Chapter 26

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Nara Shikayama smiled and said, "I've heard for a long time that Lady Tsunade took on an incredible disciple. In just a few months, you learned all her Medical Ninjutsu. I finally get to meet you in person today."

"May I ask what brings you here today, young man?"

Of course, he had heard of Uchiha Yan.

This kid was a complete monster.

To be honest, Nara Shikayama was quite surprised that this fellow had become Tsunade's disciple. After all, everyone knew that the Uchiha clan and the Senju clan had been mortal enemies passed down through the generations.

All he could say was that times had changed. Lady Tsunade's thoughts were not something he could fathom.

The most important thing now was figuring out why Uchiha Yan had suddenly come knocking.

Ugh, hopefully this isn't some troublesome mess.

Nara Shikayama sighed inwardly.

Their family had an ancestral flaw—their fear of trouble.

Uchiha Yan got straight to the point and told him the truth: "Senior Shikayama, the main reason I came here is that I heard the Nara Clan has been wholesaling medicinal ingredients for years. I recently learned a few things from my teacher, Tsunade, and developed several secret medicines myself. Their effects are decent, so I plan to open a shop and sell them."

"I've already signed a fairly large supply order with the clan."

"The demand for medicinal ingredients will be very high."

"That's why I came especially to pay you a visit."

He paused, then continued, "This time, I'm not only hoping to discuss a stable supply with the Nara Clan. I also plan to find several other medicinal-ingredient merchants to work with. The price is negotiable. If Senior is willing, that would be even better."

If they were willing, that would be ideal. If they refused, Yan could not do anything about it either.

But if anything good came along in the future, the Nara Clan should not expect to get a place in line.

Protecting oneself wisely was smart.

But if one went too far in everything, the relationship would be severed as well.

It all depended on how Nara Shikayama chose.

"Oh?"

When Nara Shikayama heard that this concerned long-term purchases of medicinal ingredients, he was somewhat surprised.

He would not reject such a straightforward business partnership.

It would neither make the Third Hokage suspicious nor offend the Uchiha by refusing him outright.

Thinking of this, he smiled, nodded, and replied, "Naturally, there's no problem. Our Nara Clan does business in medicinal ingredients. We keep our doors open to customers, and we won't reject a purely commercial partnership."

"I agree to this."

"What medicinal ingredients do you need? Do you have a list? How much will you need each month?"

There was nothing shameful about making money.

However, he was also wondering what kind of secret medicine Uchiha Yan had developed.

He dared to open a shop and sell it so openly, and had even signed a supply agreement with the Uchiha clan.

This kid was only three years old. Could he really be that monstrous?

Could Lady Tsunade have given him something good, and he's simply taken it out to sell?

No, that probably isn't it. Despite his young age, this kid doesn't act or speak like a child at all. He's more like an old hand. He couldn't possibly be foolish enough to do something like that.

The more Nara Shikayama thought about it, the more unfathomable the little devil before him seemed.

This person is no simple character.

He sighed inwardly.

Being able to avoid offending such an unfathomable monster with terrifying potential would at least spare the Nara Clan some trouble.

Nara Shikayama took the list and scanned it carefully. His brows lifted slightly. "The total is indeed substantial, but for our Nara Clan, it's nothing worth mentioning."

"However, it'll take some time to gather everything. We can deliver the first batch in five days. Will that work for you?"

"If there's no problem, we can sign the supply contract first. I'll pay you ten percent as a deposit."

Most of the medicinal ingredients on the list were common market goods with very stable production. As for the few slightly rarer ones, his family could still produce them.

If they could keep doing business on this scale, the Nara Clan's medicinal-ingredient sales would become completely secure.

"Deal!"

After Uchiha Yan heard this, his heart blossomed with joy. On the spot, he finalized the supply contract with Nara Shikayama and paid ten percent of the price as a deposit.

Only after that did he stand up to leave.

