Alex can't help but feel astonished. Entering the famous Konoha, he's instantly overwhelmed by emotion.
This city… it feels nostalgic, yet this is my first time here. This is incredible. The damn Hokage Rock looks amazing—I have to see it up close too!
"Alex, Menchi, you too of course, Jewel—we should head to the Academy first and declare our mission request. If we're unlucky, this could take a while. Afterwards, we should secure a room—these lazy bums will let us wait, I fear," Tazuna explains.
"Sounds like a plan," Alex responds, giving him a thumbs-up.
That way, we can explore the place immediately afterward.
The group makes their way through the busy village streets. Alex is stunned—the place looks almost like a modern city, aside from a few traditionally styled buildings scattered here and there.
"This city is weird… it's a mix between tradition and modernity," Alex comments.
Tazuna pauses for a moment, glancing at one of the tall buildings in the distance. "Those are homes for the rich. Honestly, these high and modern buildings disgust me. You know, Konoha is a rich country. My own country is seen as nothing more than a convenient trade tool. They pay us scraps while extracting our natural wealth. Worst of all, this bridge will only increase that trade. And still… I believe this bridge and Konoha are the only way my country can ever prosper. That's why I'm doing this," he says, voice steady and serious.
"That's the reality of the universe," Menchi replies flatly. "That's how it works. Let's focus on our mission, okay?"
"You're right. Let's press on to the Academy," Tazuna says, picking up his pace.
Tazuna leads them through Konoha with surprising ease, taking the shortest route through winding roads and bustling streets until they reach their destination.
This guy… has he been here before?
Yes, Soulmate. Queen Jewel is sure he's visited here at least a few times.
Makes sense. It's the wealthiest village, and it's relatively close. He's been to Shukuba Town—it'd be strange if he hadn't come to Konoha.
They reach the familiar-looking roundly-shaped Academy building and head inside, making their way to the large hall on the upper level. Multiple receptionists are stationed there, handling all sorts of visitors and clients. The group walks straight to the Mission Assignment Desk, where several clerks are working behind glass panels.
The Hokage is not here today… interesting.
Tazuna approaches one of the available receptionists and begins his explanation, skillfully explaining his background and the threat posed by Gatō.
"... Finally, your ninja's job would be to protect me, my workers, and the bridge until it is finished," Tazuna concludes.
The receptionist narrows his eyes and responds in a flat tone, "Any particular enemies you expect?"
"I don't know. The man will most likely send thugs to intimidate us, but my own personal bodyguards have been enough to repel them so far. There could be tougher enemies, but I don't expect them."
"I see. This qualifies as a C-rank mission, then. The total cost comes to 420,000 Ryō," the receptionist states.
NO WAY. I can't afford a B or A-rank mission at this point…. These greedy…!
Alex steps forward, his voice calm but commanding. "Are you serious? We're defending a bridge that could boost both the Land of Waves' and Konoha's economy, improve countless lives, and yet you're charging us 420,000 Ryō?!"
"The cost is based on the duration and projected difficulty of the mission," the man replies coldly. "If the price is too high for you, you're welcome to request help from another ninja village."
Tazuna places a hand on Alex's shoulder. "It's fine. We expected this. We'll accept the price. Here's the money."
He places a medium-sized bag on the counter. The receptionist opens it and begins counting. His expression sours as he flips through the mixed, worn, crumpled bills—many in tiny denominations.
"Tzzz," the man clicks his tongue, but doesn't argue. After a long moment, he nods.
"The money is accounted for. You may leave. Someone will contact you once we've assembled a team. It'll likely be tomorrow. Return to the waiting room tomorrow morning and wait for your name to be called," he says, handing Tazuna a stamped receipt in a tone that radiates annoyance.
"Fine!" Tazuna replies, walking away with a tired sigh. Alex and Menchi follow.
"That was seriously disgusting," Alex mutters.
"My head's still pounding from yesterday. Let's just head to a cheap hotel… I know one," Tazuna says, wincing and pressing a hand to his forehead. His fist trembles slightly.
He leads them to a nearby hotel. It's cheap and clearly a bit run-down—peeling paint, squeaky door, creaky floors. Tazuna pays with the last of his money, even handing over a small handful of coins to cover the difference.
Poor guy…
They follow Tazuna up to his room to see where he'll be staying.
