Ordinary × Incredibly Wealthy √

Slurp~ Gulp gulp~

In the luxurious private room of the High-Class Restaurant, Shiraha unleashed Storm Suck-in. A huge bowl of mutton ramen was sucked into his mouth, and he immediately lifted the bowl and gulped down the broth in several mouthfuls, completing the motion in one smooth flow.

He set the empty bowl down in front of him. Three empty bowls had already piled up beside him.

Only he and Kushina were eating. Nawaki had something come up at the last minute, so he was not coming.

"Ah~" Shiraha let out a long breath.

"Are you full?" Seeing Shiraha put down his chopsticks while an entire table of dishes had barely been touched, Kushina asked in confusion.

Shiraha wiped his mouth and smiled. "That was just the appetizer. Now the real meal begins!"

Kushina had been a little restrained at first, so Shiraha decided to show her what it meant to truly eat.

Back at the Ninja Academy, the lunchbox Kushina brought had always been the extra-large kind.

Yet when they ordered and ate just now, she had pecked at her food like a chick. In order to let her eat without restraint, Shiraha stopped holding back as well.

At first, he had thought that since they were coming to such an upscale place, he should save Kushina some money. He had not expected her to tell him to eat whatever he wanted.

So Shiraha did not stand on ceremony.

Ever since he began practicing the Knight Breathing Technique, his appetite had skyrocketed. He had never truly eaten his fill, but today, he finally had the chance to achieve meat freedom.

Shiraha filled his plate with all kinds of meat. His favorite was Thunder Bull meat.

According to the waiter, Thunder Bulls came from the Land of Lightning. They were about the size of ordinary small and medium-sized Summoning Beasts and extremely difficult to raise. Adult Thunder Bull meat bore lightning-shaped patterns. It was highly nutritious and tender, supplied exclusively to the daimyo and high-ranking officials of the Land of Lightning. Even having money was not enough—you needed connections to buy it.

Shiraha put a piece of Thunder Bull meat into his mouth and savored the exquisite flavor blooming across his taste buds.

The meat melted in his mouth, and after swallowing it, he could feel the breath energy in his body grow slightly stronger.

He did not need to eat it every day. As long as he had a meal every few days, his physical condition would surely improve dramatically. He would probably become a Formal Knight within a year or two.

But after seeing the price on the menu, Shiraha gave up on that thought.

Such a small plate of Thunder Bull meat cost 3,000 ryo!

Based on his former appetite, one plate of meat cost as much as two months of his food expenses.

Ridiculous!

Was this what being human was?

Kushina was definitely a rich girl. A rich little girl!

Who would have thought that she looked so ordinary, yet was actually so incredibly wealthy?

After the meal, Shiraha and Kushina walked out of the Restaurant.

Shiraha felt as though his entire body was brimming with strength.

The energy brought by high-grade ingredients really was different.

He needed to hurry home and practice the Knight Breathing Technique, turning the food into strength.

However, having just eaten such an extravagant meal at Kushina's expense, he could not simply leave. Seeing that it was still early, Shiraha suggested, "Kushina, it's still early. Want to keep walking around, or come sit at my place for a while?"

"Sure!"

Kushina agreed without hesitation.

Only when they came over did Shiraha notice that there was an Herb Shop halfway down the street where the High-Class Restaurant was located. It was much bigger than the one he had visited before.

He planned to buy some ingredients for medicinal baths.

He also wanted to take a look at the ingredients for more advanced Wizard potions.

He could not afford them, but he could at least check the prices beforehand and get an idea.

After all, the conditions for unlocking the Advanced Meditation Method had basically been fulfilled.

Seeing Shiraha stop in front of the Herb Shop, Kushina asked curiously, "Shiraha, are you buying medicinal herbs?"

Shiraha said, "I'm going to buy some herbs for a medicinal bath."

Training in taijutsu could easily leave hidden injuries in the body, so using medicinal baths was nothing unusual for ninjas.

Konoha currently did not value taijutsu ninjas, so naturally no one cared about medicinal bath formulas.

Without the Knight Breathing Technique, the prescription Shiraha possessed would not be anything remarkable.

The two entered the Herb Shop. Shiraha examined the herbs displayed at the counter, then opened the thick herb catalog and looked through it.

There was every kind of medicinal herb imaginable.

Even the ingredients needed to make the level-0 Wizard potion, "Vitality Potion," were basically all available. Only the main ingredient, "Corpse Soul Grass," was missing.

"Corpse Soul Grass" generally grew in places thick with yin energy, with graveyards having the most. It could be called aged graveyard grass.

In his previous life, there had been a Black Forest Academy built beside a graveyard on an ancient battlefield, specifically cultivating "Corpse Soul Grass."

Shiraha had previously searched Konoha Cemetery, but found none.

"Please give me five—two portions of Earth Dragon, centipede, Bone-Piercing Grass, and the other herbs on this list according to the listed amounts."

Shiraha handed the list to the clerk, then immediately changed his words after glancing at his shriveled wallet.

He spent all his money on training.

"Certainly, please wait a moment." Although Shiraha was only buying two portions of herbs, the clerk remained very polite.

"Shiraha, are you short on money?" Kushina asked softly, then immediately realized what she had said. "Sorry."

