["All packed up~"]
["Little handsome guy, the total here comes to twenty thousand ryō~"]
[Young Naruto was still examining the various ninja tools when the shop's poster girl suddenly spoke from behind him.]
[A total of four kunai.]
[Chōji and Shikamaru chose shuriken.]
[The shop girl clearly intended to build a long-term business relationship with Naruto and the others.]
[So the shuriken chosen by Shikamaru and Chōji became complimentary items.]
[In most cases, shuriken are classified as disposable ninja tools.]
[Because of that, their price isn't very high. Most of the time, they're even bundled as freebies when buying kunai.]
[Of course, once the quantity goes up, it still adds up.]
["Thank you~"]
["Little handsome guy~ would you like to apply for a membership card at our shop?"]
["You'll get discounts on ninja tools in the future~"]
["No!" Ino stared vigilantly at the shop girl with twin buns, who was resting her chin on one hand and sizing Naruto up.]
["Do you support custom ninja tools?"]
[Young Naruto suddenly asked.]
[Tenten's eyes immediately lit up.]
'Could this little handsome guy be a hidden big spender?!'
[That would be a completely different story!]
Whoosh—
[Tenten jumped down from her chair at once and hurried over to Naruto.]
["Of course!"]
["On this entire street, if I say my family's shop is the best for custom ninja tools, no one would dare object!"]
[Tenten patted her small chest proudly as she guaranteed it to Naruto.]
Kurenai Yūhi: "This child… the entire street belongs to your family. You're practically the little boss already—who would dare object?"
Tenten: "Haha~ well, that's basically what I meant~"
Tenten: "I want to earn a bit more pocket money too."
Temari: "Konoha… really makes people jealous."
Mei Terumī: "That's actually true."
Mei Terumī: "Even with leadership like that for so many years, Konoha's ninja and civilian living standards are still the best in the entire ninja world."
Senju Tobirama: That's just the deep foundation my brother and I left behind.
Senju Tobirama: But it's almost been squandered away!!
Orochimaru: "That's accurate."
Tsunade: "Heh."
Uchiha Madara: "The core problem was never solved."
Uchiha Madara: "What it would become in the future—I foresaw it long ago."
Senju Hashirama: "Madara!"
Uchiha Madara: "What?"
Senju Hashirama: "Shut that mouth~!"
[Taking advantage of Ino not paying attention, Tenten pulled Naruto a little deeper inside the shop.]
[She began introducing ninja tools that had been custom-made in the past.]
[If needed, they could reuse old molds and slightly adjust the specifications to produce new ones.]
[Naturally, the price wouldn't be cheap.]
[Tenten explained everything in detail, her attitude becoming much more professional and enthusiastic—no longer teasing him like a junior student.]
[For Tenten, if this deal went through, it would basically become a lifetime client—one belonging exclusively to her.]
[Even though the business would eventually all be hers, it wasn't yet. If she wanted more pocket money now, she had to work for it herself.]
[Seeing that Naruto didn't even glance at the uniquely shaped ninja blades in her hands, Tenten's lips curved upward.]
[She knew it would be like this.]
[In fact, whenever someone asked about custom ninja tools,]
[Tenten would deliberately let them feel a bit underwhelmed by the initial pieces.]
[That way, the later reveal would be more effective.]
["Looks like these don't catch the little handsome guy's eye."]
["Then take a look at this one."]
[As she spoke, Tenten ran toward a deeper shelf.]
[She then carefully returned, holding a small box in both hands.]
[Seeing her cautious demeanor,]
[even Shikamaru, who had been watching casually, grew interested.]
[Everyone crowded around curiously.]
["Hiss!"]
[Tenten widened her eyes and said sternly, "Step back a little! What's inside isn't an ordinary ninja tool."]
["This was personally commissioned by the Second Hokage back then—custom-made by my grandfather!"]
Senju Tobirama: !!!
Senju Tobirama: A clever little girl!
Senju Tobirama: I didn't expect her to be a descendant of an old acquaintance.
[Gulp—]
[Sakura felt a little scared by Tenten's words, yet her curiosity was completely hooked.]
["Do you have any proof?" Ino raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced.]
[She had seen plenty of exaggerated self-promotion tricks like this.]
[Besides, she used similar tactics herself—like saying which noble lady once bought a certain flower, and so on.]
[Not to mention all the flower meanings and little backstories.]
[Flower shops were full of that kind of thing.]
["Heh, I knew you'd ask that!" Tenten suddenly pulled the box back, lifting her pale neck and tilting her smooth chin upward.]
[Ino's eyebrow twitched.]
[She'd been provoked.]
[Still… after this whole sequence, Ino had to admit that when it came to shop tactics, she was slightly inferior to Tenten.]
[Seeing impatience appear on everyone's faces,]
[Tenten's lips curled again, a bit of pride rising in her heart.]
[Once she controlled the tempo, the final price would be entirely up to her.]
[However, when she noticed that Naruto still wore the same faint smile he'd had from the beginning, her heart skipped a beat.]
'A tough one.'
'Looks like I won't hook him unless I bring out something serious.'
[She placed the small box aside.]
[Before the kids could react, she suddenly opened it.]
[And under her deliberate timing, the photograph attached to the box was exposed to everyone's view.]
[Naruto narrowed his eyes slightly.]
'The Second Hokage?'
[Silver hair, red eyes, an iron forehead protector with a face-guard design, and three red markings on his cheeks.]
'Different hair color… just looking at the photo gives off a strong sense of pressure.'
Senju Tobirama: Hahahaha~!
Senju Tobirama: Whew—good thing I didn't lose points with Black-Frame Naruto!
Uchiha Izuna: That expression of yours.
[Standing beside the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, was an elderly man well past his prime, holding a kunai.]
[Compared to standard kunai, it was slightly larger, and the grip had extra detailing.]
["Well?!"]
["See the kunai in my grandfather's hand?"]
["That's the kunai personally commissioned by the Second Hokage!"]
["The one inside this box is the very same kunai my grandfather is holding in that photo!"]
[If Tenten had a tail, it would have been pointing straight up into the sky by now.]
["Amazing!" Sakura exclaimed, not fully understanding but still impressed.]
[Hinata nodded in agreement.]
[Shikamaru immediately noticed the difference in the kunai as well.]
["It was probably used as a medium for some kind of jutsu, right?"]
["Naruto, what do you think?" Shikamaru asked.]
["There's a strange pattern on the blade and grip… it should be some kind of jutsu formula," Naruto replied.]
[Tenten blinked, staring at the two of them in disbelief.]
[How did they figure it out before she even explained?]
[No—she couldn't let the pace slip like this. She had to take control again.]
Click—
[She activated the mechanism. Layers of wrapping unfolded, revealing the kunai inside to everyone's eyes.]
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