Five million ryō was no small amount.
The reward for A-rank missions usually ranged between 150,000 and 1 million ryō.
Only S-rank missions paid over 1 million ryō.
Five million ryō was equivalent to five S-rank missions.
Five million ryō for a ninja tool?
Sasuke frowned after hearing Richard's words.
Though he wasn't as broke as Naruto, he still hesitated about spending five million ryō on a single weapon.
The money he had now was inheritance from his parents.
Simply put, mission payouts alone wouldn't support his lifestyle.
After a few seconds of silence, Sasuke said, "Okay, I'll bring the money tomorrow."
Though he didn't know what kind of ninja tool could cost five million ryō, he didn't overthink it.
Even if Richard sold him an ordinary kunai, he'd accept it.
At worst, it would be tuition!
Hearing Sasuke's answer, Richard used Body Flicker without hesitation and returned home from the riverside.
After a relaxing hot bath, he went to his bedroom in a bathrobe and fell asleep.
The next day at noon, Richard woke up, washed, left home, and headed for Ichiraku Ramen.
Though he no longer needed food for energy – sunlight was enough – he still maintained normal eating habits when time allowed.
Food couldn't provide much energy for him now, but eating wasn't just about filling his stomach.
Even without hunger, simply enjoying food remained a pleasant experience.
Arriving at Ichiraku, Richard ordered two bowls of tonkotsu pork ramen from Ayame.
Soon after finishing lunch, he paid and left Ichiraku, heading toward his newly opened weapon shop.
He didn't open for business until after 1 PM.
Though his shop was located downtown, compared to neighboring businesses, his place was practically deserted.
Konoha might be one of the Five Great Hidden Villages – the strongest in the Naruto world – but it still housed many civilians.
Ordinary people had no interest in ninja tools, so naturally, Richard's shop drew fewer visitors than others nearby.
Plus, he hadn't advertised at all, and since the shop had only opened yesterday, most ninja in the village didn't know about it.
Even if they did, once they saw the prices of his vibranium kunai, Tantō, and katanas, they'd think he was insane.
Standard vibranium kunai: 3 million ryō. Three-pronged vibranium kunai: 3.5 million ryō. Vibranium Tantō: 6.5 million ryō. Vibranium katana: 10 million ryō.
Though Richard only asked Sasuke for 5 million ryō last night, that was a special price just for him. Others wouldn't get such a deal.
Richard expected another day without customers, like yesterday.
But he was wrong.
Less than half an hour after opening, the shop welcomed its first customer since launching.
When he saw who it was, Richard immediately frowned.
Why her?
The visitor was none other than Yugao Uzuki, whom he'd passed by yesterday.
She wore the same outfit as before, without any changes.
Though surprised by Yugao's arrival, Richard stopped developing his new technique, stood up, and greeted her. "Welcome."
Yugao looked at him calmly and said, "Hello, I'd like to look at your ninja tools."
"Sure, look around as much as you like," Richard replied.
Yugao nodded and walked toward the display case.
When she reached the case and saw the neatly arranged vibranium katanas inside – or more precisely, when she spotted the price tags – her expression turned to disbelief.
Ten million ryō?
Is he serious?
Did he miswrite the price?
Though Yugao had come to make contact with Richard on the Third Hokage's orders, the katana's price still shocked her.
10 million ryō!
For a single katana, this was an absurd price.
One ryō in the Naruto world equaled ten yen.
That made 10 million ryō equivalent to 660,000 US dollars.
Though ninja could earn more than civilians, spending that much on a single katana seemed excessive.
Richard wasn't surprised by Yugao's reaction.
People in this world had no concept of vibranium, so they naturally found the price outrageous.
If they knew what it was, they'd fight to buy it even at 100 million ryō.
This was vibranium!
A meter-long vibranium katana for the equivalent of 660,000 dollars wasn't expensive – it was an incredible bargain.
After recovering from her initial shock, Yugao looked at the vibranium katana more carefully.
She realized Richard hadn't made a pricing error – he was completely serious.
He's definitely suspicious!
Last night, she'd suddenly received a new mission from her captain.
Though her captain hadn't explained why they needed to monitor Richard, conventional surveillance methods wouldn't work. She needed face-to-face contact to gain his trust and uncover his true purpose in the village.
Yugao had been with ANBU for quite some time, but this was her first such unusual mission.
On paper, ANBU could handle any assignment.
But in reality, their most common task was assassination.
Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai – Special Assassination and Tactical Squad.
The full name of ANBU said it all.
Though ANBU operatives often performed surveillance, intelligence gathering, and VIP protection, their specialty was killing.
After examining all the displayed weapons, Yugao reached a conclusion.
Richard was definitely not a serious businessman.
Not only were his prices ridiculously high, but his inventory was severely limited in both quantity and variety.
Eight three-pronged vibranium kunai, eight standard vibranium kunai, two vibranium daggers, and two vibranium katanas.
In total, only 20 ninja tools sat in the display cabinet.
