Poverty Manifests as Not Being Able to Afford a Condom

At the Baiyu residence, Old Man Kuma leaned against the doorway, watching the corner of the hallway in silence.

He looked like an empty-nester.

He saw a figure approaching, his eyes flickering with a hint of disappointment.

"Baiyu, is it just you? Where is Hitomi?"

"She's right behind me. Why did you come out again, old man?"

Baiyu replied.

He helped Kuma into the house, walked to the table, and then brought out two cushions from the room, placing them on opposite sides of the table.

Once he was seated, Baiyu brought out the warm food and set it on the table.

"Baiyu, you must take good care of Hitomi! The neighbors in this public housing complex watched you two grow up, and we all think you're a perfect match!"

Kuma said earnestly, looking deeply worried that Baiyu wouldn't be able to find a wife.

"How could someone as talented and handsome as me not find a suitable wife? Stop worrying about nothing."

Baiyu said.

"..."

The old man couldn't be bothered to argue, turning his head away and refusing to acknowledge him.

Blockhead!

"I'll go see if Hitomi has arrived."

Afraid the old man would continue the topic, Baiyu stood up and said.

"Knock, knock."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a knock sounded at the door, and Hitomi appeared, having changed her look.

She was dressed in a blue and white striped martial arts outfit, her loose black hair tied back with a white cord, a stray lock of hair falling to one side to cover her right eye. All traces of her dazed, cute demeanor were gone, replaced by a heroic and spirited air as she smiled at the two people in the room.

What caught Baiyu's attention wasn't her transformation, but the forehead protector she wore.

"You became a ninja?"

Baiyu asked softly.

Before he knew it, the little girl who used to follow him around was now a ninja too.

"Mm!"

"Grandpa Kuma."

Uchiha Hitomi nodded vigorously, the corners of her mouth curving to reveal a small canine tooth.

"You're here! Sit down quickly, Hitomi, the food is about to get cold."

Kuma greeted Hitomi, his small eyes blinking as if asking for credit.

Uchiha Hitomi smiled and sat obediently next to Grandpa Kuma, directly across from Baiyu.

During the meal, she would sneak glances at Baiyu from time to time, her eyes filled with an inexplicable amusement.

Baiyu pretended not to notice and finished his meal in silence.

After dinner, Baiyu intended to stay and wash the dishes, but Hitomi pushed him away with a grin, saying, "You go help Grandpa back home."

"..."

This is my house, isn't it!

Why is this girl like this?

In the end, Baiyu escorted Old Man Kuma back, and when he returned home, he saw Hitomi examining the Kusanagi Sword hanging on the wall.

Because the scabbard of the Kusanagi Sword was damaged, Baiyu had left it at home during dinner; it was only a short walk to the old man's place, so he hadn't brought it along.

"What? Do you want it?"

Baiyu said with a smile. He had obtained this sword from Orochimaru, and since he hadn't replaced the scabbard yet, the tattered look really ruined its aesthetic.

"Mm, but not yours. I'm planning to have one custom-made!"

"You just graduated this year, where would you get the money?"

Baiyu asked. This girl really thought ninja tools were cheap.

A single ordinary explosive tag cost at least the price of tens of kilograms of pork, and more powerful ones could reach five figures.

And those were one-time use. To forge an ordinary ninja sword would cost at least a hundred thousand, and that didn't even guarantee quality.

Generally, a ninja sword costing around a million was considered to have acceptable strength and quality.

The custom ninja sword Baiyu had once used to clash head-on with the Kubikiribōchō had cost nearly four million.

It had basically drained his parents' pension.

Even then, it hadn't been able to withstand the strain and had shattered during a battle with a jonin.

For an average genin or chunin, a ninja tool worth around a million was usually enough to get by.

However, most Chunin and Genin only equipped themselves with shuriken and kunai; it was rare for even Genin to carry explosive tags.

Aside from the lack of swordsmanship skills, the high price of blades and swords was the primary reason that discouraged them.

"I've done dozens of missions! I've even done a few C-rank ones."

Hitomi widened her eyes, solemnly responding to Baiyu's skepticism.

"With whom?"

"Izumi..."

"Izumi Uchiha? Just the two of you?"

Baiyu asked again, his mind racing to recall who Izumi Uchiha was.

He couldn't place her at all; despite never having met her, he felt a strange sense of familiarity.

"I'm going to the ninja tool shop, are you coming?"

Baiyu asked.