"It's nothing. I might as well write the word 'poor' on my face." Shiraha spread his hands and shrugged.

Before long, the clerk respectfully offered him a small package. "Your herbs, please keep them safe."

Shiraha accepted the herbs and handed over two large-denomination banknotes.

Just this little bit.

One thousand ryo!

Training was a money pit.

Today's meal might be the best one he would have for the next several months.

"Wait." Kushina suddenly stopped Shiraha and said to the clerk, "Could you please bring out your owner?"

"Uh..." The clerk froze for a moment, then nodded. "Certainly, please wait."

"Kushina, what is it?" Shiraha asked in confusion.

Kushina gave him a look, signaling him to wait.

Soon, a prosperous-looking middle-aged man came out, his gaze obviously lingering on Kushina.

"May I ask who you are...?"

"My name is Kushina Uzumaki." Kushina took out something resembling a seal from her clothes and handed it to the owner.

The owner carefully examined the seal. Then, he suddenly returned it to Kushina with great respect, the smile on his face even somewhat fawning.

"So it truly is Miss Kushina! My name is Matsuno Masato. I've been awaiting you for a long time."

Kushina took back the seal and pointed at the package of herbs in Shiraha's hand. "I'd like another hundred portions of those herbs. Is it okay if I don't pay?"

Rubbing his hands together, Matsuno Masato answered with a flattering smile, "All the shops on this entire street were placed under Miss Kushina's name by Lady Mito. As long as you approve, of course there is no problem!"

"?" Shiraha's eyes widened. "An entire street!"

"I just remembered that this shop is mine too." Kushina scratched her head and smiled at Shiraha, looking a little silly.

Too?

Damn it!

She had totally shown him up!

This was a bustling part of Konoha. There were at least twenty or thirty thriving shops on one street.

That meant the High-Class Restaurant they had just eaten at belonged to Kushina too.

Shiraha suddenly felt a little sick to his stomach.

For a moment, Kushina's slightly baby-fat face seemed so dazzlingly beautiful in Shiraha's eyes.

"Kushina, this isn't right." Shiraha looked a little embarrassed, but his hands had already stuffed the money back into his wallet.

Only when Shiraha paid did Kushina remember that Mito had transferred the Uzumaki Clan's assets into her name, which naturally included this Herb Shop.

Training required resources, so money was essential.

These were all Uzumaki Clan properties in Konoha, jointly owned by Mito and the Uzumaki Clan. Naturally, they could be assigned to Kushina.

Kushina had little interest in money.

She was the daughter of the Uzumaki Clan chief. Barring any surprises, she would become the next clan chief, and the entire Land of Whirlpools would be hers.

The Land of Whirlpools was not very large in terms of territory, but its overall strength was second only to the Great Nations.

Most Uzumaki clansmen were naturally stronger physically and possessed chakra reserves far beyond ordinary people. Nearly all of them had talent as ninjas.

Combined with their proficiency in Sealing Jutsu, their overall capabilities were not inferior to Konoha's in the slightest.

If the Uzumaki Clan's elites had not suffered devastating casualties while aiding Konoha in previous battles, only to be attacked by multiple enemies at once while Konoha's rescue arrived too late—

Otherwise, none of Sunagakure, Iwagakure, Kumogakure, or Kirigakure could have destroyed the Land of Whirlpools on their own.

The Uzumaki Clan also possessed a large number of businesses in the Fire Capital.

Regarding these businesses, Mito had asked Kushina to let Konoha manage them for now, then find a way to reclaim them after she came of age.

In any case, as long as Kushina did not spend without restraint, the money she had would be impossible to exhaust even in her next life.

Soon, two clerks carried a wooden crate from the warehouse in the back into the shop. Matsuno Masato said with a broad smile, "Miss Kushina, your herbs. Shall I send someone to deliver them for you?"

"Then I'll trouble you."

"No trouble at all! No trouble at all!"

With a new big boss, they had to make sure she was properly satisfied.

The herb business was already hugely profitable.

Most importantly, there was Kushina's background.

For valuable medicinal herb shipments alone, as long as they flew Konoha's banner, there was no need to hire too many guards. At least within the Land of Fire, safety was guaranteed, drastically reducing transportation costs.

If Matsuno Masato ran his own shop, the connections he would need to establish and the profits he would need to hand over would leave him earning far less than working for Kushina.

One or two hundred thousand ryo was truly a small sum, and the cost of these herbs was nowhere near two hundred thousand ryo.

Most important of all was keeping the big boss happy!

"Kushina, this is..." Shiraha stared eagerly at the huge crate of herbs.

He had originally wanted to refuse.

But Kushina was giving him far too much!

"This is only a small token of my appreciation." Kushina said earnestly.

After a thought, Shiraha said, "How about this, Kushina? I'll consider these a loan from you.

Once I become a ninja and can earn money by carrying out missions, I'll pay you back.

Otherwise, I'd feel too embarrassed taking so much from you."

As he spoke, Shiraha borrowed paper and a pen from the owner, wrote an IOU, and pressed his fingerprint onto it.

"All right." Seeing Shiraha insist so strongly, Kushina did not force him.

This seemed to bring her and Shiraha a little closer.

In any case, Shiraha could borrow as much as he wanted. She had never intended to make him repay it.

Other than money, she probably had nothing else she could give Shiraha.