"Yeah, just make sure you behave yourself. Recently there have been many outsiders in Konoha. If anyone causes trouble, find someone to notify me immediately. Konoha isn't a place where they can act recklessly, understand?" Hinata shooed him off with a wave of her hand.
"Hey, now that we're all free today, let's hang out and talk about the upcoming Chunin Exams while we're at it!"
After Konohamaru had left, Hinata slung an arm over Sakura's shoulder and made her way toward the Ichiraku Ramen Shop.
Outside the Ichiraku Ramen Shop, the Sand Trio wore visibly sour expressions after being denied entry.
"Hey! Why won't you let us eat here?" Kankuro asked angrily.
"I'm sorry, but Ichiraku Ramen Shop doesn't serve just anyone. Dining here requires prior reservation, and opportunities to do so are limited to only several times a month. At this point, reservations are already booked years in advance!" Ayame remained unfazed and simply smiled as she explained.
"What kind of establishment is this? You don't even cook for customers who want to eat? Don't you want to make money?" Temari asked in disbelief.
"The price for a single meal at Ichiraku Ramen has already risen to one million ryo. Even at that price, there are still countless people flocking here, desperate just for the chance to dine—so rest assured, we aren't short on cash!" Ayame added this last comment with a cheerful smile, leaving the Sand Trio deeply dismayed.
O-O-One million ryo per meal?!"
Temari and Kankuro were utterly dumbfounded. What did one million signify? They had spent years enduring countless life-threatening missions, yet here was a single meal costing a million ryo—a massive gap indeed. Even Gaara, usually expressionless, seemed shaken.
"That's right. And it isn't merely about having money; you also need a certain level of status to be granted the opportunity to dine here."
Ayame kept driving the point home, rubbing salt in the wound for the Sand Trio. "Our typical guests are ministers of the Land of Fire, clan leaders or elders from major families, or well-known merchants throughout the shinobi world. As for others—we often don't accept them at all!"
Chapter 158: The Sand Village's Dream of Striking Down Warlords and Dividing Farmland [Part 1]
After hearing Ayame's words, the Sand Trio found themselves speechless, hearts pounding painfully. This world really didn't make sense anymore. They had toiled for years, enduring countless life-threatening crises, only to find that the small amount of mission payment they had managed to save wasn't even worth the cost of one meal.
"Let's go somewhere else to eat," Gaara finally said after a long silence, his tone icy. Without waiting, he turned and started walking away, unwilling to remain another moment.
Feeling the increasingly cold aura emanating from Gaara, Temari and Kankuro dared not say anything further and hurriedly turned to follow him.
"Yo, long time no see, you three!"
Before Gaara could take more than a few steps, a teasing voice drifted over.
"Why? Just entered and now you're leaving already? Is the food not to your taste?"
Gaara remained silent, but from the large gourd on his back, some fine sand quietly began drifting out. His face darkened considerably.
"Hmph, you Konoha people really are a bunch of cunning cheaters. Charging one million ryō for just one meal? Do you honestly think we're that gullible?" Temari scoffed angrily.
"You've got it all wrong!" Sakura rolled her eyes and said, "Judging by your appearance, it's obvious you guys don't have much money. Even if we wanted to find a sucker, we wouldn't pick you!"
"Who do you think has no money?!" Kankuro retorted furiously while pulling out a bundle of cash. "We're the children of the Fourth Kazekage after all! Do you really think we'd be poor?"
"You dare show off with just this tiny amount? Don't you feel ashamed?" Sakura snapped her fingers. "Naruto, bring out our spending money so these people from Sunagakure can see what real money looks like!"
"You got it!" Naruto pulled out a sealing scroll, broke the seal, and retrieved a small suitcase, which he opened right in front of the Sand Trio.
"No way!"
"How is this possible?"
Temari and Kankuro looked completely stunned. A whole suitcase full of cash—just spending money? Who in their right mind would give a kid so much cash?
Sakura smiled modestly. "It's nothing big, just keep calm, okay?"
"You expect us to believe you? Those must be counterfeit bills!" Temari stared at the suitcase full of money, her heart already aching. In all her years, she had never seen so much money before, so clinging to a faint hope that it might be fake, she instinctively argued back.
"You backwater folks really don't know anything!" Hinata sneered disdainfully while tossing out another sealing scroll. After breaking the seal, she also pulled out a small box. The sheer amount of cash inside left Temari and Kankuro dazed and amazed. Gaara, as always, remained composed.
"If you don't carry extra spending money, how could you possibly buy anything nice when shopping?"
"My heart..."
That was exactly what both Temari and Kankuro were thinking. As for Gaara, his expression was as dark as a charcoal stove.
"You guys are seriously late to the party!" Neji and his group walked out from Ichiraku Ramen Shop, seeing what was happening in front of them and wearing a very friendly smile. "Showing off your allowance?"
Having witnessed everything from inside the shop, Neji smiled while pulling out a sealing scroll of his own, opening its seal, retrieving a small suitcase and revealing the massive pile of cash inside.
Shikamaru, Ino, and the others behind him didn't say anything either, expressing their attitude in exactly the same manner as Neji: retrieving sealing scrolls, breaking seals, pulling out small suitcases, and revealing piles of cash.
"My heart..."
Temari and Kankuro clutched their chests, nearly dropping to their knees in defeat. Kankuro especially couldn't take it anymore; staring at the pitiful wad of cash in his hand, his face flushed with embarrassment as he quickly slipped that hand back into his sleeve. What a humiliation!
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