"Boss, that price is outrageous! How would a kid have a hundred thousand ryo?"
Kushina spoke indignantly. This was a complete rip-off. No student could possibly come up with that much money.
"A kid? Not at all. I've always treated you as my customer. At least in this shop, you and I are equals. You pay, and I provide goods or services. Age doesn't come into it."
Karn's half-flattering, half-insincere words immediately lifted Kushina's spirits a little. Everyone except Karn treated her as a child, a violent maniac, a tomato, or something else. Only the food store owner was willing to treat her as an adult on equal footing.
"Even so, a hundred thousand ryo is still too expensive."
Kushina's voice grew quieter, and her right hand clamped down on her wallet. The gesture surprised Karn slightly. Well, I'll be damned. You really do have a hundred thousand ryo.
In fact, Kushina had gone back and asked Tsunade for money last time. With the pressure on Konoha Hospital greatly reduced, many medical ninjas had praised Tsunade's contribution, leaving her in an excellent mood. Kushina had seized the opportunity to offer her a few pieces of chocolate and squeezed two hundred thousand ryo out of that rich sucker.
Although she had spent some, she still had a hundred and forty thousand ryo left. She had come to the Karn Food Store intending to order some chocolate, then buy a gift suitable for a patient and visit Nawaki. She had never expected the owner to ask her for a hundred thousand ryo right off the bat.
"A hundred thousand ryo is admittedly a little expensive for someone without an income. But the gift I'm talking about is a dessert that's one of a kind in the shinobi world, made by my own hands. I'd say it's worth the price."
Karn spoke to Kushina with absolute confidence. This time, he would rip the redhead off so badly that she would avoid him in the future. As for cake, Karn had never seen any in the Land of Fire's capital anyway. It might not be invented for another decade or so, so there was nothing wrong with calling it one of a kind now.
"A one-of-a-kind dessert?"
Kushina's mouth watered at his words, and she swallowed with an audible gulp. She wondered whether a hundred thousand ryo was worth paying to try a one-of-a-kind dessert.
"If you're not interested, I'll be on my way. I have plenty of business waiting for me outside the Land of Fire."
With that, Karn made to head into the back and pack his things. Before he could take more than two steps, however, Kushina blocked his path and said resolutely, "Th-then I'll take one, boss."
"A hundred thousand ryo. Payment up front."
A hand stretched out in front of Kushina. Although she had agreed, taking out the money still hurt terribly.
A hundred thousand ryo would take nearly all her money. Kushina slowly pulled out her wallet and reluctantly counted out a hundred thousand ryo. When she handed it to Karn, she practically turned her head away to avoid looking.
Once Nawaki recovered, she would definitely earn that money back!
"Good. We have a deal. Wait here for a moment." After accepting the money, Karn headed for the kitchen in the back, ready to make Kushina a cake before he left.
"Boss, can I come and watch?"
Kushina asked in a small voice. It had nothing to do with curiosity. She was mourning her money and was also a little afraid Karn would take it and run.
"Suit yourself. Just don't disturb me."
With that, Karn took some ingredients from his Spatial Backpack and headed into the kitchen.
He had lived alone for a long time. Aside from marksmanship and studying, cooking was the only thing he had some confidence in. Karn had also spent some time learning to bake, and with his ability to learn, he could make Carl give him one thumbs-up after another after tasting his work.
Making a cake was no challenge for Karn, and he made a fairly elaborate, beautiful one. At least, Kushina kept marveling as she watched. It was the first time she had ever seen such a lovely dessert, and she certainly liked it.
As for the message on it, Karn only learned from Kushina that the cake was for Nawaki, and that the boy had been severely injured but had not died.
Once he finished, Karn clapped his hands in satisfaction and said, "There weren't many ingredients, and the price wasn't very high, so this is the best I could do. Next time, if you pay enough, I can make you a three-tier cake with a custom design."
"There's something even better?" Kushina looked astonished. To her, this cake was already beautiful. "Boss, how much would a better one cost?"
"Starting at five hundred thousand ryo. The better it is, the more expensive it gets. Mainly because I'm making it myself. With my skills, calling me the god of desserts wouldn't be going too far, would it?"
Karn's spiel could only fool an inexperienced little girl like Kushina. Once his business in this area was established, he would no longer need to fill his Spatial Backpack to the brim every time. If Kushina was willing to spend a million ryo, bringing her a five-tier cake would be no trouble. Or, if she had no money, she could pay in other ways.
A member of the Uzumaki Clan and, in a few years, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki-her value would increase immeasurably once Karn began biological research.
But that would have to wait a few years.
Kushina left happily with the cake. It might take a few days before she started grieving over the hundred thousand ryo again. What delighted her, however, was that the cake was so big that the severely injured Nawaki might not be able to finish it. Tsunade had also been very busy lately, and Grandma Mito disliked sweets. In the end, she would have it all to herself...
After Kushina left, Karn packed up and prepared to leave Konoha as well. Once again, he went to the Mission Department in the Hokage Building to commission a B-rank protection mission. He did not have to wait long before Konoha assigned a chunin squad to protect him.
His destination this time was the Underground Bounty Station. It was hardly a pleasant place, but if Karn wanted to open casinos elsewhere in the Land of Fire, his best bet was to find someone who could manage money and fight.
Namely, Kakuzu, the man who had once thrown shuriken at the First Hokage.
He was powerful and loved money. Karn could hire him as a financial manager and an enforcer to guard his casinos. Offering him a monthly income would probably be enough to persuade him.
Then he could build his own guard force around Kakuzu.
After arriving in Kawaki Town, Karn inspected the Confectionery Factory. Xia Chuan had nearly finished recruiting the staff. They were still a little short-handed, but they had enough for the initial production.
"Xia Chuan, I'll leave this place to you. Take this money and buy two storefronts first. One will be a confectionery shop. Decorate the other a little more lavishly; I have another use for it. Also, you can take in some homeless children. I'll provide their food, drink, and education."
With that, Karn handed Xia Chuan five million ryo. Aside from the confectionery shop, he intended to open a casino in the other, larger premises.
This era had electricity, so gambling machines from the twenty-first century would work too. Their wide variety of games would probably be embraced by the shinobi world's gamblers in no time. They were also the fastest way to rake in money.
And money from the shinobi world would allow Karn to build his own power base as quickly as possible. He had also decided to train a group of people himself, and homeless orphans were a good choice.
I've been playing solo for a billion years. Would any kind souls cast a vote?
Before you continue