No Money, and You Still Want to Learn Sage Art?

Aokiji dropped to one knee, lowering his eyes with a humble expression. "My name is Uchiha Aokiji. I accidentally used the Summoning Jutsu and ended up here. Snow Emperor, may I ask how I can return?"

The name Uchiha was still quite famous. Hearing it, the Snow Emperor's crystalline pupils showed a flicker of interest. "You possess the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai, don't you?"

"Yes. My father possessed the Sharingan Kekkei Genkai, while my mother possessed the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai."

The Snow Emperor had seen through the power within him at a glance, but Aokiji was not overly surprised. It would have been strange if a being of her level could not see it.

Besides, in a sense, his Ice Release and her power followed different paths to the same destination.

Her words had also reminded him of something. As if the clouds had parted, Aokiji asked, "Could it be that my accidentally ending up here through the Summoning Jutsu was actually related to the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai in my body?"

"That merely increased the odds a little. Still, it is remarkable that you managed to stumble into this place."

The Snow Emperor spoke with a hint of sentimentality.

The Aurora Ice Domain did not exist on this continent. For ordinary people to reach this place, Aokiji's method was the only way.

The Summoning Jutsu was extremely dangerous when used without first signing a contract. Aside from cases like Aokiji's, one might summon some unknown creature that could not be controlled, attack the caster, and endanger them.

There had often been stories in the past of people summoning Summoned Beasts without signing contracts, only to be killed by them.

Having learned from those lessons, people would solemnly explain this whenever teaching the Summoning Jutsu. Thus, few people would use the technique directly without first contracting a Summoned Beast.

Only someone missing a screw who had forgotten those instructions would use it like this.

It was clear that the Snow Emperor was not particularly aloof. Aokiji scratched his head and laughed cheerfully. "Then I guess I was pretty lucky. If I'd ended up somewhere strange, I would've been in real trouble."

With that said, he got back to the point and asked how to return to where he had come from.

The Snow Emperor did not make things difficult for him and directly told him the method. It was simple: he only needed to exhaust all his Chakra.

The Summoning Jutsu was essentially spatial transfer, and Chakra was what maintained the duration of that transfer.

That simple? Aokiji was stunned.

He had thought it would take a huge effort. So this was all it took.

Since normal people rarely did what he had done, this method had gradually become known to fewer and fewer people.

Aokiji fell silent for a moment. If he returned just like that, it would probably be difficult to come back again.

Places where one could cultivate Sage Art were not found everywhere.

The Three Great Sacred Lands could also cultivate Sage Art, but setting aside all other factors, Aokiji felt that the Sage Art systems in those three places would not suit someone with Ice Release as well as the system here.

He might as well ask and see what their attitude was. It would not cost him anything.

"If I go back, will it be difficult for me to return here next time?"

The Snow Emperor answered, "Yes."

Arriving at the Aurora Ice Domain through the Summoning Jutsu was an extremely coincidental occurrence. It could be encountered, but not sought.

"May I boldly ask a question?"

"Go ahead."

"On my way here, I heard that there is Sage Art here. If I want to learn it, what conditions do I need to meet?"

It was better not to play clever tricks with a creature that had lived who knew how long, lest he leave a bad impression.

He currently had the appearance of a child, and a child should act like a child. He should not be too calculating and should simply speak honestly.

The Snow Emperor did not refuse him. Instead, she asked, "Why do you want to learn Sage Art? Learning Sage Art carries great risks. One careless mistake, and you will become an ice sculpture."

Aokiji answered frankly, "To become stronger."

The Snow Emperor continued, "And then?"

"To lie flat."

"..."

The Snow Emperor had thoroughly considered all sorts of possible answers Aokiji might give, but she had not expected this one. Even she could not quite understand what he was thinking. "What do you mean?"

Aokiji replied, "I am not very interested in fighting. I just want to live a good life."

The Snow Emperor asked curiously, "Then why do you pursue strength?"

"Because only by becoming the strongest can I lie flat without a care in the world."

In a certain sense, Aokiji's words did make some sense. The Snow Emperor found his answer rather interesting and smiled. "Since you want to learn, I will not stop you."

Aokiji breathed a sigh of relief. The heart hanging in his chest finally settled.

When he expressed his wishes, he had already prepared for the worst.

At that moment, Penguin Mani stepped forward of his own accord, opened his mouth, and with a retch, spat out a scroll. Looking closely, it was densely covered in names. These were all contractors who had signed with the Aurora Ice Domain in the past, though the most recent had been here decades ago.

Aokiji smiled. Following Penguin Mani's instructions, he bit his finger and, without hesitation, signed his name in an empty vertical slot. He pressed down a bloody fingerprint with his dominant hand and formed a contract with the Aurora Ice Domain.

