"Teacher Pakura, don't keep me in suspense. Just tell me what the reward is,
so I can help you figure out how to get away from all that nasty business in the village!"
Mukai didn't react the way Pakura had imagined, overjoyed at the news of a big reward.
On the contrary, he seemed to have guessed the situation she was in.
Pakura self-consciously brushed aside a lock of orange hair at her temple,
then said in a deliberately casual tone:
"Wow, kid, you sure talk big!
You're just a Genin. What do you know about the village's affairs?
As the younger generation of the village, all you need to do is grow up quickly,
and that'll make things easier for us Jonin!"
Mukai shook his head.
"Teacher Pakura, I know you hate all that political backstabbing.
But in those politicians' eyes, anyone who isn't on their side can only be suppressed.
The more merit you earn on the battlefield and the greater your reputation in the village, the more dangerous your position will become!
Sometimes, the knife that stabs you in the back is the cruelest!"
Pakura flashed behind Mukai, clamped him in her arms, and ground both fists into his temples with the Poison Dragon Drill:
"You cheeky little brat! Save your lectures for when you become a Jonin!
Things in the village are complicated. What do you kids know?
I almost forgot, I haven't told you about the reward I got for you yet!
There's a border outpost near the Land of Rain.
During the Second Shinobi World War, the Third Kazekage fought nearby using Iron Sand.
After the war, a huge amount of Iron Sand was left beside an oasis, piled up like little mountains.
It's all yours. It's not worth much anyway.
After seeing you in action this time, Elder Chiyo praised both your and Sasori's skill with puppets.
The Third Kazekage ultimately decided to award you that Iron Sand.
There's also a temporary puppet repair workshop from the war underground at the oasis. It's yours to use too."
As Pakura spoke, she released his temples from the Poison Dragon Drill and held a bunch of keys in front of him.
With Iron Sand in hand, Mukai could move forward with his plan.
If he succeeded, it would open up a new source of income.
When the time came, he could simply buy the Iron Sand he needed as raw material from the village!
He struggled free of Pakura's arms, escaping his happy punishment, and thanked her sincerely:
"Teacher Pakura, thank you so much!
How about I treat you to the newest delicious dishes at my family's izakaya?"
Pakura had also heard about an izakaya in the village that had introduced a popular dish for ordinary people.
It was cheap, but it tasted quite good.
She hadn't expected it to belong to Mukai's family.
She put her hands on her hips and said:
"All right! At least you've got some conscience, kid.
Come on, my treat today!
What kind of teacher lets her student pay?"
Sasori wasn't very fond of crowds, but since it was Mukai's family's place, he didn't object much and let Mukai drag him along after a little coaxing.
The three of them didn't squeeze into the tavern's main hall downstairs. Instead, they went straight to Mukai's room on the second floor.
When she heard that her son had become the student of a famous Jonin in the village,
the original owner's mother was overjoyed and personally prepared plenty of food.
Naturally, the shop's current signature dish, liangpi, was among them.
The izakaya was busy, so once the original owner's mother had prepared the food, she excused herself and went back downstairs to work,
leaving just the three of them in the room.
Pakura sampled the liangpi. Its novel flavor and texture were indeed very appealing.
"This is really good!
No wonder business is so good. From now on, whenever I'm not on a mission, your place will be my cafeteria!"
Pakura was quite relaxed in front of her students and gestured for Sasori to dig in.
To Mukai's surprise, Sasori, who usually spoke very little, could handle an astonishing amount of spice.
He added a full three times the usual amount of chili oil before tucking in contentedly.
You've been hiding your talents, kid.
Mukai and Pakura both had theirs at the normal spice level, and the three chatted as they ate:
"Teacher Pakura, what are you going to be busy with next?"
At Mukai's question, Pakura shook her head.
"I don't know yet. We just lost the Shinobi World War, and the village's mission commissions have fallen by nearly thirty percent.
The daimyo has cut funding, and the village's finances are in a precarious state.
The Third Kazekage was just arguing with Elder Chiyo and the others about funding.
Anyway, there aren't any important commissions lately, so how about I stay in the village and help you practice some Ninjutsu first?"
Mukai nodded, then suddenly slapped Sasori on the back:
"Sasori, since we don't have any missions lately,
how about we go check out that abandoned puppet repair workshop with Teacher Pakura?
With an expert like her there, we won't have to worry about running into danger."
Mukai's surprise attack made Sasori cough repeatedly.
But ever since the mission in the Land of Rain, he had always gone along with Mukai's decisions:
"I don't mind. Have you decided to start that money-making plan?
Will it work?"
Hearing the words "make money," Pakura swallowed the liangpi in her mouth and asked:
"Make money? That Iron Sand won't sell for much.
Iron Sand and iron sand aren't the same thing.
Just like the Gold Dust Rasa finds isn't pure gold.
It's just sand containing some iron,
temporarily activated by the Third's Magnet Release Chakra so he can flexibly combine and control it.
People from the Land of Artisans once came to buy some,
but after smelting it, they found the iron it produced was very poor quality, apparently because it had too many impurities.
Ever since then, hardly anyone has been interested in the Iron Sand the Third Kazekage extracts in battle."
Mukai nodded slightly, then suddenly asked:
"Teacher Pakura, doesn't most of the Shinobi World's Chakra Metal come from the Land of Iron?
More specifically, doesn't most of it come from the part of the Land of Iron near the Land of Lightning's border?"
Pakura set down her chopsticks and thought for a moment, then slowly nodded.
"I think that really is the case.
Although other villages produce a little Chakra Metal here and there,
most of it still comes from the Land of Iron.
Chakra Metal is also occasionally found on some ancient battlefields in the Land of Wind.
According to legend, Chakra Metal forms when steel absorbs Chakra for hundreds of years in a place where it is abundant.
Only after the Chakra changes its properties
does it finally become this special metal, which is light, hard, and has an affinity for Chakra.
That's also why the Land of Iron has maintained a detached, neutral position among the great nations.
With their excellent weapons and armor, they can hold their own against the ninja of other villages."
Mukai shook his head, then inexplicably nodded and said meaningfully:
"If that's true, then the Land of Wind should be the place richest in Chakra Metal!
Where else in the entire Shinobi World has more abundant Chakra than Rōran's Dragon Vein?"
Sasori, who had been focused on shoveling down his food, stopped eating when he heard Mukai's words.
Chili oil still smeared on his face, he seemed to have thought of something and spoke up:
"Mukai, did you really figure it out?
How is that possible?"
Beside them, Pakura was completely baffled by the two youngsters' conversation.
She flicked Mukai on the forehead:
"Hey, kid, stop saying things I can't understand.
What exactly have you figured out?
Is it those strange puppet mecha?"
Mukai took the piece of Chakra Metal Sasori had given him out of his clothes and said confidently:
"Teacher Pakura, I've been studying Chakra Metal, and I seem to have some idea now.
We might really make a fortune!
Interested in joining us?"