Cooperation

Through the Byakugan, she saw Yui gripping a man by the throat.

Only after confirming that Yui was in no danger did Nai Hyuga breathe a sigh of relief and deactivate her Byakugan.

"Mmph... let me go."

"I'm... going to die..."

The man could barely breathe in Yui's grip. He had never imagined that this girl, who looked younger than his son, could be so strong.

After sensing no chakra fluctuations inside his body, Yui finally released him.

She dragged him out of the bushes.

"Who are you? Why were you spying on us?"

Yui spoke with a cold expression.

For a moment, the man found himself at a loss for words.

Then he explained what had happened.

"Last night, I came here to gather some medicinal herbs, but I was so tired that I accidentally fell asleep."

"When I woke up again, you were already here."

There was even a trace of grievance in his voice.

"Hmph..."

Yui snorted.

"I'll believe your story for now. Get lost, and don't interrupt our training."

By now, Yui believed him. After all, her examination showed that he was merely an ordinary civilian from Konoha.

He was not a ninja at all.

However, after getting to his feet, the man made no move to leave and remained where he was.

He still wore a hesitant expression.

"She told you to leave. Why are you still here?"

Nai Hyuga questioned the man as he stood there.

Yui also shot him a glare.

Their stares made his scalp prickle. After fidgeting for a while, he finally voiced what was on his mind.

"That... that thing of yours... surely it could sell for money?"

The man stammered as he pointed at Yui.

"Huh... what could sell for money?"

Yui was puzzled. What did she have that she could sell?

"Paper. The p-paper..."

Once he managed to get those words out, the man seemed to finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"That paper of yours could definitely sell for a lot of money."

Only then did Yui understand what he meant.

"You mean this paper?"

Yui took a sheet of Chakra Paper from her pocket and waved it in her hand.

"Yes, yes, yes..." The man nodded vigorously when he saw the paper in Yui's hand.

"That's it."

At the sight of the Chakra Paper, his eyes gradually lit up.

"A few days ago, my son, who's a Genin, was trying to test his chakra nature with a leaf!"

"But no matter how much chakra he put into it, the leaf didn't react."

"By the way, young lady, where did you get that paper?" the man asked. "I'd like to buy a sheet from you."

So that was it! Yui thought. She had struggled quite a bit when she used a leaf before, too.

"I made it myself, so I can't sell it to you," Yui replied.

The man's expression immediately fell.

She made it herself?

Suddenly, an idea surfaced in his mind.

He raised his head again and stared at Yui with wide eyes.

If this idea worked, wouldn't he be able to achieve financial freedom?

Then countless riches would pour straight into his pockets.

His stare made Yui's scalp prickle.

"Young lady... do you need money?" the man asked, looking at Yui expectantly.

Yui: ???

Nai Hyuga: ???

Was this guy out of his mind?!

But after thinking it over, Yui realized that she really was a little short on money.

She met the man's gaze and nodded.

Seeing Yui nod, the man excitedly explained his idea.

"If you need money, we can work together."

"Paper that can test chakra nature hasn't appeared on the market yet."

"If the two of us work together to produce it, we can earn a steady stream of money."

After hearing him out, Yui began to consider it.

The idea did seem workable.

Then she agreed. This stuff would be invented eventually anyway, so she might as well take the opportunity to earn some extra money now.

"I can agree to that, but I want a fifty-fifty split."

The man was thrilled when Yui agreed, but his face immediately fell when he heard her demand.

"Oh, young lady, you're only providing the know-how. How can you take such a big share?"

"I'll be handling both manufacturing and sales. That takes a lot of manpower, you know."

The man thought for a while before replying, "How about this? Thirty percent for you, seventy for me. That's as far as I can go."

Yui smiled, nodded, and accepted.

In truth, she had never expected such a large share. She had only been testing his bottom line.

"Mm... all right. Let's draw up a contract right now!"

As he spoke, the man took two scrolls from his pocket.

He began writing out the terms of the contract.

Watching him, Yui felt the corner of her eye twitch.

Then she began writing the process for making Chakra Paper on a sheet of paper.

After a while, both of them finished writing what they needed.

Holding the two identical contracts, Yui read them over. Once she confirmed that everything was in order, she bit her finger without hesitation and pressed five fingerprints onto each contract.

After Yui finished, the man followed her example and pressed his hand down as well.

Once everything was done, Yui took one of the contract scrolls.

She tossed him the instructions for making Chakra Paper.

He hastily caught the sheet.

"Thank you for working with me," the man said to Yui. "My name is Shizhong Ji."

"I own a paper shop at number fifteen on Konoha Twenty-Second Street. Remember to come collect your share every month!"

"Oh, right..." Shizhong Ji paused, then said, "I still have things to take care of at home, so I'll be leaving now!"

With that, Shizhong Ji vanished in a flash, leaving only a distant speck that grew smaller and smaller.

Once Shizhong Ji had gone, Yui turned toward Nai Hyuga and spoke excitedly.

"Nai, I'm going to have lots of money soon..."

"Then I won't have to worry about paying for food, drinks, or fun anymore."

"Huh?" Nai Hyuga had already been a little puzzled while listening to their conversation.

Was Yui really that short on money?

"Yui, are you really short on money?" Nai Hyuga asked.

Yui nodded.

"Of course I am! I've been wearing this outfit for two years. It's getting a little small now, but I don't have the money to buy a new one," Yui said indignantly.

"Yui, if you want money, you don't have to go to all this trouble. You could just ask me," Nai Hyuga said. "My father left two businesses in my name!"

"One is a flower shop, and the other is a shipyard," Nai Hyuga said, counting them off on her fingers.

"Huh?"

A huge question mark flashed above Yui's head.

Why didn't you say so sooner... I've been poor all this time for nothing.

Yui felt like crying, but no tears came.