Under normal circumstances, Summoned Beasts and contractors formed one-to-one contracts. However, his contract was special: he had contracted with the entire Aurora Ice Domain. As long as he knew a Summoned Beast's information and expended the corresponding Chakra, he could summon that particular Summoned Beast.

Of course, the prerequisite was that the Summoned Beast answered the caller. Summoned Beasts had the right to accept or refuse a summon. They could even forward the summoning request to other Summoned Beasts. It was a bit like a group chat: you made an announcement in the group, Summoned Beast A came out to work, Summoned Beast A said he was busy and told you to find Summoned Beast B, then Summoned Beast B said no problem, and with a bang, Summoned Beast B was summoned.

(For details, see Gamabunta saying that he could forward requests to his son Gamakichi.) "I see." Aokiji asked excitedly, "Then can I officially begin cultivating Sage Art now?"

Penguin Mani spoke. "Not yet. Although you have obtained the Snow Emperor's permission, you still need to undergo a trial."

Hearing that, Aokiji asked nervously, "A trial? What kind of trial?"

He was someone who liked to prepare for danger in times of peace, so he instinctively assumed the worst. Could it be like Ryūchi Cave, where failing the trial meant being eaten?

Penguin Mani smiled pleasantly. "Did you bring money?"

Aokiji looked utterly confused. "Money? What do I need money for?"

"That is the trial."

"Uh..."

This trial was really vulgar.

"How much?"

"Using your currency as the unit, just casually bring ten million."

Good heavens, ten million right out of the gate. Why not just rob him?

Ninjas received different rewards depending on the difficulty of their missions.

Among them, S-rank missions were the highest level and paid around a million ryō.

In other words, Aokiji would probably need to complete at least ten S-rank missions in a row before he could possibly afford it.

That was so much money that even selling a kidney would not be enough.

Aokiji said awkwardly, "I don't have that much money."

Penguin Mani's expression changed as he retorted, "No money, and you still want to learn Sage Art?"

"Can I pay on credit?" Aokiji looked pitiful. "I really can't produce that much money right now. When I grow up, I can work and repay the debt."

Penguin Mani refused decisively. "No."

What if the contractor kicked the bucket midway through? Aokiji ground his teeth.

That was not penguin-like at all.

"What do you need money for?"

"Watch closely."

Penguin Mani spat out a scroll and spread it open. Strange runes were written across it. Then he took out a stack of money and placed it over the runes. After finishing all that, he clapped his hands together and pressed down with one hand.

"Sage Art: Money Release: Equivalent Exchange Jutsu!"

With a bang, white smoke suddenly rose around the scroll. When the smoke dispersed, a table had appeared out of thin air.

This completely stunned Aokiji. What shocked him was not the table itself, but the exotic cooked dishes and fresh fruits offered upon it.

Ah, this...

What had he just shouted? Money Release?

Coach, I want to learn this.

Aokiji praised, "Amazing."

"See? This is my Secret Technique. As long as I have money, I can exchange it for anything." Penguin Mani picked up an apple and took a bite. It was crisp and refreshing, making him sigh inwardly that money truly was a wonderful thing.

Aokiji nodded in agreement. "Money cannot do everything, but without money, nothing can be done."

Penguin Mani pondered those words and deeply agreed. "Ho ho... You little brat, despite your young age, you see things quite clearly. Fine, asking you to produce so much money at once is rather difficult. How about this? You can owe it for now. Repay me when you have money later. With your understanding of money, earning it should not be difficult."

Aokiji was overjoyed and swore that once he earned money in the future, he would properly honor his elder.

Penguin Mani nodded in satisfaction. "You can be taught. From now on, call me Teacher."

"Yes, Teacher." Aokiji dropped to one knee and lowered his head in thanks. "Does this mean I can learn Sage Art now?"

He had paid the tuition and acknowledged his teacher. Surely he would be taught Sage Art now, right?

Penguin Mani shook his head, indicating that he still could not.

"Why?"

Was this guy messing with him?

Aokiji suddenly came to a realization. "Oh, I understand. As the saying goes, haste makes waste. Cultivating Sage Art is extremely dangerous. My first priority should not be aiming too high, but honestly laying a solid foundation, right? Teacher has truly gone to great pains."

Penguin Mani froze. Was that a thing?

"Oh, no, that's not it. You can cultivate Sage Art whenever you want. It's just that the previous ten million ryō was only the fee for becoming my student. Learning Sage Art afterward costs extra."

Costs extra?

You motherf...

Just like that, Aokiji had somehow taken on a massive debt without learning a damn thing. The key was that he did not even dare say no; he still had to act deeply grateful.

Penguin Mani had truly figured out this money-making business.

That was not penguin-like at all.