For a ninja shop, even one on the brink of bankruptcy wouldn't have such limited stock.
That morning, the first thing Richard had done was put away seven three-pronged vibranium kunai and one vibranium Tantō.
As for the vibranium katanas, he'd only displayed two, keeping one for himself.
He hadn't stashed these weapons because they were defective, but to deliberately keep his store inventory at exactly 20 pieces.
Plus, before these 20 items sold out, he wouldn't make new ones or sell any from his system space.
He planned to keep those for himself.
If Yugao hadn't been on a mission, she would've left immediately.
But instead of leaving, she turned to Richard behind the counter and asked, "May I try one out?"
"Normally it's not allowed," Richard replied, "but since you're our first customer—and a beautiful one at that—go ahead and try whichever you like. Just be careful—these tools are extremely sharp. Don't accidentally cut yourself."
Though the vibranium weapons looked ordinary except for their silvery-white color, their sharpness matched or exceeded the legendary Kusanagi Sword that Orochimaru possessed.
In terms of cutting power alone, the vibranium kunai and katanas were actually sharper than Kusanagi.
"I'll be careful," Yugao replied.
Privately, she doubted the katana could be as sharp as Richard claimed.
Though not a full jonin, she was a tokubetsu jonin—a specialist.
Her swordsmanship was no weaker than any regular jonin's.
In fact, it was her mastery of Konoha-style kenjutsu that had earned her tokubetsu jonin rank.
Opening the display case, Yugao removed one of the vibranium katanas.
It was surprisingly light—less than half the weight of a standard katana.
The moment she picked it up, Yugao was struck by how much lighter it was than expected.
While a lighter sword was easier to wield, too little weight could reduce cutting power.
After testing its weight, Yugao began examining the vibranium katana carefully.
Another look of surprise crossed her face.
Is this a single piece?
She'd assumed the blade and handle would be separate components like a normal katana.
But she quickly realized this wasn't the case.
The blade, handle, and even the texture on the grip were all formed as one continuous piece.
Is he really a swordsmith? This forging method is bizarre.
Yugao glanced at Richard sitting behind the counter.
Richard noticed her look but wasn't concerned.
Though his manufacturing method was unconventional, he wasn't worried anyone could guess how he made the weapons.
Strictly speaking, he hadn't forged them at all—he'd simply molded liquid vibranium into the desired shapes.
Though crude and simple, vibranium's unique properties meant this method wouldn't affect the weapons' durability or sharpness.
Yugao returned her attention to the katana and gave it a few test swings.
Its lighter weight made it easier to handle than her current sword.
But she doubted whether such a light blade would have enough cutting power.
After thinking for a moment, she unsheathed her own katana, preparing to test them against each other.
Seeing what she planned, Richard immediately spoke up.
"I wouldn't recommend that."
"If your sword has sentimental value or was expensive, you'll definitely regret it."
Richard warned her seriously.
Though he meant well, Yugao mistook his caution as reluctance to have his merchandise tested.
Is it just a fake?
The thought flashed through her mind.
Though she said nothing, Richard read her expression and continued, "I'm not a famous swordsmith, but my blades are definitely top-tier."
"If you don't believe me, go ahead and test it."
"If my sword gets damaged, you won't be held responsible."
After considering for a few seconds, Yugao slowly said, "Alright."
She held the vibranium katana in her right hand and her own sword in her left.
Normally, to test a sword's sharpness, you wouldn't strike it against another blade. You'd cut straw mats or bamboo instead.
But since Richard's shop had no such testing materials, she had no choice but to test blade against blade.
Under Richard's watchful gaze, Yugao raised both swords.
Then, applying equal force with both hands, she brought the blades together in a single decisive strike.
CLANG!
The sharp sound of metal striking metal rang out.
A second later came another sound—metal hitting the floor.
As expected, Yugao's sword had been cleanly severed by the vibranium katana.
The broken piece clattered to the ground.
What the...?
Seeing her ANBU-issued sword cut through so easily, Yugao couldn't hide her astonishment.
While her sword wasn't a priceless treasure, it was specially provided by ANBU.
Compared to ordinary katanas, it was significantly sharper and more durable.
Yet the vibranium katana had sliced through it like a twig.
Was he telling the truth?
Yugao stared in disbelief at her half-sword and the pristine vibranium katana without even a nick on its edge.
After witnessing the vibranium katana's sharpness firsthand, she finally understood why Richard had priced it at 10 million ryō.
Though the price tag was shocking, considering the weapon's sharpness and durability, 10 million ryō suddenly didn't seem unreasonable.
After taking several deep breaths to compose herself, Yugao carefully returned her broken sword to its scabbard.
Then she approached Richard with the vibranium katana and asked, "Can you offer a better price?"
"Since you're our first customer, and a beautiful woman at that," Richard said seriously, "I can give you a 20% discount."
Even with a 20% discount, the katana would still cost 8 million ryō—but it was a genuine offer.
If Yugao still thought it was too expensive, that was that.