I Have a Friend

Monday morning, in the small woods outside.

Hikawa asked Yuhi Kurenai to train with him. She practiced genjutsu while he worked on Ninja Tool Throwing.

But what gave him a headache was that he did not know which of the remaining three ninja tools to choose.

There were quite a few ninja tools. The most commonly used and simplest ones were kunai, shuriken, senbon, and Fuma Shuriken.

The difficulty of the other ninja tools rose dramatically.

For example, tachi, daggers, greatswords, staffs, nunchaku, and so on.

Exploding Tags also counted as ninja tools. They were quite simple, but far too expensive for him to afford.

As Hikawa thought about it, he began considering how to make money.

For children, there were not many ways to earn money.

After pondering for a moment, he suddenly thought of Tsuchihashi from Konoha Knowledge Bookstore.

In the original story, Jiraiya had once shown Uzumaki Naruto his bankbook.

Though he was not exactly the richest man around, he was certainly extremely wealthy.

His money undoubtedly came from the bestselling Make-Out Paradise.

Hikawa had read quite a few classics in his previous life.

He even had a pen name ready: Thunder Fire Sword.

But he did not necessarily have to write it himself.

Hikawa ultimately decided that two of his remaining ninja tools would be Exploding Tags and a tachi—or rather, a longsword.

In Japan, swords and blades were practically one and the same.

The reason for choosing a tachi was simple: Konoha-Style Swordsmanship.

In Konoha, the vast majority of swordsmanship styles were passed down through ninja families. Outsiders had no chance of learning them.

For example, Hatake Swordsmanship.

But there were exceptions, such as Konoha-Style Swordsmanship.

In the original story, Maruboshi Kosuke, Gekko Hayate, and Uzuki Yugao had all used it.

As for the final ninja tool, Hikawa had long since chosen it: the Scalpel.

He would happen to learn it while studying Medical Ninjutsu.

"I'm going out for a run, Kurenai."

Hikawa suddenly had an idea.

He lacked money, so why not ask Tsuchihashi for some?

As a Kumogakure spy, he needed operational funds too.

Asking for some money was perfectly reasonable, right?

Hikawa first ran two laps around the streets, then entered Konoha Knowledge Bookstore.

"Agent 9527, I'm glad you still haven't been exposed."

When Tsuchihashi saw Hikawa, he offered the same blessing as last time.

"..."

The corner of Hikawa's mouth twitched.

He should really stop saying that. It made him look like an old general on an opera stage with flags stuck all over his back.

"Hikawa, did you come to me because you have intelligence?"

Anticipation appeared on Tsuchihashi's face.

Hikawa was slightly taken aback.

As for intelligence on Konoha, he actually knew quite a lot—secrets he had obtained from the original story.

"No."

Hikawa held out his hand and said directly, "I need operational funds."

"Operational funds?"

Tsuchihashi froze for a moment before understanding.

Wasn't he just asking for money? Why make it sound so fancy?

"You're still young, so you really don't have any source of income."

Tsuchihashi stroked his chin and said, "I'll give you five thousand ryo every month from now on."

Five thousand ryo was an astronomical sum for a child.

Ninja missions were divided into five ranks, and D-rank missions started at five thousand ryo.

But the reward for a D-rank mission was split among four people. An ordinary genin might not even receive one thousand ryo.

"Thank you, Uncle Tsuchihashi."

Hikawa was quite satisfied.

After all, it was five thousand ryo for free.

"If you take the money, you have to do the work."

Tsuchihashi suddenly changed his tone. Putting on a stern face, he said, "Kumogakure has a mission for you."

"I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"

Hikawa replied in a solemn tone.

"Display your talent to your heart's content at school. Then, when you graduate, choose one of Konoha High-Ranking as your teacher."

Tsuchihashi patted his shoulder and said earnestly, "Right now, you're Kumogakure's only spy with any hope of infiltrating Konoha High-Ranking."

"I understand!"

