Shopping, Spy

Hanma strolled through Konoha's streets. The early autumn air carried a slight chill, and he wore a T-shirt and shorts, carried a vegetable basket, and shuffled along in slippers.

He genuinely disliked ninja attire, especially those open-toed sandals.

In Konoha, freedom in clothing was a display of status.

As long as someone had strength and status, almost no one wore ninja uniforms anymore. The future Sannin, Danzo, and the twelve youngsters were all the same.

People constantly bowed to Hanma as he passed. It seemed his reputation had already spread.

Hanma enjoyed this brief peace, feeling as leisurely as if he were taking an after-work stroll through his own neighborhood.

Konoha Shinobi Village's central district, compared to his previous life, was really only about the size of two or three enormous universities.

After all, there were only a little over ten thousand ninja. Even counting civilians, the total population would not exceed one hundred thousand.

When he reached the market, he found a familiar vendor and greeted him.

"Hey, boss, got any good stuff in? I'm entertaining an honored guest."

The plump middle-aged man waved his boning knife. When he looked up and saw Hanma, a smile appeared on his face as he replied,

"I saved this especially for you. Top-grade Cloud Ox from the Land of Lightning, supplied exclusively to the Daimyo's Mansion. I only managed to get a little through my connections."

Hanma nodded and handed over a stack of banknotes. "Thanks, uncle. Same as usual, deliver it to my residence."

Over the years, Hanma had never put on airs around the village civilians or the lower- and middle-ranked ninja. He treated them kindly and had built good relationships with them.

As for the other Uchiha, it would not be an exaggeration to say they were hated by everyone.

By now, there was even a growing trend of "raise the price whenever an Uchiha buys groceries."

It could not be helped. With the Uchiha's personalities—cold, arrogant, and sharp-tongued—and their responsibility for village security, fining and arresting people every day, how could they possibly get along with ordinary people?

Hanma continued carefully selecting ingredients, tossing around banknotes. He had put in considerable effort to entertain Tsunade.

Sand Scallions and pepper from the Land of Wind, Rock Chicken and Stone Ginger from the Land of Earth, shark fin from the Land of Water, Flame Deer and rice from the Land of Fire—these were all rare delicacies of the Shinobi World.

Konoha's great market alone showed that Konoha was the financial and consumer center of the entire Shinobi World.

Merchants from every great nation came here. Almost every kind of merchandise and ninja tool could be found in Konoha.

Occasionally, there were even a few stray, unknown ninjutsu manuals, or gossip from nearby hidden villages.

In Konoha, as long as your goods had value and something distinctive about them, someone would make an offer, and you could receive a relatively fair price.

Places like Sunagakure and Kirigakure were hellholes. If you brought good merchandise in there, even your bones would be chewed clean.

Merchants pursued profit. No one would turn down money. If they could make a fortune in Konoha, there was no need to go anywhere else.

What was that called again? "Capital flight"?

Hanma connected it to a term from his previous life and smiled.

This was also a reflection of Konoha's hegemonic position. As others declined, Konoha quietly grew stronger.

Hanma breathed in the crisp air as he strolled along. An Entry appeared before his eyes. Just a little more, and "Heaven and Earth Furnace" would be on the verge of evolving.

Heaven and Earth Furnace: As a ninja, Chakra is not your foundation. You can absorb this energy, thereby stabilizing and strengthening your body and soul.

This was the Entry Hanma had placed the highest hopes on, and it was also the foundation for breaking free from the shackles of being a ninja.

After obtaining it, he had almost entirely abandoned using Chakra against enemies, instead devoting his full Chakra output to strengthening his body.

Hanma continued purchasing ingredients. He was not only entertaining Tsunade, but also Minato, that little foodie. He even needed to communicate and negotiate with the Third and Danzo.

"—Stop!"

"—In the name of the Police Force, I warn you that you will be killed!"

A sharp female shout rang out on the street. A female Uchiha wearing a Military Police Force armband, her face full of killing intent, was forcing a fleeing vendor to stop.

"Please spare me, ma'am! I just wanted to earn enough to support my family!"

The vendor cried miserably, but his feet moved far faster than an ordinary person's. Pushing his cart, he fled toward the crowded center of the market.

