By closing time, the bundle of joy that was Ayame returned from her usual playtime. She still wore her crown braid hairstyle—exactly the same as before—making Renji realize she hadn't changed it once.
A small pang of guilt tugged at him. He hasn't seen or played with her all day. After she had freshened up, he gently undid the braid, combed her hair smooth, and restyled it into a neat side French braid. Once again, the result was flawless—her hair gleamed under the warm glow of the light bulb, silky and radiant.
Ayame beamed with delight, bouncing on her toes and ready to run back to the park to show it off. Renji managed to hold her back with a promise. "Tomorrow morning, I'll do it again. You can show it off then."
Once she was fed and tucked into bed, Renji sat down with Teuchi to talk.
"Teuchi-san, I've decided… I want to open a hair salon."
He explained the idea in detail, outlining the concept as best he could.
Teuchi thought back to the times Renji had styled Ayame's hair. A smile tugged at his lips. "You really do have a knack for it. If that's what you want, then go for it. If you need anything, just let me know."
Renji nodded, but raised a concern. "The interior will cost a lot. Did my parents leave any inheritance for me?"
Teuchi furrowed his brows. "I'm not sure. You've been living on your own, and you seemed to be doing fine financially. Best to check with the bank. Also, you should bring your medical diagnosis about your memory problems—it might help smooth things over."
Renji recalled the building he had seen earlier while dragging the Uchiha kunoichi around the village. That must have been the bank.
"That's a good idea. I know where it is, I'll go tomorrow morning."
"Good. And if you don't have enough, don't hesitate to tell me," Teuchi said warmly. "I've still got some savings. You can pay me back once you're successful." He patted Renji's shoulder in high spirits.
Renji smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Teuchi-san. I may take you up on that."
With that, the two retired for the night.
The next morning, Renji carefully redid Ayame's side French braid. Once the last strand was tucked into place, she beamed at her reflection, determination sparkling in her eyes.
She wolfed down her breakfast and dashed out the door toward the park, eager to show off. Watching her go, both Renji and Teuchi couldn't help but chuckle in amusement.
Renji held his medical diagnosis and made his way to the bank. After speaking with a clerk and explaining his situation, he was directed to a manager's office.
The manager, a pot-bellied man with a calm but calculating expression, leaned back in his chair. "I understand your case, Mister Aoki. You've been a regular customer here, making monthly withdrawals from your account. Normally, we would require full verification, including your password… but considering your special circumstances, we are prepared to make an exception. However, you will need to provide proof of your memory loss."
Renji nodded. "I understand. I have my medical diagnosis from the medic who examined me. Please confirm if this will work."
The manager accepted the paper, scanning it carefully before giving a small nod. "This will do."
They proceeded with the formalities, helping Renji set up a new password and issuing him a fresh passbook to replace the one lost with his damaged belongings.
When he finally looked down at the balance, his eyes widened slightly. Around 150,000 ryō. More than enough to open a shop, furnish it, and keep it running for at least a couple of months, even without turning a profit.
That was more than he expected. Didn't Teuchi say his parents went on the trip to provide for the family? But the amount here is still a considerable amount, after years of my old self's spending.
'It seems my suspicions were not for nothing. There is definitely more to the story than just a bandit raid. I need to be more careful from now on. If whoever is responsible realize I'm investigating this, I'm sure they wouldn't hesitate to deal with me. For now though, this money would be quite useful.'
Renji exhaled in relief.
'Now all that's left is to secure a permit and purchase the supplies.'
Renji thanked the manager and left the bank. After grabbing a quick bite for lunch, he headed straight to the Hokage's office. There, he filled out an application for a shop permit—carefully writing the purpose of the shop, the services he intended to provide, and the other required details. Once the forms were submitted and the nominal fee paid, the approval came through almost immediately.
'This speed would put the old world's bureaucracy to shame.'
Shaking his head with a wry smile, he stepped out of the building. Just as he was about to leave, his eyes caught a freshly posted announcement on the notice board.
[Announcement]
[Funeral for the heroes who fell during the recent Tailed Beast attack will be held at the Memorial Grounds tomorrow.]
[All villagers are invited to attend and pay their respects. Please wear somber clothing as a sign of mourning.]
[Together, let us honor their sacrifice.]
Looking at the date, Renji saw it was scheduled for the next day, at 2 p.m.
Thinking of the thousands who had died, a long sigh escaped him. But then another thought surfaced.
'The hair of that fallen genin kunoichi at the hospital… it carried enough Demonic Energy to trigger my Demonic Sense skill, even healing my body. If that much came from her… then what about the hundreds of chūnin and jōnin who fell during the attack? Could I… collect the Demonic Energy from their hair? And then there's Kushina. Her fiery red hair probably contained as much as all others combined, if her chakra is any indication.'
The idea sent a shiver down his spine. Whether it was from the sheer audacity of it, or from imagining the potential benefits, he couldn't tell. But he knew one thing—he couldn't ignore it.
He kept turning the thought over in his mind as he walked toward the market.
From earlier tests, he knew he could sense Demonic Energy in distant hairs—but he couldn't absorb it unless he held the hair himself. Hair Manipulation, however, let him control a woman's hair so long as he could sense it.
'If I can sense a buried kunoichi's hair… could I command it to sever itself and come to me?'
The idea seemed possible, but it needed caution.
'I should think this through.'
By then he had reached the market. He shelved the half-formed plan and focused on the salon. He bought mirrors, multiple types of scissors, basins, chairs and benches, stacks of newspapers on subscription, and a few practical books. He doesn't really need any of these tools. But if he dared to use just his skill to produce extraordinary results, even an idiot would know something is wrong. T&I or Root could focus on his because if that. Now's not the time to be in the spotlight.
He arranged for everything to be delivered to his house on Sunday, which is still a couple of days away—the repairs and partitioning should be finished by then. With ninjutsu teams handling reconstruction, work moved fast.
After paying, he started the walk back home.