Chapter 44: Total Monopoly

"How the hell can you afford to feed four Ramen addictions that would make a Kage cry?" Honoka asked around her mouthful of noodles. Karin, Naruto, Nagato, and she were all tied at fifty bowls currently. Suffice to say Ayame and Teuchi were partying in between prepping more bowls. Naruot slurped up his last three bowls, putting him ahead for the moment, then smiled mischievously.

"In addition to my allowance from Hokage-jiji, I invested a lot of money in some... shall we say lucrative venues?"

"Say wha'?" Nagato managed around a piece of beef.

"I bought a bunch of stocks in successful companies under an alias I have, and also happen to be landlord to a good portion of this unknowing village."

"How much exactly is a good portion?" Honoka questioned as she clacked down her last empty bowl to await more.

"Hmm, let's see..." Naruto said thoughtfully, appearing to actually mull it over. "Three of thee swankier hotels in the merchant district, ten brothels in the red light, fourty-two apartment complexes throughout the village, twenty of the fifty restaurants in Konoha, fifteen convenience stores, ten markets, three family-owned stores, and the Main bank? Yep sounds about right. All told I basically own... hmmm, add twelve, carry the three, about sixty percent of the village give or take?" he finished with a shrug, causing his cousins to choke on their food, or in Honoka's case her water- which she spewed all over the counter.

"SAY WHAT?!"

"Oh yeah," Ayame laughed as she put out more ramen. "Naruto-kun is a business mogul. He could bring Konoha to it's knees just by cashing in the debt some of his tenants owe him, and almost no-one knows it."

"D-does the Hokage know this?" Nagato coughed out, finally clearing his throat as he patted Karin on the back to help her. Naruto shrugged as if it didn't matter.

"Sure he does. He goes over the expenses of the whole village, so he sees one name pop up a whole lot, and he's the one who helped me create the alias. He's a little opposed to the idea, but admits what I do with my money is my business."

"Oh, and Naruto," Teuchi put in, reaching into his back pocket. "Here's this months' rent." he held out a small stack of Ryo bills, which Naruto took and pocketed without counting, causing Nagato to raise his visible eyebrow.

"You aren't going to make sure it's all there?"

"Why would I? Teuchi and Ayame have been good to me, and I've been good to them. They've never shorted me without letting me know in advance they don't have the full amount, so I don't worry about it."

"That still seemed like a really small amount of money."

"They're payment for keeping the stand here isn't that much. Like I said, they've been good to me. Plus, they still have to worry about supplies, electricity, water, rent for their house, Ayame is trying to put money aside for something or other, and they're looking to expand within the next few years. It wouldn't be fair to them if I charged them a fuck-ton of cash simply so I could make more money."

"So in other words," Honoka said drily. "You're playing favorites."

"It's more of 'you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours.' If everyone else in this village treated me like a normal person, they'd be getting cheaper deals too. As it is, I'm still doing everyone a favor by not raising the prices and keeping them at market value. I could force my tenants to pay more, but that would cause inflation, and blah blah blah, basically, it'd be a huge pain in my ass."

"You said you own ten brothels?" Karin said with a dangerous gleam in her eye.

"Yep, that's all of them by the way. And I know what you're thinking, Karin, and it isn't like that."

"All those places gave Naruto-kun a place to stay and treated him with as much respect as they could before he was adopted," Ayame said sullenly. "Do you know how many times I went looking for him, only to find him sleeping in the corner of a brothel? Too many. So, when he could, he bought them, and let's them stay there practically rent-free. He also paid for expansions, like a bath house for each, and private rooms so the girls weren't piled on top of each other."

"Like I said, one good turn deserves another," Naruto practically whispered. "Those girls and I have more in common than anyone realizes."

"Like what?" Scoffed Karin.

"Like the fact neither of us chose to be out on the streets. But where they at least had a roof over their heads, I slept in alleys. Prostitutes and street-urchins have an unwritten code, Karin. You never judge a person for being where they are, because nine times out of ten, they didn't choose it. So, they gave me places to stay, and the odd job here and there that even a three-year-old could do, and when I got money, I helped them out in return. If we went to any of those places right now, I could tell you the life story of almost every girl there. I know better than most how much they hate having to do what they do, but they do have to do it. So, I do what I can to make it easier for them."

"I... can we change the subject?" Karin said uneasily, and Naruto nodded. "So, how's your training going for the finals?"

"Well enough."

"Can't say more?"

"Not to someone I might have to face somewhere in there. And what about your training?"

"It's going fine."

"See? You won't say any more than I will. That reminds me though, I have to find Hinata and help her with her training."

"But you just said..."

"I just said I wouldn't reveal anything to someone I may have to face, and I won't. But Hinata needs help with a new Taijutsu style and I'm the only one who can stand up tot he jyuuken or the like without getting fucked up beyond repair," Naruto said as he dug out the cash Teuchi had given him as well as his wallet, putting all the money he thought was needed on the counter, then standing and leaving. "Money's on the counter Teuchi!"

"Arigato!"

"Enjoy yourselves guys, but Teuchi! Cut them off when the cash runs out!"

"Got it!" with that, Naruto left with a wink and a wave.

A/N: I know, another short chapter, but the next one will be longer... I hope.