Before going, he left six porcelain bottles on the table and smiled at Nara Shikayama. "These bottles contain the finished medicines our shop plans to sell. The usage instructions and effects are written on the bottles. Consider them a small token of appreciation for my visit today. Don't refuse them. I'll be going now."

With that, Uchiha Yan turned and left with Uchiha Senichi.

"I'll see you out."

Nara Shikayama was a little surprised and curious, but he still rose and escorted them to the door.

After seeing Uchiha Yan and his son off, he finally returned to the main hall.

At that moment, his son, Nara Shikaku, happened to emerge from the inner room.

He stared curiously at the porcelain bottles on the table, casually picked one up, and said to his father, "Uchiha Yan is completely different from what I imagined. No matter how I look at him, he doesn't seem like a three-year-old child. He seems more like someone around my age. Even the way he speaks and handles things is similar."

Without waiting for his father to respond, he lowered his head and read the words on the bottle aloud. "Junior Body-Tempering Elixir. Suitable for children aged six to twelve. Can increase the effectiveness of taijutsu training by two to three times? Damn, is this thing real?"

"Oh?"

As soon as Nara Shikayama heard this, he hurriedly took the bottle from his son and read it again. "It really does say that."

He then quickly unscrewed the cap, poured out two pills, and smelled them. His brows furrowed. "This medicine has been processed using a special method. It's impossible to identify its ingredients by smell alone. I'll take it and test its effects on animals first."

After saying this, he gathered all the porcelain bottles from the table and hurried out of the house.

"Tch. Looks like the village is about to become lively."

Nara Shikaku crossed his arms over his chest, yawned, and muttered lazily.

On the way, Nara Shikayama read the descriptions on the other bottles one by one, his heart growing heavier.

If all these medicinal effects are real, then that boy Uchiha Yan is truly extraordinary. His family is probably going to make a fortune.

More importantly, the significance behind these secret medicines—especially the Body-Tempering Elixir—was enormous.

Increasing the efficiency of taijutsu training by two to three times was simply terrifying.

The Nara Clan was a major medicinal-ingredient dealer, so the clan naturally had a complete pharmaceutical system and facilities for producing medicine.

In only one day, Nara Shikayama had completely figured out the properties of all six secret medicines.

The results were exactly the same as the information he had received, without the slightest discrepancy.

"Most of the ingredients can't be analyzed. Their confidentiality methods are truly impressive."

"Looks like I'll have to purchase a large quantity of medicine from Uchiha Yan, and I'll have to act quickly."

He understood perfectly well what kind of scramble there would be for the Body-Tempering Pills once their effects became known.

By then, forget about buying them—whether they could even get their hands on any would be a question.

So acting now meant seizing the advantage.

"I also need to bring in the Yamanaka and Akimichi Clans. Everyone should share the benefits. We can't let this little profit create a rift between the three clans."

Nara Shikayama hurried back while calculating his next steps.

Fortunately, he had gotten ahead of everyone else.

That very night, he invited the heads of the Yamanaka Clan and the Akimichi Clan to his home.

He explained the entire matter of cooperating with Uchiha Yan to sell medicinal ingredients and secret medicines such as the Body-Tempering Pills.

He especially emphasized the astonishing effects of the Body-Tempering Pills, repeating them several times.

"Shikayama, you're not lying to me, are you? Taijutsu training can become two to three times faster?"

Akimichi Shigeyama suddenly stood up, his voice changing pitch.

Everyone knew that the members of the Akimichi Clan were all as fat as mountains, relying on the Secret Multi-Size Technique to make a living in the Ninja World.

Outsiders thought they were a taijutsu clan.

In truth, they were not.

They mainly relied on chakra and the Secret Multi-Size Technique. Taijutsu was merely a supplement.

They stored fat by eating, then converted that fat into massive amounts of chakra during battle and combined it with the Expansion Jutsu to fight.

Chakra could be replenished simply by eating, but taijutsu and physical fitness could only be improved through arduous training.

The problem was that taijutsu training was not only painful but also extremely time-consuming.

With their bulky physiques, training in taijutsu was even more difficult.