This female Uchiha was Uchiha Sasuke's future aunt, Uchiha Mikoto's younger sister—Uchiha Mizuki.

Uchiha Mizuki's blood-red Sharingan lit up, two black Magatama slowly rotating within her eyes.

She pulled out a large iron whistle and blew it hard. The piercing sound rang through all of central Konoha.

The barrier overhead immediately sounded an alarm, its deafening warning echoing out. Nearby Konoha ninja dropped what they were doing and gradually formed an encirclement.

Uchiha Mizuki leaped into the air, stepped directly across the stalls, and pursued him by the shortest route.

The remaining vendors cowered in fear, their faces bitter as they looked at their already smashed goods.

Hanma sighed softly. Carrying bags upon bags of ingredients, he followed after them like a middle-aged man who loved watching excitement unfold.

The fleeing vendor ran all the way to the market center, where the crowd was especially dense and many wealthy nobles from the Daimyo's Mansion were shopping.

He turned back viciously, glaring at Uchiha Mizuki. Pulling out a stack of Explosive Tags, he shouted his threat,

"Don't any of you fucking move! Look closely at what this is! Let me go, or we all die together!"

Uchiha Mizuki stopped in her tracks, pressing her lips together as a trace of panic rose in her heart.

She was only thirteen this year and had just passed the Konoha Military Police Force's assessment. This was only her second month handling security, yet she had already encountered something like this.

The vendor saw Mizuki's youth and hesitation, giving him the chance to escalate his threat. His right hand formed seals while his left continued waving the Explosive Tags.

"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"

A towering earthen wall sealed off the civilians' escape route, trapping dozens of people within it, including noble young ladies dressed in fine clothes.

Mizuki forced herself to focus. Cold sweat covered her slender neck as she pushed herself to find a solution.

This spy actually knew to lower his gaze when facing an Uchiha.

Mizuki could only helplessly confront the Amegakure Ninja.

Judging from his accent, he had to be one of those Amegakure bastards. Had they really grown this bold?

Watching Mizuki's foolish performance, the Amegakure Ninja felt much more at ease.

He secretly thought that if he stalled a little longer, the rest of his companions would surely escape. Lord Hanzo's great cause—we would certainly contribute to it!

From afar, Hanma watched as he set down his bags of ingredients. With a Body Flicker, he appeared before the Amegakure Ninja.

The Amegakure Ninja only felt his vision go dark before he lost consciousness.

Smack.

A light tap from Hanma's elbow.

Like smashing a rotten watermelon, the Amegakure Ninja's head exploded.

To keep blood from getting on himself and delaying the preparation of the precious ingredients for his date later,

Hanma controlled his strength. The red-and-white slurry sprayed out to one side, leaving the earthen wall covered in filthy gore.

The Amegakure Ninja's head had already been crushed, yet his arm was still waving, as if it could still threaten someone, as if it could still buy his teammates a few more seconds.

Hanma sighed softly. This was the twisted ninja world.

Everyone had their own so-called ninja way, whether vile or insane.

Normal people were the unusual ones in this world, while abnormal people all had their own hardships.

He took the Explosive Tags and crushed them in his palm. The violent blast was suppressed within his hand, producing only a muffled boom.

Mizuki stared blankly at Hanma's figure and recognized him. She had attended the clan meeting and had heard a little about him in everyday life.

But she had always assumed those were exaggerated rumors. What Uchiha would not value the Sharingan?

This senior who killed people as easily as buying groceries had become the subject of countless stories throughout the village lately.

(Actually, she had to pay extra when buying groceries. ε)

Mizuki gathered her courage and stepped forward. "Clan Elder Hanma, hello. Thank you for your help."

Hanma turned to look at Mizuki, an unfamiliar clanswoman.

She had a pretty face with a touch of heroic sharpness, and her body had begun to mature, but she was too young.

He nodded, pointed at the vegetable basket in the distance, and said, "Deliver the groceries to Uchiha Courtyard No. 2. I'm going to pursue the enemy."

Mizuki watched Hanma vanish from where he stood. She lifted the vegetable basket, and her face suddenly flushed red.

"Senior Hanma is so cool."

I revised the earlier part a little, so it should read more smoothly now. Thank you all for your corrections!