono's intention was to let him stay longer, and even to take some of the money so that he wouldn't suffer a loss.

But I always feel like I'm the outsider.

Nonou explained, "Sakamoto insisted that I bring it back. He said he would come back to see it when he has time."

Tatsuma initially said he didn't have time to come back, but Nono used a better way to put it.

The dean then took the briefcase, opened it, and was so shocked he almost stood up. Inside, there were neatly stacked stacks of money.

"Pfft~ cough cough~"

Hongda, who was eating, was also startled. He wiped his mouth and said incredulously, "There must be hundreds of thousands of taels here, right?"

Nono, who had just learned that there was so much money, was shocked and her eyes widened. Hundreds of thousands of taels! She had heard that completing a D-rank mission only yielded a few hundred taels. How many missions would she have to complete to earn that much?

He must be so tired.

Nonou's nose suddenly felt a little sore because she remembered that when Sakamoto came to teach them today, she was obviously still recovering from an injury.

When she tried to talk to him, he would only say a few words before saying that he didn't have time and needed to hurry up. She thought that Sakamoto didn't like being with her.

The director was also stunned. The last time she had seen so much money was when she was pregnant. Her husband, who was also a ninja, was conscripted to the battlefield and killed by the enemy. She went to the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, with her big belly and proposed to establish an orphanage to take in the children who had been orphaned by the war. Tobirama Senju gave her a similar sum of money.

It was that sum of money that enabled her to transform her and her late husband's home, along with the surrounding land, into the Konoha Welfare Home it is today.

Unfortunately, the great Hokage also passed away not long after that.

Seeing the dean suddenly burst into tears, Hongda called out worriedly, "Mom!"

The dean wiped away his tears, looked at Hongda, and said, "Hongda, stay in the village. I didn't dare let you come back before because even I couldn't see any hope, but things are different now. Stay."

Hearing his mother's words, Hongda fell silent. He had no intention of staying in this place that should have been his home, because it was no longer his home, but the home of other children.

He didn't want to stay, and it was never because of money or anything material. Therefore, he couldn't agree to his mother's request, as for her hopes...

He vaguely sensed that it was nothing more than what his mother had always told him when he was a child: the orphanage allowed the children to live, and the children would also help the orphanage continue to exist in the future.

But this is his mother's ideal, not his.

Seeing the struggle and resistance still on her son's face, the director shook her head, sighed, and said, "Hongda, I know this is too unfair to you, just pretend your mother never said it."

"But could you please stay? Could you use this money to build a more comfortable home for the children?"

This time, Hongda didn't hesitate for long, nodded, and agreed.

Even if it takes him more time and causes him to lose his current job, the company can't wait that long for him. But he can find another job. This kind of opportunity might only come once.

Upon seeing that Hongda agreed, both the dean and Nonou smiled. The dean closed the briefcase and placed it in the cabinet in his office that could only keep out honest people, not scoundrels.

He pulled Nonoo to sit down, served her rice and vegetables, and then the dean said, "Nonoo, if possible, invite Tatsuma back for a visit, if he has the time."

Nono nodded and said, "Then next time I see him, I'll ask him when he'll have time."

As she spoke, Nono suddenly began to imagine tomorrow's medical class, wondering if Tatsuma would still come to teach them.

"Achoo! Cough cough cough cough~"

In the Senju clan's territory, Tatsuma, walking home, suddenly sneezed, aggravating his injuries and causing him to cough incessantly. He shook his head, took a breath, and then straightened up again.

He touched the bankbook where the balance had dropped to zero, and the remaining 20,900 taels of cash. He sighed. The 20,000 taels were intended to be returned to Orochimaru, and the remaining 900 taels were his last savings.

"Looks like I'm not destined to get rich in this lifetime. I hope the funding arrives soon and the village pays the wages as soon as possible."

(End of this chapter)