The Craftsman's Spirit (Happy New Year, everyone!)

Zhou Duan, who had caused the whole village no end of trouble, was being praised to high heaven by this guy, while the brainless Nawaki had somehow become a strong contender for the next Hokage. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Hyuga Hyakusho, whose worldview was still more or less intact, would never have believed it. And before he could even decide what expression to make in response to all this, something even more unbelievable happened!

"Sugimura Yamato, even though I helped you before, this is a battlefield, not a place for personal favors. You don't need to bend the rules for my sake. Sure, I did help you a lot, but you really don't need to give me special treatment..."

Zhou Duan took the scroll from his body and undid the seal. At once, a small pile of damaged ninja tools and Explosive Tags appeared on the desk of the man named Sugimura Yamato.

"There are twelve Kunai, thirty-three Shuriken, and twenty-two Explosive Tags here. They're all slightly damaged to varying degrees. Just exchange them for me according to the rules. You really don't need to consider our personal relationship. Really, I promise that even if you don't give me special treatment, I won't hold it against you. I'll keep treating you, too!"

"Zhou Duan, you put that so well. As a member of the village, you should have that kind of respect for the rules!"

Hearing such "considerate" words, Sugimura Yamato was deeply moved. He spoke with "righteous indignation."

"Since you've put it that way, I'll conduct a strict inspection. Let's see... These ninja tools are only slightly damaged. They can be repaired easily. According to the rules, severely damaged tools are exchanged at four for one, moderately damaged ones at three for one, and slightly damaged ones are assessed case by case. I'll give you eight Kunai, thirty Shuriken, and twenty Explosive Tags!"

"Hey, hey, hey!"

After seeing Sugimura Yamato's character, Hyakusho had gained some idea of how shameless this guy was. But this brazen maneuver was so outrageous that even Hyakusho, with his limited battlefield experience, couldn't help being stunned. He pulled Zhou Duan aside and whispered:

"Hey, Zhou Duan, are you okay with this? That exchange rate is downright outrageous! 'Slightly damaged'? Your ninja tools are practically pulverized, and the Explosive Tags are badly damaged, too. They're barely worth repairing. They clearly qualify for the four-for-one rate! Someone's bound to notice such an obvious scam. Surely it's not worth doing this for a few ninja tools?"

"Hyakusho, you still have a lot to learn!"

Zhou Duan gestured toward Sugimura Yamato behind the desk.

"If Sugimura Yamato dares to exchange them for me like this, he must be confident he won't get caught. Look—that's the craftsman's spirit of the Shinobi World!"

"I think you've got the craftsman's spirit all wrong!"

Following Zhou Duan's gesture, Hyakusho looked toward Sugimura Yamato. The guy first took moderately damaged ninja tools from a nearby basket and used them to replace the same number of Zhou Duan's tools. Then he took slightly damaged ones and swapped those in for the first batch. Finally, he recorded all the tools under Zhou Duan's name!

"So this is what you mean by the craftsman's spirit? You're giving the whole thing a bad name!"

Of course, Hyakusho only thought this to himself. He didn't say it aloud, since the whole squad would benefit. Still, he hadn't forgotten what Zhou Duan had just said about treating Sugimura Yamato.

"Zhou Duan, what did you mean just now when you said you were treating Sugimura Yamato? He wouldn't be this enthusiastic over just anyone. What exactly did you treat him for?"

"What kind of medicine could make one man bow and scrape to another...?"

Zhou Duan gave Hyakusho a look that said every man would understand.

"Of course, medicine to treat his poor little fellow!"

Zhou Duan took out two bottles of medicine, walked over to Sugimura Yamato, and handed them to him.

"Sugimura Yamato, I've been treating you for a while now. Here, this is the last of the medicine. Drink these two bottles, and your treatment will be complete. You won't have anything to worry about anymore!"

"Zhou Duan, I'll never forget what you've done for me!"

Sugimura Yamato was so moved he could hardly contain himself.

"Zhou Duan, I'll never forget your kindness. If you ever need anything, just tell me. I'll do whatever I can!"

"Really?"

"Of course!"

Sugimura Yamato thumped his thin chest so hard it went thump, thump. Zhou Duan wondered if he was going to break a rib.

"Whatever you need, just say the word!"

"Since you put it that way, there is something I need you to do. I hope you won't hold it against me!"

Zhou Duan gave Sugimura Yamato a kindly look, then shouted toward the door:

"Help! There's someone here taking bribes! He insists on exchanging this pile of junk for the best ninja tools!"

Sugimura Yamato: "..."

Hyuga Hyakusho: "..."

Namikaze Minato: "..."

Senju Nawaki: "..."

"...Zhou Duan."

Minato stared blankly.

"I don't really understand what you're doing here!"

"I don't just not understand it. This is downright insane!"

Hyakusho was just as dumbfounded.

"Zhou Duan, do you even know what you're doing?"

"Zhou Duan, have you lost your mind?"

Nawaki, too, had a rare moment of clarity.

"Couldn't you have reported him while he was taking bribes from someone else?"

"Zhou Duan, you're a monster!"

Sugimura Yamato had gone from heaven to hell in an instant. One moment, he was celebrating the return of his manly vigor; the next, he was about to fall into the clutches of Konoha's wartime enforcement squad. With the village at war, severe laws were in force. Who knew what kind of punishment he might face!

"You used me and then ran off. You got what you wanted, then refused to take responsibility! I gave you everything, and in the end you still toyed with my feelings. Zhou Duan, are you even a man?!"

"Hey, hey, hey!"

Even Zhou Duan, who was mentally tough, couldn't stop his face from twitching at Sugimura Yamato's words.

"Could you make yourself clear? People could easily get the wrong idea!"

"What else is there to say?"

Sugimura Yamato looked as if he'd been abandoned.

"Why are you treating me like this?"

"Scoundrel! As a member of Konoha, you should be thinking about how to contribute to the village and fight bravely for it. Instead, you're using your position to pull this kind of stunt. Am I wrong to report you?"

Zhou Duan shouted, then pointed indignantly at the others in the supply room.

"Minato, Hyakusho, Nawaki, you're all the bedrock of Konoha. I believe you have what it takes to become pillars of the village. How can you see someone bribing me and assume I wouldn't report him? Don't be so narrow-minded!"

Zhou Duan berated Sugimura Yamato and scolded Minato and the others for their naivety. His words of reprimand left everyone in the room ashamed. After a while, Zhou Duan finally stopped, his throat hoarse from shouting. He turned toward the empty doorway and said calmly:

"Lord Jiraiya, do you think I'm right?"