"Well, Tazuna, we'll go explore the village a bit. Don't worry—we won't get into trouble," Alex assures him.
"Have fun… my head," Tazuna groans, already preparing to collapse into his futon for another nap.
The group leaves him alone and steps back outside.
"Now what?!" Menchi asks, looking slightly confused.
Alex smiles and begins to explain his plan:
"Hehe, simple! We explore the village shops, then we eat lots of food. I also need to sell the weapons we took from the thugs. It won't be much, but this might be the last chance to convert those unranked trash items into money. And Konoha should be a good place to spend my winnings from last night. Any requests, Queen Jewel?"
Queen Jewel is fine, Soulmate. ❤️
You are such a kind queen… you can be needy for once. You outdid yourself obtaining the [Chakra Metal]!
Pri—Queen Jewel is fine!
With a confident grin, Alex starts walking ahead.
"Let's aim for a weapon store first. We can sell our junk and maybe pick up a few new weapons," he says.
It only takes them about ten minutes to locate one, asking for directions along the way. They finally arrive at a shop, and Alex takes a quick look around before removing all the weapons from his inventory.
As they step inside, the first thing Alex notices is a familiar face standing behind the counter. It's a young ninja with black hair, worn in two Chinese-style buns.
Tenten! So all those fan stories were true—her family owns a weapon shop… or maybe it's just this world? Did the fandom influence the Realm? … Who cares! Focus, Alex.
He approaches the counter with a friendly smile and places all his gear onto it.
"I'd like to sell. Do you buy weapons?" he asks.
"Garbage like that?" she says, eyeing the pile. "I guess we do, but don't expect much."
She studies the weapons for a moment longer before naming her price. "I'll give you 10,000 Ryō for everything—and that's me being generous."
No use arguing over trash… better to get on her good side.
"Okay," Alex agrees without complaint. A flicker of surprise crosses Tenten's face.
"I won't argue over junk. What I'm really here for is buying weapons. Got anything good? Show me your best weapons and armor," Alex says.
"Now that's the smart way to spend money." She smiles. "If you actually spend all that Ryō, I'll even give you a 5% discount."
Alex inspects the available items. Unfortunately, the system only lets him buy from a limited list of items:
— 5 White-ranked [Kunai]
— 5 White-ranked [Shuriken]
— 2 White-ranked [Basic Ninja Gear]
— 1 Light Green-ranked [Tanto]
He sighs.
Reminds me of FF9… this must be the default starter gear for rookie ninjas. I can't believe how many rare items we raked in from the Wizarding World! I wish it were always that easy.
These items aren't even worth examining—just generic junk, not worth analyzing, I'll shard or sell them all anyway!
"How much for all this?" he asks.
"Just 43,000 Ryō. But how about this? Give me 30,000 and your old weapons," she suggests.
Alex hands her 30,000 Ryō without hesitation. "Any idea where I could find better gear? No offense, but this isn't what I'm really after."
"Haha, fair enough. These are mass-produced. There are still craftsmen out there, but they're hard to deal with. Most ninjas don't bother since custom weapons are expensive. I can point you to someone who taught me when I was a kid, though. You'll be surprised—but I won't spoil it. I can vouch for the quality you'll see."
"Please do," Alex says with a grin.
Yes! That's progress at least.
Tenten points them to a small house on the outskirts of the village, near the wall.
It takes Alex and Menchi nearly 20 minutes of walking to finally find it. They stop in front of the modest building, and Alex knocks on the door.
They wait about twenty seconds—no answer.
En!
Alex extends his aura and senses movement from behind the building. Someone's working a forge—half the structure appears to be open-air.
"Let's go around," Alex says, leading the way.
They circle the building and spot an old woman at the forge, hammering away at a sword.
They stay quiet and observe her technique from a distance, choosing not to interrupt.
Thirty minutes pass before she finishes her work, and she quenches it in a barrel filled with oil. With a slight shake of her head, she pulls it out and inspects it closely.
"You stayed quiet, but you still distracted me. This is shoddy work… what a waste. Now, what do you want?" she asks, clearly annoyed.
"Tenten referred us to you. We want to purchase high-quality weapons, and you have a great reputation, at least according to her," Alex explains, keeping his voice polite and respectful.
"Heh. Buzz off!" she says curtly, already turning back toward her home.
What?!
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