New Year in Hokage (Part 2)

After stepping out the door, Rei kept glancing at Ye Wuji from the corner of her eye—or rather, at the money in his pocket. Ye Wuji, noticing her gaze, quickly covered his pocket with his hand.

"What is the meaning of that?" Rei asked, looking somewhat annoyed by his reaction.

"It doesn't mean anything. My leg was just itchy, so I was scratching it," Ye Wuji replied, proceeding to scratch his thigh near his pocket to prove his point.

"Hmph." Rei let out a cold snort, turned around, and walked away.

Ye Wuji and Yuta exchanged a look before following behind her toward the street.

Once the three of them reached the main road from the residential area, they discovered that the street was decked out in festive decorations. Shops on both sides were adorned with ornaments, and even the trees were hung with red lanterns and colorful ribbons. The entire street radiated a celebratory atmosphere, and seeing this, the group felt their spirits lift, their earlier irritation nearly forgotten.

Rei skipped ahead, looking incredibly happy, calling out for Ye Wuji and Yuta to hurry up.

Yuta ran to catch up first. As Ye Wuji looked at the festive scene, he felt an indescribable emotion. This was his first New Year in the Naruto World. Beyond that, in his previous life, he rarely felt the spirit of the holiday; he had enjoyed it as a very young child, but as he grew older, that sentiment slowly faded. For an orphan, the New Year was often the loneliest time.

"Ye, hurry up and come over!" Rei's voice rang out from ahead. Snapped out of his reverie, Ye Wuji looked at her waving hand. She was holding a few skewers of something that looked like candied hawthorns, waving at him with her other hand.

Ye Wuji knew exactly what this meant: he was expected to pay. He shook his head, casting aside those strange thoughts. Lately, memories of his past life were becoming harder to recall; it seemed he was being assimilated by the Naruto World.

Forget those things; it's better that way. I am truly living here now. Let the past be nothing more than a dream, Ye Wuji thought, walking slowly toward Rei. As he walked, he looked around. Once he relaxed, the atmosphere felt different. Even though his past New Year experiences hadn't been great, he had sometimes snuck out of the orphanage to watch how other families celebrated. But even then, there hadn't been such grand celebrations. With the advancement of technology in his old world, the New Year had become more of a symbol, lacking this kind of genuine, boisterous joy.

Everyone here wore a smile, and from time to time, people would give small gifts to children without asking for money in return.

Ye Wuji reached Rei and the others. Yuta didn't say much, but Rei was impatient. "You're too slow. Here, this is for you." She shoved a skewer of candied hawthorns into his hand and told the vendor, "He'll pay you. Yuta, let's go look over there."

Watching Rei lead Yuta toward a shop selling accessories, Ye Wuji handed the money to the vendor.

"Why is a little guy like you in charge of the money? You're quite something! You'll definitely be a big shot when you grow up. For your sake, I won't charge you for today. Here, kid, try this—it's a special batch!" After returning the change, the vendor handed Ye Wuji an extra-large skewer.

"This... thank you, sir." Ye Wuji accepted the money and the extra treat.

"Such a polite kid. Go on and catch up with them. Those are your brother and sister, right? It's crowded today, so don't get lost. Of course, even if you did, you're smart enough to find your way home. But if you disappeared, your brother and sister wouldn't have anyone to pay for them, haha!" The vendor joked, patting Ye Wuji on the head before moving on.

"Sir, you have a point. Goodbye then!" Ye Wuji waved at the vendor and headed toward the others.

In that short time, Rei and Yuta had already visited several shops. When Ye Wuji caught up, Rei was just putting down a hairpin she had been holding.

Seeing Ye Wuji holding a skewer in each hand, Rei immediately became displeased. "Ye, you used the communal money to buy food just for yourself? And you bought such an expensive one, too!" She pointed at the oversized, special skewer. "I didn't even dare buy that one, and you had the nerve! No, you have to let me keep the money, or I'll tell Mom you were spending it behind our backs." She wore a smug smile, as if she had caught him in a trap.

"The vendor gave this one to me for free," Ye Wuji said, intentionally taking a bite of the special skewer and chewing slowly with an expression of pure delight.

"What? That's impossible. I just tried to haggle with him and he wouldn't budge. Don't lie to me! Give me the money, or I'll tell Mom you're a liar." Rei refused to believe him.

"Not only was this one free," Ye Wuji said, lifting the skewer, "but he didn't charge for the ones you're eating either. See? I saved us quite a bit of money."

Hearing this, Rei shrieked, "You're infuriating!" and stormed off toward another shop. Yuta followed, and Ye Wuji shrugged and trailed behind them.

Passersby had witnessed the scene, and several young women, seeing Ye Wuji's shrug, cooed, "What a cute kid! I want to give him a hug."

Another added, "That gesture was adorable. I'm going to make my child learn it when I get home. I love it!"

Ye Wuji hurried his pace, terrified they might actually swarm him. That would be a disaster.

Seeing Rei enter another shop, Ye Wuji didn't bother checking what they sold; he just finished his candied hawthorns. He had to admit, the ones in this world tasted much better than what he remembered.

After tossing the stick into a trash bin, he prepared to rejoin them, but as he looked up, he saw something hanging in the doorway of a nearby shop that piqued his interest. He walked toward it, thinking, I never expected to see knock-offs in the Naruto World.

What he saw were three half-meter-tall models hanging in the doorway: Jiraiya's Gamabunta, Tsunade's Katsuyu, and Orochimaru's Manda.