Hikawa nodded heavily.

As long as he could become Tsunade's disciple, this mission would be completed automatically.

"If you can do it, you'll become one of Lord Raikage's registered disciples and gain the qualifications to learn Nintaijutsu."

Tsuchihashi's expression softened as he smiled.

I get it.

He's dangling a carrot.

But it was a good carrot. He was willing to take the bait.

"Uncle Tsuchihashi."

Hikawa scratched his head and asked, "So, I have a friend. If he wants to publish a book, can he do it through you?"

"Of course."

Tsuchihashi pondered for a moment before saying, "Since he's your friend, I can even give him twenty percent of the profits."

"Twenty percent?"

Hikawa asked curiously, "Then what was the original split?"

"A seventy-thirty split."

Tsuchihashi paused before explaining, "The bookstore gets seventy percent, and the author gets thirty."

Why was it only thirty percent?

Wouldn't that mean begging for food on his knees?

Fortunately, he—no, his friend—could get fifty percent through publication here.

"If my friend provides the idea and outline, how would the profits be split?"

After some thought, Hikawa came up with another method: collaborating on a book.

He had read many classics, but he only remembered the general plots. Besides, writing a book himself would take far too much time.

"This kind of arrangement is a first."

Tsuchihashi frowned slightly.

He looked at Hikawa and fell into thought.

Under normal circumstances, it would not be allowed.

But Hikawa was a Kumogakure spy, and a spy with a bright future at that. He was worth befriending and investing in.

"If sales are poor, you get ten percent. If sales are very high, you get forty percent."

After a moment of silence, Tsuchihashi spoke.

Hikawa's eyes lit up slightly.

Forty percent. That could work.

"Next time, I'll bring over my friend's idea and outline."

Before leaving, Hikawa took another stroll around the bookstore.

He discovered that the so-called adult books were not as explicit as he had imagined. They were merely suggestive.

Thinking about it carefully, that made sense.

In the original story, Make-Out Paradise had even been adapted into a movie and released in theaters.

After leaving the bookstore, Hikawa did not detour to school. Instead, he went to the Ninja Tool Shop next door.

He asked the owner about the price of Exploding Tags.

Simply put, Exploding Tags sealed Fire Style ninjutsu into talismans before detonating them.

They were immensely powerful and correspondingly expensive.

In the original story, even after Shikamaru Nara had just been promoted to chunin, he could only afford two.

But Hikawa discovered that Exploding Tags came in several varieties.

The expensive kind cost over ten thousand ryo and possessed the power of a jonin's Fire Style ninjutsu.

He guessed that those were the kind Shikamaru Nara had bought.

The cheapest Exploding Tags cost three hundred ryo each and were decent for blowing up fish.

Hikawa mainly wanted to farm traits, and his pockets were tight, so he bought fifteen of the cheapest Exploding Tags.

Even so, the five thousand ryo he had just received was reduced to only five hundred.

Hikawa returned home, then went to Ninja Academy with Yuhi Kurenai for class.

As for the Exploding Tags, he planned to find an open area after school and test them out.

"Kakashi, during this afternoon's physical training, I'm definitely going to beat you!"

Inside the classroom, Obito Uchiha's passionate declaration rang out.

"You won't even make the top ten."

Hatake Kakashi glanced at him and replied.

"This time, I can definitely do it!"

Obito Uchiha crossed his arms and said, "I, who bear the name of the future Hokage, won't lose again!"

The academy curriculum was divided into theory classes and practical classes.

Practical classes were not merely one-on-one battles between men. They included several subjects, such as ninjutsu instruction, Ninja Tool Throwing, and physical training.

"Ah, physical training. It's killing me."

Hearing that, Yuhi Kurenai puffed out her cheeks, looking thoroughly unhappy.

Hikawa could understand her.

Because ninja physical training was even more brutal than a college fitness test.

During the last physical training session, just like Obito Uchiha, he had failed to make the top ten.