Enduring Sword

Konoha Hidden Village, Valley of the End.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!..."

With a long, furious shout, a young man by the edge of the pool formed a series of hand seals, his chest swelling.

The echoes of his shout had yet to fade.

Immediately, a massive, scorching fireball, as dazzling as the sun, manifested out of thin air!

The intense heat distorted the space around it, and the massive fireball caused the water in the pool to hiss and sizzle.

Even the water near the surface seemed to be boiling, bubbling up continuously.

After releasing the jutsu, Uchiha Sasuke lowered his hands, watching the bubbling pool with a nod of approval.

The power is decent. Even if it can't kill anyone, it'll serve as a pretty good tool for escaping and saving my life in the future...

As he spoke, Sasuke opened his system attribute panel once more.

Name: Uchiha Sasuke.

Faction: Land of Fire, Konoha Hidden Village.

Level: 4 (47/800).

Attribute Points: 4 (Note: Consumed directly to increase the user's attributes.)

Skill Points: 4 (Note: Consumed directly to increase the user's skill levels.)

Attribute Bar: Constitution: 9. Agility: 10. Intelligence: 5. Charisma: 24.

Skill Bar:

[Substitution Jutsu: Level 2.]

[Transformation Jutsu: Level 2.]

[Clone Jutsu: Level 2.]

[Chakra Control: Level 2.]

[Taijutsu: Level 2.]

[Genjutsu: Level 2.]

[Ninja Tool Throwing: Level 2.]

[Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu: Level 3 (45%)]

It had already been half a year since Sasuke left the Uchiha Clan.

During these six months, he had not returned to the Uchiha compound once, choosing instead to seclude himself in the rather unique location of the Valley of the End.

Money makes things easier; over these six months, supported by vast financial resources, Sasuke's strength had progressed by leaps and bounds, visible to the naked eye!

Not only had he reached level 4, but his character attributes and skills had also seen a qualitative leap.

This intelligence stat is still worrying...

With a thought, Sasuke closed the system panel that only he could see, and instead, muttered to himself:

"Counting the days, according to my memories, it should be the graduation day for the Ninja Academy."

"Becoming a genin is an unavoidable main plot point. Perhaps the documents at the Ninja Academy can help me increase my intelligence attribute a bit faster..."

Thinking this, Sasuke jumped into the pool.

After washing up, he took some money and left the Valley of the End.

If a craftsman wants to do his work well, he must first sharpen his tools.

At this moment, Sasuke had already emerged from the Valley of the End and arrived at the marketplace in Konoha Village.

"A bustling place is still more interesting..."

Looking at the crowds of people coming and going and the rows of shops, Sasuke held a skewer of dango and sighed with emotion.

Not forgetting his main objective, Sasuke quickly found a shop in the market that sold ninja tools.

The shop looked quite impressive, and the ninja tools on display were varied and numerous.

As soon as he entered, Sasuke was warmly greeted by the shopkeeper.

But before he could even ask about the prices of kunai and shuriken, a system notification suddenly rang in his mind:

[Ding! A high-grade ninja sword has been detected. Please take note, Host!]

A high-grade ninja sword?...

Sasuke paused his steps and frowned slightly. To be honest, if the system hadn't said it, he wouldn't have believed for a second that such a good thing would just fall from the sky.

He scanned the room briefly, and a glint of light suddenly appeared in Sasuke's eyes.

It was a long sword that looked completely ordinary.

But Sasuke was certain that the high-tier ninja sword mentioned by the system was exactly that one!

Scratching the tip of his nose, Sasuke regained his composure. He turned and nonchalantly touched the ninja tools on the counter, asking, "Boss, how much for these shuriken?..."

"Heh heh, that depends on how many you want, little handsome?"

"Fifty bucks apiece if you buy them individually. If you buy a lot, I can give you a better price..."

The boss was a middle-aged man with a round, chubby face. When he smiled, his eyes disappeared into two slits, making him look incredibly cunning!

Don't let the boss's sweet talk fool you; Sasuke was worldly-wise.

He didn't lose himself in the repeated "little handsome" flattery.

He knew that if he walked out that door, the man would likely turn around and call him a sucker the moment he was gone.

Clearing his throat, Sasuke narrowed his eyes and smiled: "I only have two thousand. Let's be direct—how much of a discount can you give me?..."

Two thousand?

Seeing that this was a big deal, the boss waved his hand grandly, leaned in close to Sasuke, and whispered with a sly grin: "How about this, I'll give you a price of 40 apiece, how's that?"

"You get ten more shuriken; it's a bulk deal, and I won't lose out either, heh heh..."

The expression on his face was as if he were afraid someone might overhear, making Sasuke want to kick him right then and there!

"That doesn't sound right, does it? I may be young, but don't think you can pull a fast one on me."

"I've seen the street vendors outside selling them for 30 apiece. How does 40 become a discount here?..."

Sasuke put on a wary expression, frowned, and stood up as if to leave.

Seeing this, the boss grabbed Sasuke and whispered a grievance-filled explanation: "Oh! Little handsome, you don't understand!"

"Their prices are cheap, but the quality doesn't even come close to half of ours. You get what you pay for; if not, how could I keep such a large shop open without going out of business?..."

With his sleeve held tight, Sasuke paused his steps, pondered for a moment, and then nodded: "What you say does seem to make sense..."

Hearing this, the boss let out a sigh of relief.

He didn't want to let such a big client slip away.

After all, wealthy ninjas like this weren't common. The last time he saw a young ninja as wealthy as Sasuke was a few years ago.

That girl seemed to be a little heiress, spending several thousand on ninja tools in one go.

He heard she was a member of the Third Squad at the Ninja Academy...

Sasuke interrupted the boss's train of thought and continued with a serious tone: "Actually, the money doesn't matter. You won't find many people in Konoha wealthier than me anyway."

Hearing this, the boss twitched his mouth, thinking to himself, You're rich, you're the boss, fine...

Changing the subject, Sasuke added: "But what I hate most is people treating me like a sucker!"

"No, no, little handsome, I run an honest business. Why would I ever cheat you for no reason?..."

The boss waved his hands repeatedly.

Sasuke ignored him and continued muttering to himself: "I have a habit; I always like to get a little extra out of a deal, it makes me feel better..."

Get a little extra?...

The boss was momentarily confused by these words, but being worldly-wise, his eyes rolled, and he quickly caught on.

He hurriedly replied with a smile: "Ah, yes, yes! We have freebies! How could a big client like you not get any freebies!..."

"Come, come! Pick whatever you want from the counter. Let's just consider it making a friend, heh heh heh..."

Hearing this, a cunning smirk of success curled the corner of Sasuke's mouth.

He walked slowly to the counter, tossed down a stack of cash with a flourish, and then, as if it were an afterthought, grabbed the unremarkable-looking ninja sword.

He turned to the boss, who was grinning from ear to ear, and said: "This one will do. I've got nothing to do these days anyway; this thing can serve as a fire poker to play with..."

The shopkeeper nearly stumbled and fell to the ground upon hearing this.

Rich people really are willful, he thought.

Using ninja tools as firewood?

That is truly badass!

But just then, a voice, extremely magnetic and feminine, suddenly drifted in from outside the shop, which had only just calmed down:

"Shopkeeper, I want the ninja sword in that boy's hand. Whatever he offers, I will pay double!..."

Sasuke: "..."

Who is this?...

She is drop-dead gorgeous!...