Chapter 16:
As Tsunade walked away, Orochimaru's earlier conversation with her still echoed in his mind.
"I thought it would be a lot," Tsunade had said casually. "It's only 150,000 Ryo. Just wait, I'll go back and get it for you!"
Sure enough, a wealthy family is a wealthy family, Orochimaru mused. For most genin, 150,000 Ryo was an astronomical amount of money. Even chunin had to risk their lives on many dangerous missions to accumulate such a sum. Yet, Tsunade, without batting an eye, offered it to him like it was pocket change.
Even though she emphasized that it was a loan, the fact that a mere child could hand over that much money so casually spoke volumes about the financial strength of the Senju clan.
To be honest, borrowing money had never crossed Orochimaru's mind. He didn't have close family or friends in this world. Besides, Tsunade was just a little girl herself how could he, with his adult mindset, even bring himself to ask for a loan? But once the conversation had naturally veered toward money, and Tsunade had offered to lend it, he didn't hesitate to accept. After all, this would save him nearly two months of time, and Tsunade could be considered someone under his care now. It was a win-win situation, with neither side losing out.
---
Half an hour later, true to her word, Tsunade returned with a thick stack of banknotes and threw them in front of Orochimaru. One-thousand-ryo bills, stacked up to a total of 150,000.
"Well, here's 150,000 ryo!"
At that moment, Orochimaru felt a strange sensation almost as if he were being pampered like some kept boy. The absurdity of it all wasn't lost on him, but he still had to express his gratitude.