Kisame looked down at his broken right hand and sighed in disbelief. Who would've thought that even after taking off those ankle weights, that damn watermelon-head would still leave some of the weight strapped to his leg?
That whip kick had shattered Kisame's arm in a single blow.
"Alright, let's take out the scrolls and check the total," he said, voice slightly strained.
"Kisame, you'd better go find a medical-nin to patch you up after this," Maruboshi Kosuke added casually. "Otherwise, when you get older, you'll be dealing with rheumatism, osteoarthritis, and all kinds of trouble."
Maruboshi spoke with the tired wisdom of age, hoping Kisame wouldn't regret neglecting his injuries when the years finally caught up with him.
The three of them unloaded all their ninja tool pouches onto the ground, pouring out scroll after scroll until a small mountain formed.
The passing Jonin examiner, who had been assigned to monitor the scroll exchange process, stood there dumbfounded. ⊙▃⊙
What the hell is going on with this team?
Are they... wholesaling scrolls?
Are they setting up a vendor booth?!
Saya crouched and began counting quickly.
"There are thirty Earth Scrolls and thirty-four Heaven Scrolls," she reported. "Sixty-four total."
"Considering some were probably lost to wild beasts, natural accidents, or disqualified teams, this should be nearly all the remaining scrolls."
"It's time to start selling." She looked up. "Any idea what the price should be? I've got no clue."
Saya had only been in the shinobi world for a short time. Her stay in Konoha hadn't even lasted ten full days, and she had no understanding of the current currency or economy. Naturally, she turned her gaze to Maruboshi Kosuke.
As the saying went: an old man at home is like a living treasure. And in this case, Kosuke, a veteran who'd lived in Konoha for decades, was the best person to judge the value.
Kisame also looked at Maruboshi Kosuke expectantly.
Despite having lived in Konoha for the past three years, Kisame had never officially been on the Konoha payroll. All of his missions had come directly from Fugaku or Itachi. They ranged from B-rank to S-rank and he'd completed plenty.
But pricing scrolls for Genin? That was completely outside his experience.
Maruboshi Kosuke grinned like an old fox and adjusted his posture proudly.
"Well, this old man is considered one of the top Genin in Konoha, if I may say so."
"On average, a Genin makes about 10,000 ryo per month. If they're a bit stronger, maybe 15,000."
"After all, a D-rank commission only nets about 10,000 ryo. A C-rank mission is 100,000, but the leading Jonin or Chunin takes the lion's share of the reward."
"Let's set the price at 500,000 ryo per scroll. That way, if they don't eat or spend wastefully, they could theoretically save up 150 million ryo in a year."
Kisame's eyes lit up like a child who'd just discovered a chest of treasure.
"If each scroll's worth 500,000 ryo and we keep four for ourselves to pass the exam, we can sell sixty scrolls. That's thirty million ryo!"
"With my savings, I can finally afford the house next to Master Hikaru's!"
Maruboshi Kosuke nodded thoughtfully. "Yes… My pension and this haul together will let me live in comfort for the next twenty years~"
Saya, meanwhile, had gone silent, tapping her chin thoughtfully.
What kind of gift should I buy for Lord Hikaru…?
But while the three of them were busy plotting their future purchases, one of the nearby proctors, a young Jonin who'd just been promoted, was fuming.
He turned angrily to Senpai, who was calmly overseeing the scroll exchange.
"Senpai! I know these Genin are powerful, but how can we allow this?! Aren't they making a mockery of the Chunin Exams?!"
"We can't just let them set up shop like this!"
Senpai shot him a bored glance.
"Young man, you're still too green."
"Is there any rule that says selling scrolls is prohibited in the Chunin Exams?"
"They earned these with their strength. Why should we stop them?"
"Besides, that old man? That's Maruboshi Kosuke—one of the Nidaime Hokage's personal disciples. He's remained a Genin all these years due to guilt from the war. If he suddenly decided to take the exam now, he's probably on a special mission."
"As for that shark-faced man—Hoshigaki Kisame, formerly of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. He's now one of Lord Hikaru's most trusted aides. Since he never officially became a Konoha ninja, this year's exam is just a formality for him. I've heard he'll be promoted to a command position once it's over."
"And the girl? That's the one who came back to the village with Lord Hikaru a few days ago. She's an Uchiha who grew up outside the village. She entered the exam directly using a Genin alias. Right now, she's living at the Hokage's residence."
"If you think you can stop any of the three of them, be my guest."
The new Jonin paled, cold sweat soaking through his collar.
Oh God… With that kind of lineup, isn't this a slaughterhouse?
Just then, a low, hoarse voice whispered beside his ear, playful and dangerous.
"Mr. Examiner… I'm here to exchange a scroll of man."
The young Jonin yelped and spun around in a panic, kunai halfway out of its holster—only to come face-to-face with a towering, two-meter-tall shark-faced man, grinning down at him.
Kisame's smile was, unintentionally, absolutely terrifying.
"O-Okay! I-I'll take care of it right away!"
The rookie examiner fumbled for a scroll from his pouch, accidentally forgetting to take the Heaven and Earth scrolls Kisame offered in exchange. He turned on his heel and bolted.
"Senpai, I—I need to use the bathroom! I'll leave this to you!"
And he fled without a backward glance.
Kisame watched him go, frowning in confusion.
Do I really look that scary?
I've been studying "How to Communicate Friendly with Others." I used honorifics, I spoke slowly, I even smiled!
Why was he so terrified?
I mean, sure, back in Kirigakure I wasn't exactly a saint, but now I'm a five-star, law-abiding Konoha citizen!
Senpai stepped forward, taking the scroll from Kisame and clapping him on the shoulder.
"Kisame… don't make that face when you talk. Just speak normally."
"That 'friendly' smile and slow speech pattern you're using is so creepy it's scaring the hell out of the rookies."
"Just act like your usual dead-eyed self."
Kisame immediately relaxed his expression, returning to his usual blank-eyed stare. Senpai sighed in relief. That weird, ugly, vaguely pitiful look was somehow… less disturbing.
Still... how strange. Why don't those books work?
Senpai raised an eyebrow. "What books?"
"How to Communicate with People in a Friendly Manner."
"…"
"Stop reading those weird books," Senpai said flatly. "They're for normal people. They don't work on ninja."
"…Fine."
? _?
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