Although he knew the Second Shinobi World War had ended and the Sannin's battle against the demigod Hanzo was legendary, he hadn't expected someone to capitalize on their fame so quickly. Standing outside, he looked at the three summons and thought with a strange sense of amusement, I wonder if there are portrait rights in this world? If so, Jiraiya and Tsunade would surely find this shopkeeper immediately—not to beat him up, but to negotiate a cut of the profits. As for Orochimaru, he'd probably just have Manda eat the guy.

"Little friend, what are you looking at?" Perhaps his lingering presence caught the shopkeeper's attention, as a man who looked every bit the cunning merchant called out from inside.

"I'm looking at these," Ye Wuji said, pointing to the models.

"You have an eye for quality! These are our newest arrivals. Come inside and take a look; I'm sure you'll find something you like." The shopkeeper gestured for him to enter.

Intrigued, Ye Wuji stepped inside. It was like entering a world of animals—a toy store filled with dogs, bears, cats, birds, snakes, and even bizarre, mythical creatures ranging from human-sized to the size of a finger. Most eye-catching were the life-sized models of the Sannin's summons on the shelves.

The shop was quiet, with only the owner and three customers—a family of three—browsing. The young boy was busy picking out a toy.

"Hey, little friend, you really have good taste. These are the summons of the Konoha Sannin who ended the war. How about it? Take a look. They're made with the latest technology and the finest materials." The shopkeeper introduced them, "And that's not all! They're stuffed with the softest fur, breathable and warm. You could cuddle with them while you sleep without any issues."

Ye Wuji couldn't help but chuckle. The first part was fine, but the "cuddle while you sleep" part? For anyone else, maybe it was fine, but for Ye Wuji, Manda immediately reminded him of Orochimaru. And thinking of Orochimaru reminded him of how the man always crawled out of a snake's mouth—covered in slime. Jiraiya often emerged from a toad's belly, which was bad enough, but the excess fluids were just gross.

As for Katsuyu, she was fine on her own, but the thought of her splitting into countless tiny slugs gave him goosebumps.

Gamabunta was the only one he found tolerable, but who would want to cuddle a giant toad? A bear-shaped toy would be much more comfortable.

Seeing that Ye Wuji wasn't interested in buying, the shopkeeper turned his attention to the family, who seemed ready to purchase their items.

Ye Wuji wandered around the shop, but aside from the Sannin's summons, he didn't see any other famous ones. There were no monkeys like the Third Hokage's, and certainly no Tailed Beasts—those were state secrets in the Five Great Nations. Perhaps after the Fourth Shinobi World War, they'd be selling models of those too, he thought with a mischievous grin. If I'm still alive then, maybe I'll be the one selling them.

When he circled back to the entrance, he noticed a glass cabinet filled with accessories and daily items: bird-shaped toothbrush handles, dog-shaped piggy banks, and various coin purses.

A coin purse. He realized he needed one. Looking at the variety, he suddenly remembered that Naruto's wallet was toad-shaped. It seemed Naruto had a real affinity for toads even before learning the summoning jutsu.

What shape should I get? He searched and found coin purses shaped like the three summons. In his opinion, the Manda-shaped one looked the best, followed by Katsuyu, and finally Gamabunta.

He immediately ruled out the Manda purse. It wasn't that he disliked it, but if he ran into Orochimaru while carrying it, he'd be doomed. And if Manda saw it? During the battle, Gamabunta had joked about turning Manda's skin into a wallet, which had infuriated the snake. Even if this wasn't real skin, the shape alone would be a death sentence.

With Manda out, he debated between the Katsuyu and Gamabunta purses. He harbored a secret hope: if he carried these, maybe he could trick Jiraiya or Tsunade into thinking he had an affinity for their summons, perhaps even securing a contract.

He didn't realize that if he met the Sannin with those two but without a Manda purse, Orochimaru might take offense. But he wouldn't have to worry about that. He knew the chances were slim, as contracts were usually passed down through specific lineages.

Still, he wanted to try. But as he went to pay, his thoughts were interrupted. "What? Four hundred ryo? You must be joking, that's way too expensive!" Ye Wuji shouted after hearing the price.

"Friend, this is the latest model, just hit the shelves, so it's naturally a bit pricey. How about you pick something else?" the shopkeeper said, eyeing the two wallets in Ye Wuji's hands.

Although one cost four hundred ryo, meaning two would be eight hundred, Ye Wuji had enough money on him. However, only five hundred of it was his to spend; the other thousand was off-limits. Even though it wouldn't technically matter if he touched that money, Ye Wuji had long cultivated the habit of keeping his finances strictly separated, without the slightest error. In his past life, he had seen so many friends quarrel and drift apart over mere trifles of money. While those who split over such things weren't true friends to begin with, it was still better to avoid such issues if possible.

Although Ye Wuji had plenty of his own money—all gifted by Minato—he hadn't spent a single cent of it yet, as it was all stashed away at home. He hadn't brought that money with him because he hadn't expected to buy anything, and he certainly hadn't anticipated running into a situation like this.

After weighing his options for a long time, Ye Wuji ultimately chose Gamabunta, reasoning that since Minato's summoning beast was also from the Toad clan, this would bring them one step closer. Don't go thinking Ye Wuji is too calculating; after all, opportunities to obtain a high-quality summoning beast in the world of the Hokage are truly rare.

After paying, Ye Wuji transferred the rest of his money into the wallet. This felt much better; paper bills were one thing, but carrying loose coins around without a wallet was truly inconvenient.

Only after finishing all this did Ye Wuji remember he needed to rendezvous with Rei and the others.