Making Money

Once he figured out how enhancing an enemy's Genjutsu worked, Tianyun Hyuga suddenly felt this was a pretty good arrangement. The next time someone used Genjutsu on him, he could simply choose to enhance it, and it would break on its own.

The only thing Tianyun Hyuga needed to do was carry a large sum of money, so he would have enough to pay for the enhancement if he encountered high-level Genjutsu.

Discovering a bug in the system-and a useful one at that-put Tianyun Hyuga in a good mood. He walked over to Hinata Hyuga, who had been waiting nearby, patted her shoulder, and said, "All right, the experiment's finished. Now we can both go home and rest."

Hinata Hyuga was a little bewildered. Tianyun Hyuga had said they were coming to test Ninjutsu, but all that had happened was her casting a single Genjutsu. He hadn't used any Ninjutsu at all, yet the whole experiment was already over. She asked blankly, "Master, that's it...?"

"That's it. Head home!" Tianyun Hyuga led the way toward the door.

Hinata Hyuga was initially puzzled, but she shook her head to clear it and followed Tianyun Hyuga outside, thinking that her breakfast might not have gone cold yet. If she went back now, she should still have time to eat it.

What Hinata Hyuga didn't know was that the pat Tianyun Hyuga had given her before leaving had enhanced another one of her Ninjutsu, a little reward for her help. The next time she used that technique, she would discover that she had already mastered it.

After leaving Hinata Hyuga's house, Tianyun Hyuga headed toward Tenten's family Blacksmith Shop in high spirits. He planned to discuss increasing their output with Tiesheng so he could have a little more money on hand.

Ever since the Third Hokage ordered Konoha to purchase all their weapons, business at Tenten's family Ninja Tools Shop had slowed considerably. Yet thanks to Konoha's purchases, Tiesheng actually earned more than before, and he no longer had to deal with customers.

When Tianyun Hyuga arrived at the Ninja Tools Shop, Tiesheng was taking a leisurely break, leaving the shop to the two assistants he had hired.

"You're certainly taking it easy. Don't you have anything to do?" Tianyun Hyuga glanced at Tiesheng, who was resting in a rocking chair with his eyes closed.

Hearing Tianyun Hyuga's voice, Tiesheng hurriedly opened his eyes and got up to scold the two assistants. "Young Master Tianyun came in, and neither of you called me? Are you asking for a beating? You're only getting one bowl each for lunch today!"

Tianyun Hyuga watched speechlessly as Tiesheng berated the two resigned-looking assistants. "Drop the act. Even if you stopped feeding them, they wouldn't leave. Don't think I don't know how much you pay them."

Tiesheng immediately felt a little embarrassed. Tianyun Hyuga was absolutely right. He was a wealthy man now and had offered very high wages when hiring his assistants. Even if he withheld their free lunches for a month, the two probably wouldn't leave. Their wages were enough to cover their meals, with plenty left over to buy things they liked.

Still, Tiesheng was an old hand. He quickly recovered from his embarrassment and said, "Tianyun, what brings you here? Do you need money? If that's what you're after, I can't get it for you anytime soon. You'll have to wait two months for Sunagakure's payment to arrive."

Tianyun Hyuga waved a hand. "That's not it. Find somewhere quiet. I have something to discuss with you, and I don't want anyone else knowing about it."

Tiesheng grew serious. "Let's go to the back room. There's no one there right now."

"All right, let's go," Tianyun Hyuga said.

The back room was in a building behind the Ninja Tools Shop, with the shop's warehouse standing between them.

Tiesheng led Tianyun Hyuga to the back room. Once they sat down, he asked, "Tianyun, if it's not about money, just tell me what you need. I'll do anything I can."

Tianyun Hyuga rolled his eyes at Tiesheng. "Do I look that desperate for money? Can't you watch what you say? What a cheapskate."

Tiesheng could only scoff inwardly at Tianyun Hyuga's words, not daring to say anything aloud. Suppressing the urge to complain, he said, "Tianyun, just tell me what you need. You're pretty busy too, aren't you?"

"You have a point. I am rather busy." Tianyun Hyuga nodded. "Here's the thing. I want you to sell a batch of enhanced ordinary Ninja Tools. The profit will be lower, but small amounts add up. We can still make a tidy sum."

So it was still about money after all. After grumbling inwardly, Tiesheng said, "Tianyun, even after you refine ordinary Ninja Tools, they'll only sell for about the same price as our shop's midrange ones. They can't compare with the high-end tools. Each one will only bring in around fifty thousand in profit. If you need a lot of money, it'll take a long time to earn it."

Tianyun Hyuga waved a hand. "Don't worry about that. Just tell me how many I need to refine to get a hundred million, then go prepare them."

Tiesheng considered it before saying, "We still have three thousand ordinary Ninja Tools in the warehouse. If we sell them all, we should be able to give you around two hundred million. I can have them all delivered to your house so you can refine them at your own pace. Then you can send them back together, and I'll sell the whole batch to Lord Hokage."

"Don't waste time. I need the money urgently. Where's the warehouse? I'll finish them all today. Get some high-grade Soldier Pills ready for me," Tianyun Hyuga said impatiently.

Tiesheng stared blankly at Tianyun Hyuga as though he had only just met him. Inside, he was furiously cursing Tianyun Hyuga for lying to him before, spouting nonsense about only being able to refine ten weapons a day.

These were three thousand weapons, yet Tianyun Hyuga could actually finish them in a single day. That meant he should have been able to do it before, too, and had deliberately limited himself to ten. What a crafty little devil.

But then Tiesheng thought it over. The more Tianyun Hyuga could refine, the more he could earn. He ought to be happy to be working with him.

Tiesheng even began thinking that since Tenten and Tianyun Hyuga got along well now, if he married her off to him, his Ninja Tools Shop would become the number-one Ninja Tools Shop in Konoha.

No, the number-one Ninja Tools Shop in the Land of Fire.

No, the number-one Ninja Tools Shop in the world.

The more Tiesheng thought about it, the more excited he became, until his grin began to twist out of shape.

"What the hell are you grinning at? Hurry up and lead the way!"

Tianyun Hyuga's words shattered Tiesheng's fantasy of world domination. Giving him a thoroughly disgruntled look, Tiesheng obediently led him to the Ninja Tools Shop's warehouse.

Now Tiesheng was also impatient to find out whether Tianyun Hyuga really could refine three thousand weapons in a day. After bringing him into the warehouse, he immediately said, "Tianyun, wait here. I'll go buy Special Soldier Pills from the Akimichi Clan. I guarantee they're ten times better than the ordinary ones."

"Then get going! Time waits for no one!" Tianyun Hyuga waved Tiesheng away, then shut the door and locked himself inside the warehouse.