After finishing dinner at Obito's house and listening to some precautions his beloved Teacher Minato had told him about, Uchiha Ci took his leave.
Ci had gotten to know Obito Uchiha because Obito's grandmother lived next door and often came by to visit. Over time, they became familiar with each other.
Unlike the other Hokage characters, Uchiha Ci could maintain a relationship with Obito without any worries.
After all, Will Obito. Those who knew, knew.
No matter how deep their bond became, it would not stop Obito from stabbing him after he went dark.
After leaving Obito's house,
Uchiha Ci wandered onto the Konoha Streets with his wallet tucked away.
At this point, the clouds of war had not yet fully spread among the civilians. On the surface, Konoha still appeared peaceful and prosperous.
However, some signs had already begun to emerge.
Uchiha Ci lifted the curtain and entered a Ninja Tool Shop.
"Yo, Young Man Ci, here to buy Exploding Tags again?" The shopkeeper grinned through his thick beard as he asked Uchiha Ci.
"No, I'm here to buy Shuriken this time."
"Then you came at an unfortunate time. Shuriken and kunai have both gone up twenty percent, while special Steel Wire has gone up thirty percent. Still, I suggest stocking up. According to news from Grandma Cat, these hard currencies will rise even further later."
"Fine. Give me six sets of ninja tools with wire holes, plus two large rolls of wire. And one Sealing Scroll. Let me see, I still have two hundred thousand... turn it all into Exploding Tags." Uchiha Ci touched his wallet and grinned, not the least bit heartbroken.
D-Rank Missions usually paid between five thousand and ten thousand ryo, though there were also ones that only paid a few hundred. Uchiha Ci had not taken those, and he completed his missions alone, so there was no one to split the money with.
A year of relentless grinding had allowed Uchiha Ci to save up a seven-figure sum.
And the money he had saved was for this very moment.
"Whoa, Young Man Ci, that's a big purchase!" The shopkeeper's eyes widened slightly. Uchiha Ci's spending power surpassed even that of some Special Jonin.
Uchiha Ci smiled faintly. He did not need to support a family; he only needed to blow up his own household registration.
Naturally, he was different from those ninjas who pinched every penny to save for retirement.
The prices of ninja tools in the ninja world were wildly polarized. An Exploding Tag cost two thousand ryo apiece. Shuriken were the cheapest, costing only around fifty ryo. Kunai ranged from two hundred to thirty thousand ryo depending on quality. The prices of those meant for throwing and those meant for blocking differed greatly.
A high-quality set of ninja tools, including throwing weapons, close-combat weapons, and protective gear, cost nearly two hundred thousand ryo.
Katana and ninja blades were even more outrageous. Even the cheapest practice ninja blade started at three thousand ryo. Chakra Metal ninja tools were more absurd still, essentially not for sale. If someone insisted on selling them, the price was measured in Asumas.
As for why Uchiha Ci was buying so many ninja tools and Exploding Tags?
The reason was simple.
Uchiha Ci was going to die, but he could not deliberately die.
It sounded a little convoluted, but that was the logic.
Deliberate suicide would be judged by the Heavenly Dao Will as insurance fraud. Not only would he get nothing, he would lose his life for nothing.
But if
a ninja filled with fighting spirit wagered all his possessions, offered up the finest skills he had honed so far, and fought for the Great Cause,
only to die young in such a battle, who could say he had not died a worthy death?
Wasn't this the ninja world version of an emperor dying halfway through founding his cause?
I'd burned myself down to the very last drop!
And you still won't respectfully hand over my health insurance card?
Very soon,
the Ninja Tool Shop's owner came out carrying a clattering mountain of goods. The weight of six sets of ninja tools had left him sweating profusely.
With a bang, he set the ninja tools on the table.
Then, as though laying out cards, he arranged stacks of Exploding Tags into a fan shape for Uchiha Ci to count.
"Young Man Ci, buying so many ninja tools at once... are you planning to take on a very dangerous mission?"
At this point, the shopkeeper also realized that Uchiha Ci had definitely not bought so many ninja tools just for fun.
Uchiha Ci raised his head and frowned at the shopkeeper.
"Don't blame me for being nosy. I know the ninja confidentiality rules too, but I do ninja tool business under Grandma Cat, and I also deal in a little intelligence."
"The only dangerous clan missions are heading to the Battlefield of the Land of Rain or the Valley of Hell in the Land of Hot Water." The shopkeeper's expression became slightly grave.
"Neither is something someone with your strength should be involved in." The shopkeeper did not beat around the bush and spoke bluntly.
Then he frowned and gave Uchiha Ci a troubled look.
"For the sake of all the business you've given the Shinobi Cat Clan, I'll give you a little extra."
As he spoke, the shopkeeper took out a sheet of parchment and placed it before Uchiha Ci.
"This is a one-time contract from the Shinobi Cat Clan. After signing it, you can use the Summoning Technique to summon Nekoshi."
Nekoshi was an elite Nekonin of the Shinobi Cat Clan.
He was mostly active in the War Zone, while the clan's Main Camp was located in the little-known Ruined City.
However, unlike traditional Summoned Beasts, Ninja Cats were Summoned Beasts with strong personalities and were nearly impossible for ninjas to enslave.
The clan ran a ninja tool business and maintained close cooperation with the Uchiha, who excelled at controlling ninja tools.
Uchiha Ci knew that Grandma Cat, the Leader of the Shinobi Cat Clan, liked children very much.
If possible, Grandma Cat was never stingy with helping children, especially Uchiha children.
The shopkeeper bringing out this one-time Summoning Contract meant that, based on the information he had received—
Uchiha Ci was very likely to face near-certain death on this mission.
The shopkeeper had taken out this Ninja Cat Contract supposedly to help Uchiha Ci, but in truth, he wanted to dissuade him.
He wanted him to give up this mission.
"You understand what I mean, right?" The shopkeeper stared directly at Uchiha Ci, his pupils quietly shifting into a pair of vertical slits.
His tone became extremely heavy as well.
Uchiha Ci smiled and accepted the one-time contract from him.
Ninja Cats were a neutral ninja clan and would not interfere in ninja disputes unless they were paid enough.
Thus, this contract's greatest use was actually replenishing survival supplies and combat ninja tools on a chaotic battlefield. Of course, that also cost money.
But for Uchiha Ci, who had spent every last coin he had tonight, this was just a scrap of paper. It would not become an obstacle to him properly claiming insurance.
With that thought, he turned and walked straight out of the Ninja Tool Shop.
He left behind only one quiet sentence:
"Uncle, thank you."
"But there are things I must do. Even if I face life and death, I will not be afraid."
"This is my Ninjutsu Path!"
After delivering that impressive speech, Uchiha Ci walked out of the Ninja Tool Shop, squeezed the wallet in his hand, and checked the balance inside.
Then he turned and headed into Konoha's Red Light District.
Tomorrow, he would face the fear of death. Now that it was truly approaching, Uchiha Ci felt both exhilarated and a little afraid.
So he decided to erase that last regret tonight.
Three minutes later—
Before you continue