Konoha: The Honored One

"What to do? I can tell you." Gojo Satoru casually rubbed his fingers together with a sly grin. "Your beloved teacher, Gojo-sensei, has his wallet's a little empty lately. Uchiha kid, got any ideas on how to fill it up?"

Sasuke, ever the brooding 12-year-old, shoved his hands into his pockets and immediately noticed that, like usual, there was nothing but air. He scoffed and muttered under his breath, "Tch."

Team 7 watched the exchange in stunned silence. Are all adults like this? Gojo really had no shame, huh? Asking a 12-year-old kid for money.

"Well, I guess it's good you didn't die this time." Gojo's attention shifted toward Sakura, who was still nursing the effects of the brutal hit she'd taken from Kisame .

If Kisame had been serious from the start, there was a very real chance Team 7 would have been wiped out, but Gojo wasn't worried about it. After all, he was there to save the day—or at least, that's how he liked to tell it.

Naruto, still a bit fired up from the earlier scuffle, suddenly pointed at Gojo and shouted, "Bastard! You have the nerve to say we were getting our asses kicked, and you were just standing there watching!"

Gojo casually waved it off, grinning like he hadn't just made a mockery of his students' struggles. "Hey, hey, it's a good thing you're alive, right? Let me treat you to something nice."

Team 7 collectively stared at him. A good thing to be alive? Was this really the kind of thing a teacher should say after his students narrowly escaped death?

Unfazed, Gojo went about healing them, his usual lazy charm in full force. "Alright, alright, Red, take that stinky shark to the interrogation department. I'm sure you'll get some juicy details out of him." He kicked Kisame's limp body towards Kurenai.

"Shouldn't we deal with the sword first?" Sasuke asked, raising an eyebrow, clearly still more focused on the weapon than the captured enemy.

Gojo glanced down at the massive sword, Samehada. With his six eyes, he could instantly perceive the strange seal engraved on the blade. "Ah, this? It's just a toy. Samehada can devour chakra and transfer it to the user. So, I guess it's a living summoning beast in the form of a sword."

The others gawked at him. Did he just call Samehada a toy? That was the most revered of the Seven Ninja Swords! The weapon that countless ninjas in Mist Village would kill to wield. And Gojo was calling it a toy?

"Are you serious, Gojo?" Kurenai asked, her voice thick with disbelief. "That sword is a legendary weapon, not some toy."

Gojo shrugged, unbothered. "For most ninjas, sure, it's a big deal. But for me?" He gave a lazy grin. "Nah, I'm not impressed. It's just another item in the collection. I'd rather sell it for some cash. Can you imagine how much The Hidden Mist Village would pay for this thing? Even if they know they're being scammed, they'd probably still buy it for a high price. I'd say starting at 100 million ryo, but I'd settle for 200 million."

Kurenai was flabbergasted. "You're planning to sell it?! Do you realize how powerful that sword is?"

Gojo waved her off nonchalantly. "Yeah, yeah, for ordinary ninjas it's great. But for me? It's just another toy. You guys are all so obsessed with the weapon, but I'm more interested in real power."

Kurenai's eye twitched in frustration. "Ordinary ninja?!" Her voice was getting a bit louder. "Gojo-san, you make it sound like we're nothing but weaklings compared to you!"

Gojo, always one for teasing, gave her a sympathetic look. "Oh, no, no. I didn't mean it like that. It's just, you know, I can attack, heal, defend, and look cool all at the same time. I'm just built different."

Kurenai, who had been quiet until now, crossed her arms with an exasperated sigh. "It's easy to be that way when you're, well, you." She had a mix of admiration and irritation on her face. "And for the record, we don't all get to just look cool while saving the day."

Gojo smirked. "You can try, but it takes years of practice to master my level of style." He winked at her, as if that would solve everything.

Kurenai clenched her fists. "You're impossible, you know that? All you ever do is joke around."

Gojo, never one to back down from an opportunity to mess with people, leaned closer to her and said in a mock-whisper, "You know, you really look great when you're angry. It gives you character."

Kurenai's face flushed red with both anger and a hint of embarrassment. She gritted her teeth. "I—I'm not angry!" She quickly looked away, clearly flustered.

Gojo grinned even wider, obviously enjoying her discomfort. "Uh-huh, sure. Whatever you say, 'Red'."

Naruto, who had been listening to this whole exchange with barely contained excitement, suddenly bounced on his feet. "Alright, enough! Can we just go already? I'm tired of being stuck in this village! Let's get going on the mission!"

Sasuke sighed, clearly unimpressed. "We're going on a mission, not a vacation, idiot."

"Yeah, I know!" Naruto huffed, crossing his arms.

Sakura, meanwhile, gave a quiet sigh of relief. It was nice to see Team 7 back to their usual dynamic. No more life-or-death situations—at least, not for now.

But still, she couldn't help but feel that there was something about their sensei that was… different. He had saved them countless times, but he never seemed to take anything seriously. Was he really just some careless teacher, or was there more to him than met the eye?

Just as Sakura was lost in thought, Kurenai, still scowling, turned to Gojo. "So, you can see through everything, huh? You're not really as cool as you think, are you?"

Gojo, flashing his signature grin, placed his sunglasses on his face. "Oh, I'm definitely as cool as I think. Maybe more." He leaned in, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Besides, you look great from every angle, Kurenai."

Kurenai immediately froze, her cheeks turning bright red. "Don't—don't say things like that!"

Gojo, however, just chuckled. "What? I can't help it if you're so easy to tease."

Sasuke, who had been watching the whole interaction, just sighed. "Can we please just go? This is getting weird."

"Sure thing," Gojo said, snapping his fingers. In a flash, the group disappeared, leaving behind only the sound of Gojo's laughter echoing through the air.