Chapter 19: I Have a Friend
Monday morning, in the small woods outside the house.
Hoshikawa called Kurenai Yūhi to train with him; she practiced genjutsu while he practiced ninja tool throwing.
But what bothered him was that he didn't know which three ninja tools to choose for the remaining slots.
There were many ninja tools, but the most common and simplest were kunai, shuriken, senbon, and fūma shuriken.
The difficulty of other ninja tools escalated significantly.
For example, katana, short swords, greatswords, staffs, and nunchaku, etc.
Explosive tags were also considered ninja tools, and they were very simple to use, but too expensive for him to afford.
As Hoshikawa pondered, he began to think about how to earn money.
For a child, there weren't many avenues for making money.
He mused for a moment, then suddenly thought of Tsuchibashi at the Konoha Knowledge Bookstore.
In the original story, Jiraiya once showed Naruto Uzumaki his bankbook.
While not the richest, he was a top-tier wealthy individual.
His money undoubtedly came from the bestselling Icha Icha Paradise.
Hoshikawa had read many classics in his previous life.
He even had a ready-made pen name: Raikaken.
But it wasn't necessarily true that he had to write it himself.
Hoshikawa finally decided on explosive tags and a katana or longsword for the remaining two ninja tools.
In Japan, swords and daggers were often grouped together.
The reason for choosing a katana was simple: Konoha-ryu Kenjutsu.
In Konoha Village, most sword techniques were passed down within ninja families, and outsiders simply couldn't learn them.
Like the Hatake Blade Arts.
But there were exceptions, like Konoha-ryu Kenjutsu.
In the original story, Kosuke Maruboshi, Hayate Gekko, and Yugao Uzuki had all used it.
As for the last ninja tool, Hoshikawa already had a target: the scalpel.
He would learn about it when he studied medical ninjutsu anyway.
"I'm going for a run, Kurenai."
Hoshikawa suddenly had an idea.
He was short on money, why not ask Tsuchibashi for it?
As a Kumogakure spy, he needed operational funds, after all.
Asking for some money, that was reasonable, right?
Hoshikawa first ran two laps on the street, then entered the Konoha Knowledge Bookstore.
"Number 9527, I'm glad you haven't been exposed yet."
When Tsuchibashi saw Hoshikawa, he offered a blessing, just like last time.
"..."
Hoshikawa's mouth twitched slightly.
Such blessings should be stopped; it's like an old general on stage, covered in flags.
"Hoshikawa, do you have any intel for me?"
Tsuchibashi's face showed anticipation.
Hoshikawa paused slightly.
Speaking of Konoha Village's intel, he actually had quite a bit, all secrets he had gained from the original story.
"No."
Hoshikawa extended his hand and said directly, "I need operational funds."
"Operational funds?"
Tsuchibashi was stunned for a moment, then realized.
He just wants money, said so uniquely.
"You're young now, so you indeed have no source of income."
Tsuchibashi stroked his chin and said, "I'll give you five thousand ryo per month from now on."
Five thousand ryo was already an astronomical sum for a child.
Ninja missions were divided into five ranks, with D-rank missions starting at five thousand ryo.
However, D-rank mission rewards were split among four people, so an ordinary Genin might not even get a thousand ryo.
"Thank you, Uncle Tsuchibashi."
Hoshikawa was quite satisfied.
After all, it was five thousand ryo he just found.
"You have to do something when you take the money."
Tsuchibashi suddenly changed his tone, his face hardening as he said, "Kumogakure has a mission for you."
"Mission accomplished, guaranteed!"
Hoshikawa said in a serious tone.
"Display your talent fully at the academy, and then, upon graduation, choose a Konoha higher-up as your teacher."
Tsuchibashi patted his shoulder and said earnestly, "You are now Kumogakure's only hope of infiltrating Konoha's higher ranks as a spy."
"I understand!"
Hoshikawa nodded heavily.
As long as he could become Tsunade's disciple, this mission would automatically be completed.
"If you can do it, you'll become Raikage-sama's nominal disciple, gaining the qualification to learn Nin-Taijutsu."
Tsuchibashi's expression softened, and he said with a smile.
I get it.
Drawing a big picture, right?
But this "picture" was good; he was willing to partake.
"Uncle Tsuchibashi."
Hoshikawa scratched his head and asked, "It's like this, I have a friend, if he wants to publish a book, can he do it here?"
"Of course."
Tsuchibashi pondered for a moment and said, "Since he's your friend, I can even give him an extra 20% of the profits."
"20%?"
Hoshikawa asked curiously, "What was the original split?"
"Three-seven split."
Tsuchibashi paused and explained, "The bookstore gets 70%, the author gets 30%."
Only 30%?
Isn't that like begging on your knees?
But fortunately, he, oh no, his friend could get 50% for publishing.
"If my friend provides the idea and outline, how would the split work?"
Hoshikawa thought for a moment, then came up with another method: co-writing a book.
Although he had read many classics, he only remembered the general plots, and writing a book was too time-consuming.
"This model is a first."
Tsuchibashi frowned slightly.
He looked at Hoshikawa, lost in thought.
Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't be allowed.
But Hoshikawa was a Kumogakure spy, and a spy with a promising future, worth befriending and investing in.
"If sales are poor, 10%; if sales are high, 40%."
Tsuchibashi said after a moment of silence.
Hoshikawa's eyes slightly brightened upon hearing this.
40%, that's doable.
"I'll bring my friend's idea and outline next time."
Before leaving, Hoshikawa also browsed the bookstore.
He found that the so-called adult books weren't as explicit as he had imagined; they were just suggestive.
On second thought, it made sense.
In the original story, Icha Icha Paradise was even adapted into a movie.
After leaving the bookstore, Hoshikawa didn't go straight to school but went to the ninja tool shop next door.
He asked the owner about the price of explosive tags.
Explosive tags, simply put, were fire release ninjutsu sealed into talismans and then detonated.
Their power was immense, and their price was also very high.
In the original story, Shikamaru Nara, after being promoted to Chunin, could only afford two.
But Hoshikawa discovered that explosive tags came in several types.
The expensive ones could reach over ten thousand ryo, possessing the power of a Jonin-level Fire Release ninjutsu.
He estimated Shikamaru Nara bought that kind.
The cheapest explosive tags cost three hundred ryo each, which were good for fishing.
Hoshikawa primarily bought them to trigger entries, and being short on money, he bought fifteen of the cheapest explosive tags.
Even so, he only had five hundred ryo left from the five thousand he had just acquired.
Hoshikawa returned home and went to the Ninja Academy with Kurenai Yūhi for class.
As for the explosive tags, he planned to find an open area after school to test them.
"Kakashi, in this afternoon's physical training, I, the great one, will definitely beat you!"
In the classroom, Obito Uchiha's passionate declaration rang out.
"You won't even make it into the top ten."
Kakashi Hatake glanced at him and said.
"This time, I definitely will!"
Obito Uchiha said with his arms crossed, "I, who bears the name of the future Hokage, will not lose again!"
School classes were divided into theoretical and practical.
Practical classes were not just simple 1v1 battles but included various activities such as ninjutsu instruction, ninja tool throwing, and physical training.
"Ugh, physical training, it's deadly."
Kurenai Yūhi, upon hearing this, immediately puffed out her cheeks, looking very unhappy.
Hoshikawa understood her.
Because ninja physical training was even more brutal than college student fitness tests.
His last physical training, like Obito Uchiha's, didn't even land him in the top ten.
....
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