Aura's the kind of thing you only grasp by feeling it firsthand.
That's why Sarutobi Hiruzen, having faced Shen Mo's Dragon Might aura, treated him with such caution.
He didn't even think the Akatsuki could threaten Shen Mo.
But Danzo, never having felt it, harbored other schemes.
Now…
Sarutobi's regard for Shen Mo climbed another notch.
A merchant from another world, the Omni-Potent Chamber of Commerce… this group was just too mysterious, too powerful.
But no matter what stood before him, as Hokage, he had to lead the village down the right path.
"Whatever you offer, I can judge its value fairly."
Shen Mo didn't know Sarutobi's thoughts. He just smiled, scanning the group, then locked onto Kakashi.
How many ninjutsu did this Copy Ninja have?
He activated a custom scan.
"One thousand one hundred twenty-one ninjutsu?" Shen Mo said, his smile growing brighter. "Big client, Kakashi sensei! Any plans to buy cans? From getting stronger to resurrection, friendship to love—any regret, any wish—sell some useless ninjutsu, buy cans, and your fate'll change."
Even without crafting scrolls, just selling the memories and experience of those ninjutsu…
Worth over twenty million Trade Points.
And that's with most being low-tier jutsu.
Kakashi faced Shen Mo's beaming grin.
He seemed a bit lost.
Mainly, that word—resurrection.
Resurrection… could cans really do that?
"Kakashi sensei knows that many ninjutsu!" Naruto gushed, beyond jealous, then leaned toward Shen Mo. "What about me? Got anything I can sell?"
"Hmph, Kakashi sensei's got the Sharingan. You've only got a few jutsu, right?" Sasuke clutched his Qingfeng sword, but his eyes betrayed him.
He was stunned by the ninjutsu count.
Even with copying…
How many battles had Kakashi fought to amass that number?
Shen Mo knew Kakashi needed time to process, so he wasn't rushed. He tossed a scan at Naruto.
Sellable, truly his own…
Asura's chakra, Minato and Kushina's chakra, his own chakra…
Quite a haul, and valuable too.
Shame, for now, Naruto didn't own the Nine-Tails' chakra—that would've been a jackpot.
Pushing down his regret, Shen Mo gave Naruto a sly smile. "You've got plenty in you. I'd suggest selling your chakra. At your current level… drain it all at once, about two million. Forty Level 1 cans or four Level 2 cans."
Naruto hadn't spoken yet when Sasuke blurted out—
"Chakra can be traded!?"
Every ninja had chakra. For a genin like Naruto, it was worth two million?
Then he could sell his too.
"Chakra's tradeable, sure," Shen Mo nodded. "But Sasuke, your chakra's maybe a fiftieth of Naruto's, and he recovers fast enough to sell daily."
Yup, even Naruto's own chakra was insanely vast.
In this world…
If a jutsu's rank and mastery set its power…
Chakra was the mana pool.
Naruto's mana could fuel hundreds, thousands of shadow clones and let him train Rasengan all day.
Most crucially…
When his chakra ran dry, he'd unconsciously draw from the Nine-Tails to recover. Any injury, healed overnight.
A long-term, stable client.
"Hahaha, my chakra's that huge?" Naruto, shocked, grinned, counting on his fingers. Two million a day—how long to hit two billion?
Sasuke stared at Naruto, floored.
This guy's chakra was fifty times his?
So…
A hundred days. Just sell chakra for a hundred days, and he'd surpass him?
"Naruto's an Uzumaki descendant. That clan's known for massive chakra," Sarutobi said, understanding Naruto's reserves, but worried. "Drawing chakra harms the body, Naruto, you…"
"No need to worry," Shen Mo cut Sarutobi off. "If I trade chakra, there's zero side effects. Naruto, wanna try? Forty Level 1 cans to start?"
Naruto was a prime client too.
He'd grow.
If he became a perfect jinchuriki, he could sell the Nine-Tails' chakra. Even now, he'd tap a bit of it.
"Deal, I'll sell now!" Naruto agreed without hesitation.
Having seen Sasuke's power, he craved others' recognition.
Sarutobi went quiet, then stayed silent.
Looking at Naruto's eyes, he knew—stop him now, and Naruto would sneak off to sell anyway. Better to watch it unfold under his nose, see what this was.
Kakashi sensei shared the thought.
"Alright," Shen Mo flashed a merchant's smile, looking at Naruto. "Decided which can series you want? Or rather, what fate do you want to change?"
The fate he wanted to change…
Naruto mulled it over.
Then, no hesitation.
He clenched his fists, firm. "I wanna be Hokage!"
Hokage—respected, recognized. That's who Naruto wanted to be.
Sarutobi gazed at Naruto, eyes full of pride.
Unlike Sasuke, obsessed with revenge…
Naruto was a ninja who'd inherited the Will of Fire.
"Hokage, huh," Shen Mo mused, then said deliberately, "So, your wish, the fate you hope for, is to protect this village, protect others?"
"Exactly!" Naruto nodded, resolute.
Sasuke looked at Naruto, suddenly tense.
If this guy picked swordsmanship…
He'd go for a sword of pure heart, maybe outshine him.
Tsunade's expression flickered, a touch uneasy.
She saw Nawaki's shadow in Naruto.
"For protection, I've gotta recommend a true hero," Shen Mo said, spreading his arms. A holographic display flared again, this time with sound.
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