Tenten's Ninja Tool Shop

Two days later, Kakashi found Aoba and handed him a scroll. But he did not answer the question Aoba had raised before. Instead, he silently turned and left.

It seemed he understood the deeper meaning behind Aoba's question. That only made it even harder to answer.

Aoba was not in a hurry. He needed helpers in Konoha. Kakashi was not exactly the most reliable person, but all things considered, he was an excellent choice.

In this world, there were many ways for a person to grow stronger. At least during this era, influence was also a part of strength.

The White Fang of Konoha had been strong enough back then, hadn't he? Yet a few rumors had easily driven him to his death.

Aside from not being mentally strong enough, there was another key factor: he had lacked influence.

Two useless advisors among the Konoha F4 had once been important figures in their early years. Now their bodies had gotten fat as hell. Kakashi could probably take both of them.

Yet they were still extremely powerful in Konoha. A single word from them could send Kakashi out to risk his life. That was the power of influence.

Before the era when everyone was basically a Gundam arrived, influence was also part of one's strength. While strengthening himself, Aoba was also trying to cultivate his own influence.

He had no interest in the Hokage position. But how did that saying go? I might not want it, but you can't refuse to give it to me.

He would never allow himself to end up like White Fang back then. He could choose not to become Hokage, but he needed the strength and influence to take the position whenever he wanted.

Not having a sword in hand and having one but choosing not to use it were two different things.

Kakashi went home to agonize over Aoba's question, while Aoba began seriously studying the shackles Kakashi had sent him.

The formula on the shackles was much simpler than he had imagined. The key issue was the material. These shackles were mixed with expensive Chakra Metal, allowing the formula's effects to be maximized.

But Aoba had no Chakra Metal, not even a single gram. So he still needed to make changes.

Aoba did not need expensive tools like shackles. His plan was to make a disposable set.

After all, when the time came, he would only have one chance to strike. If that blow missed, there would basically be no follow-up.

And if he succeeded, the effect only needed to last for a short while. He could directly kill White Zetsu by then, and there would be no further need for this thing.

Once he lowered the requirements, the problem indeed became much simpler.

Aoba found some ordinary Kunai and Shuriken, carved the Sealing Jutsu formula onto them, then infused them with chakra and threw them.

His idea was that once they hit the target, the formula would activate. It only needed to last around thirty seconds.

But in practice, the Shuriken shattered directly during flight...

Only then did Aoba understand why Chakra Metal was so expensive. The chakra transmission process caused far too much wear on ordinary metal.

Having no other choice, Aoba could only go to a ninja tool shop in Konoha.

A little girl with her hair in buns was minding the shop. Aoba took one look and realized it was Tenten. It seemed her family was one of Konoha's famous ninja tool merchants.

"Hello, what do you need?"

Seeing the forehead protector on Aoba's brow, Tenten hurriedly greeted him enthusiastically. It could not be helped; her allowance depended on the day's sales, so she naturally had to treat customers well.

"Uh, I need some ninja tools. Do you have Kunai and Shuriken mixed with Chakra Metal?"

"..." Tenten froze for a moment, seemingly stumped by Aoba's question. Every ninja knew the answer: no.

In fact, aside from the Flying Thunder God Kunai specially made for the Fourth Hokage, practically no one used Shuriken or Kunai containing Chakra Metal.

Both were thrown ninja tools. Kunai could be used in close combat, but they were more often thrown. They could be recovered, but in actual combat, there were very few opportunities to retrieve them.

And any ninja tool containing Chakra Metal was extremely expensive. Even a rich man could not afford to burn through them like that.

"I'm sorry, but we don't have ninja tools like that."

"..." Aoba also fell silent for a while. Though he had expected it, hearing the answer still left him somewhat helpless. But it was not entirely bad news.

If they really had them, his wallet would have bled heavily. That would not exactly have been good news either.

He thought for a moment before asking again.

"Then what are the strongest Shuriken and Kunai you have here? I need ninja tools that can withstand chakra transmission. They only need to last about a minute without breaking."

"Ah..." Tenten was truly stunned by the strange demands of the man before her. But after thinking for a moment, she seemed to remember something.

"Please wait a moment."

Tenten then ran into the storeroom and rummaged around for a while before coming back carrying a box.

"Sir, take a look at this."

Tenten opened the box. Inside was a row of Kunai and a row of Shuriken.

Aoba casually picked one up and immediately felt the difference. These were the two most commonly used ninja tools, things one began learning to use at the Ninja Academy.

Aoba had used countless of them, but how should he put it? The moment he held this Kunai, he felt that it was special.

It felt especially comfortable.

The Kunai's overall shape was no different from other Kunai, but there were subtle differences in the details.

It was difficult to describe with words. In short, the grip texture, weight, balance, and every other minor detail had been perfected. That was why an experienced user like him could immediately sense the difference.

"This is..."

"This was an ultra-luxury line of ninja tools our shop introduced years ago. The entire set, from its materials to its craftsmanship, was master-grade and entirely handmade, with every detail refined to the utmost."

"...Would anyone buy ninja tools like this?"

Although they did not contain Chakra Metal, putting so much effort into consumable items naturally sent the costs soaring. Their price tags were probably astonishing as well.

"Uh... unfortunately, this product failed back then, so there were no further releases. This is the last box. These ninja tools use the best material available aside from Chakra Metal, so they can withstand chakra transmission for a while. But I'm not sure exactly how long."

Aoba looked at the Kunai in his hand and directly infused it with chakra. After about a minute and a half, the Kunai shattered.

It was much better than he had expected. A hint of delight flashed across Aoba's face, but then he realized something was wrong.

Sure enough, the moment Tenten saw his expression, she immediately knew a big sale was coming.