"Yes, yes, yes! I was just about to go buy a sword myself!"

Hitomi jumped up in excitement, appearing even more eager than Baiyu.

I recall you not liking swords, Baiyu thought, rubbing his chin. He had never sensed any inclination from this girl to learn swordsmanship before.

Taking the Kusanagi Sword with him, Baiyu arrived in front of a shop within the Uchiha compound.

The shopkeeper was a tall young man specifically in charge of Uchiha ninja tools and weapons.

"What are you buying?"

Baiyu glanced inside with a puzzled look and asked, "Where is the original owner?"

The young man looked up at him and replied curtly, "He's dead."

"I want to commission an item, can the shop still handle it?"

Baiyu asked. The person who originally ran the shop was a middle-aged man whom the neighbors all called Old Tie.

"We can. What exactly do you want to make? Different materials have different prices. You can bring your own materials, and we'll charge a labor fee," the young man asked, then proceeded to explain the shop's rules.

"A scabbard that can house this sword."

Baiyu handed over the Kusanagi Sword. When the young man saw the Kusanagi Sword, his eyes lit up.

He carefully took the scabbard with both hands, gripped the hilt with his right, and slowly drew it.

His movements were like those of a sloth—slow, furtive, and cautious.

"A fine sword! This level of sharpness is comparable to a divine artifact!"

"You've seen a divine artifact?"

Seeing him act this way, Baiyu couldn't help but laugh.

"Of course. The Gunbai, a divine artifact passed down through the Uchiha, was once kept by my ancestors. It was only lost during the early days of Konoha's founding," the young man said confidently.

"So, are you confident you can craft such a scabbard? Tell me straight, how much will it cost?"

"For a weapon of this caliber, even the accessories cost a fair bit. Although the scabbard doesn't require special materials for chakra conduction, it needs to be a perfect fit and must not cause any wear on the blade. That requires a great deal of effort..."

"Just tell me, how much!"

"Heh heh, seeing as you have such a fine sword, your strength must be nothing to sneeze at. I haven't seen you in the clan before; I'm Kin Uchiha. Where did you get this treasure?"

"Just tell me how much!"

Baiyu was speechless. Why was this blacksmith so long-winded?

"About thirty million."

Seeing Baiyu's attitude, Kin Uchiha dropped his smile and spoke in a businesslike tone.

"What? Thirty million?"

"That's right, and thirty million is on the low side. This sword is too sharp; I have to use some reinforcing materials. While they aren't as expensive as chakra-conductive materials, the volume required is significant.

The scabbard needs to preserve the blade's sharpness and serve the function of nurturing a divine artifact. Ordinary people don't have this level of craftsmanship. It's fortunate you came to me; if you went to those hacks in the village, they wouldn't do it for you even if you paid them a hundred million."

"..."

Baiyu's face darkened. His total savings probably amounted to only about a tenth of that.

Hitomi, standing to the side, suddenly leaned in and asked, "Brother Baiyu, is the money not enough? You can use mine."

"..."

Living off a girl?

It wasn't time for that yet.

"Enough! How could it not be enough? I'll come back to have more forged after a while... but for now, I want to commission two swords in advance, costing about one million each..."

Baiyu said this to Hitomi before leaning toward Kin Uchiha to explain the specific requirements for the Reverse-Blade Sword and the Forward-Blade Sword.

"No problem, the deposit is one million."

After recording Baiyu's requirements, Kin held out his hand.

The Sword-Pattern Pouch was too small to hold that much cash.

Baiyu pulled a stack of bills from his pocket, counted them over and over again, and finally handed them over with great reluctance.

Once the money was given away, it no longer belonged to him.

He felt the sting of poverty in this moment; his savings for taking a wife had been wiped clean.

Thirty million ryo seemed like a lot, but when compared to the thirty-five million bounty on Asuma's head, the god-tier material for the scabbard felt like a bargain.

"Give me a Genin starter set, too!"

Baiyu suddenly shouted, his voice louder than when he had handed over the million.

"One hundred thousand! I'll throw in a ninja tool pouch."

Kin Uchiha took a ninja tool pouch from the cabinet and placed it on the counter.

"Brother Baiyu, I have money..."

Hitomi Uchiha said weakly from the side; she was deeply moved that her brother was giving her a gift for the first time.

Seeing that her brother was already short on funds, she wanted the gift, yet she didn't want to put him in a difficult position.

The internal conflict made her little face flush bright red.